1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1889 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving [Gr. komizo--tobring-- hence to receive with the added sense of bringing alongwith] the end of our faith --salvation [soundness] of souls[beings]. Concerning which salvation prophets, who prophesiedconcerning this favor toward us, sought out and investigated,searching as to what things, or what seasons, the spirit that wasin them was pointing out, when it testified beforehand thesufferings of Christ, and the glories to follow: to whom it wasrevealed, that not for themselves but for us they ministered thosethings, which are now declared through those who deliver thejoyful message with the Holy Spirit sent from heaven: intowhich things angels earnestly desire to look. Wherefore, girdingup the loins of our mind and being vigilant, let us hope perfectlyfor the gift to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.How plainly this teaching of the Spirit sets forth the future forthe "little flock," who are a "Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, aHoly Nation, a People for a Purpose." --1 Pet. 2:9, Diaglott.W. E. P.====================R1149 : page 6AN EMINENT BAPTIST'S AVOWAL.John Foster, the eminent Baptist minister of long ago, wrote toa young minister (See, his Life and Correspondence,-- Londonedition) thus:--"Endless punishment! I acknowledge my inability (I would sayit reverently) to admit this belief, together with a belief in thedivine goodness--the belief that "God is love;" that "his tendermercies are over all his works." Goodness, benevolence, charityascribed in supreme perfection to him, cannot mean a qualityforeign to all human conception of goodness; it must besomething analogous in principle to what he himself has definedand required as goodness in his moral creatures, that in adoringthe divine goodness we may not be worshiping an "unknownGod." But if so, how would all our ideas be confounded, whilecontemplating him bringing, of his own sovereign will, a race ofcreatures into existence in such a condition that they certainlywill and must,--by their nature and circumstances, go wrong andbe miserable, unless prevented by especial grace,--which is theprivilege of only a small proportion of them; and at the sametime affixing on their delinquency a doom of which it isinfinitely beyond the highest archangel's faculty to apprehend athousandth part of the horror...."A number (not large, but of great piety and intelligence) ofministers within my acquaintance, several now dead, have beendisbelievers of the doctrine in question; at the same time notfeeling themselves imperatively called upon to make a public
disavowal; content with employing in their ministrations stronggeneral terms in denouncing the doom of impenitent sinners."For one thing, a consideration of the unendurable imputationsand unmeasured suspicions apt to be cast on any publiclydeclared practical defection from rigid "orthodoxy" has madethem think they would better consult their usefulness by notgiving prominence to this dissentient point while yet they makeno concealment of it in private communications and in answersto serious inquiries. When, besides, they have considered howstrangely defective and feeble is the efficacy of the terribledoctrine itself, to alarm and deter careless, irreligious minds,they haveR1150 : page 6thought themselves the less required to propound one that sogreatly qualifies the blackness of the prospect. They could notbe unaware of the grievous truth of what is so strongly insistedon as an argument by the defenders of the tenet-- thatthoughtless and wicked men would be sure to seize on themitigated doctrine to encourage themselves in their impenitence.But this is only the same perverse and fatal use that they makeof the doctrine of grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. If theywill so abuse the truth we cannot help it. But methinks even thisfact tells against the doctrine in question. If in the very nature ofman as created, every individual, by the Sovereign Power, be insuch desperate disorder that there is no possibility of conversionand salvation in the instances where that power interposes with aspecial and redeeming efficacy, how can we conceive that themain proportion of the race thus morally impotent (that is reallyand absolutely impotent) will be eternally punished for theinevitable result of this moral impotence?"Probably some excuse should be made for such uncandidconduct as this frank avowal indicates, because the morning hadnot yet begun to dawn; yet we cannot hold a Christian ministerblameless in preaching and outwardly supporting a doctrine,which at heart, and in private, he denied as unreasonable, and acalumny against God's character. Years ago the light upon God'sWord and the helps in its study were much less than now, whensurely no one is very excusable for lacking a knowledge of theclear, reasonable and consistent teaching of the Bible on thissubject--one in which every text, parable, symbol and darksaying finds a reasonable solution.Though John Foster lacked the "helps" and felt that some of thepassages of the Bible (especially the modern translations, madeby men who held this popular error) seemed, in symboliclanguage, to favor the popular theory of the eternal torment ofall mankind except the saints, he should have been true to hisown convictions; he should not have professed to believe, nor
