Vol. III.                                          NEW YORK CITY                                            No. 5.

Religious and Scientific Gleanings

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION.

Enthusiastic Support

When the balance-sheets of history are finally adjusted, it will probably be found that the statement made by the President of the United States in December last has had the greatest effect upon the trend of modern thought, on the ultimate well-being of mankind, and as the starting-point in the evolution of a new basis in international ethics. We, on this side of the Atlantic, will have nothing to re-proasch ourselves with in regard to the part which our statesmen and our people have taken. The recent utterances of our Foreign Minister have riveted the attention of the civilized world, and the governments and the press have, with but a few trivial exceptions, united in a consensus of approval.

Feeling in America.

Reference was made in our issue of last week to the speech by Sir Edward Grey in favor of full arbitration between this country and the United States of America, and extracts from expressions of hearty approval from all parts of the kingdom and from all classes and denominations of Christians were addpd. Since then, the agitation in favor of obligatory arbitration'has gathered enormous momentum on both sides of the Atlantic. In the States, Mr. Carnegie, who has recently returned from Florida to New York, is working most zealously in the cause of peace, and his energy seems to have aroused everybody to a fuller sense of the tremendous possibilities involved. America, from coast to coast, is thoroughly awakened On the subject.—British Exchange.

A French Treaty.

Already we hear from Washington that the President and the French Ambassador have had an informal conversation regarding a forthcoming arbitration treaty between the United States and France along the lines of the Anglo-American negotiations. It will be remembered that when President Taft made his now famous speech in December last, the French Ambassador, who w^ras sitting next him. delighted him by remarking that he was quite sure that France would gladly embrace an opportunity for negotiating for a treaty which aimed at the submission of every issue, irrespective of subject, which could not be settled by the ordinary diplomatic exchanges.

A Word of Warning.

Little is heard, or is likely to be heard, of open opposition to the substitution. of arbitration for war. Few would dare to advocate the settlement of national disputes by bloodshed in preference to reason, but at the same time there exist subtle influences at Avofik which will need to be carefully watched and guarded against. The growing wealth and power of the contractors who supply governments with stores and armaments have to be reckoned with. Therefore, it behooves all lovers of peace to be vigilant.

Mr. Birrell on Arbitration.

Mr. Birrell, speaking at a great arbitration meeting at Whitefield’s Tabernacle, London, referred to the proposals for a treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United States, and said: “It is a family affair that we are beginning with. It is not an offensive and defensive alliance. It is peace between kinsfolk. Let us pursue it to the end. When carefully examined,” he added, “the German Chancellor’s recent speech really meant no more than that, in his opinion, some antagonisms might hereafter arise even between England and America of so agonizing a character that the terms of no treaty could keep us from each <>ther’s throats—kill each other we must. Well,” said Mr. Birrell, “if we must, we will. But surely, as the Chancellor admitted, there could be nothing but good in trying as long as possible to keep us from doing anything of the sort.”

AEROPLANE AT OXFORD-CAMBRIDGE BOAT RACE.

Some sensation was caused among the crowds who lined the river banks to watch the Oxford and Cambridge boat race quite recently, for no fewer than six aviators visited the scene by aeroplane. Five of them started from Hendon. These were Mr. C. Grahame-White, who took up Mr. Patterson, the well-known Northern aviator, as a passenger in his Farman biplane; M. Hubert, also on a biplane, and three pilots of Bleriot monoplanes— Mr, G. Hamel, Mr. C. H. Greswell, and M. Pierre Prier.' Leaving Hendon soon after two o’clock, they reached the river at Kew. and then followed the river’s course to the Ranelagh Club, where they hovered about for a time, making several circuits, and finally landing in the club grounds much to the amazement of the many members who had attended to witness the ’Varsity contest. When the race was over Mr. Grahame-White telephoned the result to Hendon, where a large crowd awaited the return of the aviators.

QUEEN AND CITY WORKING GIRLS.

