The Watchtower Society and John and Morton Edgar - A2Z.org

ear no fruit, and if his knowledge be small, his fruitagewill also be small. It ' evident then, that we must cultivatemany branches o?howledge. But a fruit-tree doesnot grow simply for the purpose of having branches.However fine these branches may be, it must developfruit in order to justify its existence. This wilI necessitatejudicious pruning. A tree that is not pruned simply runsto wood. Similarly, the purpose for which the man ofGod must develop the various branches of knowledge isthat he may in due time bear an abundant fruitage oflove, and for this purpose careful pruning and trainingwill be necessary.In the case of the New Creature, however--and herethe analogy between the tree and the New Creature fails,-much is left to the freedom of his will. He is treated as areasoning being, and is expected to do much of his ownprunmg. fiul says : " For if we judge ourselves we shallnot be judged, but'if we are judged we are chastened ofthe Lord that we may not be condemned with the world "(1 Cqr. 11 : 31. 32). In other words. we ought daily toexamine ourselves and exercise self-control. If we donot, we are not using the spirit of a sound mind, and theLord will require to prune or chasten us, just as the skilfulgardener requires to prune the tree which has no reasoningpower to guide it.The sole object of our studies should be to show onrselvesapproved unto God, workmen that need not to beashamed. The development of the different branches ofknowledge should be so controlled that we may grow onthem the fruit of love. That is what the branches arefor ; and the reason why there are so many branches, isthat there may be the more fruit.We require to exercise control, especially in regard tothe branches of secular knowledge. In the natural fruittreethe lowest branches tend to vow towards the earth.After the same fashion the branches of secular knowledge