Publication date
5/15/02
Volume
23
Number
10
The WatchTower
Views from the Watch Tower
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1902/10/1902-10-1.html
 
 
 
MAY 
I, 
1902 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(141-147) 
methods; 
perhaps 
also 
by 
slander, 
back-biting, 
evil 
speaking, 
which 
are 
works 
of 
the 
flesh 
and 
of 
the 
devil, 
but 
never 
works 
of 
the 
Lord 
or 
prompted 
by 
his 
spirit. 
TIns 
furnished 
the 
occasion 
for 
a 
remarkable 
manifestation 
of 
divine 
power 
through 
the 
Apostle 
Paul, 
who 
denounced 
the 
magician, 
and 
pronounced 
upon 
him, 
in 
the 
name 
of 
the 
Lord, 
11 
curse, 
that 
is, 
a 
blight-blindness 
for 
a 
time. 
We 
are 
not 
to 
understand 
that 
such 
power 
and 
authority 
belong 
to 
us, 
or 
the 
Lord's 
people 
in 
general; 
nor 
did 
it 
belong 
even 
to 
Barna­ 
bas. 
Paul 
was 
chosen 
of 
the 
Lord 
to 
be 
an 
apostle-to 
take 
the 
place 
of 
Judas-and 
the 
power 
of 
discerning 
spirits 
and 
of 
restraining 
them 
was 
accordingly 
his. 
It 
was 
appropriate 
that 
some 
such 
manifestation 
of 
divine 
power 
should 
be 
given 
at 
the 
beginning 
of 
this 
age, 
not 
only 
for 
the 
establishment 
of 
the 
truth 
then, 
and 
thus 
the 
establishment 
of 
the 
believers 
of 
that 
time, 
but 
also 
for 
the 
establishment 
and 
information 
of 
all 
the 
household 
of 
faith 
from 
then 
until 
now. 
The 
Apostle 
upbraided 
the 
magician 
by 
a 
plain 
statement 
of 
his 
case-that 
he 
was 
full 
of 
cunning 
and 
deceit 
and 
villainy; 
that 
the 
spirit 
operating 
in 
him 
was 
not 
the 
spirit 
of 
God 
but 
the 
f<piIit 
of 
the 
adversary 
of 
God, 
and 
that 
theref?re 
he 
was 
an 
enemy 
of 
all 
that 
was 
right 
and 
true, 
and 
seekmg 
to 
per­ 
vert 
the 
right 
ways 
of 
the 
Lord; 
and 
that 
a~ 
a 
punishment 
the 
hand 
of 
the 
Lord 
(not 
the 
hand 
of 
Paul) 
-the 
judgment 
of 
the 
Lord-was 
upon 
him; 
and 
that 
he 
would 
become 
so 
blind 
that 
he 
could 
not 
even 
see 
thl' 
light 
of 
the 
sun 
for 
a 
time. 
The 
blindness 
came 
upon 
him 
gradually, 
first 
a 
mistiness, 
which 
subsequently 
settled 
into 
complete 
darkness. 
We 
are 
not 
to 
think 
of 
the 
apostle 
as 
pronounccing 
this 
sen­ 
tence 
in 
any 
harsh 
attitude 
of 
mind. 
"Ve 
believe, 
on 
he 
con­ 
trary, 
that 
he 
was 
full 
of 
sympathetic 
interest 
and 
kindly 
de- 
sire 
for 
the 
wrong 
doer, 
hoping 
that 
the 
result 
of 
his 
experi­ 
ences 
would 
be 
profitable 
to 
him. 
Doubtless 
Paul 
remembered 
his 
own 
case, 
and 
what 
blessing 
had 
come 
to 
him 
when 
he 
wa.s 
smitten 
with 
blindness, 
and 
doubtless 
he 
hoped 
for 
the 
magI­ 
cian 
a 
similar 
recognition 
of 
the 
Lord 
and 
similarly 
the 
open­ 
ing 
of 
the 
eyes 
of 
his 
understanding, 
as 
well 
as 
of 
his 
natural 
eyes. 
