Publication date
2/15/15
Volume
36
Number
4
The WatchTower
Present Duty and Privilege of the Saints
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1915/4/1915-4-2.html
FeBRUARY 
IS, 
1915 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
T,hanksgiving 
Day 
and 
take 
up 
large 
collections 
for 
the 
poor; 
they 
pay 
large 
salaries 
to 
their 
preaohers; 
they 
raise 
money 
for 
missions. 
It 
is 
very 
much 
as 
it 
was 
in 
our 
Lord's 
day, 
at 
his 
first 
advent, 
when 
he 
said, 
"Ye 
compass 
sea 
and 
land 
to 
make 
one 
proselyte; 
and 
when 
he 
is 
made, 
ye 
make 
him 
two-fold 
more 
the 
child 
of 
Gehenna 
than 
yourself"; 
he 
is 
far 
worse 
than 
oofore 
they 
touched 
him.-Matthew 
23: 
15. 
There 
is 
great 
zeal 
shown 
for 
the 
traditions 
of 
men, 
for 
the 
propagation 
of 
men',s 
theories, 
for 
the 
advancement 
of 
denominational 
interests, 
for 
attracting 
the 
world 
by 
varied 
and 
numerous 
devices, 
in 
order 
to 
gain 
their 
influence 
and 
their 
financial 
'assistance. 
For 
instance, 
Thanksgiving 
Day 
was 
set 
apart 
in 
the 
early 
history 
of 
New 
England. 
Long 
ago 
it 
became 
a 
custom 
in 
the 
United 
Sta,tes 
to 
have 
the 
last 
Thursday 
in 
November 
appointed 
as 
a 
day 
of 
thanksgiving 
to 
God 
for 
the 
harvest 
of 
the 
year. 
The 
Governor 
of 
the 
State 
of 
Massa0husctts 
first 
took 
it 
up; 
then 
the 
Governor 
of 
an­ 
other 
State 
followed; 
then 
another; 
then 
it 
was 
taken 
up 
by 
the 
President 
of 
the 
United 
States. 
Finally 
it 
became 
the 
custom 
for 
the 
President 
first 
to 
make 
the 
appointment 
every 
year, 
to 
be 
followed 
by 
a 
proclamation 
by 
each 
of 
the 
Sotate 
Gov­ 
ernors, 
making 
the 
day 
thus 
a 
legal 
holiday, 
when 
banks 
and 
places 
of 
business 
generally 
would 
'00 
closed 
that 
the 
people 
might 
be 
free 
to 
meet 
for 
praise 
and 
thanksgiving 
to 
God 
for 
the 
blessings 
of 
the 
year. 
And 
the 
custom 
still 
persists. 
Now 
this 
might 
sound 
to 
people 
of 
other 
nations 
to 
whom 
it 
would 
be 
told 
as 
if 
the 
people 
of 
the 
United 
States 
were 
a 
set 
of 
saints. 
These 
nations 
might 
say, 
It 
was 
not 
sufficient 
tha;t 
the 
general 
Government 
of 
the 
United 
States 
should 
make 
such 
,appointment, 
but 
each 
State 
makes 
such 
appointment; 
and 
they 
do 
it 
every 
ye'ar. 
As 
a 
matter 
of 
fact, 
if 
the 
President 
of 
the 
United 
States 
were 
an 
infidel 
he 
would 
be 
expected 
to 
follow 
the 
custom 
and 
make 
the 
same 
procl.amation. 
Or 
whether 
the 
Governor 
of 
a 
f)tate 
were 
a 
Catholic 
or 
a 
Protestant 
or 
an 
atheist, 
he 
would 
he 
expected 
to 
do 
likewise. 
It 
has 
become 
a 
custom, 
just 
as 
the 
hands 
of 
a 
clock 
go 
around. 
