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(55-59)
THE
WATCH
TOWER
BROOKLYN,
N.
Y.
If,
partially,
the
consequence
be
an
encroachment
upon
your
time,
I
know
you
will
forg>;'),
as
our
dcar,
gracious
Heavenly
FatRer
doE's
when
we
rna
1:"
mistakes.
On
your
return
from
abroad
we
cannot
greet
you
as
some
others
who
love
you,
hut
let
this
letter
convey
to
you
our
glad,
loving
"\Velcome
home!"
And
now,
a
few
words
relative
to
a
little
matter
upon
which
I
shall
much
appreciate
having
your
opinion.
Twice,
recently,
I
have
met
friends
who
are
studying
the
Truth
and
show
every
evidpnce
of
love
for
it.
The
qm'stion
of
Spiritism
arose,
and
in
each
case
the
friend
was
not
acquainted
with
the
truth
on
this
important
Bible
subject.
I
inquired,
Would
you
not
like
the
truth
about
this
matter?
R('(·piving
an
affirmative
reply,
I
told
the
one
a
brothpr~of
the
httle
hook
on
Sl'IRlTIS:\[
an(l
he
promised
to
rearl
it,
saying
his
thought
had
been
to
have
absolutely
nothing
to
do
with
the
snhjf'd.
To
the
nth('f-a
sistpr~T
loanl'd
mv
own
book
with
the
same
worrb,
that
in
thi~
"nil
rlay"
it
is
onr
husinpss
to
fol-
low
what
the
dear
Lord
indicates
is
necessary
to
our
salva
tion,
namely,
the
putting
on
of
the
"whole
armor
that
we
may
be
able
to
stand"
in
this
particularly
evil
period.
When
next
I
met
her
she
exclaimed,
"0,
i::iister
Erb,
1
could
not
read
that
awful
book!
I
am
sure
that
our
Lord
will
never
allow
his
children
to
come
in
contact
in
any
way
with
anything
so
unholy
as
the
demons."
She
quoted,
"He
will
keep
them,
that
that
wicked
one
touch
them
not."
I
have
thought
that
possibly
others
arc
in
doubt
upon
this
subject
so
pregnant
with
awful
possibilities-some,
perhaps,
who
have
recently
embraced
the
true
faith-and
that
a
word
of
emphasis
from
yourself
with
respect
to
giving
attention
to
the
truth
regarding
Spiritism
would
be
a
help
to
them.
\\'ith
one
more
prayer
now,
added
to
the
many
I
have
offered
at
the
throne
of
heavenly
grl1ce
on
your
behalf,
I
will
close,
hoping
before
very
long
to
meet
and
greet
you
face
to
faN'.
Your
sister.
hy
the
gracp
af
our
dear
heavenly
Father
and
through
our
dear'
Rpdeemef,
MRS.
JONATHAN
R.
ERB.-Pa.
YOLo
XXXIII
BROOKLYN,
N.
Y.,
FEBRUARY
15,
1912
No.4
"WHAT
IS
MAN?"
"When
I
consider
thy
heavens,
the
work
of
thy
fingers,
the
moon
and
the
stars,
which
thou
hast
ordained,
what
is
rna"",
that
thou
art
mindf1ll
of
him,
and
the
sOn
of
num,
toot
thou
visitest
him?
for
thou
hast
fiUlde
him
n
litt/r
lower
than
the
angels,
and
hast
crowned
him
with
glory
and
honor
j
thon
madest
him
to
have
dominion
over
the
work
of
thy
hands;
thou
hast
put
all
things
u-nder
his
feet
j
all
sheep
and
oxen,
yea.
and
the
beasts
of
the
field,
the
fowl
of
the
air,
and
the
fish
of
the
sea,
and
whatsoever
passeth
through
the
paths
of
the
seas)'
0
Lord,
01W
Lord,
how
excellent
is
thy
name
in
all
the
earth!"-Psalm
8:3-9.
The
suggestion
of
the
prophet
respecting
man
is
one
which
UTI
rIel'
his
feet."
What
a
wonderful
ereature
man
is,
then,
from
we
believe
has
occurred
to
every
intelligent
being.
As
one
upon
this
standpoint!
While
he
is
a
little
lower
than
the
angpls,
the
deep
looks
out
upon
the
vast
expanse
of
water
and
the
so
far
as
his
nature
in
connection
with
the
earth
is
concerneil,
riding
of
the
vessel
upon
it,
he
thinks,
How
little
is
man!
and
whereas
as
angels
are
more
excellent
so
far
as
their
na
How
small
a
speck
in
the
universe!
