p. 13 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 34. (8/27/1896)

Earlier text: CATHOLIC PRESTIGE IN THE UNITED STATES

JESUS, LIFEGIVER AND JUDGE

“Study to show thyself approved unto God.”

Lesson XI.—Sabbath, September 12, 1896.

JESUS, LIFEGIVER AND JUDGE.

Lesson Scripture, John 5: 19-38, R. V.

19 “Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing; for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth; and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son also quickeneth whom he will. For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth Him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not unto judgment, but hath passed out of death into life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself; and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this; for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ill, unto resurrection of judgment.”

30 “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. It is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye have sent unto John, and he hath borne witness unto the truth. Yet the witness which I receive is not from man; howbeit I say these things, that ye may be saved. He was the lamp that burneth and shineth; and ye were willing to rejoice for a season in his light. But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father which sent me, he hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. And ye have not his word abiding in you; for whom he sent, him ye believe not.”

QUESTIONS.

What great principle of his life does Jesus now announce?
Who is set forth as the Master-workman?
To what extent is Christ acquainted with the doings of his Father? What further revelations will be made to him? Why?
What comparison is made between the Father and the Son in their power to give life?
Who has been intrusted with the executive judgment?
What is the purpose in this arrangement?
In what way is the Father dishonored?
What is received through effectual hearing? From what is such a hearer delivered? What change is experienced?
What class of persons are able to hear Christ’s voice? With what result?
How did Christ become the Lifegiver?
What special authority has been given to him? Why?
Who are yet to hear Christ’s voice? What will they then do?
What differences will then be manifest?
What principle of his life does Jesus reiterate? What is the basis of his judgment? What kind of judgment is it? Why?
Did Jesus expect the Jews to receive his own unsupported statements?
Did he have any corroborative testimony? What kind was it?
From whom had the Jews had testimony about Christ?
Did such testimony strengthen Christ’s faith? Why did he refer to it?
Was it of temporary benefit to the Jews?

What gave stronger evidence of Christ’s divine mission?
Who had borne personal testimony to the same effect?
In what three particulars did the Jews lack knowledge of the Father?
What proof is given that they did not know his word?

NOTES.

1. The statement in verse 19, repeated in verse 30, brings before us the position of entire dependence upon the Father which Jesus voluntarily took, in order that he might be our example, when he assumed our nature. “Christ came from heaven to give to the world a correct representation of the Father. . . . The love and justice of God, and also the immutability of his law, are made manifest by the Saviour’s life, no less than by his death. He assumed human nature, with its infirmities, its liabilities, its temptations. Matt. 8:17; Heb. 2:17, 14. He exercised in his own behalf no power which we can not exercise. As man, he met temptation and overcame in the strength given him of God. He gives us an example of perfect obedience. . . . His life testified that, by the aid of the same divine power which Christ received, it is possible for man to obey God’s law.”

2. “Few realize the full force of Christ’s words in regard to his connection with the Father. They teach man that he should consider himself inseparably bound to his heavenly Parent, that, whatever position he may occupy, he is responsible to God, who holds all destinies in his hands.”

3. The lesson to Nicodemus; the lesson to the woman of Samaria, the lesson in the healing of the nobleman’s son, and the impotent man, are all set forth in verse 21,—“life only in Christ.”

4. “They were to behold greater wonders than the healing of the poor sufferer at Bethesda. They would see the Son of God restoring the dead to life, and this would be a testimony to them of his power to restore to spiritual life those who were dead in trespasses and sins. It was his work, through his teachings, attended by the power of the Holy Spirit, to beget a new life in the souls of men, to make them partakers of the divine nature. . . . This change is no less a miracle of the power of God than is the raising of the dead to life.”

5. The present possession of everlasting life through faith is again taught in verse 24; see also verse 36 of chapter 3. By comparing these two verses we shall see that believing on the Son includes hearing his words (hearkening to them) and believing on the Father. “Faith is but the appropriation of the lost life, offered to us again in Christ.”

6. God has life “in himself,” Christ has life “in himself,” but apart from God in Christ, “ye have not life in yourselves.” Chapter 6:53, R. V.

