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Jung 1, 1918 refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and will prove a stimulus to the faith of these privileged to attend. With Christian love, praying our heavenly Father’s richest blessing on your efforts for his people. Yours in the Master’s service, D. H., (Sydney Clasa})—Austratia. STRUCK WITH THE TRUTH Dear FRIENDS :— I have signed the petition to the President and six of my best friends with me. Let me briefly state how I came into possession of “The Finished Mystery.” It was on the night of March the sixth, about 11 o’clock; 1 was walking down Third Avenue, thinking about practically nothing, and with a heavy thud I was struck on the shoulder by what IJ thought was a brick, but, alas, it was “The Finished Mystery.” I brought it home and read it all, and then traded my old fiddle to a boy for the other six volumes—and have read them all. I find they all go straight forward, without making a turn, I have since learned that it was a preacher of-the M. k. thurch who threw the book from his window in a rage of anger. I have nothing to say to the dishonor of that preacher, for he is at least one of Great Babylon’s teachers that sends out the truth in volume. and by that one act of his I firmly believe that he converted more people to a living hope than hy any other act of his fe. ‘Surely the wrath of man shall praise him,’ and through this preacher’s wrath we now praise God. Yours in the Truth, W. H. K.—W. Va. THE WATCH TOWER (162-179) THE ‘‘BLINDING HAZE’’ DISPELLED DEAR BRETHREN :— I heard a little news I thought might cheer your hearts; it did mine, at least. As you know, Brethren, some of the friends have thought the Lord had nothing much to do with the language used in Volume Seven and B. 8S. M. 99, especially concerning Methodism. But I am more convinced than ever that the Lord overruled it all. A young man who was studying to be a Methodist minister told me his experience. He said that the morning on which we put out the “Fall of Babylon” issue he was in a testimony meeting. Almost everyone talked about it, and said they had put the papers right into the stove. He thought: “Why are they so afraid of itt It cannot be that they are very wel] established in the Scriptures.” So he hurried home and looked to see if he could find one; and he did. He sat down and read; and when he came to that part which says ‘“‘a blinding haze came out of the bottomless pit,” he said: “That describes it to a “I’; if those people can show me that the churches are wrong, I will withdraw tomorrow.” I wag notified, called at his house and talked with him about two hours, then asked him what he thought of Babylon. He said: “I don’t see how I can ever go back again.” And he never did, Last Sunday he helped us put out “Kingdom News,” having made a consecration. This has given us positive evidence of the Lord’s hand in writing the Seventh Volume. Your brother by His grace, J. R. G.—N. Y. “REVELATION’—SINAITIC READING We now have in stock a vest pocket edition of the Book of Revelation, according to the Sinaitic Manuscript. We helieve the friends will be much pleased with this little volume, In convenient form, and meeting quite fully the requirements of all who desire to know: the meaning of this wonderful portion of the divine Word. Not only is the accurate rendering of the ancient Sinaitic Manuscript given, with headings and subheadings in bold-face type for convenient location of passages, but explanatory notes and comments are in = Vou. XXXIX BROOKLYN, N. Y., JUNE 15, 1918 eluded, with many illustrations, The book contains 200 pages, same size as the Vest Pocket Manna. Full black leather, gold edges, 70c postpaid. Cloth, red edges, 35c. In lots of 50 or more, 50c for the leather and 25e¢ for the cloth edition, charges collect. We suggest that each of the brethren approximate how many copies he can use for himself and friends, and then order them all at one time, and quickly, as the edition is limited and probably will not be reprinted. No. 12 THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction; for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”—Proverbs 3:11, 12. Many excellent people have the thought that special sorrows, trials, difficulties, are marks of divine disfavor and that the best. way to avoid trouble is to become a Christian. But the Scriptures show that if one is not already in trouble and wishes to get into it and to stay in it for the rest of his natural life, his best course is to become a true follower of Christ. One of the first characters who received a special invitation to walk with the Lord was Father Abraham. We are told that, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” (Hebrews 11:8) At the time this call was extended to Abraham he was seventy-five years of age, rich according to all the standards of earthly riches of his time, and no doubt comfortable and happy among his friends and relatives in the pleasant and productive region of Mesopotamia where he had been born and in which he grew to manhood. We can imagine that his relatives were very much displeased with the choice he made. They no doubt considered it a species of insanitv that this man, happy, prosperous and well established in life should at his age leave the environment with which he was familiar, and travel hundreds of miles through the sands of the Arabian desert to a land which neither he nor his fathers had known. One of the first crosses that must be taken up and borne by one who would walk in fellowship with the Lord is the certainty that he will displease his earthly friends by so doing. Nevertheless, the Psalmist urges, “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget thine own people and thy father’s house; so shall the king greatly desire thy beauty.” (Psalm 45:10, 11}. Right well did the Lord know that our act of becoming his foot-step followers would bring us into difficulty with our earthly loved ones, our relatives according to our “father’s house,” else would he never have said: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: T came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own honsehold.”— Matthew 10:34-36, ‘WATERS OF A FULL OUP’’ The experience of the Psalmist was that his efforts to live a godly life brought upon him the reproaches of those who could not understand his motives. David was a type of the Christ and said of his opposers and of ours: “They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.” (Psalm 73:9, 10). David was in the wilderness and because he was in the wilderness was a target for slander and ridicule until his cup of sorrow was filled. If we would see how God has been pleased to deal with those who give themselves unreservedly to him during the time in which sacrifices are acceptable, we have only to consider the fact that after the Beautiful One had laid his perfect sacrifice at the Father’s feet, he was immediately “led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.’ (Matthew 4:1) And he has not held out to his followers any expectation that the result of their consecration to do the Father’s will would differ from his own; rather, he has assured us: “The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be ag his Master, and the servant as his Lord. lf they have eailed the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household ?”——-Matthew 10:24, 25, Lest, in the midst of our trials, we should be inclined to fear that these are evidences of divine disfavor, we are especially invited to “consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:3) And as we consider him we recall especially the last events which crowned his three and a half years of faithfu) doing of the heavenly Father’s will. We remember that he allowed himself to be smitten, crowned with thorns, mocked as a royal impostor, spit upon, and his beard to be torn out. He allowed himself to be sentenced to a [6273]