But 
very 
few 
of 
the 
people 
think 
of 
the 
day 
in 
any 
other 
light 
than 
as 
a 
pleasant 
holi­ 
day, 
when 
they 
can 
enjoy 
a 
fine 
diimer 
and 
have 
a 
good 
time 
gcnerally, 
Very 
lit,tle 
attention-in 
fact, 
none~is 
paid 
by 
the 
great 
majority 
to 
the 
real 
fea,ture, 
of 
thanksgiving 
to 
God. 
It 
is 
the 
s,ame 
with 
other 
customs 
in 
other 
nations 
of 
the 
world. 
If 
we 
were 
in 
a 
Mohammedan 
country, 
we 
would 
see, 
at 
twelve 
o'clock, 
every 
Mohammedan, 
no 
matter 
what 
he 
was 
doing, 
stop 
immedia,tely 
for 
a 
moment 
of 
prayer 
to 
Allall. 
One 
who 
did 
not 
know 
might 
think 
from 
this 
that 
the 
Mo­ 
hammandans 
were 
a 
mast 
saintly 
people, 
who 
would 
be 
v,ery 
honest 
and 
upright 
in 
all 
their 
dealings; 
better 
keep 
your 
eye 
open, 
for 
all 
that. 
So 
a 
great 
deal 
that 
we 
have 
every­ 
where 
today 
is 
a 
mere 
mechanical 
form, 
an 
outward 
display­ 
a 
form 
of 
godliness 
without 
its 
power. 
PATENT 
FACTS 
IN 
CHRISTENDOM 
TODAY 
In 
our 
text 
the 
Prophet 
was 
declaring 
that 
God's 
true 
children 
should 
lift 
up 
Nwir 
voice 
and 
cry 
aloud, 
and 
tell 
God's 
professed 
people 
their 
transgressions. 
The 
implication 
seems 
to 
be 
that 
there 
is 
a 
very 
speci.al 
need 
of 
public 
expres­ 
sion 
on 
the 
matter 
of 
calling 
att,ention 
to 
the 
fact 
that 
there 
is 
a 
g-reat 
deal 
of 
hypocrisy 
practiced 
in 
the 
name 
of 
religion. 
If 
we 
consider 
the 
British 
people 
or 
the 
Russians 
or 
the 
Germans, 
they 
all 
have 
very 
strict 
religious 
laws. 
They 
used 
to 
be 
even 
more 
strict-so 
strict 
that 
we 
who 
proclaim 
present 
truth 
would 
not 
have 
been 
,permitted 
to 
live 
there; 
so 
strict 
that 
we 
would 
have 
been 
,in 
danger 
of 
Our 
live,s. 
Yet 
how 
mrtny 
of 
the 
people 
of 
these 
countries 
really 
serve 
God 
and 
follow 
the 
instructions 
of 
his 
Word 
as 
given 
to 
the 
children 
of 
the 
Lord? 
Which 
of 
these 
governments 
in 
its 
dealings 
with 
other 
nations 
has 
followed 
or 
is 
now 
following 
the 
Golden 
Rule 
taught 
by 
the 
Savior? 
Wlhat 
does 
history, 
past 
and 
pres­ 
ent, 
show 
along 
this 
line? 
It 
is 
not 
now 
considered 
necessary 
or 
proper 
to 
cry 
aloud 
in 
the 
streets-the 
public 
are 
no 
longer 
ignorant. 
All 
these 
things 
of 
which 
we 
speak 
are 
criticized 
in 
the 
newspapers 
and 
elsewhere. 
As 
to 
religious 
intolerance, 
nearly 
all 
denomina­ 
tions 
have 
done 
their 
sha,re 
in 
persecuting 
others. 
But 
it 
does 
not 
seem 
that 
there 
,is 
any 
more 
heart-loyalty 
today 
than 
formerly, 
even 
though 
violent 
persecution 
is 
now 
seldom 
prac­ 
tisP-d. 
If 
we 
have 
the 
right 
conception 
of 
the 
matter, 
only 
about 
one-tenth 
of 
all 
the 
ministers 
h'ave 
any 
faith 
in 
the 
Bible 
as 
the 
\Vord 
of 
Go,l. 