A message from the Queen was given to the congregation of working girls which assembled as usual at All Hallow’s Church, London Wall, on Thursday morning. This is the only church in London, if indeed not in the country, which is used in the early mornings as a place where women and girls can take rest and shelter whilst waiting for the opening of the offices or other places of business where they are engaged. Addressing the women and girls, Mrs. Fowler, the rector’s wife, said that the Queen took a great interest in the work being carried on, and sent materials for them to make garments of. Her Majesty had sent a very handsome donation, which amounted to practically double what she had graciously sent before. Mrs. Fowler added that she had received a letter from Buckingham Palace, enclosing 12 copies of a pamphlet describing the work of the London Needlework Guild, of which the Queen was patroness. All the garments made by the women and girls attending the church are sent direct to the Queen.

TO SHORTEN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Advices from London note that the highest counsels of the Church of England are considering the advisability of modifying and shortening the Ten Commandments—especially the second, fourth and tenth.

Those who admit that God gave those commands must be egotistic in the extreme to attempt to correct the Almighty!

Those who disbelieve in the Divine authorship of the commands would better repudiate them entirely and make new ones to their own pleasement and properly credited to their own wisdom.

God’s consecrated people, guided by His Word in the New Testament, realize that the law is just and good. But they see also that it was given to the Jew and not to the Christian “new creatures in Christ.”

These latter are Spirit-begotten and are under the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ—a superior Law—a Law which requires love to God supremely and love for our fellow-creatures as Tor ourselves. This Law of Love includes all of the requirements of the Mosaic Law and more.

But God is not judging these “new creatures” as flesh beings, but as spirit beings. They are being judged according to their minds, their hearts, their intentions. Thus “the righteousness of the Law of God is fulfilled in us, who are walking, not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”—Rom. 8:1.

WHAT IS THE SOUL?

A postal-card request will secure for you a free copy of this paper in which this interesting subject is treated in a manner that will satisfy the most exacting.

THESE and other Scriptures tell us of a personal God, the Father or Life Giver of all, the Great One who inhabiteth Eternity. St. Paul declares that to the heathen “there are lords many and gods many, but to us there is but one God, the Father,” and one appointed Agent of His in dealing with, humanity—one Lord Jesus Christ—-“and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus, Messiah, is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”—Phil. 2: 11.

The Scriptures tell us of “the beginning of the creation of God,” hence there was a time before that beginning of creation, when Jehovah God was alone—“He that inhabiteth Eternity.” Not even the great Michael was with Him, the great Messiah, whom He hath so highly honored and whom He declares He will still further honor throughout a glorious eternity. He was not with the Father before the beginning of creation, because He Himself was “the Beginning of the creation of God—the First-Born of every creature.” (Rev. 3: 14; Col. 1:15.) He was the first expression or manifestation of the Divine attributes.—John 1:18.

This mighty God, Jehovah, self-centered, self-contained, is ours, the same yesterday, to-day and forever, He changes not.

Divine Attributes Glorious.

Every attribute of the Divine character was the same millions of years ago that it is to-day, but that character was unrevealed. Every step of creation was tended to display the Divine character more and more, and each successive step and development of creation has brought forth new creatures capable of comprehending the Eternal One. We deem it not unreasonable to assume that Jehovah’s creative power will continue to be exercised throughout all coming time.

Astronomical photography now reveals nearly 125,000,000 suns, around which circle systems such as the one which circles around our sun, and of which our earth is a part. We deem it not unreasonable to assume, from the Scriptures, that the great work of ordering all these hundreds of millions of planets stretches forward into eternity, and that the work of Divine grace, begun on the planet “Earth,” will be continued throughout the Universe, not only in conjunction with the planetary systems we can discern, but probably with millions of planetary systems too far removed from us to be discerned even by photography.

