1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
so unfortunate as never to have received as good a chance asthemselves to escape the awful ruin.These notes of alarm from Babylon, probably hinder many ofthe Lord's sheep from apprehending his truth. Having trusted tooimplicitly to the teachings of a self-exalted clergy, and failed tosearch the Scriptures for themselves, like the "noble Bereans,"that their faith might stand in the wisdom of God and not in thewisdom which this world teacheth, they are afraid to disregardtheir commands now,--afraid to believe their own senses in thestudy of God's Word.Let us remind such of the words of the Prophet Isaiah--"Theirfear toward me is taught by the precepts of men;" and again, ofthe Apostle Paul--"For God hath not given to us the spirit offear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (Isa.29:13; 2 Tim. 1:7.) That the spirit of love and of a sound mind isa power, "Orthodoxy" fails to see. The scourge of torment, themean incentive of fear, is held to be a necessity, to restrain menfrom vice and to inspire them to morality and virtue and securetheir admission to heaven when they die.Before considering the wisdom of God's course, let us firstinquire, Has the doctrine of fear accomplished the end which itclaims to have in view? No, we answer. The result of this errorhave only been bad, and that continually; and any good whichhas been accomplished is due, not to the error, but to the allpowerfultruth, --withstanding the friction of error whicheverywhere opposed its progress. As the result of this error,what do we see, after centuries of effort ostensibly to convert theworld, to turn men to God and righteousness? We see just whatwe should expect to be the miserable fruitage of such doctrine--that it has not only failed to accomplish the world's conversion,which Orthodoxy claims to be its mission, but that it hasaccomplished the demoralization of the church (nominal) and ofall influenced to any extent by it.Under its influence and misrepresentation of the character ofGod, every device of tyranny and persecution and torture, in thename of God and religion, has flourished, and largelyaccomplished its diabolical mission of stamping out truth andrighteousness. And as a consequence, we see to-day greatantichristian systems of error, built up by centuriesR1122 : page 2of false teaching and so subtle in their influence as to deceive, ifit were possible, the very elect. Their form of godliness drawsone class which desires to live godly; but their lack of the powerof godliness, truth, soon deadens every real spiritual aspiration.They also draw and encourage a mean hypocritical class ofthose who assume the garb of Christianity for mercenary andbase purposes. And amid an overwhelming host of deceived andhypocritical pretenders, those possessing the genuine article of
living faith in the true Word of God, and vital godliness, are todayat an immense discount among the loudest professors ofChristianity. And thinking men of the world--and the thinkersare fast multiplying--are beginning to see, in the light of a bettercivilization, that this monstrous blasphemy of eternal tormenthas no foundation in common sense and that it can in no sensebe compatible with their natural ideas of morality and virtue andgodliness: and, say such, if the Bible teaches this doctrine, as allbranches of the church claim, the Bible must be a bad book, andthe God of the Bible, if there be such a God, is unworthy of loveor worship, or even respect. And some to whom nature andreason whisper, There must be a God, conclude that nature andreason are the only channels through which he may be known ortraced. And thus the thinking and nobler minded of the worldare driven to Infidelity and Atheism; and the ignorant and thecredulous, while they still fear that eternal torment may be areality, are generally willing to incur the unlikely risk ofrealizing it, that they may enjoy the pleasures of sin while theopportunity lasts. And the heathen nations never have been andnever will be influenced by it.Such, in brief, have been the results of the doctrine of fear. It hasrepelled the world from God, and reduced (nominal) Christianityto sham and hypocrisy, and stimulated vice and immorality tothe crimes of treason against God and persecution of truth andvirtue.But let us now consider, on the other hand, what power there isin the spirit of love and of a sound mind. A sound mind is areasonable mind, a mind governed, neither by fickle impulse,nor by superstition, fear, prejudice, nor any other than thenoblest faculty which God has given it, namely reason. Andreason, if not perverted by pride, or prejudiced by false teaching,leads directly to the fountain of truth in God's inspiredRevelation (See, M. DAWN, Vol. I., Chap. iii.); and to one soled, faith in the inspired revelation of the omnipotent God is amost reasonable thing. This reasonable faith, rooted andgrounded in the divine testimonies and promises, calls intoexercise all the noblest faculties of our moral nature and centersthe affections upon the great Author of all truth, whom to knowis to love and worship and adore. And this faith, working bylove, purifies the heart and transforms the character into theglorious likeness of the blessed God.Such is the power of love and of a sound mind. It serves Godfrom purest filial love and gratitude, and the only fear it knowsis that filial fear of failure to fully manifest love andthankfulness, which is the fear mentioned by the Psalmist(111:10) as the beginning of wisdom. Perfect love casts out allservile fear, and brings the studious and devoted servants of Godinto active co-operation with all his benevolent plans for theblessing of all his creatures. This is the kind of service God