If 
that 
is 
the 
caSll, 
they 
are 
simply 
living 
on 
a 
high 
moral 
plane, 
though 
we 
do 
not 
know 
that 
this 
is 
true 
of 
ministers 
any 
more 
than 
of 
the 
world 
in 
general. 
But 
there 
is 
a 
great 
deal 
of 
religious 
formality. 
Those 
one 
hundrod 
and 
eighty 
thousand 
ministers 
still 
take 
their 
texts 
from 
the 
Bible, 
as 
they 
formerly 
did, 
but 
they 
merely 
sanction 
those 
features 
of 
the 
divine 
revelation 
which 
they 
think 
com­ 
port 
well 
with 
Higher 
Criticism 
and 
general 
intelligence. 
It 
would 
seem 
that 
the 
Lord 
through 
the 
Prophet 
is 
referring 
to 
these 
conditions. 
We 
do 
not 
understand 
that 
we 
should 
cry 
out 
in 
any 
un­ 
seemly 
manner-not 
go 
to 
the 
churches 
and 
cry 
aloud. 
Those 
in 
the 
churehes 
have 
a 
legal 
right 
to 
meet 
there, 
and 
to 
be 
as 
honest 
as 
they 
please 
or 
as 
hypocritical 
as 
they 
please. 
Neither 
would 
it 
be 
seemly 
to 
go 
along 
the 
streets 
crying 
aloud. 
There 
is 
a 
more 
fitting 
and 
effective 
way 
of 
sounding 
the 
alarm. 
As 
a 
notable 
instance 
of 
the 
present 
attitude 
of 
the 
nomi­ 
nal 
church 
ministry, 
we 
cite 
the 
case 
of 
the 
Rev. 
Dr. 
Aked. 
Our 
mention 
of 
this 
is 
not 
a 
divulging 
of 
any 
private 
matter; 
for 
Dr. 
Aked 
took 
it 
out 
of 
the 
personal 
list 
himself, 
by 
pUb­ 
lishing 
the 
matter 
in 
the 
newspapers. 
Not 
long 
ago 
this 
minis,ter 
disproved 
to 
his 
own 
slatisfaction 
the 
virgin-birth 
of 
our 
LOTd 
Jesus 
and 
made 
light 
of 
the 
whole 
matter. 
Rev. 
Mr. 
Aked 
is 
a 
very 
able 
man-stands 
high 
with 
the 
people 
and 
with 
the 
colleges 
and 
with 
the 
ministers. 
There 
is 
a 
branoh 
of 
the 
Federation 
of 
the 
Christian 
churches 
in 
San 
Francisco, 
and 
the 
Rev. 
Mr. 
Aked 
was 
chosen 
as 
President. 
Some 
one 
attacked 
Rev. 
Mr. 
Aked 
through 
the 
newspapers 
and 
said 
that 
he 
should 
be 
"churched," 
"unfrocked," 
etc., 
for 
his 
statements. 
Dr. 
Aked 
said 
that 
he 
thought 
everybody 
Ull­ 
derstood 
his 
position. 
He 
offered 
his 
resignation 
as 
President 
of 
the 
Federation 
of 
Churches. 
The 
man 
who 
thought 
that 
he 
should 
be 
called 
to 
account 
for 
his 
statements 
was 
treated 
as 
the 
offender, 
and 
Rev. 
Aked 
was 
requested 
to 
resume 
the 
presl­ 
deney. 
Yet 
this 
minister 
publicly 
declared 
that 
he 
did 
not 
believe 
one 
word 
of 
the 
story 
of 
the 
Hedcmption 
of 
mankind­ 
did 
not 
believe 
that 
Jesus 
was 
ever 
a 
supel'human 
being; 
and 
the 
fact 
that 
he 
was 
supported 
in 
hig 
position 
by 
his 
fellow­ 
ministers, 
with 
but 
very 
few 
exceptions, 
proves 
that 
the 
bod~' 
of 
the 
ministry 
today 
have 
sadly 
fallen, 
and 
are 
"blind 
lead­ 
ers 
of 
the 
blind." 