7. “Having tasted the very dregs of human affliction and temptation, he is qualified to understand the frailties and sins of men, and to pronounce judgment upon them. Therefore, the Father has given this work into the hands of his Son, knowing that he who victoriously withstood the temptations of Satan, in behalf of man, will be all-wise, just, and gracious in his dealing with him. . . . And he who gave the light, he who has followed the soul with tenderest love and entreaty, seeking to win it from sin to holiness, he it is who is to be its final judge.”

Suggestions for Further Study.

The thought that “the Son can do nothing of himself” is one of wondrous depth, and the whole subject will repay careful study. In this is wrapped up the philosophy of the temptations of Christ. He came to reveal the Father, but he was tempted constantly to reveal himself, to do something of himself.
What is the “death” and what is the “life” which are contrasted in verse 24?
Consider the true basis for being justified by works, as shown in the life of Christ, and appealed to in verse 36.
Observe the number of times that Christ mentions “the Father” in this short talk with the Jews. What truth is he thus emphasizing?
The full force of the rebuke in verse 38 can only be appreciated by a consideration of the way in which the Jews prided themselves upon possessing the Scriptures, and their elaborate study of their outward form. Compare Matt. 22:29.

“Jesus Christ Our Righteousness.”

(Spanish.) A translation of Bible Students’ Library No. 71; 8 pp.; price, 1 cent. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.

LESSON XI.—SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1896

“Take heed unto thyself; and unto the doctrine;” “that thy profiting may appear to all.”

LESSON XI.—SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1896

DAVID’S GRATITUDE TO GOD.

Lesson Scripture, 2 Sam. 22:40-51.

40. For thou hast girded me with strength to battle; them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.

41. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

42. They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

43. Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth; I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.

44. Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.

45. Strangers shall submit themselves unto me; as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.

46. Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

47. The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

48. It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,

49. And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies; thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me; thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

50. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

51. He is the tower of salvation for his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed forevermore.

Golden Text: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.” 2 Sam. 22:2.

Note.—Read chapter 22 and compare Psalm 18. It would seem from the reading that this was composed before David’s great sin, but after his victory over Saul and his establishment in the kingdom. The last production of David is found in the first seven verses of the following chapter. The import and object of this lesson we will fail to get unless we ever bear in mind, in our study of it, that David was a type of Christ, and his kingdom of Christ’s kingdom, especially in the subduing of his enemies. His wars were just wars, undertaken by the direction of the Lord against the Lord’s enemies and for the Lord’s glory. God does not record these things that we may exult in David’s victories over earthly foes, but that we may rejoice in the victory of Christ for us and in us over all sin and spiritual foes; for all this the lesson predicts.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) To what did David attribute his success in battle? First clause verse 40. (2) How fully had the Lord wrought for him? Last clause verse 40 and verse 41. Note 1. (3) With what disappointment did his enemies meet? Verse 42. Note 2. (4) Of what is this a type? Note 3. (5) What was their final end? Verse 43. Note 3. (6) From what other danger did David acknowledge deliverance? First clause verse 44. (7) How else does David show the futility of the attacks of other nations? Last clause verse 44. Note 4. (8) What would show the wide fame which the kingdom of David had attained? Verses 45, 46. Note 5. (9) In view of the success of God’s work, what conclusion does David reach? First clause verse 47. (10) What high praise does he express? Last clause verse 47. (11) What does David say God had done for him? Verses 48, 49. (12) In consequence of this what does David declare? Verse 50. (13) What assurance might the king of Israel always have? Verse 51.

NOTES.

1. Them that rose up against me, etc.—The ultimate triumph of God’s cause is here exemplified,—the working together of all things for good. David’s kingdom had not only been able to resist the attacks of its enemies, but it had subdued them and grown stronger thereby. The conflicts served as stepping-stones to its greatness. David’s wars had been wars of defense, but the defeats of the attacking nations increased the jurisdiction of Israel’s sovereign, and gave to his kingdom a strength which it otherwise would not have had. It is just so in the Christian warfare. The sinews of character are developed by resistance to that which would seek to overcome it. But, as in David’s case, the Lord must give the strength.