Doubtless Divine methods in connection with other worlds and their inhabitants will display the manifold wisdom of God. For instance, we understand the Bible to indicate that while the permission of evil in the earth was wise, it will not necessarily be wise nor expedient for any reason to permit a similar reign of Sin and Death in any other of the millions of worlds, in connection with their ordering or development and their peopling with glorious creatures who will show forth the praises of the great Creator without passing through experiences with sin and death such as have been permitted in connection with the humanity of earth.

The Permission of Evil.

Can we not see a broad reason for the permission of evil on the earth-— for the permission of the reign of Sin and Death, which for six thousand years has apparently disgraced the Creator, degraded humanity, astonished the angels and constituted our race a groaning creation? Only when we discern that Messiah’s Kingdom will surely bring order out of this confusion, do we begin to get the proper focus upon our subject and realize something of the greatness of our God.

From the standpoint of the completion of the Divine purposes in connection with humanity, and from that standpoint alone, can we see illustrated Divine Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power. The primary lesson was Justice—that sin brings suffering and eventually death.

The second lesson was that of Divine compassion, sympathy—Love. This lesson was manifested in the sending of the Redeemer and in His subsequent reward of exaltation, and in His gathering of an “elect” Church to be His associates m glory and in th? blessing of the redeemed race. The reign of glory, the reign of Messiah, soon to be introduced, will lift up poor humanity from sin and sorrow, from degradation and death, and give to each and all the fullest opportunity to return to human perfection and to Divine favor and everlasting life.

In all that work of human restitution, which will include the awakening of mankind from the sleep of death, the one great lesson will be the greatness of the Divine Power which will be exercised through Messiah, the Godlike One, the Prince of Life, “the Prince of Glory,” the Redeemer, the Regenerator of Adam and his race.

And finally, from the standpoint of the completion of Jehovah’s great purposes and dealings with man, w 11 stand revealed the foreknowledge and Wisdom of God, who knew the end from* the beginning and who foresaw how even the permission of a reign of sin and death could be made eventually to work out to His own glory and to> the blessing and instruction of His creatures on both the human and the> angelic planes. Then will be revealed to all the glorious character of their Creator, and the necessity for His requirement of absolute righteousness and perfection.

Surely, the result eventually will be, as the Scriptures declare, that all shall learn righteousness, and hate iniquity, and that every creature in heaven and in earth and under the earth shall acclaim both Jehovah, who sitteth upon the Throne of the Universe, and the. Lamb, the Redeemer, forever.

Were we to allow ourselves to speculate respecting the future—respecting the Divine purposes in relation to the millions of worlds around us, our speculations would run thus: Those instructed and used of Jehovah in conjunction with the initial development of the Divine Plan in the earth will thereby be fitted and prepared to be the Divine Agents to other worlds. The Great Redeemer and His “elect” associates, after dealing with humanity for their uplift out of sin and death conditions, will surely be qualified for further service in other worlds: to “show forth the praises of Him who called them out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

And what shall we say of humanity when perfected at the end of Messiah’s glorious reign? Will not all be well prepared, not only to approve righteousness in themselves, but to tell in other worlds, to other races, the story of the fall and of the reign of Sin and Death resulting; and of the redemption accomplished by God’s love; and of the great restitution; and of the lessons thus learned?

The Unchangeable One.

The qualities of the Divine character which we have just considered—Wisdom, Justice, Love and Ptfwer—belonged to our Creator in the great, eternity preceding creation. But there was no one at that time to appreciate God—it requires a full view of the perfected Plan of the Ages to make known to any and to all the glory of the Lord. As we have just seen, thus far the secret of the Lord and the glories of His character are known only to His “sons,” begotten of His holy Spirit. But the time nears when “the whole earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the great deep.” He -nd His glorious Government will then be “the desire of all nations;” “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”—Hag. 2u; Isa. 40:5.

(Continued on 2d page, 2d column.)

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Six Hundred Thousand Books Burned.