KINGDOM 
WORK 
THIS 
SIDE 
THE 
VEIL 
We 
are 
not 
surprised 
at 
these 
conditions; 
for 
long 
ago 
they 
were 
foretold 
in 
the 
Word 
of 
God. 
We 
were 
assured 
that 
our 
day 
would 
witness 
the 
fulfilment 
of 
the 
prophecies 
along 
these 
lines. 
Wherever 
we 
look, 
we 
witness 
the 
disintegration 
of 
the 
present 
order, 
whether 
we 
view 
the 
conditions 
from 
a 
social 
or 
religious 
or 
a 
financial 
standpoint. 
The 
lease 
of 
power 
to 
the 
kingdoms 
of 
this 
world 
has 
expired. 
It 
was 
fmetold 
by 
the 
Prophet 
Daniel 
that 
"in 
the 
days 
of 
thest' 
kings," 
before 
theiT 
utter 
overthrow, 
the 
God 
of 
heaven 
would 
set 
up 
a 
kingdom 
which 
should 
smite 
and 
break 
in 
pieecg 
all 
the 
kingdoms 
of 
men, 
the 
beastly 
kingdoms 
of 
Daniel's 
dream. 
When 
these 
kingdoms 
would 
be 
given 
to 
"the 
people 
of 
the 
saints 
of 
the 
Most 
High," 
they 
were 
to 
"smite 
them 
in 
piecps 
as 
a 
potter's 
vessel." 
This 
intimates 
that 
in 
some 
sense 
of 
the 
word 
the 
Lord 
will 
take 
possession 
of 
these 
before 
they 
have 
been 
completely 
overthrown; 
that 
some 
of 
the 
kingdoms 
represented 
in 
the 
Gentile 
image 
will 
be 
remaining 
at 
that 
time. 
Wha,t 
time, 
then, 
is 
signified 
by 
the 
expression 
"in 
the 
dayH 
of 
these 
kings," 
when 
t 
he 
}~ingdom 
of 
God 
was 
to 
be 
set.up 
in 
power? 
To 
our 
understanding 
the 
first 
step 
in 
the 
settll1g 
up 
of 
this 
kingdom 
was 
the 
raising 
of 
the 
sleeping 
saints 
of 
the 
Gospel 
age, 
which 
we 
believe 
was 
in 
the 
spring 
of 
187ft 
Then 
began 
the 
glorification 
of 
the 
church. 
The 
work 
of 
set­ 
ting 
up 
the 
kingd'om 
has, 
we 
understand, 
been 
progressmg 
from 
that 
date, 
and 
is 
now 
merely 
lacking 
the 
last 
meml~rs 
of 
the 
church 
class. 
When 
these 
shall 
have 
taken 
their 
places 
as 
members 
of 
the 
chure,h 
in 
glory, 
the 
kingdom 
will 
be 
fully 
set 
up. 
This 
does 
not 
signify, 
that 
there 
may 
not 
be 
a 
part 
of 
the 
kingdom 
work 
begun 
while 
s<lme 
of 
the 
members 
of 
Christ 
are 
still 
in 
the 
1Iesh. 
Indeed 
some 
Scriptures 
seem 
to 
imply 
that 
there 
will 
be 
a 
kingdom 
work 
done 
this 
side 
the 
veil, 
whilc 
a 
work 
of 
still 
greater 
ma,gnitude 
and 
authority 
is 
progrc~sing 
on 
the 
other 
side 
of 
the 
veil. 
\Ve 
read, 
"I,d 
the 
saints 
be 
joyful 
in 
glory; 
ld 
them 
sing 
aloud 
upon 
thcir 
beds." 
'fIJiH 
seems 
to 
imply, 
as 
we 
have 
mentioned 
before, 
that 
there 
is 
a 
speeial 
work 
to 
be 
done 
while 
these 
saints 
still 
have 
beds, 
while 
they 
are 
in 
a 
condition 
of 
repose-not 
"tossed 
to 
and 
fro, 
and 
carried 
about 
by 
every 
wind 
of 
doctrine," 
hut 
fully 
at 
rest 
in 
God's 
great 
plan. 