2. But he answered them not.—Here is shown the futility of seeking aid from a just God for an unjust cause. It is incompatible with God’s character that he should answer those whose course is in direct opposition to his express commands. David had been anointed king of Israel by order of the King of heaven; and he who alone had authority to enthrone the king gave no order nullifying his kingship. Until such order came, the decree held. So with the announcement of the law of that King, written and graven in stone. Until the order comes to revoke the law, it holds, and holds in its entirety. These words are also typical of the reign of Christ. The Lord called all the nations that fought against David to his service, but they would not yield to his mild reign. When at the last they seek him in selfish fear, he will not hear. So it will be with the wicked in the last day. Now when God calls, they will not hear. Then when they call selfishly for their own salvation from the result of their own sins, while cherishing the sin, God can not hear. See Prov. 1:23-31.

3. Verse 43 points forward to the final destruction of the wicked by Christ, “great David’s greater Son.” See Ps. 2:8-12; Dan. 2:44; and many other scriptures. Sin must be destroyed, but God longs with infinite longing to save men; but he can only do this by separation from sin, according to man’s choice. But when men choose sin instead of God, they must eventually be destroyed with the sin with which they have identified themselves.

4. A people which I knew not shall serve me.—Nations which were personally unknown to David were to be brought under his control by their attempts to overcome him. So also many peoples besides Jews have yielded and will yield themselves to Christ.

5. As soon as they hear, they shall be obedient.—The fame of Israel was widespread, and strange people hastened to yield themselves to its sovereignty. Some “yield feigned obedience,” through fear. See margin. So it will be when Christ comes. See Matt. 7:21-23; Phil. 2:10, 11.

NEW BOOK

By W. M. Healey; W. E. Dillon

Discussion of the Sabbath and Nature of Man

By Elder W. M. Healey, President of the North Pacific Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and Bishop W. E. Dillon, Bishop of the United Brethren Church.

This book is just issued and contains

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The Bible was the only evidence adduced on either side. Many points are brought out in the book not often presented.

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NEWS AND NOTES

FOREIGN.

—The oldest living Primitive Methodist is Mrs. Betty Webster, of Aysgarth, England, who is now in her 107th year.

—The China steamer Gaelic ran aground in the Shimonoseki Straits on August 16, and was taken off two days later. A large part of her cargo will be lost.

—Gen. Bronsart von Schellendorff, German minister of war, has been relieved from office on account of failure to agree with the emperor on the question of military trial reform.

—A mysterious epidemic has broken out among the cattle on the island of Jamaica. Veterinary experts are unable so far to check the disease, or even to ascertain the cause.

—Li Hung Chang took passage on the steamer St. Paul for New York, on August 22. He will be received by President Cleveland at the residence of Wm. G. Whitney, in New York.

—The Japanese are about to erect a statue of Buddha, 120 feet high, to commemorate their victories over the Chinese. It will be constructed from metal captured during the war.

—Bolivia, which heretofore has been in every sense an inland nation, is now to have a seacoast, a treaty having been effected by which she gets a strip of country through to the open sea.

—The Italian court has decided that Spain has the first right to the purchase of the armed cruiser Garibaldi, recently completed at Genoa. This vessel is considered the most perfect cruiser afloat.

—During a royal yacht race at Southsea, on August 18, Emperor William’s yacht Meteor collided with Baron Zedtwitz’s yacht Isolde. The latter was completely wrecked, and the baron himself was killed.

—The English Government has requested Cecil Rhodes to appear in England next January to testify before the committee of inquiry in the matter of conducting the affairs of the British South African Company.

—Reports from Athens state that the Turkish troops have massacred eighty old men, women, and children in the villages of Trambuno and Komino, Macedonia, the remainder of the inhabitants having escaped to the mountains.

—The Russian Government has ordered from a Philadelphia firm material for a complete locomotive plant to be used in manufacturing locomotives for the great Siberian railway. All the engineers and foremen will be Americans.

—Dr. Paton, a missionary to the New Hebrides, reports that since evangelistic work was commenced in that field, 14,000 natives have been converted to Christianity, 200 of whom are now engaged as native teachers of the word.

—It is stated that Oscar Wilde will soon be given his freedom on condition that he leave England. This will be an occasion of rejoicing for the people of that country, but no other portion of the known world will find cause for jubilation when the event transpires.

—Recently the whole population of Rocco Pietra, Italy, left the Catholic Church, and 200 of them worshiped at a neighboring evangelical church mission. The people along the Adriatic coast are being stirred and awakened by the work of the evangelists.

—Advices from Berlin state that the German Government proposes an almost prohibitive duty on American oil. This step is to be taken in view of the great combination of oil trusts, in which the American Standard Oil Company figures so conspicuously.