Perhaps the greatest loss in connection with the burning of the New York Capitol is the complete destruction of the State Library, containing 600,000 volumes, among them the most valuable genealogical work in the United States. There also perished in the flames relics and priceless documents, some of them dating back to the Revolutionary War of 1776. The Assembly and Senate libraries were stored with thousands of volumes of law and code books, and also a number of historic documents and manuscripts were likewise wiped out. The total value of the three libraries defies computation, but it was certainly over £500.000.

Terrier Tackles the Census Paper.

At least one census paper narrowly escaped destruction immediately after delivery last week. The householder for whom it was intended possesses a very intelligent terrier, who has made it his duty, whenever he hears the letter box rattle, to rush to the door and carry off the communication in triumph to his basket. Usually some member of the family manages to rescue it in time, but the census paper showed plain marks of business-like teeth when it was retrieved. A delay of a minute or two would have made the paper uselss for official purposes.

The Value of the All-British Shopping Week.

“Some curious questions have been put to us during this week,” sat’d one departmental manager of a large drapery firm recently to a “Morning Post” reporter. “Customers were not content with our assurance that certain articles were British-made, both as to material and workmanship. They wanted demonstrative proof, because their impression was that the articles were of foreign origin. In such cases we gave the towns of origin and produced photographs of the factories and the operatives at work in them. This is where the educative value of the displays comes in. In future, buyers will be able to associate certain articles with certain towns.”

How a French Artist Obtained a Royal Commission.

M. Georges Scott, the French artist of Scottish descent, whose equestrian portrait of the King will be one of the features of the forthcoming Salon, has been telling an interviewer how he came to paint the picture. He attended the funeral of King Edward as special artist for “L’Hlustration,” and a sketch he made of King George was afterward exhibited at a London gallery. To this His Majesty’s attention was directed by one of his secretaries who visited the gallery. This resulted in the artist having an audience of His Majesty at Buckingham Palace, and the portrait then begun is now nearly completed. It represents the King mounted on his favorite charger, Kildare, in a field-marshal’s uniform.

Queen Victoria and the Creation of Peers.

The Royal prerogative with regard to the creation of Peers, says the “Westminister Gazette,” was one which Queen Victoria considered of great importance. The authors of “Piccadilly to Pall Mall” tell how once, on the occasion of a Liberal Ministry being returned to office, Her Majesty remarked to a lady of the Court, “I wonder what appointments for my household Mr. Gladstone will advise me to make?” “Oh,” replied the lady unthinkingly, “I suppose they will make several new Peers.” “They!” echoed the Queen indignantly.

The Rich Man in Hell;

Lazarus in
Abraham’s Bosom

This greatly misunderstood parable made plain in Vol. I, No. 4, of PEOPLES’ PULPIT.

Send for free sample copy.

(Continued from first page.)

St. Paul assures us that every feature of the Divine Plan which we see in process of execution was known to Jehovah from before the foundation of the world. He declares that these things God purposed in Himself before the foundation of the world. The creative processes, which have been operating for thousands of years, were all surely elaborated in the mind of Jehovah before the creative work began. In that purpose angels had a part—of how many grades we may not surely know, but they are variously designated in the holy Scriptures as “angels, principalities and powers.” Later came the creation of man, “a little lower than the angels” and crowned with earthly honor, dignity and power, in the image and likeness of his Creator’s glorious power.

These creations varied not in degrees of perfection and imperfection. Each was perfect on its own plane. Each intelligent creature was a free, moral agent, and hence, whether on the angelic or human plane, was crea-ated in the likeness of God, unblemished. but with different capacities and abilities. Almighty God, infinite in Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power, purposed the orderly exercise of His infinite attributes, as a great Father, desirous of giving life and happiness to his creatures.

These intelligent ones were designated “Sons of God” so long as they maintained their attitude of perfect loyalty to Him, their Creator and Father. Not only was it the Divine intention thus to give pleasure to millions of creatures to be created, but it was also the Divine will to manifest to His creatures His own greatness and the perfection of His own goodness that they might enjoy Him and He enjoy them everlastingly.