- Page 83 and 84: I have enlisted in the service of t
- Page 85 and 86: DEAR BRO. PATCHEN:--Your welcome le
- Page 87 and 88: page 1DO NOT send us Foreign or Can
- Page 89 and 90: The number present from abroad was
- Page 91 and 92: Gethsemane and the inestimable valu
- Page 93 and 94: EXTRACTS FROMINTERESTING LETTERS.pa
- Page 95 and 96: E. C. LEIGH.Indianapolis, Ind., May
- Page 97 and 98: people were much displeased with th
- Page 99 and 100: who promise to read. Generally I pr
- Page 101 and 102: The class to receive the prize is n
- Page 103 and 104: of the human will into the will of
- Page 105 and 106: purer tastes, until finally he give
- Page 107 and 108: Brotherly kindness,Temperateness,Ch
- Page 109 and 110: "If these things be in you and abou
- Page 111 and 112: Of all this mass of "Stuff," but tw
- Page 113 and 114: plan is so broad and comprehensive,
- Page 115 and 116: how the new conditions, into which
- Page 117 and 118: every matter, whether in our shorts
- Page 119 and 120: elationships. Those whose ambitions
- Page 121 and 122: of my pilgrimage have been few and
- Page 123 and 124: celebrate Thee; they that go down i
- Page 125 and 126: shown, water is a symbol of truth;
- Page 127 and 128: poor starved sheep of Christ and th
- Page 129 and 130: CREDIT FOR THE POOR.Those unable to
- Page 131 and 132: page 1DAMAGED DAWNS.Our supply was
- Page 133: torment, either of themselves or th
- Page 137 and 138: his cause before an astonished worl
- Page 139 and 140: Sometimes we look into a face which
- Page 141 and 142: that the God-like element of sympat
- Page 143 and 144: change in his attitude toward his c
- Page 145 and 146: any continuance of life, in any oth
- Page 147 and 148: knowledge of God; as it is written:
- Page 149 and 150: upon all, will be released from the
- Page 151 and 152: shall be selected and given this ve
- Page 153 and 154: provided our ransom price; yea, he
- Page 155 and 156: Till thus relieved of this duty of
- Page 157 and 158: THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY, NO. I.That
- Page 159 and 160: The world, then, being the portion
- Page 161 and 162: world admitted into any system of p
- Page 163 and 164: you; but that ye be perfectly joine
- Page 165 and 166: It follows that conceit springs fro
- Page 167 and 168: in order that he may thereby indire
- Page 169 and 170: VIEW FROM THE TOWER.Old readers wil
- Page 171 and 172: This conclusion, which we consider
- Page 173 and 174: SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN--FORBID THEM
- Page 175 and 176: e sure that we give no occasion for
- Page 177 and 178: with none to molest and make us afr
- Page 179 and 180: R1138 : page 3Yours in Christ, Dr.
- Page 181 and 182: The underlying principle of the Gre
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so unfortunate as never to have received as good a chance asthemselves to escape the awful ruin.These notes of alarm from Babylon, probably hinder many ofthe Lord's sheep from apprehending his truth. Having trusted tooimplicitly to the teachings of a self-exalted clergy, and failed tosearch the Scriptures for themselves, like the "noble Bereans,"that their faith might stand in the wisdom of God and not in thewisdom which this world teacheth, they are afraid to disregardtheir commands now,--afraid to believe their own senses in thestudy of God's Word.Let us remind such of the words of the Prophet Isaiah--"Theirfear toward me is taught by the precepts of men;" and again, ofthe Apostle Paul--"For God hath not given to us the spirit offear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (Isa.29:13; 2 Tim. 1:7.) That the spirit of love and of a sound mind isa power, "Orthodoxy" fails to see. The scourge of torment, themean incentive of fear, is held to be a necessity, to restrain menfrom vice and to inspire them to morality and virtue and securetheir admission to heaven when they die.Before considering the wisdom of God's course, let us firstinquire, Has the doctrine of fear accomplished the end which itclaims to have in view? No, we answer. The result of this errorhave only been bad, and that continually; and any good whichhas been accomplished is due, not to the error, but to the allpowerfultruth, --withstanding the friction of error whicheverywhere opposed its progress. As the result of this error,what do we see, after centuries of effort ostensibly to convert theworld, to turn men to God and righteousness? We see just whatwe should expect to be the miserable fruitage of such doctrine--that it has not only failed to accomplish the world's conversion,which Orthodoxy claims to be its mission, but that it hasaccomplished the demoralization of the church (nominal) and ofall influenced to any extent by it.Under its influence and misrepresentation of the character ofGod, every device of tyranny and persecution and torture, in thename of God and religion, has flourished, and largelyaccomplished its diabolical mission of stamping out truth andrighteousness. And as a consequence, we see to-day greatantichristian systems of error, built up by centuriesR1122 : page 2of false teaching and so subtle in their influence as to deceive, ifit were possible, the very elect. Their form of godliness drawsone class which desires to live godly; but their lack of the powerof godliness, truth, soon deadens every real spiritual aspiration.They also draw and encourage a mean hypocritical class ofthose who assume the garb of Christianity for mercenary andbase purposes. And amid an overwhelming host of deceived andhypocritical pretenders, those possessing the genuine article of
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