This 
manifestation 
of 
the 
Lord's 
power 
was 
convincing 
to 
the 
deputy 
(proconsul) 
-not 
that 
this 
incident 
converted 
him, 
but 
that 
having 
already 
heard 
the 
teachings, 
and 
being 
in 
the 
process 
of 
comparing 
these, 
in 
his 
judgment 
contrasting 
them 
with 
his 
previous 
views, 
and 
with 
the 
presentation 
of 
Ely­ 
mas, 
he 
was 
enabled, 
by 
this 
incident, 
to 
reach 
the 
right 
con­ 
clusion; 
and 
to 
decide 
his 
matters 
on 
the 
Lord's 
side. 
It 
would 
be 
difficult 
to 
find 
an 
exact 
parallel 
to 
this 
in 
our 
experiences. 
The 
nearest 
approach 
probably 
would 
be 
when 
the 
truth 
comes 
in 
conflict 
with 
the 
error, 
when 
the 
sword 
of 
the 
spirit, 
wielded 
by 
some 
of 
the 
Lord's 
simple 
followers, 
proves 
mighty 
in 
the 
overthrow 
of 
error; 
when 
the 
light 
of 
present 
truth, 
and 
the 
clearness 
with 
which 
it 
is 
presented, 
and 
the 
beauty 
in 
which 
it 
can 
be 
seen 
and 
appreciated, 
is 
contrasted 
with 
the 
error, 
the 
result 
is 
either 
that 
the 
truth 
is 
seen 
in 
its 
beauty, 
or 
the 
erring 
one 
opposing 
it 
becomes 
more 
densely 
blinded 
than 
before. 
But 
only 
for 
a 
season, 
let 
us 
hope; 
the 
time 
is 
near 
at 
hand 
when 
the 
great 
I;>eliverer, 
in 
his 
Millen­ 
nial 
kingdom, 
shall 
not 
only 
restrain 
the 
great 
adversary, 
but 
spoil 
all 
of 
his 
house, 
overthrowing 
all 
the 
works 
of 
evil, 
and 
opening 
the 
blinded 
eyes 
and 
permitting 
all 
to 
see 
out 
of 
the 
obscurity 
of 
sin 
and 
darkne~s 
and 
misconception 
and 
preju­ 
dice. 
"THY 
\VILL 
BE 
DONE!" 
-G. 
W. 
SEIBERT. 
My 
Lord, 
thy 
will 
not 
mine 
be 
done: 
Whatever 
path 
thy 
love 
shall 
choose 
for 
me, 
Through 
desert 
sands, 
or 
if 
beside 
the 
sea,­ 
Thy 
will 
be 
done! 
Oh, 
may 
thy 
will 
in 
me 
be 
done! 
. 
Should 
"harvest" 
labor 
be 
for 
me 
thy 
WIll, 
Or 
if 
I 
may 
but 
suffer 
and 
be 
still,- 
Thy 
will 
be 
done! 
My 
Father, 
let 
thy 
will 
be 
done: 
If 
sweet 
the 
Cup 
thou 
pourest 
for 
me 
to 
drink, 
I'll 
praise 
thee; 
but, 
if 
bitter, 
I'll 
not 
shrink,­ 
Thy 
will 
be 
done! 
Forever 
may 
thy 
will 
be 
done: 
. 
I 
would 
not 
choose, 
I 
leave 
it 
all 
WIth 
thee,­ 
The 
pilgrimage, 
if 
short 
or 
long 
it 
be,- 
Thy 
will 
be 
done! 
VOL. 
XXIII 
ALLEGHENY, 
PA., 
MAY 
15, 
1902 
No. 
10 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
SCIENCE 
FALSELY 
SO 
OALLED 
lia. 
instead 
of 
the 
original 
centers 
of 
population? 
Besides, 
'Ve 
are 
glad 
to 
note 
that 
the 
Richmond 
Christiatn 
Advo- 
Professor 
Haerkel 
must 
have 
known 
that 
the 
evidences 
he 
cate 
is 
not 
yet 
ready 
to 
repudiate 
God's 
'Vord 
and 
accept 
adduce~ 
from 
certain 
fossil 
remains 
in 
Madagascar 
and 
Aus­ 
the 
theory 
of 
evolution. 
tralia 
have 
been 
demonstrated 
to 
be 
utterly 
unreliable. 