- Page 187 and 188: synods, as final settlements of the
- Page 189 and 190: may perform the service. [With some
- Page 191 and 192: While glad to acknowledge that Bapt
- Page 193 and 194: Dishonorable, ignoble, hypocritical
- Page 195 and 196: ====================R1139 : page 6C
- Page 197 and 198: y vergers, followed by their 'tail
- Page 199 and 200: correction. They were proud, and bo
- Page 201 and 202: general footing with all men and al
- Page 203 and 204: of the great reward, the grandest f
- Page 205 and 206: of God's dear Son, in meekness and
- Page 207 and 208: shall come forth with strong hearts
- Page 209 and 210: page 1When ordering MILLENNIAL DAWN
- Page 211 and 212: doubt; the struggle would be shorte
- Page 213 and 214: educe none to starvation wages, or
- Page 215 and 216: description. Men and women fought l
- Page 217 and 218: making a "willing sacrifice" of all
- Page 219 and 220: My health is too poor to permit me
- Page 221 and 222: ***R620 : page 3A little while, our
- Page 223 and 224: INTERNAL EVIDENCES.Those who will m
- Page 225 and 226: however, in the Greek, in the Sinai
- Page 227 and 228: and a few others seem to have been
- Page 229 and 230: eceive them with thankfulness as th
- Page 231 and 232: writings. Origen, who wrote in the
- Page 233 and 234: As for his historical writings, Mos
- Page 235 and 236: notable--whose claims, if conceded,
- Page 237: have been taken out, and "The Chris
- Page 241 and 242: things new and old--meat in due sea
- Page 243 and 244: WE SHOULD SAVE OURSELVES."Save your
- Page 245 and 246: We thus rest in Him in the present
- Page 247 and 248: R1152 : page 1VIEW FROM THE TOWER.K
- Page 249 and 250: during the "dark ages," the majorit
- Page 251 and 252: submit to it. Increase of knowledge
- Page 253 and 254: well as the time and object of the
- Page 255 and 256: I wish you could be. It quickens me
- Page 257 and 258: Though dim as yet in tint and line,
- Page 259 and 260: communication can reach the whole e
- Page 261 and 262: seen by every living creature of ea
- Page 263 and 264: locates it right here, saying, "At
- Page 265 and 266: No; no, Brother Talmage, it is the
- Page 267 and 268: and perfected men as the rulers, ex
- Page 269 and 270: oldly, and if it is not true, why n
- Page 271 and 272: Scriptures is while they yet hold o
- Page 273 and 274: privations, persecutions and ignomi
- Page 275 and 276: secure all that our hearts desire,
- Page 277 and 278: each servant who desires to stand a
- Page 279 and 280: R1151 : page 7CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE.T
- Page 281 and 282: them, Verily, verily, I say unto yo
- Page 283 and 284: there the opportunity of furnishing
- Page 285 and 286: ut the plowing and seed sowing for
- Page 287 and 288: R1431 : page 1DAWNS IN CLOTH BINDIN
with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving [Gr. komizo--tobring-- hence to receive with the added sense of bringing alongwith] the end of our faith --salvation [soundness] of souls[beings]. Concerning which salvation prophets, who prophesiedconcerning this favor toward us, sought out and investigated,searching as to what things, or what seasons, the spirit that wasin them was pointing out, when it testified beforehand thesufferings of Christ, and the glories to follow: to whom it wasrevealed, that not for themselves but for us they ministered thosethings, which are now declared through those who deliver thejoyful message with the Holy Spirit sent from heaven: intowhich things angels earnestly desire to look. Wherefore, girdingup the loins of our mind and being vigilant, let us hope perfectlyfor the gift to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.How plainly this teaching of the Spirit sets forth the future forthe "little flock," who are a "Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood, aHoly Nation, a People for a Purpose." --1 Pet. 2:9, Diaglott.W. E. P.====================R1149 : page 6AN EMINENT BAPTIST'S AVOWAL.John Foster, the eminent Baptist minister of long ago, wrote toa young minister (See, his Life and Correspondence,-- Londonedition) thus:--"Endless punishment! I acknowledge my inability (I would sayit reverently) to admit this belief, together with a belief in thedivine goodness--the belief that "God is love;" that "his tendermercies are over all his works." Goodness, benevolence, charityascribed in supreme perfection to him, cannot mean a qualityforeign to all human conception of goodness; it must besomething analogous in principle to what he himself has definedand required as goodness in his moral creatures, that in adoringthe divine goodness we may not be worshiping an "unknownGod." But if so, how would all our ideas be confounded, whilecontemplating him bringing, of his own sovereign will, a race ofcreatures into existence in such a condition that they certainlywill and must,--by their nature and circumstances, go wrong andbe miserable, unless prevented by especial grace,--which is theprivilege of only a small proportion of them; and at the sametime affixing on their delinquency a doom of which it isinfinitely beyond the highest archangel's faculty to apprehend athousandth part of the horror...."A number (not large, but of great piety and intelligence) ofministers within my acquaintance, several now dead, have beendisbelievers of the doctrine in question; at the same time notfeeling themselves imperatively called upon to make a public
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