We are not to understand that Almighty God was lonely in that great Eternity before creation began. On the contrary, human loneliness is largely because of human deficiency. What we lack we seek for in others. But the great Jehovah lacked nothing; He was complete in Himself; He needed not companionship to complete or to supplement His happiness. It was His pleasure to create, that His creatures might have joy by reflecting as a whole His Divine qualities implanted in their constitutions.

The wreck of the human race produced by sin He well foreknew. Nor did this wrecking of human hopes defeat, nor was it in danger of defeating, the Divine purpose. It merely demonstrates to angels and to men the graces of the Divine character and shows unto all the more fully the qualities of God proper to be appreciated and copied.

The Seven-Sealed Scroll.

When God would illustrate to us His own grea*t Personality, when He would show to His creatures how He is working all things according to the counsel of His own will, He pictured it symbolically in the Book of Revelation. In that vision the Throne of the Eternal One is graphically portrayed as the Seat of Divine power and authority for the Universe, with angels as ministering spirits. Then is described a Scroll, in the right hand of Jehovah— in Divine power and keeping. That scroll, written inside and outside, was “sealed with seven seals,” representing the complete secrecy of the Divine purposes related in that scroll. From before the foundation of the world it had been in the hand (in the power) of the great Eternal One. He had given hints respecting it and had caused it to be symbolized in the Law and to some extent to be described by the Prophets. But still it was a Hidden Mystery, because the Prophets understood not the things which they wrote; nor could any understand them until the Father’s “due time,” which He had purposed in Himself.

Not only was the Divine Program thus sealed and safely secreted, but it was the Divine determination that it should be given only to the One who would demonstrate His worthiness to be Jehovah’s honored Agent for the carrying out of those purposes predestinated before the world was. To become the honored Agent, the Representative of Jehovah, to carry out the Divine purposes, should be given only to the One who would demonstrate His worthiness to be the great Messiah, the great Deliverer, the great Prophet, Priest, Judge, King of Israel.

High as the Redeemer stood in the Divine counsels and fellowship before He came into the world to be man’s Redeemer, it was not then granted even to Him to know all the mysteries of the Divine Program. But by virtue of His high station, His perfection, His obedience, the privilege was given to Him first to become man's Redeemer, at the cost of personal humiliation and death, and then, if faithful in this redemptive work, it should be His reward to be glorified, exalted to the Divine nature, and to execute the Divine Program to its completion.

cried on Calvary, “It is finished!”

This glorious Victor was then acknowledged by God and by the holy angels to be the worthy One to whom the Father would entrust the execution of every feature of the Divine Program: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive glory and honor, dominion and might.” He has not yet completed His great work there and then entrusted to Him. The Father glorified Him and set Him at His own right hand—the place of Divine favor— when He finished His demonstration of loyalty even unto death. As yet He has only begun His great work. The blessing of the Church as “the Bride,_ the Lamb’s Wife,” is the first step in the glorious Program, and it is not yet completed. Following it will come the blessing of the world, all the. families of the earth, not only the living but the dead. His declaration to. those now called to be FZi: Bride is, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne, even as I overcame and am set down with My Father in His Throne.”—‘Rev. 3:21.

“To us there is one God,” says the Apostle. All wisdom and power are His. Recent electrical inventions assist us greatly in apprehending His greatness. What man can do limited-ly with the telephone and wireless telegraphy merely hint to us of the infinite resources of the Eternal One— from everlasting to everlasting, God. But our knowledge of the Divine Justice and Love satisfies our hearts— our Great Creator becomes “Our Father, who art in heaven.” feared. He offered up strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him out of death. (Heb. 5:7.) If the Master feared, so should His followers. The Apostle says, “Let us, therefore, fear Jest, a, promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1.) How shall we harmonize these fears with our text? The text is evidently not intended to contradict the great lessons otherwise taught. Our Lord Jesus appealed to the Father who. He knew, loved Him; but He knew also, that the Father was absolutely perfect, righteous, just and He feared lest He might have come short in fulfilling some of the requirements.