When
we
look
up
into
tures
are
concerneil,
this
Psalm
speaks
of
man
as
being
su
the
hpavens
and
realize
that
they
reprpsent
RO
much
more
of
perior
in
that
he
has
a
dominion.
The
angels
do
not
have
do
divine
power,
we
are
still
more
Rurprised.
When
we
consider
minion
over
other
angels,
but
all
are
subject
to
the
great
the
heavens,
and
realize
that
all
these
stars,
except
the
planets
Creator,
God.
which
belong
to
our
own
system,
are
really
suns,
and
that
But
man,
in
the
likeness
of
his
Creator,
has
been
given
arounil
each
of
these
RunB
revolve
planets,
as
our
earth
revolves
a
dominion
over
the
lower
erpatures,
and
in
this
respect
it
is
a
around
our
sun,
anil
when
we
think
of
the
Dumber
of
these
wonderful
honor
with
which
he
has
been
crowne<l-"Thou
suns
and
their
planets,
we
are
amazed,
and
we
feel
our
own
crownedst
him
with
the
glory
and
honor,
and
hast
set
him
littleness
all
the
more!
ovpr
the
works
of
thy
hands."
We
ask
astronomers
as
to
the
number
of
these
suns,
anJ
they
It
might
be
asked
with
great
propriety,
If
Goil
is
thus
will
tell
you
that
there
are
a
hundred
millions
of
them
in
careful
of
humanity
and
has
so
highly
honored
his
human
sight.
And
if
we
would
average
the
planets
around
these
creatures,
why
should
he
not
have
made
a
still
better
prep
a
hunilred
million
sum
at
ten,
it
wou]il
be
ten
hundred
millions
ration
for
them
in
the
world
~
Why
is
it
that
they
are
subject
of
planets.
And
then
they
tell
UR,
further,
that
if
we
could
to
the
unfavorable
conilitions
under
which
they
now
exisU
take
our
stand
upon
the
very
farthermost
one
of
these
we
Wby
are
there
sorrow,
pain,
sighing,
crying
and
dying'
Why
woulil
still
see
before
us
many
more,
and
as
many
more.
are
these
temppsts,
storms,
cyclones
ana
torna(loes,
faminp.
Our
minds
are
appalled
as
we
begin
to
think
of
the
heavens,
drought
and
pestilence-why
all
these
things
if
God
is
so
careful
the
work
of
Goa's
fingers,
and
then
consider
man,
how
small
a
of
us
as
his
creatures'
work
in
God's
sight!
We
have
an
appreciation
then
of
what
We
would
have
no
answer
for
all
these
questions
were
it
the
Scripturps
say
man
is
like
in
God's
sight-as
"the
dust
in
not
proviiled
in
the
Bible.
In
this
wonilerful
book
of
all
books,
the
balance,"
that
is
not
worthy
to
be
taken
into
account.
We
we
have
the
key
to
the
matter,
the
explanation,
and
that
is:
have
all
b('('n
in
the
grocer's
shop
and
notice
that
he
pays
no
God
provided
originally
that
man
should
be
subject
to
none
of
attention
to
the
dust
in
the
scoop
of
his
scale.
So
man
is
so
these
difficulties
and
disasters.
Man
was
made
perfect
and
small
in
the
sight
of
the
grpat
Creator
that
we
wonder
that
God
placed
in
favorable
and
perfect
surroundings,
in
a
perfect
should
have
any
interest
at
all
in
humanity.
garden,
eastward
in
Eden,
with
everything
necessary
for
his
"THOU
MADEST
HIM
TO
HAVE
DOMINION"
welfare-no
storms,
no
sickness,
no
tempests,
no
difficulties--
Except
for
the
Bible
we
should
have
no
knowledge
of
and
.
h~
might.
have
lived
forever.
Such
was
the
wonderful
God's
interest
in
us
and
we
might
think
that
God
is
so
great
dommIOn
of
thIS
human
son
of
God.
that
he
would
pay
~o
heed
to
us.
But,
when
God
reveals
him-
Why,
then,
the
change'
This
wo.nderful
book
answers
that
~df
to
us
in
the
Biblp.
\\e
hpgin
to
spp
that
therp
is
not
only
the
change
came
about
because
of
sm.
And
so
We
read:
"By
divine
power
exercised
anil
manifested
in
the
creation
of
all
one
man's
disobedience
sin
entered
into
the
world
(there
was
these
worlils
but
we
see
also
this
divine
power
manifested
in
no
sin
in
the
world
before),
and
death
as
a
result
of
sin."
Goil's
ilealings
with
us,
and
also
the
l?ve
of
God,
which
the
(Rom.
5:12.)
