Marc# 1, 1916 DEAR BRETHREN :— Yours of January 4th is at hand. I rejoice in the Lord that you have had such a sweet and blessed convention and that, although the numbers were not large, the interest and spirit were what we would expect and that great good has been accomplished. May the Lord’s blessing continue with you all, making the present year, 1916, your very best in character-development and in effective service for our King. I cannot promise anything definite in respect to a visit to Australasia, much as I should desire to greet you all in the flesh, to say some words of comfort and encouragement and to personally receive assurances of your continued Christian love. However, we know not what the Lord’s providence may indieate, but assure you that we will seek to follow his leading in this and in every matter. With much Christian love, Your brother and servant in the Lord, C. T. RUSSELL. DO NOT TAKE ANYBODY’S SAY-8O Our DEAR PasToR:— I was pleased to receive your loving letter and gift, which were much appreciated, the latter of which I intend exchanging for renewal of THE Watcu Tower for another year. [Like thousands of others of like precious faith, we are indeed thankful to our loving heavenly Father and to you, his servant, for its cheering, helpful and inspiring messages of exhortation and hope for those seeking to know and do the will of God. Its bi-monthly visits are eagerly looked for and its spiritual food is soul-satisfying. The article in September 1 issue on “Christian Duty and the War” was good and to the point; we trust by God’s grace we shall maintain that attitude, looking to Jesus our Captain, who said his kingdom is not of this world, else would his servants fight; and to St. Paul, his mouthpiece, who shows that our weapons are not carnal, though mighty to the pulling down of strongholds of error. I rejoice, by the Lord’s favor, at the prospect of further opportunities in the colporteur work this new year. The previous eight in this blessed work have been the happiest in my life. I am now wondering if our work may not soon be cut short since compulsory military service for single men is suggested, with the possibility of severe penalties to those who refuse. However, “My times are in Thy hand; My God, I wish them there.” The Class here have unanimously re-elected you as our Pastor. I assure you we can never repay the help you are to THE WATCH TOWER (79-83) us through the Scriprure Strupies, THE Watcu Tower, TasERNACLE SHADOWS, etc. We are grateful to our heavenly Father and our Present Lord who have used and are still using you to bring forth “Meat in due season for the Household of Faith.” If it will not be troubling you too much we would like your advice on the following queries: What should be our course if ordered by those in authority to cease distributing our volunteer literature? Or that we may no longer sell STupIES IN THE SCRIPTURES? Or that we may no longer assemble as Classes for the study of the Scriptures? Praying the Lord’s richest blessing upon you in your labor of love, I remain, by God’s grace, Your brother, A. W. SEWTER, CoLPoRTEUR.—Eng. REPLY TO QuERIES: The Lord’s people are to govern their conduct by the laws of the land in which they reside—except such laws as would conflict with God’s Word. But we should not take anybody’s “say-so” re such laws, but should make sure that such laws really prevent.—Editor. RE PRICE OF ‘‘MANNA’’ AND RECIPROCITY Dear BRoTHER RUSSELL :— In view of the fact that it is so surprisingly easy to sell the PHoto-DRaMA ScENaRIos as 68¢c and 88c, we would like to suggest that you allow the MaNNna to be Colporteured at 68c. We are convinced, after our experience with the ScenaRIO, that at 68e the Manna sales would be very materially increased. This would be an encouragement, and assist in making expenses, We find that many of the friends have not yet introduced the StupIes, MANNA, SCENARIO, TOWER, etc., to their tradespeople—grocers, butchers, bakers, shoemakers, milkmen, ete. We have suggested to many that these people are most anxious to retain their trade, giving them profit-sharing coupons, trading stamps, premiums, etc., and that they would be only too pleased if they had an opportunity to reciprocate in return for their custom during the many months or years they have dealt with them. What an opening the friends have in this way! One Sister here went out the other day amongst the people on her street, and took orders for nineteen ScENARIoS in about five hours. There is hardly a person in the truth but could do likewise—and their tradespeople and neighbors would appreciate the privilege of buying from them. With much love, we are Yours in the Harvest work, Vou. XXXVIT — BROOKLYN, N. Y., MARCH 15, 1916 No. 6 THOUGHTS ON THE MEMORIAL SEASON “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come.”—1 Corinthians 11:26. The Passover season, as celebrated by the Jews, is approaching, beginning this year on the 17th of April. But the interest of Christians in this season centers especially in the slaying of the lamb, which preceded the Passover Feast, and which typified the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus. Our celebration of this Passover season, therefore, relates to the great Antitype. At this time we as Christians commemorate the greatest event of all history, the sacrificial death of the Savior of the world. Our celebration this year properly begins on the evening of April 16th, after six o’clock, which is the beginning of the 14th of Nisan. We greatly regret that, while millions of professed Christians and Jews will in some formal ceremonies and in a perfunctory manner celebrate at that season this most important event, but few of either religion discern the real significance of the celebration. Could their minds be thoroughly awakened to its true significance, there would be a religious revival such as the world has never yet known. But, as St. Paul declares, “The god of this world hath blinded the minds” of many; and even some whose eyes of understanding are partially opened, St. Peter describes as being blind and unable to see afar off. They are unable to see the deep things of God in respect to these ceremonies, which have been celebrated for now more than three thousand years, in type and antitype. Tne Israelites were commanded to celebrate the Passover as the first feature of the law and as one of their greatest memorials as a nation. Therefore we find that in some degree the Passover is celebrated by Jews in all parts of the world, even by those who claim to be agnostics. They still have a measure of respect for the Passover as an ancient custom. But is it not strange that with the bright minds VII—4, which many of our Jewish friends possess, they have never thought it worth while to inquire as to the meaning of this celebration ? Why was the Passover lamb slain and eaten? Why was the blood sprinkled upon the door-posts and lintels? Of course, God so commanded; but what was the reason, the motive,, behind the divine command—what lesson, what object? Truly a reasonable God gives reasonable commands; and in due time Jehovah will cause his faithful people to understand the significance of every requirement. If the Jew can realize that his Sabbath day is a type of a coming epoch of rest and blessing, of release from toil, sorrow and death, why cannot he see that similarly all the features of the Mosaic institution were designed of the Lord to be foreshadowings of various blessings, to be bestowed ‘“‘in due time’? FIRST-FRUITS AND AFTER-FRUITS Blessed are those whose eyes can see that Jesus was indeed “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world”; that the cancellation of the world’s sin is to be effected by the payment of man’s penalty, by the application of Jesus’ sacrificial merit in due time for the sins of all mankind. Only the church have as yet received of the merit of Jesus’ death. Greatly favored are those who can see that as the whole world lost divine favor and came under divine sentence of death, with its concomitants of sorrow and pain, so it was necessary that a satisfaction of justice should be made before this sentence. or cause, could be removed; and that therefore, as the Apostle declares, “Christ died for our sins’—‘‘the Just for the unjust,” that he might bring us back to God. Thus he opened up a new way—a way to life everlasting. [5869]
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