So with us. Let us know that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), but let us fear respecting ourselves, and have such a carefulness, such a desire to please God, that we should feel fearful lest in any degree we should come short. Ignorance begets fear; but love for God will enable us to cast out that fear, and will also enable us to come to God with great confidence. So let us “Dra^x nigh unto God” (James 4:8) with full confidence that He will bless us. This thought is the very opposite to that in Ine heathen mind. Their conception of a god is that of a demon. The Christian, on the other hand, who is walking in the footsteps of the Master, learns to love his God and to wish to do the Father’s will only. Nothing is acceptable in the nature of a sacrifice that is not prompted by that love. “The Father seeketh such to W’orship Him as worship Him in spirit and in truth.”—John 4:23, 24.

PASTOR RUSSELL’S SCRIPTURE STUDIES.

These volumes deserve a careful study by all who are not thoroughly satisfied with the Bible interpretations of the “dark ages.” They can be bought for a trifle or borrowed free. Address us.

Respecting the first volume of this work “The Atlanta Constitution” says editorially:

“It is impossible to read this book without loving the writer and pondering his wonderful solution of the great mysteries that have troubled us all our lives. There is hardly a family to be found that has not lost some loved one who died outside the church—outside the plan of salvation, and, if Calvinism be true, outside of all hope and inside of eternal torment and despair.

“This wonderful book makes no assertions that are not well sustained by the Scriptures. It is built up stone by stone, and upon every stone is the text, and it becomes a pyramid of God’s love and mercy and wisdom. There is nothing in the Bible that the author denies or doubts, but there are many texts that he throws a flood of light upon that seems to uncover its meaning.”

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LONG before man was created, or our earth was brought from its chaotic condition, long before angels and cherubim were created, Divine power brought forth a Son on the spirit plane —Jehovah’s   First-Begotten—glorious,

perfect., beautiful, His own image and likeness.

This glorious One is in our text designated the Logos, the Word, the Message, the Expression of God. In the Old Testament He is symbolically referred to as “Wisdom” in the words, “Jehovah possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. * * * Then I was by Him, as one brought up "with Him, and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him. ’—Proy. 8:22-30.

This mighty One, personified as Wisdom, is declared by St. Paul to be “the First-Born of all creation.” (Col. 1:1518.) The Psalmist similarly refers to Him as Jehovah’s “First-Born, high--er than the kings of earth.” (Psa. 89:27.) Jesus thus refers to Himself as One who had a prehuman existence, saying, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:14, 23, 42-58.) The glorified, ascended Christ, in Apocalyptic vision, declared the same great truth, that He was “the beginning of the creation of God.” (Rev. 3:14.) And again He declared “I am the First and the Last.” —Rev. 1:17; 2:8.

All of these Scriptures fully corroborate the statement of our text that He who subsequently became the -world’s Redeemer was long before the primary .Son of God. He ranked first, not only in seniority, but also in honor, dignity and station, above all other sons of God, not one of whom was like Himself—the direct creation of Jehovah; “For all things were made by the Logos, and without Him was not one thing made that was made.” He was not the Creator in the primary sense of the word, but in the secondary sense. He was the active Agent of Jehovah in all of His subsequent creative work; thus He was not only the .First-Born of all creation, but, individually, He was also the last of Jehovah's creation. To this agrees the word of St. Paul, “All things are of the Father and all things are by the Son.”

Surely many have failed to appreciate, not only the Divine personality of Jehovah, but also the greatness of Him who is styled “The Son of God.”

In the Dark Ages.