There
was
no
~ying
on
the
part
.of
man
u~ti1
Scriptures
state
"pas
seth
all
understandmg."
What
wonder~ul
sm
came:
So
all
the
aches,
:pams
l
sorrows
and
SIckness
whl.ch
('onilpseen~ion
on
the
part
of
thp
Creator
that
he
should
gIVe
we
expenence
are
parts
of
thIS
dymg
process.
And
so
the
dlf-
heed
to
us!
ficulty
with
us
all
is
that
by
nature
we
are
"children
of
wrath."
But
our
text
goes
on
to
give
us
further
information
on
this
Is
divine
wrath
eternal
torture'
No,
indeed!
That
teach-
subject:
"What
is
man
that
thou
art
mindful
of
him,
and
the
ing
was
handed
down
to
us,
perhaps,
by
our
well-meaning
fore
son
of
man
that
thou
visiteth
him?
for
thou
hast
made
him
a
fathers.
The
wrath
of
God,
we
see
on
every
hand;
as
the
little
low('r
than
the
angels."
Only
a
little
lower
is
the
Apostle
Paul
declares,
"The
wrath
of
God
is
revealed"-in
thought!
Of
the
holy
angels
the
Scriptures
give
us
to
under-
our
own
bodies,
our
aches
and
pains,
mental
imperfections,
stand
there
are
various
ranks,
some
higher
and
some
lower,
physical
imperfections
and
moral
imperfections-these
are
all
but
all
perfect.
Then
in
the
world
we
have
various
orders
of
parts
of
this
great
penalty
for
sin.
We
read
that
when
man
animal
life-the
beast
of
the
field,
the
fish
of
the
sea,
the
fowl
became
a
transgressor
God
sent
a
holy
angel
to
drive
our
first
of
the
air-and
man,
as
the
highest
of
these
earthly
beings;
parents
ont
from
the
Garden
of
Eden,
away
from
the
trees
of
and
he
stands
related
to
all
these
lower
creatures
as
God
does
life
that
were
to
sustain
them
in
perfection,
out
into
the
un
to
the
entire
universe,
and
this
is
the
honor
with
which
our
finiRhed
earth.
gr('at
Creator
endowed
his
human
creatures!
While
the
whole
earth
coulJ
just
as
easily
have
been
made
Se
we
are
tolil
in
this
Psalm,
"Thou
madest
him
to
have
perfect,
God
left
it
unfinished,
unprepared
for
man,
and
dominion
over
the
works
of
thy
hands;
thou
hast
put
all
things
merely
"prepared
a
garden
eastward
in
Eden"
for
the
trial
of
[4972]
(55-59) If, partially, the consequence be an encroachment upon your time, I know you will forgive, as our dear, gracious Heavenly Father does when we ma!:. mistakes. On your return from abroad we cannot greet you as some others who love you, but let this letter convey to you our glad, loving “Welcome home!” And now, a few words relative to a little matter upon which I shall much appreciate having your opinion, Twice, recently, I have met friends who are studying the Truth and show every evidence of love for it. The question of Spiritism arose, and in each case the friend was not acquainted with the truth on this important Bible subject. I inquired, Would you not like the truth about this matter? Receiving an affirmative reply, I told the one— a brother—of the lhttle hook on SprriTisM and he promised to read it, saving his thought had been to have absolutely nothing to do with the subject, To the other—a sister—I loaned my own book with the same words, that in this “evil day” it is our husiness to fol THE WATCH TOWER Brooxiyn, N. Y. low what the dear Lord indicates is necessary to our salvation, namely, the putting on of the “whole armor that we may be able to stand” in this particularly evil period. When next I met her she exclaimed, “O, Sister Erb, T could not read that awful book! I am sure that our Lord will never allow his children to come in contact in any way with anything so unholy as the demons.” She quoted, “He will keep them, that that wicked one touch them not.” I have thought that possibly others are in doubt upon this subject so pregnant with awful possibilities—-some, perhaps, who have recently embraced the true faith—and that a word of emphasis from yourself with respect to giving attention to the truth regarding Spiritism would be a help to them. With one more prayer now, added to the many I have offered at the throne of heavenly grace on your behalf, I will close, hoping before very long to meet and greet you face to face. Your sister, by the grace of our dear heavenly Father and through our dear Redeemer, MRS. JONATHAN R. ERB.-—Pa. Vou, XXNITI BROOKLYN, N. Y., FEBRUARY 15, 1912 No. 4 “WHAT IS MAN?” “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thow hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thow visitest him? for thow hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor; thou madest him to have dominion over the work of thy hands; thou hast put all things wnder his feet ; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas; O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”—Psalm 8:3-9. The suggestion of the prophet respecting man is one which we believe has occurred to every intelligent being. As one upon the deep looks out upon the vast expanse of water and the riding of the vessel upon it, he thinks, How little is man! How small a speck in the universe! When we look up into the heavens and realize that they represent so much more of divine power, we are still more surprised. When we consider the heavens, and realize that all these stars, except the planets which belong to our own system, are really suns, and that around each of these suns revolve planets, as our earth revolves around our sun, and when we think of the number of these suns and their planets, we are amazed, and we feel our own littleness all the more! We ask astronomers as to the number of these suns, and