Souvenir Notes — Bible Students Conventions (1909)

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SOUVENIR

NOTES

BIBLE STUDENTS CONVENTIONS

Your sentent in which

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G. T. Russell

SOUVENIR NOTES FROM WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY'S CONVENTION

To the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

IN THE INTEREST OF

HIS CONSECRATED SAINTS, WAITING FOR THE ADOPTION.

This Work is Dedicated

"To make all see what is the fellowship the mystery which from the beginning the world hath been hid in God."

"Wherein He hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself; that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things, under Christ," Eph. 3:4,5,9:1:8-10.

PREFACE

EAR FRIENDS: It is with a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction that we are able to again gather up crumbs from the spiritual feats that have been enjoyed this summer by many of the Believers in the Atonement-a Ransom for ALL.

It is specially gratifying to us because the Report is now publicly known to be in harmony with the WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY. Privately it has always been in harmony and has been considered as an auxillary publication, but now, as many of you have noticed through the columns of the Tower, it has Brother Russell's public recognition.

Our reason for appreciating Brother Russell's recognition more than that of any other man living is that, we have FAITH that the Lord has returned, that He is the Chief Reaper of this Harvest, that He has been supervising that work for now about thirty-five years, that He has placed Brother Russell in charge of that work, that the WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY is the CHANNEL which He has been pleased to use for the dissemination of the harvest message—the "meat in due season," and we wish to be in thorough harmony with Him and the Channel He uses, and to coöperate in every way possible. We trust it has been so vividly impressed upon our minds that we will never forget the fact that, if any oppose the Lord by opposing the Channel and the Servant the Lord has delegated to do His work, to that extent he loses the favor, the Spirit of the Lord, light becomes darkness, and he is soon outside.

Feeling this way, and realizing that many publications of various sorts were being put out by different brethren, some of which publications were good, while others were vicious and calculated to separate rather than build up the brethren in the most holy faith, we decided that we would let all the friends know exactly where we stand and therefore put the matter up to Brother Russell, stating that if he thought best not to report the Conventions, we would not, but that if he approved of the Reports, as he has in the past, that we thought the friends ought to know about it through the columns of the WATCH TOWER. We talked the matter over several times and he took considerable time to think and pray over the matter, with the result that the Report is now an official publication of the Society, the work being done at Chicago.

We trust that it will be a blessing to all who may come in contact with it, for it contains many grand and valuable lessons which have been presented at the various Conventions this summer.

We regret that we could not more fully report the various conventions, but were handicapped in various ways. First of all, we lacked the ability; and second, we were not able to be present at all of the sessions. In some cases on our Western Tour two conventions were going on at the same time, so that we could be at either for but one day. We have endeavored to secure, however, as much as possible of the proceedings of the sessions which we missed. In this connection, we wish to thank all who have coöperated in any way towards gathering up these crumbs, and wish to remind all such that, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least one of these, My brethren, ye have done it unto Me."

While all may not have ordered a copy who desire one, we wish to here state that we have had some extra copies printed and will supply them as ordered. We still have some of the Niagara Falls, Put-In-Bay and Nashville Reports on hand.

Praying the Lord's blessing upon this Report, we remain. Yours in His service,

L. W. JONES, M. D., 4209 Washington Boul., (Same house but New Number.) Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.

BOUT the first of this year, when Brother Russell was in Chicago holding a One-Day Convention, while in conversation with him, he remarked that he thought of having a series of conventions throughout the South and West and Northwest, instead of one general convention, and he briefly outlined places he had in mind.

At once the thought came to us, what a grand trip this would be for those who could do so to accompany him, not only for the personal pleasure and profit that might be derived from the fellowship en route, but also in the fellowship with the dear friends at the various places along the way. Then, too, we thought of the encouragement it might be to the friends in the places where we would stop, to have quite a company feast with them at their table of spiritual things.

Acting upon this thought, we began at once to make inquiries respecting arrangements, rates, etc., and then wrote Brother Russell for his view of the project. He replied that he would be glad to have a party accompany him.

