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OCTOBER
1.
1909
THE
WATCH
TOWER
l303-307)
ful
I
was
when
I
got
up
in
full
harmony
with
my
Lord
and
Mas
ter,
and
with
all
the
sons
of
God.
I
ask
again,
will
you
please
forgive
me
for
all
I
have
done
against
you
1
My
Brother,
I
feel
ashamed
to
ask
you
such
a
favor,
but
I
know
the
dear
Lord
has
forgiven
me,
so
with
this
comfort
I
also
ask
you.
May
the
dear
Lord
bless
you
more
and
more
abundantly
and
keep
you
faithful
unto
death,
and
also
those
dear
fellow-laborers
in
the
office.with
you.
I
am
now
your
loving
Brother
in
Jesus
Christ,
TOM
HARBISON.
DEAR
PASTOR
RUSSELL:-
To
you
it
was
graciously
given
on
behalf
of
Christ,
not
only
to
believe
into
him,
but
also
to
suffer
on
his
account.
(Phil.
1
:29-Diag.)
I
take
the
liberty,
dear
Brother,
to
write
you
a
few
lines
to
express
my
gratitude
and
praise
to
the
dear
Father
for
the
blessings
that
have
been
and
still
are
coming
to
me
through
the
light
of
"present
truth."
Surely
the
Lord
has
caused
us
to
sit
down
to
a
glorious
feast!
I
was
very
much
impressed
with
the
article,
''Wresting
the
Scriptures,"
which
appeared
in
the
July
15th
TOWERj
and
espe
cially
with
the
position
the
party
referred
to
took
regarding
Hebrews
10:29.
I
do
not
see
how
he
could
take
the
position
he
does
regarding
this
word
rendered
"unholy."
I
have
consulted
a
Greek
and
English
Lexicon,
by
Donnegan,
concerning
this
word
"Koinos,"
and
he
defines
it
thus,
"common,"
"unclean,"
"prohibited
food,"
"defilement
from
eating
such
food";
all
the
definitions,
as
can
be
readily
seen,
contain
the
thought
of
"un
holy";
not
any
thought
of
"partnership,"
as
the
party
would
have
us
believe.
Concerning-
our
participation
in
the
Buffering
of
Christ,
as
members
of
his
body,
I
think
the
Apostle
Paul
shows
us
a
most
conclusive
argument
in
Ephesians
5:
31,
32,
where
he
states,
"For
this
cause
shall
a
man
leave
his
father.
and
his
mother,
and
shall
be
joined
unto
his
wife
and
they
two
shall
be
one
flesh.
This
is
a
great
mystery;
but
I
speak
concerning
Christ
and
the
Church."
When
we
take
this
verse,
together
with
what
Jesus
said
in
John
6:
51,
''My
flesh
I
give
for
the
life
of
the
world,"
we
can
see
the
great
privilege
the
church
has,
to
be
counted
in
as
a
part
of
that
"flesh";
as
Paul
states,
"They
two
shall
be
one
flesh
.
.
.
.
I
speak
concerning'
Christ
and
the
church."
It
is
our
Lord
who
is
sacrificing
his
"flesh."
All
the
merit
belong'S
to
him.
Surely
it
is
a
marvelous
favor
to
be
associated
with
our
dear
Lord
as
members
of
his
body;
as
Paul
again
states,
"joint-heirs
with
Christ,
if
so
be
that
we
suffer
with
him,
that
we
may
also
be
glorified
together."-Rom.
8:
17.
May
the
Father's
richest
blessings
rest
upon
you
in
abund-
ance,
comforting
and
strengthening
you
in
this
"evil
hour,"
is
the
prayer
of
your
Brother.
In
the
bonds
of
Love,
E.
G.
BERBY.
DEAR
BROTHER
RUSSELL:-
I
have
been
looking
back
over
the
twelve
months
that
have
elapsed
since
my
formal
registration
of
the
vow;
and
feel
con
strained
to
write
and
acknowledge
the
great
blessing
it
has
proved
in
this
time.
This
last
year
has
been
by
far
more
fruit
ful
in
its
harvest
of
spiritual
blessings
and
privileges
than
the
previous
seven
of
my
association
with
the
glorious
harvest
work.
I
confess,
however,
that
the
first
perusal
of
the
vow
did
not
im
press
me
favorably,
for
the
flesh
at
once
put
forward
the
objec
tion
that
it
was
a
very
low
moral
standard
for
a
Christian.
How
subtle
the
old
mind;
how
crafty
its
sophistries,
and
what
cunning
objections
it
will
raise
when
it
discerns
some
definite
action
taken
to
bring
it
the
more
completely
into
subjection
to
world
until
then.