The 
Scripture 
goes 
on 
to 
say 
that 
they 
have 
a 
two-edged 
sword 
in 
their 
hands-this 
is 
the 
Word 
of 
God. 
They 
usc 
it 
as 
the 
sword 
of 
the 
Spirit. 
This 
would 
not 
be 
true 
of 
them 
on 
the 
other 
side 
of 
the 
veil. 
They 
would 
have 
no 
use 
for 
a 
sword 
therc. 
The 
Scriptures 
also 
declare 
that 
the 
high-sounding 
praises 
of 
God 
are 
upon 
their 
lips. 
This, 
too, 
seems 
to 
he 
applicable 
to 
those 
this 
side 
the 
veil. 
[5631] 
Fespruary 15, 1915 Thanksgiving Day and take up large collections for the poor; they pay large salaries to their preachers; they raise money for missions. It is very much as it was in our Lord’s day, at his first advent, when he said, “Ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of Gehenna than yourself”; he is far worse than before they touched him.—Matthew 23:15. There is great zeal shown for the traditions of men, for the propagation of men’s theories, for the advancement of denominational interests, for attracting the world by varied and numerous devices, in order to gain their influence and their financial assistance. For instance, Thanksgiving Day was set apart in the early history of New England. Long ago it became a custom in the United States to have the last Thursday in November appointed as a day of thanksgiving to God for the harvest of the year. ‘The Governor of the State of Massachusetts first took it up; then the Governor of another State followed; then another; then it was taken up by the President of the United States. Finally it became the custom for the President first to make the appointment every year, to be followed by a proclamation by each of the State Governors, making the day thus a legal holiday, when banks and places of business generally would be closed that the people might be free to meet for praise and thanksgiving to God for the blessings of the year. And the custom still persists. Now this might sound to people of other nations to whom it would be told as if the people of the United States were a set of saints, These nations might say, It was not sufficient that the general Government of the United States should make such appointment, but each State makes such appointment; and they do it every year. As a matter of fact, if the President of the United States were an infidel he would be expected to follow the custom and make the same proclamation. Or whether the Governor of a State were a Catholic or a Protestant or an atheist, he would be expected to do likewise. It has become a custom, just as the hands of a clock go around. But very few of the people think of the day in any other light than as a pleasant holiday, when they can enjoy a fine dinner and have a good time generally, Very little attention—in fact, none—is paid by the great majority to the real feature, of thanksgiving to God. It is the same with other customs in other nations of the world. If we were in a Mohammedan country, we would see, at twelve o’clock, every Mohammedan, no matter what he was doing, stop immediately for a moment of prayer to Allah. One who did not know might think from this that the Mohammandans were a most saintly people, who would be very honest and upright in all their dealings; better keep your eye open, for all that. So a great deal that we have everywhere today is a mere mechanical form, an outward display— a form of godliness without its power. PATENT FACTS IN CHRISTENDOM TODAY In our text the Prophet was declaring that God’s true children should lift up their voice and cry aloud, and tell God’s professed people their transgressions. The implication seems to be that there is a very special need of public expression on the matter of calling attention to the fact that there is a great deal of hypocrisy practiced in the name of religion. If we consider the British people or the Russians or the Germans, they all have very strict religious laws. They used to be even more strict—so strict that we who proclaim present, truth would not have been permitted to live there; so strict that we would have been in danger of our lives. Yet how many of the people of these countries really serve God and follow the instructions of his Word as given to the children of the Lord? Which of these governments in its dealings with other nations has followed or is now following the Golden Rule taught by the Savior? What does history, past and present, show along this line? It is not now considered necessary or proper to cry aloud in the streets—the public are no longer ignorant. All these things of which we speak are criticized in the newspapers and elsewhere. As to religious intolerance, nearly all denominations have done their share in persecuting others. But it does not seem that there is any more heart-loyalty today than formerly, even though violent persecution is now seldom practised. If we have the right conception of the matter, only about one-tenth of all the ministers have any faith in the Bible as the Word of God. If that is the case, they are simply living on a high moral plane, though we do not