What 
We 
agree 
that 
scientists 
who 
deal 
in 
millions 
and 
billions 
particular 
find 
he 
refers 
to 
in 
Java 
we 
do 
not 
know; 
but 
of 
years 
evidently 
forget 
the 
meaning 
of 
the 
word 
"scienee." 
take 
it 
for 
granted 
that 
it 
is 
worthless 
as 
the 
rest. 
The 
fact 
'Ye 
clip 
from 
its 
issue 
of 
March 
6 
the 
following:- 
is, 
the 
evolutionists 
have 
been 
so 
pu,;hed 
to 
find 
that 
'mis~· 
ing 
link,' 
without 
which 
their 
whole 
system 
falls 
to 
the 
"THE 
ORIGIN 
OF 
MAN 
ground 
as 
incomplete 
and 
insupportable, 
that 
they 
have 
been 
"We 
bad 
hoped 
that 
after 
the 
repeated 
failures 
to 
find 
ready 
to 
snatch 
at 
anything 
which 
would 
seem 
in 
the 
remotest 
the 
missing 
link 
in 
the 
chain 
of 
evolution 
the 
advocates 
of 
manner 
to 
ronnect-the 
broken 
series. 
that 
theory 
would 
be 
less 
bold 
and 
positive 
in 
their 
asser- 
"The 
Professor 
evidently 
intends 
to 
allow 
himself 
ample 
tions. 
True 
science 
is 
alwavs 
cautious 
in 
its 
statements. 
time 
to 
work 
out 
his 
progressive 
developments 
from 
a 
pro­ 
Its 
teachings 
are 
supp05cd 
to' 
be 
based 
on 
determinate 
and 
toplasm 
to 
an 
ape, 
and 
from 
an 
ape 
to 
a 
man. 
He 
assumes 
well-ascertained 
facts. 
Otherwise 
it 
ceases 
to 
be 
science 
a 
round 
billion 
of 
years. 
We 
say 
assumes 
it, 
for 
everyone 
and 
becomes 
mere 
speculation. 
These 
remarks 
have 
been 
must 
see 
that 
it 
is 
sheer 
assumption. 
Why 
not 
say 
five 
bil­ 
suggested 
by 
the 
following 
extract 
from 
the 
Chicago 
Inter- 
lions 
instpad? 
There 
is 
no 
geological 
table 
by 
which 
he 
Ocean' 
could 
fix 
the 
time 
at 
one 
billion 
of 
years. 
When 
science 
thus 
"'The 
International 
Congress 
of 
Zoology, 
in 
session 
at 
goes 
out 
of 
the 
domain 
of 
exact 
truth, 
we 
have 
a 
right 
to 
Cambridge, 
England, 
during 
the 
current 
week, 
was 
remark- 
question 
its 
statements 
and 
its 
calculations. 
'Ve 
don't 
know 
ahle 
for 
a 
fa,;cinating 
paper 
by 
Professor 
Haeckel 
on 
the 
where 
Professor 
Haeckel 
got 
his 
arithmetic, 
and 
he 
doeR 
not 
world's 
present 
knowledge 
of 
the 
descent 
of 
man. 
He 
did 
know 
himself. 
When 
he 
declares, 
and 
does 
not 
'hesitate' 
to 
not 
hesitate 
to 
declare 
that 
science 
has 
now 
established 
the 
declare, 
that 
'science 
has 
now 
established 
the 
absolute 
cer­ 
a 
bsolute 
certainty 
that 
man 
has 
descended 
through 
various 
tainty 
that 
man 
has 
descended 
through 
various 
stages 
of 
evo­ 
stages 
of 
evolution 
from 
the 
lowest 
form 
of 
animal 
life 
dur- 
lution 
from 
the 
lowest 
form 
of 
animal 
life 
during 
a 
period 
in~ 
a 
period 
estimated 
at 
1,000,000,000 
years. 
This 
knowl- 
estimated 
at 
one 
billion 
of 
years,' 
we 
demand 
proof; 
but 
the 
edge, 
whieh 
must 
now 
be 
ac.cepted 
as 
the 
crowning 
achieve- 
proof 
is 
not 
forthcoming. 
