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HNATCH TOWER, AND HERALD OF CHRISTS PRESENCE Vout. XL PITTSBURGH, PA., JANUARY 1, 1919 VIEW FROM THE TOWER “A FAITHFUL WATCHMAN” “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.”—Ezekiel 3:17. In these words does the Lord appoint Ezekiel to be a watchman over Israel after the flesh; and Bible Students have learned that antitypically these same words apply to that faithful man of God who for over forty years past has served aa watchman to spiritual Israel, “the Israel of God”—Charles Taze Russell. How few people, even of the professedly religious, realize that God always has his special servants, whose work is to serve as watchman, to give special heed to the Lord’s Word and to sound out the warnings as these are necessary. This is exactly the meaning of our text. Faithfulness ig required on the part of all who would serve as the Lord’s watchmen; for they must give an account of their stewardship. As the Apostle suggests: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with jov and not with grief”’ (Hebrews 13:17) Rut, alas! The Scriptural records reveal the fact that a majority of watchmen are unfaithful. Tt might be asked: “What should these watchmen be watching for?” The Prophet answers this question quite plainly in these words: “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he shall say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am disputed with.’ (Habakkuk 2:1) Their watching, then, consists in watching to see what the Lord will say 4nd what answers they will give, If ever any man was faithful in this work it was Pastor Russell. We note again that every faithful Watcher has always been the object of envy and jealousy on the part of the unfaithful watchmen, leading on eventually to persecution and violence. WATCHMEN FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL Prior to the time of Jesus, the faithful watchmen were Moses and the prophets. The unfaithful watchmen of the same period were the Scribes, Pharisees and the doctors of the law, who persecuted the faithful wateners, and for a pretense made long prayers on the street corners, gave alms publicly to be seen of men, thanked God that they were not as other men, gave tithes regularly (and particularly of their mint and cummin), but at the same time devoured widows’ houses. They constituted the class who our Lord declared were hypocrites, and to whom he said: “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel!” Since our Lord’s time the faithful watchmen have been the Apostles, John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, Pastor Russell and others. The unfaithful watchmen have been the money-loving, pleasureloving, honor-seeking clergy class, who instead of listening to the Lord’s words and declaring his message, have been preaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Speaking of the faithful watchmen the Prophet said: “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord returns to Zion.” But of the unfaithful watchmen he said: “His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs; they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough; and they are shepherds that cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.”-— Isaiah 52:8; 56:10, 11. How ardently this latter class hated Pastor Russell! How much they threatened and persecuted! How diligently they tried to stop the message, and how signally they failed! Hear the Word of the Lord on this point: ‘But the house of Israel [nominal spiritual Israel] will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint, have I made thy forehead; fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks; for they are a rebellious house.”’——Ezekiel 3:7-9. [6373] PASTOR RUSSELL'S MISSION Pastor Russell was commissioned of the Lord to warn the wicked that they should surely die. If the watchman would faithfully give this warning, he would deliver his soul; but if he were not faithful in this respect, God would require the blood of the wicked at his hands. (Ezekiel 3:18, 19) The unfaithful watchmen, on the contrary, told the wicked that they would not surely die, but they they would live on forever in fiery torment. See also Genesis 2217; 3:3-5. Furthermore, Pastor Russell forewarned that we are living in the end of the Gospel age, that a new age is about to be ushered in, that the end of the age would be accompanied with a great time of trouble, distress and perplexity. He foretold that Christ’s kingdom would be established by force during this troublous period—the force of the Iron Rule. Years ago he foretold the federation of churches and a tacit union between Protestants and Catholics, and pointed out that each would hate the other even while co-operating one with the other. He also foretold the return of the Jews to their own land. Moreover, he warned the people that all these events were but incidental to the overthrow of Satan’s kingdom and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. He forewarned the religious systems, both Catholic and Protestant, of their final and complete overthrow unless they repented of their sins and changed their course. But his message went unheeded, except that many scoffed and ridiculed the ideas which he presented, seemingly unawares that even their scoffing had been foretold.—2 Pet. 3:3, 4. True to the teachings of the Scriptures and to the word of God’s faithful watchman, a federation of Protestant churches and a closer affiliation of Protestants and Catholics began to take place a few years ago. Gradually the two ends of the ecclesiastical heavens (Catholic and Protestant) have been drawing together, until less than a year ago it would seem that the affiliation was complete, and that the two great Teligious bodies—federated Protestantism and federated Catholicism—had rolled together as a seroll, (A scroll rolls together from both ends) For years this affiliation with each other had been sought; and negotiations to this end had been secretly carried on by those high in authority in both sides. So secretly was this work done that the great majority of the members of the Protestant sects did not know, and have not yet found out, that they have been delivered over te the Papacy by their religious leaders. But the Papacy understood the, situation well; for the whole scheme had been concocted by her. Many of God’s prophets, writing from two thousand to four thousand years ago, had foretold just such a union, and had warned of the consequences. (Genesis 3:15: Isaiah 8:1215; 34:4) The Apostle Peter, as the Lord’s mouthpiece, very clearly pointed out that when the union was complete the symbolical heavens would come to an end. (2 Peter 3:9-12) Still another prophet had foretold that these two ends of the religious heavens, while outwardly affiliating and co-operating, would hate one another, each a thorn in the other’s side. (Nahum 1:10) During the past few years the tendency toward affiliation and co-operation has been very manifest, and seemingly the ancient hatred was forgotten. But this was merely how the matter appeared, and really was a deception. The word of the prophet Jeremiah, written over two thousand years ago, was true. The old hatred still existed; they were indeed “folded together as thorns.” GETTING THEIR EYES OPEN TO FAOTS Recent events are revealing these ancient foes as enemies still; and Protestants are just awakening to the knowledge that they have been duped again. The editors of various denominational journals are gnashing their teeth with rage at Papacy; and it now looks as if she has passed the zenith of her power, and that the doom foretold by the Apostle nineteen (3-4)