—The Matabeles have chosen a new god (or rather a goddess, as this one is a woman) to replace the one recently shot by an American cowboy. She has already instigated many murders of whites, and the British Government has offered a reward for her capture.

—The French consul and the Russian naval commander at Crete have received orders to protect all Cretan Christians. On August 14 the insurgents fought a battle with the Turkish soldiers, and drove them into the city of Herkalion, capturing four cannon and a considerable store of arms and ammunition.

—Dr. Nansen’s ship, the Fram, in which he hoped to drift over the north pole, arrived at Tromsoe, Norway, on August 20, having been in the polar sea a little over three years. The vessel reached latitude 86 degrees and 15 minutes north, or one minute farther north than Nansen himself penetrated after abandoning the Fram.

—To Spain’s trouble in Cuba and among her restless, tax-ridden people at home, is now added another cause for anxiety, in the shape of a threatened rebellion in the Philippine Islands.

—It is claimed that one of the Moody and Sankey hymns, which has been sung by the Christians of Armenia, is responsible for some of the Turkish hatred. When the Armenians sang, “Onward, Christian soldier, marching as to war,” the Turks interpreted it that they were preparing for a crusade.

—There is prospect of a war between Bulgaria and Turkey. The Turkish soldiers have been occupying disputed territory, and Bulgaria demands the appointment of a commission to adjust the difficulty, declaring that her troops will proceed at once to occupy the territory unless the commission is appointed.

—The emperor of China has conferred upon Dr. Atterbury, of the Presbyterian China Mission, the imperial order of the Double Dragon. This mark of special distinction is a recognition of services rendered by the American physician in connection with the work of the Red Cross Society during the Chino-Japanese war.

—A Cuban train conveying passengers and Spanish soldiers was captured and destroyed by the insurgents on August 16. Six of the Spanish guard were killed and twenty-one wounded, before reinforcements arrived from headquarters. It is stated that the fast steamer Unique has been sold to the Cuban insurgents, and will be used as a blockade runner. The steamer Three Friends, which had been seized as a suspected filibusterer, was released on August 19, for lack of evidence. Since last reports were received, a large steamer has sailed from Philadelphia for Cuba, carrying 56,000 pounds of stick dynamite, one dozen field guns of heavy caliber, and thousands of rifles, with ammunition and medical supplies. It is stated that a revolution in Porto Rico is now thoroughly organized, and that 50,000 men are ready to take the field against Spain as soon as they shall receive the order from Gerardo Forrest, who is the prime mover in the revolution.

DOMESTIC.

—A party of thirteen missionaries will leave San Francisco on August 26 for China and Japan.

—A fire at Watertown, S. D., on August 20, burned to death Mr. Felbach and his three daughters.

—On August 18 a cage in the St. Lawrence mine, at Butte, Montana, fell 1,200 feet, killing three men.

—A number of oil tanks were destroyed by fire near Lima, Ohio, on August 15. The loss will reach $75,000.

—The American ship Willie Rosenfeldt foundered off the Brazilian coast, and fourteen of her men are missing.

—The American schooner Gehring was seized at Halifax, N. S., and confiscated for fishing inside the three-mile limit.

—Owing to political differences, Hoke Smith, Secretary of the Interior, has resigned from President Cleveland’s cabinet.

—The Lowell Observatory will soon be located near the City of Mexico, to observe the position of Mars during the winter.

—A fire truck and a trolley car collided at Buffalo, N. Y., on August 16, instantly killing one man and severely injuring six others.

—New York bank presidents are making preparations for the importation of many million dollars worth of gold from foreign countries.

—Travelers in Montana have discovered a new Yosemite, which in grandeur of scenery is said to surpass anything in the Old or New World.

—A raft of logs containing 5,500,000 feet of timber put to sea from Astoria, Oregon, on August 20, and will be towed by a steamship to San Francisco.

—A cloudburst in a New Mexican mining camp, on August 19, drowned two men and a large number of cattle, and swept away twenty-six houses.

—The joint Fur Seal Commission sent out by the United States, Great Britain, and Canada, has begun its work of investigation in the icy waters of the Bering Sea.

—Monsignor Martinelli has been appointed by the pope as papal legate to the United States, in place of Cardinal Satolli. He will arrive here during September.