There w^ras a time when God’s people did not possess the Bible in their own language, and when education to read it was extremely limited, and when nobody possessed such wonderful Bibles (with references and concordances) as are common to-day. It should not surprise us that in that far-off time confusing errors crept into the traditional faith of the Church. The contention of the Jews was that Jesus of Nazareth was an impostor and that His mighty works were done under the influence of the fallen angel, Beelzebub. Should we think it strange that in the heat of discussion some of the followers of Jesus would make extravagant claims for Him in their endeavor to oppose the theory that made of Messiah a mere sinful man?

It does not surprise us, therefore, that early in the third century claims were put forward in the name of

Christ and His Apostles which neither He nor they ever authorized. The Apostles rightly declared Him to be “the Son of God with power” and that

He was “holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners.” (Heb. 7:26.) The Master Himself declared, “My Father is greater than I.” “He is above all;” “He sent me;” “I came to do the will of My Father in heaven and not Mine own will;” “I delight to do Thy will, oh, My God; Thy law is written in My heart.”

True, He also declared, “I and My Father are One;” but He showed in what this oneness consisted—that it was a oneness of will, of purpose, of work. Because He had fully submitted His will to the Father’s will and had made the Father’s will His own, therefore They were One.

The Master again illustrated this oneness when He prayed for His disciples that “they all might be one, even as Thou, Father, and I are One.” (John 17:11, 21, 22.) Evidently the Master did not pray that His disciples should all become one in person, but

has an Only Begotten Son who is yet to be the Savior or Deliverer of all of Adam’s race willing to accept the grace of God provided in Him; and that there is one Holy Spirit, “the spirit of truth,” “the spirit of wisdom,” “the spirit of a sound mind,” the spirit or pow^rer, energy, will, mind of the Father—which is also the spirit of the Son, and which must be also the spirit, disposition, mind, will of all those who now come unto the Father as sons through the adoption which is in Christ Jesus.

The Only Begotten Honored.

Before the beginning of the creation of God, before the Only Begotten of the Father became the Alpha of Creation, the Father had wonderful purposes in Himself respecting all His great Flan for the everlasting future. It included this world, and mankind,, and the permission of sin, and the redemption of man from , sin and its penalty, and the restoration to be accomplished by Messiah’s Kingdom and

THE eye is one of the most important organs of the body with which to give expression to the feelings. Either anger or pleasure are usually expressed by this means. One thought which we may take from the text is that one may be so desirous of doing the Divine will that he will be continually on the alert to please, just as a dutiful child, being on the alert to do the will of the parent, would look at the parent’s eye, not waiting for the rod. So all of God’s dear children of the Church.should be looking unto Jesus for the expression of the Father’s will concerning them. They look to Jesus as the Author of their faith and the One who shall be the Finisher of it. They look to Him as the great Counselor and Guide of life. As we sometimes sing: “Oh, let no earth-born cloud arise To hide Thee from Thy servant’s eyes! ”

Another thought is that as the eye is the symbol of wisdom, so God guides all things in wisdom. He sees to it that His children receive the necessary counsel, the necessary aid. Since He is the All-Wise One, nothing can escape His attention. Still another thought is that as we recognize the Divine purpose, the Divine will, the Divine outworking of that will, we see that in the present time God is not trying to save the w^rorld, but only “the called,” “the elect,” who are obedient in sacrifice. All who are of the FirstBorns should seek to follow the same course as God, to be co-workers with Him. They should have no will of their own, but do the Father’s will.

One of the most important lessons for the spiritual Israelite to learn is to look to the Lord for leading in all of life’s affairs—never to attempt any undertaking, either temporal or spiritual, without seeking to note the will of the Lord concerning it. We are marching toward the antitypical Canaan and know that other experiences are due us and must be undergone ere we can inherit the promises. The lesson for us is prompt and thorough obedience to the Lord’s leadings without murmurings—with joyfulness; and this can be expected only on the part of those who have learned the lessons previously given them, and above all, the lesson of faith—confidence in the Lord’s power and goodness and faithfulness.