(335-339) The weaknesses of others will no longer cause us unrest. The rest of the glorified condition of the church will be perfect. But before we can enter into that rest, we must here THE WATCH TOWER Brooktyn, N. Y. show our worthiness hy fighting the good fight of faith and by laying hold on eternal life, upon the conditions which are offered us, walking faithfully in the Master’s footsteps. SOME INTERESTING LETTERS SUCCESSFUL SCANDINAVIAN MEETINGS DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL :— I wish to send you an expression of our appreciation of the helpful visit of Brothers J. F. Rutherford and A. N. Pierson, as your representatives, granted us recently. I will also use this opportunity to thank you most heartily for your kindness to me in London, during your own physical weakness, and for your recent letter. Perhaps it will interest you to have a report from me concerning the meeting for which you put the responsibility in my eare. From August 13 to September 3, Brother Rutherford held eighteen splendid meetings in Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish cities, with a total attendance of 25,800 adults and other thousands turned away for lack of room. He also gave twenty-four encouraging talks to the truth friends in these places, and in connection we had a good convention in Helsingfors, Finland, visited by about 250 friends, and another convention in Stockholm, attended by about 400 friends. As one proof of the interest in Brother Rutherford’s publie lectures here, not fewer than 1,818 volumes of STUDIES IN THE Scriprcres were sold in Sweden and Norway—672 of these being sold at a single Sunday morning meeting in Stockholm, at which the attendance was 3,300, with 700 turned away for lack of room, first receiving free literature. Besides this, we reecived thousands of addresses requesting further information re subjects discussed. At the Orebro meeting alone, attended by 2,200 adults, with many outside who could Notwithstanding the fact that in every city we had rented the largest halls obtainable, no one of them was large enough to hold the crowds. For the advertisement of Brother Rutherford’s meetings in Sweden and Norway we distributed 217,500 copies of BIBLE STUDENTS MonTHLY. Many papers published very good reports of his lectures, reaching other thousands of Swedish people. We earnestly desire that you send him to Sweden again, as soon and for as long a time as possible. We promise you that we will have the largest halls all over the land, erowded every night to hear him. Meanwhile we are striving to do the best we can, by the Lord’s grace, to carry on the good work in which we have received so many blessings and which every day becomes more dear to our hearts. The colporteur work and all other branches make good progress continually. During about five wecks before us we have arranged for twenty mass-meetings in the largest cities and towns of Northern Sweden, which Brother Rutherford could not visit. In these I shall be the speaker, D. V. We pray that the Master of the harvest may guide us and give wisdom and strength to do all in harmony with his will and to the glory of his name. We shall highly appre ciate the privilege of being continually included in your prayers to this end; we never forget you in our petitions before the throne of grace. With most sincere Christian love and grecting to you, our beloved Pastor and brother, in which all the dear helpers at this office join, I remain, as ever, Your humble co-laborer in the Lord’s harvest, not gain entrance to the hall, 586 address-cards were received. Aug. LUNpDBORG. Vou. XXXIV BROOKLYN, N. Y.,. NOVEMBER 15, 1913 “BECAUSE WE LOVE THE BRETHREN” ‘(We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.’’—1 John 3:14. We are glad to testify that both from personal contact and through correspondence we have every reason to believe that the Bible Students, who constitute the large majority of our readers, have been growing in grace lately—during the past few years. Contrasting the present with three, six or ten years ago, we notice a great increase in spirituality— the Spirit of the Lord—the holy Spirit of love. Not only is this manifested in activities in the serviee of the truth, but also in broader sympathies one for another and for all Christians—and, indeed, for the entire groaning vreation. This is just what it should be every year; every week, indeed, should mark progress in’ Christ-likeness, as we remember that, ‘‘Tf any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his,’’? aud therefore will have no part in. the kinedam—whatever inferior Dlessing he may obtain under stripes and disciplines necessary to the development of the proper character. We remember further the Apostle’s statement that the divine predestination respeeting the church is that we must each individually in character become eopies of our Lord. (Romans 8:29.) Surely such elear statements of the divine will and of the terms upon whieh we may make our calling and election sure should be stimulating. Nevertheless, notwithstanding all the progress noted, many of the little classes are experiencing friction, which causes more or Jess concern and unhappiness. As the truth makes us free and opeus the eyes of our understanding, it enables us to see our own imperfections and the imperfections of the brethren and of the world more elearly than ever. Unless there be a large amount of love, this will mean a disposition to find fault, to criticize. We may safely give ourselves considerable liberty along these lines in dealing with our own eharaeter. We may find fault with ourselves and criticize ourselves often to advantage. Yet even this should not be carricd so far that we forget the Lord’s gracious promise that He will judge us according to our heart intentions and not according to our imperfect attainments. We are, perhaps, better able to appreciate our own shortcomings, aud how they were unintentional; but when the shortcomings are those of others, it tests our love, patience, brotherly-kindness, meekness, gentleness, etc. Yet such testings are very profitable. We pray that the Lord will assist us in growing in the graces of the holy Spirit. Let us remember that the only way to assist us would he by giving us testings along these very lines. Our strength of character, our development in these graees, will be in proportion as we reecive these testings in the proper spirit. PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP AS NEW CREATURES Our text seems to imply that the love of the brethren is one of the most beautiful expericnees of the Christian. Whoever fitids that he has full love for all the brethren, full sympathy for them, therein has a specially strong Seriptural proof that he himself is a new creature—that he has passed from death unto life. And whoever has any other sentiment than love to any of the brethren surely lacks proof, or demonstration, along this line of his relationship to God as a new creature. If we keep this always in mind, how valuable an assistance it will be to us! Do we not frequently desiro to reassure ourselves of the Lord’s favor and of our continued relationship to him as new creatures, passed from death unto life? If we do, here is the text, the application of which, if we are in the right condition, should bring peace and joy. And if we are in the wrong condition, it should bring alarm for our personal safety as new creatures. One of the points of friction in many of the classes is the relationship between the class and its servants. So far as we can judge, the fault is sometimes with the one and sometimes with the other. We are frequently asked in respect to the duties of the elders, the responsibility of the classes, ete. In general, we prefer to refer all such inquiries to our very full discussion of the subject in the sixth volume of STUDIES IN THE ScRIPTURES. We know not how to improve on the suggestions there made. We believe that if what we have written were thoroughly studied, the recommendations there given would be found ample for every case. On doctrinal matters we prefer not to write personal letters; for in a few cases we have found that the persons receiving the letters have either misunderstood them, or only partially communicated their contents to others when discussing the matter. Again, some have said, ‘‘Brother Russell wrote thus and so in STUDIES IN THE ScRIPTURES, but we have a later [5346]
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