Several
months
ago
I
was
led
to
still
further
"mortify"
the
flesh
by
adding
another
feature
to
my
vow,
suggested
by
your
self
at
the
Nashville
convention,
"to
never
murmur
nor
com
plain
at
any
of
the
Lord's
providential
leadings."
The
year
has
not
been
without
its
trials
and
testing,
but
the
resultant
peace,
and
the
confident
assurance
that
every
incident
was
working
out
the
Father's
blessed
will,
has
been
like
oil
on
troubled
waters.
"Wlhen
he
giveth
peace,
who
then
can
make
trouble?"
You
have
my
deepest
sympathy,
dear
Brother,
in
every
trial
and
hearbche.
How
true
it
is
that
they
who
are
teachers,
even
in
a
small
way,
must
receive
heavier
trial!
But
how
thankful
am
I
that
the
Lord
hits
promised
to
keep
all
those
that
trust
in
him!
So
I
am
confident
that
he
will
permit
you
to
glorify
him
by
finishing
the
work
which
he
has
given
you
to
do.
How
glori
ous
to
know
that
the
prayers,
on
one
another's
behalf,
of
the
consecrated
thousands,
are
now
ascending
in
one
grand,
unin
terrupted
chorus
to
the
Giver
of
every
good
and
perfect
gift,
for
the
needed
grace
to
lovingly
submit
to
all
the
provings
of
the
Lord
as
he
seals
our
hearts
and
minds
against
the
day
of
our
deliverance.
Yours
in
the
bonds
of
Christian
love,
WM.
A.
BAKER.
DEAR
BROTHER
RUSS~~LL:-
Have
considered
and
prayed
over
the
vow
for
many
months,
and
at
the
beginning
of
the
year
took
it
with
slight
modifica
tions,
as
a
Resolution.
continuing
to
ask
divine
guidance.
The
result
has
been
a
further
opening
of
the
eyes
of
my
understand
ing,
and
I
feel
I
can
now
take
the
vow
with
a
full
and
proper
appreciation.
We
cOJ!tinue
to
be
thankful
for
your
recent
fel
lowship
and
help.
May
the
Lord's
choicest
blessings
be
yours.
Pray
for
me.
Your
Sister
by
his
favor.
CORRINE
C.
SHERMAN.
VOL.
XXX
BROOKLYN,
N.
Y.,
OCTOBER
15,
1909
No.
20
HAVE
"THE
WATCH
TOWER"
TEACHINGS
CHANGED}
Do
the
changes
recently
made
in
the
teachings
of
THE
WATCH
TOWER
respecting
the
Covenants
affect
any
of
the
fun
damentals
of
doctrine,
or
any
of
the
features
of
the
divine
plan
of
the
ages
as
previously
recognized
and
presented
in
SCRIPTURE
STUDIES,
Vols.
I
to
VI.,
If
the
word
change
be
understood
to
signify
a
repudiation
of
anything
once
held
as
truth,
then
we
deny
that
any
change
has
occurred
in
our
teaching.
As
we
pass
along
a
roadway
over
hill
and
dale,
there
are
continual
changes
in
one
sense
of
the
word-ch.anging
scenes-but
such
do
not
imply
a
change
in
the
traveler's
course-
a
retracing
of
his
steps.
So
the
"pathway
of
the
just
is
as
a
shining
light"
and
those
who
follow
it
find
it
shining
"more
and
more
unto
the
perfect
day."
They
will
not
need
to
say,
as
some
have
said
recently,
"For
seventeen
years
we
thought
we
were
in
the
right
way,
but
now
must
retrace
our
steps
and
go
back
to
where
we
then
began,
and
take
a
different
path."
Such
as
were
in
the
right
path
of
shining
light
and
stay
therein
will
never
need
to
say,
"We
once
thought
TABER
NACLE
SHADOWS
OF
BETTER
SACRIFICES
the
most
clear
and
only
satisfactory
solution
of
the
subject
in
the
world,
but
now
we
must
retrace
our
steps
and
must
repudiate
all
that
we
ever
believed
respecting
the
antitypical
Atonement
Day
and
its
better
sacrifices.
We
must
go
back
and
count
all
of
those
years
as
worse
than
wasted."
In
this
sense
of
the
word
change,
THE
WATCH
TOWER
pub
lications
have
been
unchangeable
from
the
first
until
now.
What
is
spoken
of
as
a
"change'
should
not
be
properly
so
termed.
Nothing
is
changed.
Every
step
of
the
journey
has
been
right-not
one
step
needs
to
be
retraced
or
otherwi~e
re
pudiated.
This
is
one
of
the
evidences
of
divine
leading--of
our
Lord's
supervision
of
the
Father's
work
during
the
time
of
his
presence.