know that this is true of ministers any more than of the world in general. But there is a great deal of religious formality. Those one hundred and eighty thousand ministers still take their texts from the Bible, as they formerly did, but they merely sanction THE WATCH TOWER (52-53) those features of the divine revelation which they think comport well with Higher Criticism and general intelligence. It would seem that the Lord through the Prophet is referring to these conditions, We do not understand that we should cry out in any unseemly manner—not go to the churches and cry aloud. ‘hose in the churches have a legal right to meet there, and to be as honest as they please or as hypocritical as they please. Neither would it be seemly to go along the streets crying aloud. There is a more fitting and effective way of sounding the alarm. As a notable instance of the present attitude of the nominal church ministry, we cite the case of the Rev. Dr. Aked. Our mention of this is not a divulging of any private matter; for Dr, Aked took it out of the personal list himself, by publishing the matter in the newspapers. Not long ago this minister disproved to his own satisfaction the virgin-birth of our Lord Jesus and made light of the whole matter. Hev. Mr. Aked is a very able man—stands high with the people and with the colleges and with the ministers. There is a branch of the Federation of the Christian churches in San Francisco, and the Rev. Mr. Aked was chosen as President. Some one attacked Rev. Mr. Aked through the newspapers and said that he should be “churched,” ‘unfrocked,” etc., for his statements. Dr. Aked said that he thought everybody understood his position. He offered his resignation as President of the Federation of Churches. The man who thought that he should be called to account for his statements was treated as the offender, and Rev. Aked was requested to resume the presidency. Yet this minister publicly declared that he did not believe one word of the story of the Redemption of mankind— did not believe that Jesus was ever a superhuman being; and the fact that he was supported in his position by his fellowministers, with but very few exceptions, proves that the body of the ministry today have sadly fallen, and are “blind leaders of the blind.” KINGDOM WORK THIS SIDE THE VEIL We are not surprised at these conditions; for long ago they were foretold in the Word of God. We were assured that our day would witness the fulfilment of the prophecics along these lines. Wherever we look, we witness the disintegration of the present order, whether we view the conditions from a social or religious or a financial standpoint. The lease of power to the kingdoms of this world has expired. It was foretold by the Prophet Daniel that “in the days of these kings,” before their utter overthrow, the God of heaven would set up a kingdom which should smite and break in pieces all the kingdoms of men, the beastly kingdoms of Danicl’s dream. When these kingdoms would be given to “the people of the saints of the Most High,” they were to “smite them in pieces as a potter’s vessel.” ‘This intimates that in some sense of the word the Lord will take possession of these before they have been completely overthrown; that some of the kingdoms represented in the Gentile image will be remaining at that time. What time, then, is signified by the expression “in the days of these kings,” when the kingdom of God was to be set up in power? To our understanding the first step in the setting up of this kingdom was the raising of the sleeping saints of the Gospel age, which we believe was in the spring of 1878. Then began the glorification of the church. The work of setting up the kingdom has, we understand, been progressing from that date, and is now merely lacking the last members of the church class. When these shall have taken their places as members of the church in glory, the kingdom will be fully set up. This does not signify, that there may not be a part of the kingdom work begun while some of the members of Christ are still in the flesh. Indeed some Scriptures seem to imply that there will be a kingdom work done this side the veil, while a work of still greater magnitude and authority is progressing on the other side of the veil. We read, “et the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds.” This seems to imply, as we have mentioned before, that there is a special work to be done while these saints still have beds, while they are in a condition of repose—not “tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine,” but fully at rest in God’s great plan. The Scripture goes on to say that they have a two-edged sword in their hands—this is the Word of God. They use it as the sword of the Spirit. This would not be true of them on the other side of the veil. They would have no use for a sword there. The Scriptures also declare that the high-sounding praises of God are upon their lips. This, too, seems to be applicable to those this side the veil. [5631]

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