they will tell you that there are a hundred millions of them in sight. And if we would average the planets around these hundred million suns at ten, it would be ten hundred millions of planets. And then they tell us, further, that if we could take our stand upon the very farthermost one of these we would still see before us many more, and as many more. Our minds are appalled as we begin to think of the heavens, the work of God’s fingers, and then consider man, how small a work in God’s sight! We have an appreciation then of what the Scriptures say man is like in God’s sight—as “the dust in the balance,” that is not worthy to be taken into account. We have all been in the grocer’s shop and notice that he pays no attention to the dust in the scoop of his scale. So man is so smal] in the sight of the great Creator that we wonder that God should have any interest at all in humanity. “THOU MADEST HIM TO HAVE DOMINION’’ Except for the Bible we should have no knowledge of God’s interest in us, and we might think that God is so great that he would pay no heed to us. But, when God reveals himself to us in the Bible, we hegin to see that there is not only divine power exercised and manifested in the creation of all these worlds, but we see also this divine power manifested in God’s dealings with us, and also the love of God, which the Seriptures state “passeth all understanding.” What wonderful condescension on the part of the Creator that he should give heed to us! But our text goes on to give us further information on this subject: “What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou visiteth him? for thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.” Only a little lower is the thought! Of the holy angels the Seriptures give us to understand there are various ranks, some higher and some lower, but all perfect. Then in the world we have various orders of animal life—the beast of the field, the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air—and man, as the highest of these earthly beings; and he stands related to all these lower creatures as God does to the entire universe, and this is the honor with which our great Creator endowed his human creatures! Se we are told in this Psalm, “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his fect.” What a wonderful creature man is, then, from this standpoint! While he is a little lower than the angels, so far as his nature in connection with the earth is concerned. and whereas as angels are more excellent so far as their natures are concerned, this Psalm speaks of man as being superior in that he has a dominion. The angels do not have dominion over other angels, but all are subject to the great Creator, God. But man, in the likeness of his Creator, has been given a dominion over the lower creatures, and in this respect it is a wonderful honor with which he has heen erowned—“Thou crownedst him with the glory and honor, and hast set him over the works of thy hands,” It might be asked with great propriety, If God is thus careful of humanity and has so highly honored his human creatures, why should he not have made a still better preparation for them in the world? Why is it that they are subject to the unfavorable conditions under which they now exist? Why are there sorrow, pain, sighing, crying and dying? Why are these tempests, storms, cyclones and tornadoes, famine, drought and pestilence—why all these things if God is so careful of us as his creatures? We would have no answer for all these questions were it not provided in the Bible. In this wonderful book of all books, we have the key to the matter, the explanation, and that is: God provided originally that man should be subjeet to none of these difficulties and disasters. Man was made perfect and placed in favorable and perfect surroundings, in a perfect garden, eastward in Eden, with everything necessary for his welfare—no storms, no sickness, no tempests, no difficulties—and he might have lived forever. Such was the wonderful dominion of this human son of God. Why, then, the change? This wonderful book answers that the change came about because of sin. And so we read: “By one man’s disobedience sin entered into the world (there was no sin in the world before), and death as a result of sin.” (Rom. 5:12.) There was no dying on the part of man until sin came. So all the aches, pains, sorrows and sickness which we experience are parts of this dying process. And so the difficulty with us all is that by nature we are “children of wrath.” Is divine wrath eternal torture? No, indeed! That teaching was handed down to us, perhaps, by our well-meaning forefathers. The wrath of God, we see on every hand; as the Apostle Paul declares, “The wrath of God is revealed”—in our own bodies, our aches and pains, mental imperfections, physical imperfections and moral imperfections—these are all parts of this great penalty for sin. We read that when man became a transgressor God sent a holy angel to drive our first parents ont from the Garden of Eden, away from the trees of life that were to sustain them in perfection, out into the unfinished earth. While the whole earth could just as easily have been made perfect, God left it unfinished, unprepared for man, and merely “prepared a garden eastward in Eden” for the trial of 4972}
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