As
recently
shown
in
THE
WATCH
TOWER,
our
presentations
on
the
subject
of
the
covenants
today
are
in
fullest
accord
with
those
we
made
a
quarter
of
a
century
ago.
What
then
is
it
that
our
opponents
call
a
"change'"
Merely
the
fact
that
from
the
first
we
used
the
term
New
Covenant
too
slackly
while
we
claimed
that
while
it
belonged
to
the
future,
to
the
Millennial
age,
it
would
not
be
operative
to
Israel
and
the
world
until
then.
We
nevertheless
held
(unscripturally
as
we
now
see)
that
our
justification
was
somehow
connected
with
that
New
Coye
nant,
although
we
could
not
explain
how
or
why
we
should
be
under
two
covenants.
We
still
see
the
necessity
for
our
justi
fication.
We
still
see
that
it
is
based
upon
our
Lord's
sacrifice.
We
still
see
that
our
share
in
it
is
obtained
by
faith-that
we
are
"justified
by
faith."
But
now
we
see
that
the
New
Cov
enant
has
nothing
whatever
to
do
with
this
faith
or
with
our
justification,
and
that
no
Scripture
so
teaches.
Have
we
lost
anything'
No.
We
merely
cast
aside
as
useless,
unscriptural,
unnecessary,
the
thought
that
our
justification
had
anything
whatever
to
do
with
the
New
Covenant.
We
now
see
the
force
of
the
Bible
presentation
of
the
subject-that
we
are
justified
by
faith-"faith
in
his
blood"-faith
in
the
sacrifice
of
Jesus,
the
Just
for
the
unjust.
We
now
see
that
the
New
Covenant
is
promised-not
to
us,
but
to
Israel
and
all
men.
We
have
turned
aside
from
nothing
of
any
value
to
us.
We
have
all
the
actualities
which
we
ever
had,
and,
additionally,
the
light
shines
the
brighter
upon
our
pathway.
As
an
illustration:
Suppose
you
were
walking
into
the
country
to
a
friend's
home
and
an
umbrella
were
given
you
to
carry
to
him.
Suppose
that
in
the
journey
you
thought
that
you
needed
the
umbrella
either
for
rain
or
shine
and
carried
it
over
you.
Suppose
that
by
and
by
you
discovered
that
you
[4491]
Octoser 1, 1909 ful I was when I got up in full harmony with my Lord and Master, and with all the sons of God. I ask again, will you please forgive me for all I have done against you? My Brother, I feel ashamed to ask you such a favor, but I know the dear Lord has forgiven me, so with this comfort I also ask you. May the dear Lord bless you more and more abundantly and keep you faithful unto death, and also those dear fellow-laborers in the office-with you. I am now your loving Brother in Jesus Christ, Tom Hagpison. DeEaR PaSTOR RUSSELL :— To you it was graciously given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe into him, but also to suffer on his account. (Phil. 1:29—Diag.) I take the liberty, dear Brother, to write you a few lines to express my gratitude and praise to the dear Father for the blessings that have been and still are coming to me through the light of “present truth.” Surely the Lord has caused us to sit down to a glorious feast! I was very much impressed with the article, “Wresting the Scriptures,” which appeared in the July 15th Tower; and especially with the position the party referred to took regarding Hebrews 10:29. I do not see how he could take the position he does regarding this word rendered “unholy.” I have consulted a Greek and English Lexicon, by Donnegan, concerning this word “Koinos,” and he defines it thus, “common,” “unclean,” “prohibited food,” ‘“defilement from eating such food”; all the definitions, as can be readily seen, contain the thought of “unholy”; not any thought of “partnership,” as the party would have us believe. Concerning our participation in the suffering of Christ, as members of his body, I think the Apostle Paul shows us a most conclusive argument in Ephesians 5:31, 32, where he states, “For this cause shall a man leave his father. and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” When we take this verse, together with what Jesus said in John 6:51, ‘My flesh I give for the life of the world,” we can see the great privilege the church has, to be counted in as a part of that “flesh”; as Paul states, “They two shall be one flesh . I speak concerning Christ and the church.” It is our Lord who is sacrificing his “flesh.” All the merit belongs to him. Surely it is a marvelous favor to be associated with our dear Lord as members of his body; as Paul again states, “joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.”—-Rom. 8:17. May the Father’s richest blessings rest upon you in abund THE WATCH TOWER (303-307) ance, comforting and strengthening you in this “evil hour,” is the prayer of your Brother. In the bonds of Love, Deak BROTHER RUSSELL :— I have been looking back over the twelve months that have elapsed since my formal registration of the vow; and feel constrained to write and acknowledge the great blessing it has proved in this time. This last year has been by far more fruitful in its harvest of spiritual blessings and privileges than the previous seven of my association with the glorious harvest work. I confess, however, that the first perusal of the vow did not impress me favorably, for the flesh at once put forward the objection that it was a very low moral standard for a Christian. How subtle the old mind; how crafty its sophistries, and what cunning objections it will raise when it discerns some definite action taken to bring it the more completely into subjection to world until then. Several months ago I was led to still further “mortify” the flesh by adding another feature to my vow, suggested by yourself at the Nashville convention, “to