The 
declaration 
is 
about 
as 
satis­ 
ment 
of 
f<cience 
during 
the 
nineteenth 
century, 
was 
won 
factory 
and 
sensible 
as 
the 
silly 
reply 
that 
Aaron 
made 
to 
through 
rcrent 
di,;coveries 
of 
fos,;il 
remain~ 
in 
Java, 
Mada- 
Moses 
when 
the 
latter 
questioned 
him 
about 
the 
golden 
calf. 
gascar, 
and 
Australia 
and 
is 
made 
still 
more 
complete 
evi- 
He 
said: 
I 
east 
the 
gold 
in 
the 
fire, 
and 
there 
came 
out 
dence 
by 
available 
proof 
of 
discoveries 
wherewith 
Darwin's 
this 
calf.' 
So 
the 
evolutionists 
would 
have 
us 
believe 
that 
name 
is 
most 
commonly 
associated.' 
th 
"Professor 
Haeckel 
is 
known 
to 
be 
a 
Darwin 
of 
the 
Dar- 
all 
these 
wonderful 
things 
in 
nature 
just 
'came 
out' 
of 
em- 
winites. 
Indeed, 
in 
some 
of 
his 
views 
upon 
his 
pet 
theory 
selves 
entirely 
apart 
from 
divine 
agency. 
he 
has 
!!:one 
far 
beyond 
Darwin 
himself. 
Why 
does 
he 
seek 
"Which 
is 
the 
more 
rational 
theory, 
that 
all 
things 
were 
for 
proofs 
of 
the 
doctrine 
of 
evolution 
in 
such 
rpmote 
and 
made 
by 
Him 
'who 
is 
before 
all 
things 
and 
by 
whom 
all 
widely-separated 
regions 
as 
Java, 
Madagascar, 
and 
Austra- 
things 
consist,' 
or 
that 
things 
just 
evoh 
cd 
of 
their 
own 
free 
[3007] 
May 1, 1902 methods; perhaps also by slander, back-biting, evil speaking, which are works of the flesh and of the devil, but never works of the Lord or prompted by his spirit. This furnished the oceasion for a remarkable manifestation of divine power through the Apostle Paul, who denounced the magician, and pronounced upon him, in the name of the Lord, a curse, that is. a blight—blindness for a time. We are not to understand that such power and authority belong to us, or the Lord’s people in general; nor did it belong even to Barnabas. Paul was chosen of the Lord to be an apostle—to take the place of Judas—and the power of discerning spirits and of restraining them was accordingly his. It was appropriate that some such manifestation of divine power should be given at the beginning of this age, not only for the establishment of the truth then, and thus the establishment of the believers of that time, but also for the establishment and information of all the household of faith from then until now. The Apostle upbraided the magician by a plain statement of his case—that he was full of cunning and deceit and villainy; that the spirit operating in him was not the spirit of God but the spirit of the adversary of God, and that therefore he was an enemy of all that was right and true, and seeking to pervert the right ways of the Lord; and that as a punishment the hand of the Lord (not the hand of Paul)—the judgment of the Lord—was upon him; and that he would become so blind that he could not even see the light of the sun for a time. The blindness came upon him gradually, first a mistiness, which subsequently settled into complete darkness. We are not to think of the apostle as pronounccing this sentence in any harsh attitude of mind. We believe, on he contrary, that he was full of sympathetic interest and kindly de “THY WILL My Lord, thy will not mine be done: Whatever path thy love shall choose for me, Through desert sands, or if beside the sea,— Thy will be done! Oh, may thy will in me be done! Should “harvest” labor be for me thy will, Or if I may but suffer and be still,— Thy will be done! Vou. XXIII ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, PA., MAY 15, 1902 (141-147) sire for the wrong doer, hoping that the result of his experiences would be profitable to him. Doubtless Paul remembered his own case, and what blessing had come to him when he was smitten with blindness, and doubtless he hoped for the magician a similar recognition of the Lord and similarly the opening of the eyes of his understanding, as well as of his natural eyes, This manifestation of the Lord’s power was convincing to the deputy (proconsul)—not that this incident converted him, but that having already heard the teachings, and being in the process of comparing these, in his judgment contrasting them with his previous views, and with the presentation of Elymas, he was enabled, by this incident, to reach the right conclusion; and to decide his matters on the Lord's side. It would be difficult to find an exact parallel to this in our experiences. The nearest approach probably would be when the truth comes in conflict with the error, when the sword of the spirit, wielded by some of the Lord’s simple followers, proves mighty in the overthrow of error; when the light of present truth, and the clearness with which it is presented, and the beauty in which it can be seen and appreciated, is contrasted with the error, the result is either that the truth is seen in its