—A ball game between colored teams at Poplar Grove, Arkansas, on August 17, was turned into a shooting match, in which six of the players were shot, two fatally.

—A flying machine constructed on the kite principle was sent up from Portland, Maine, on August 20, bearing a dummy weighing 150 pounds. At the height of 600 feet the retaining rope broke, and the ship settled gracefully to the earth. This is declared by an expert aeronaut to be the greatest step yet taken toward solving the problem of aerial navigation.

—A curious disease has broken out among the cattle in Brookfield, Illinois. The disease affects the pupil of the eye, and causes the cattle to go suddenly and hopelessly blind.

—On August 20, Baron Russell, of Killowen, lord chief justice of England, delivered a stirring address on international arbitration before the American Bar Association, which is now convened at Saratoga, N. Y.

—The University of California has just added to its faculty an instructor in algebra who is totally blind. His accomplishments in the field of mathematics are looked upon with wonder by expert mathematicians.

—An electric cloudburst at Bera, Arkansas, on August 15, struck a church where a protracted meeting was being held, killing one minister, and fatally wounding two others. A number of the congregation were also considerably injured.

—A boiler explosion in a harvest field at Allensville, Kentucky, on August 17, resulted in the killing of four men. On the same day three men were killed and sixteen injured by an explosion of dynamite at New Holland, Pennsylvania.

—Recent excavations in a mound near Pittsburg, Pa., brought to light a number of interesting specimens, among which were some implements which are believed to be not less than 1,000 years old, and a large number of skeletons of gigantic stature.

—Four youthful bandits boarded a stock train near Charlotte, Mich., on August 16, and compelled the stock men to deliver up all valuables in their possession. The robbers, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years, were captured the next day, and safely lodged in jail.

—Mexico is about to enter a claim for $22,000,000 damages against the United States, on account of the drying up of the Rio Grande River during certain portions of the year, when the farmers of New Mexico and Colorado are using the water for irrigation purposes.

—A lady who donated an expensive watch to the $100,000 missionary fund recently raised at Old Orchard, Maine, for Christian Alliance work, has entered suit for its return, claiming that the gift was made under hypnotic influence exercised by the speaker who solicited the contributions.

—The new U. S. cruiser Brooklyn was launched at Philadelphia, August 22. She will be put over the official course on August 24, preparatory to making her trial trip. The Brooklyn is guaranteed to make twenty knots an hour, and for every quarter knot above that speed the government will pay a bonus of $50,000.

—By the detention of the steamer Three Friends, at Mayport, on August 15, seventy Cuban filibusters were prevented from taking their departure from the United States. On the same day the steamer Commodore cleared from Charleston, S. C., with ninety bundles of rifles and 200 cases of ammunition. The revenue cutter Colfax attempted to overhaul her, but was unsuccessful.

—An extensive business is being carried on in New Orleans and along the lower Mississippi River in kidnapping negroes and selling them to Guatemalan railroad contractors. Their treatment is described as appalling, and venomous snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and the dreaded fevers of the localities through which the railroads are being built, are carrying them off at a rapid rate.

—A destructive cyclone struck the town of Augustine, Alabama, on August 13, killing fifteen people, twenty-four horses and mules, and making a complete destruction of the corn and cotton crops in that vicinity. The same day Pittsburg, Pa., was visited by a destructive storm and flood, in which six persons lost their lives. The damage along the track of the flood is estimated at from $75,000 to $100,000.

—Miss Mary Abigail Dodge (Gail Hamilton), one of America’s best known writers, died at her home at Hamilton, Mass., of paralysis, on August 17. Miss Dodge, who was a cousin of Mrs. James G. Blaine, published her first book, “Country Living and Country Thinking,” in 1862, and since that time has published nearly two dozen books, besides contributing frequently to the best magazines of the country. Her last work was the “Life of James G. Blaine.”

THE ATONEMENT.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

AN EXAMINATION OF A REMEDIAL SYSTEM, IN THE LIGHT OF NATURE AND OF REVELATION.

By Eld. J. H. Waggoner.

THIRD EDITION, REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED.

This work is a critical and exhaustive treatise on the plan of salvation as revealed in the Scriptures, showing its harmony with the principles of justice and mercy, its consistency with reason, and its final results as affecting the destiny of the human race. 368 pp.; cloth, $1.00.

Address. PACIFIC PRESS, Oakland, Cal.

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