never murmur nor complain at any of the Lord’s providential leadings.” The year has not been without its trials and testing, but the resultant peace, and the confident assurance that every incident was working out the Father’s blessed will, has been like oil on troubled waters. ‘When he giveth peace, who then can make trouble?” You have my deepest sympathy, dear Brother, in every trial and hearteche. How true it is that they who are teachers, even in a small way, must receive heavier trial! But how thankful am I that the Lord has promised to keep all those that trust in him! So I am confident that he will permit you to glorify him by finishing the work which he has given you to do. How glorious to know that the prayers, on one another’s behalf, of the consecrated thousands, are now ascending in one grand, uninterrupted chorus to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, for the needed grace to lovingly submit to all the provings of the Lord as he seals our hearts and minds against the day of our deliverance, Yours in the bonds of Christian love, E. G. Berry. Wm. A. BAKER. Deak BRoTHER RUSSELL :— Have considered and prayed over the vow for many months, and at the beginning of the year took it with slight modifications, as a Resolution, continuing to ask divine guidance. The result has been a further opening of the eyes of my understanding, and I feel I can now take the vow with a full and proper appreciation. We continue to be thankful for your recent fellowship and help. May the Lord’s choicest blessings be yours. Pray for me. Your Sister by his favor. Corrine C. SHERMAN. Vout. XXX BROOKLYN, N. Y., OCTOBER 15, 1909 No. 20 HAVE “THE WATCH TOWER” Do the changes recently made in the teachings of THE WatcH Tower respecting the Covenants affect any of the fundamentals of doctrine, or any of the features of the divine plan of the ages as previously recognized and presented in Scriprure Stupies, Vols. I to VI.? If the word change be understood to signify a repudiation of anything once held as truth, then we deny that any change has occurred in our teaching. As we pass along a roadway over hill and dale, there are continua] changes in one sense of the word—changing scenes—but such do not imply a change in the traveler’s course— a retracing of his steps. So the “pathway of the just is as a shining light” and those who follow it find it shining “more and more unto the perfect day.” They will not need to say, as some have said recently, “For seventeen years we thought we were in the right way, but now must retrace our steps and go back to where we then began, and take a different path.” Such as were in the right path of shining light and stay therein will never need to say, “We once thought TaBERNACLE SHADOWS OF Berrer SacriricEes the most clear and only satisfactory solution of the subject in the world, but now we must retrace our steps and must repudiate all that we ever believed respecting the antitypical Atonement Day and its better sacrifices. We must go back and count all of those years as worse than wasted.” In this sense of the word change, THE WatcH Tower publications have been unchangeable from the first until now. What is spoken of as a “change’ should not be properly so termed. Nothing is changed. Every step of the journey has been right—not one step needs to be retraced or otherwise repudiated. This is one of the evidences of divine leading—-of our Lord’s supervision of the Father’s work during the time of his presence. TEACHINGS CHANGED? As recently shown in THE WatcH Tower, our presentations on the subject of the covenants today are in fullest accord with those we made a quarter of a century ago. What then is it that our opponents call a “change”? Merely the fact that from the first we used the term New Covenant too slackly— while we claimed that while it belonged to the future, to the Millennial age, it would not be operative to Israel and the world until then. We nevertheless held (unscripturally as we now see) that our justification was somehow connected with that New Covenant, although we could not explain how or why we should be under two covenants. We still see the necessity for our justification. We still see that it is based upon our Lord’s sacrifice. We still see that our share in it is obtained by faith—that we are “justified by faith.” But now we see that the New Covenant has nothing whatever to do with this faith or with our justification, and that no Scripture so teaches. Have we lost anything? No. We merely cast aside as useless, unscriptural, unnecessary, the thought that our justification had anything whatever to do with the New Covenant. We now see the force of the Bible presentation of the subject—that we are justified by faith—“faith in his blood’—faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Just for the unjust. We now see that the New Covenant is promised—not to us, but to Israel and all men. We have turned aside from nothing of any value to us. We have all the actualities which we ever had, and, additionally, the light shines the brighter upon our pathway. As an illustration: Suppose you were walking into the country to a friend’s home and an umbrella were given you to earry to him. Suppose that in the journey you thought that you needed the umbrella either for rain or shine and carried it over you. Suppose that by and by you discovered that you [4491]
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