beauty, or the erring one opposing it becomes more densely blinded than before. But only for a season, let us hope; the time is near at hand when the great Deliverer, in his Millennial kingdom, shall not only restrain the great adversary, but spoil all of his house, overthrowing all the works of evil, and opening the blinded eyes and permitting all to see out of the obscurity of sin and darkness and misconception and prejudice. BE DONE!” My Father, let thy will be done: If sweet the Cup thou pourest for me to drink, I'll praise thee; but, if bitter, I'll not shrink,— Thy will be done! Forever may thy will be done: I would not choose, I leave it all with thee,— The pilgrimage, if short or long it be,— Thy will be done! —G. W. SEIBERT. No. 10 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER SCIENCE FALSELY SO CALLED We are glad to note that the Richmond Christian Advocate is not yet ready to repudiate God’s Word and accept the theory of evolution. We agree that scientists who deal in millions and billions of years evidently forget the meaning of the word “science.” We clip from its issue of March 6 the following :— “THE ORIGIN OF MAN “We had hoped that after the repeated failures to find the missing link in the chain of evolution the advocates of that theory would be less bold and positive in their assertions. True science is always cautious in its statements. Its teachings are supposed to be based on determinate and well-ascertained facts. Otherwise it ceases to be science and becomes mere speculation. These remarks have been suggested by the following extract from the Chicago InterOcean “<The International Congress of Zoology, in session at Cambridge, England, during the current week, was remarkable for a fascinating paper by Professor Haeckel on the world’s present knowledge of the descent of man. He did not hesitate to declare that science has now established the absolute certainty that man has descended through various stages of evolution from the lowest form of animal life during a period estimated at 1,000,000,000 years. This knowledge, which must now be accepted as the crowning achievement of science during the nineteenth century, was won through recent discoveries of fossil remains in Java, Madagascar, and Australia and is made still more complete evidence by available proof of discoveries wherewith Darwin’s name is most commonly associated.’ “Professor Haeckel ig known to be a Darwin of the Darwinites. Indeed, in some of his views upon his pet theory he hag gone far beyond Darwin himself. Why does he seek for proofs of the doctrine of evolution in such remote and widely-separated regions as Java, Madagascar, and Austra lia. instead of the original centers of population? Besides, Professor Haeckel must have known that the evidences he adduces from certain fossil remains in Madagascar and Australia have been demonstrated to be utterly unreliable. What particular find he refers to in Java we do not know; but take it for granted that it is worthless as the rest. The fact is, the evolutionists have been so pushed to find that ‘missing link,’ without which their whole system falls to the ground as incomplete and insupportable, that they have been ready to snatch at anything which would seem in the remotest manner to connect—the broken series. “The Professor evidently intends to allow himself ample time to work out his progressive developments from a protoplasm to an ape, and from an ape to a man. He assumes a round billion of years. We say assumes it, for every one must see that it is sheer assumption. Why not say five billions instead? There is no geological table by which he could fix the time at one billion of years. When science thus goes out of the domain of exact truth, we have a right to question its statements and its calculations. We don’t know where Professor Haeckel got his arithmetic, and he does not know himself. When he declares, and does not ‘hesitate’ to declare, that ‘science has now established the absolute certainty that man has descended through various stages of evolution from the lowest form of animal life during a period estimated at one billion of vears,’ we demand proof; but the proof is not forthcoming. The declaration is about as satisfactory and sensible as the silly reply that Aaron made to Moses when the latter questioned him about the golden calf. He said: I cast the gold in the fire, and there came out this calf” So the evolutionists would have us believe that all these wonderful things in nature just ‘came out’ of themselves entirely apart from divine agency. “Which is the more rational theory, that all things were made by Him ‘who is before all things and by whom all things consist,’ or that things just evolved of their own free [3007]

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