€271-275) ZION’S ing the meat to the household of faith at that time. But unfaithfulness on his part, and a disposition to tyrannize the household, would be sure to result in his being cut off from further opportunities for serving the household, and lead to his having a severe experience with the unbelievers in the time of trouble then to come upon the world. And altho it is not stated, it is fairly inferable that such an one being deposed from stewardship, another would take his place, subject to similar terms and conditions as to faithfulness. In certain senses of the word, and in ceriain respects, every child of God ig a steward—a steward of his own talents, opportunities, privileges, abilities in the Lord’s service; and each one is to recognize that his responsibilities as a steward in these respects is toward the Master who gave him the talents, and who will require at his hands an account thereof—an increase by reason of proper use. We are not, therefore, to understand our Lord’s answer to Peter to imply that none of the household but the one are in any sense of the word regarded ag stewards. Such an interpretation would be in conflict with numerous Scriptures. We are to notice that the stewardship mentioned is not a stewardship of talents and opportunities, but a stewardship of spiritual food merely. Neither does it imply that in the end of this age, and at the time of our Lord’s presence and the sending forth of meat in due season that the special steward alone will have to do with the dispensing of the food for the household, for, as WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, Pa. shown in Matthew’s account of this parable (Matt. 24:45-51), there are “fellow-servants” whose duty and privilege it will be to co-operate with this steward in the dispensing of the viands, the feeding of the household of faith. The thought would seem to be that in the interest of the household and for its comfort and joy and blessing the Master at an appropriate time would furnish to some one of his servants a key to the precious things of his Word, thus providing bountifully “things new and old” for the sustenance and joy of the household, and minister these through numerous fellow-servants, as well as through the one to whom the key of this stewardship would be specially entrusted. In this connection we are to remember that every stewardship brings with it weighty responsibilities, and while such responsibilities are not to be shirked, neither are any of them to be undertaken lightly, without appreciating the fact that every one who becomes a servant of the household of faith has thereby a larger degree of responsibility, not only toward the household, but toward the Master of the house, from whom comes every commission. And every servant is to remember that unfaithfulness would surely lead to his removal, even as every manifestation of humble faithfulness on his part will endear him to the Master and to every faithful member of the household, and imply his continuance in the service until the Master shall say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joys of thy Lord.” REVIEW OF THIRD QUARTER SEPTEMBER 30. “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”——James 1:22. Reviews are frequently profitable, and especially so when eonducted in the light of this Golden Text; with a view to noting to what extent we have heard the voice of the Son of Man, and to what extent we have been obedient to his messages, To fancy ourselves as making spiritual progress merely by gaining information respecting the Lord, his miracles, his teachings, ete, is to get the nut and crack it and drop the kernel, the thing of real value It is in harmony with this thought that our Lord declared, “The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and they that hear shall live.’ The dead are the entire human family. all of whom must hear the voice, the teaching of this his favors upon his terms. All must hear eventually but comparatively few have the hearing ears at the present time. The prince of this world blinds the mind, closes and stupefies the ear, or makes what may be heard of no effect through traditions of men, or through hardness and selfishness of the hearer’s own heart. Blessed are our eyes if, seeing and hearing of the Lord’s grace and goodness toward us and toward all of his creatures, we at once fall into obedience to the spirit of the great Teacher’s instructions. In so doing we will have passed from death unto life—gradually, until, under the ministry of the great Prophet, as sharers in the first resurrection, we shall be perfected and possess life in perfec great Prophet, whom the Father has sent, not only to redeem, tion, yea, life more abundantly—immortality—the divine but also restore so many of the human family as will accept nature. Vou. XXT ALLEGHENY, PA., SEPTEMBER 15, 1900 No. 18 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER {The following, author unknown, came from India, from a Christian Missionary. WHAT IS THE END OF LIFE? The end of life is not to do good, although so many of us think so. It is not to win souls—although I once thought so. The end of life is—to do the will of God. That may be the line of doing good or winning souls or it may not. For the individual, the answer to the question, “What is the end of my life?” is “To do the will of God, whatever that may be.” Spurgeon replied to an invitation to preach to an exceptionally large audience, “I have no ambition to preach to 10,000 people, but to do the will of God’—and he declined. If we could have no ambition past the will of God, our lives acould be successful. If we could say, “I have no ambition to go to the heathen; I have no ambition to win souls; mv ambition is to do the will of God, whatever that may be,” that would make all lives equally great or equally small, because the only great thing in a life is what of God’s will there is in it. The maximum achievement of any man’s life, after it is all over, 1s to have done the will of God. No man or woman can have done any more with a life— no Luther, no Spurgeon, no Wesley, no Melanchthon can have done any more with their lives; and a dairymaid or @ scavenger can do as much. Therefore, the supreme principle upon which we have to run our lives is to adhere, through good report and ill, through temptation and prosperity and adversity, to the will of God, wherever that may lead us. It may take you to China, or you who are going to Africa may have to stay where you are; you who are going to be an evangelist may have to go into business; and you who are going into business may have to become an evangelist. But there is no happiness or success in any life till that principle is taken possession of. And the highest service is first, moment hy moment, to be in the will It is excellent.] of God. It may be to work or tc wait; to stand fast or to lay still. °Tis he, our blessed Lord, who will keep us in his will, if our eyes are fixed on him. How can you build up a life on that principle? Let me give you an outline of a little Bible reading:— The definition of an ideal life: Acts 13:22—“A man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” The object of life: Heb. 10:7—“I come to do thy will, O God.” The first thing you need after life, is food: John 4:34—“My meat ia to do the will of him that sent me.” The next thing you need after food is society: Mark 3:35—“Whosoever shall do the will of my Father in heaven, the same ts my brother, and sister, and mother.” You want education: Psa. 143:10—“Teach me to do thy will, O my God.” You want pleasure: Psa. 40:8—“T delight to do thy will, O my God.” A whole life can be built up on that vertebral column, and then, when all is over, 1 John 2:17—“He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” THE SPREAD OF MOHAMMEDANISM If reports are to be believed Mohammedanism is spreading in Asia and Africa much more rapidly than is Christianity. This is credited to three reasons. (1) Its simplicity of doctrine, which makes it commendable to persons of low intellectual capacity—Believe in Mohammed and obey his simple law and have an eternity of sensuous bliss. (2) Its permission of polygamy, common throughout those countries. (3) [2694]
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