Arrangements were accordingly made to charter three Pullman Vestibule Tourist Sleeping cars. of these had sixteen sections each, and the other fourteen sections, but it also had in one end a large kitchen, fully

only an hour or two before someone would be inquiring when dinner would be ready, and when it was, they were just as anxious to go at it again.

When bringing this trip to the attention of the friends, many of them thought they could not stand such a journey and looked for us to come home looking like a lot of walking skeletons, but what was their surprise to see us looking better than when we left, many having increased considerable in weight. We had very little sickness on the entire trip of twenty-five days, and the good condition of all was attributed to a large extent to the fact that we had good but plain and wholesome food, and plenty of it. We think many of the friends make a serious mistake at the conventions in trying to get along with as little as possible to eat; and then often try to get the cheapest they can, which, of course, is not of the best quality. They eat it just because it is cheap, but it does not appeal to them, and they,

equipped with a large steel range, and all the necessary utensils and dishes. Here the meals for the party were cooked, and when ready, we spread a small table in each section, holding four people each, thus accommodating about fifty at a sitting.

Meals.

The meal hour was about the only time many had for visiting with Brother Russell. Therefore, we reserved one section for him in one end of the car, and endeavored to have three different ones sit with him at that table during at least one meal, thus giving them about an hour in which to talk and ask questions.

One of the Chicago brethren is a dining car conductor on another railroad, and he arranged with his Commissary Department for his head chef to go along with us, and he also secured for us the services of an efficient second cook.

We stocked our car ourselves with provisions before leaving Chicago, and thus made sure that we had first-class food. We, of course, laid in additional supplies along the road. It would be hard to find a more hungry crowd than our family of from seventy to ninety. Our chef remarked that he had cooked for many people, but that he never saw any eat the way we did. It was certainly surprising how his corn muffins, hot biscuits, etc., disappeared. When breakfast was over one would think none of them would want anything more to eat before night at least, but it was

therefore, cannot get the proper nourishment from it, their systems are lowered, they become an easy prey to sickness, and then they wonder why convention trips are so hard on them. In the end it has cost them more for poor food, poor drugs, and poor doctor bills than a good square meal would have cost. These remarks would apply also in many respects to our spiritual food, the kind and quality we eat. Our advice, from the standpoint of a physician, is that you eat plenty of good food, that which tastes good to you and which you know contains the elements of nourishment you need at that particular time.

Luxuries of the Improved Tourist Sleeping Cars.

These cars are airy and well ventilated, handsomely furnished and easy riding. Some are fourteen, some sixteen sections, each section comprising an upper and a lower berth. During the day the upper berth is closed, thus being entirely out of the way; at night berths are made up, each section being closed by partitions and a curtain in front, which insure absolute privacy. The seats, which have spring cushions and high backs, are constructed of a superior quality of Japanese wicker, thus affording comfort and cleanliness, and in the summer are much cooler than the seats upholstered in velvet or plush.

The usual luxuries which accompany sleeping car service are furnished, such as hooks upon which to hang hats and wraps, and small detachable folding tables for writing,

luncheons and amusements.

Separate toilets are furnished for ladies and gentlemen, the same being located at opposite ends of the car. All necessaries, such as ice water for drinking, mirrors, marble wash stands, soap, towels, brushes and combs are supplied.

The bedding is first-class in every respect, identical to that used in the highest grade cars; it consists of bed linens,

By chartering the cars, we could do about as we pleased with them, and therefore arranged it so that we seldom had to use the upper berths, and therefore kept them closed up, which we could not have done bad we not chartered the cars by the day, for it is the rule of the Pullman Company to keep the upper berths down at night whether in use or not.

woolen blankets, feather pillows and best quality hair mattresses.

In front of each section are hung heavy curtains, making two long rows of berths and leaving only the long aisle the length of the car. Between each berth is a wooden partition, thus making each section entirely private. However, in order to have more room and better ventilation, we arranged in some of the cars for the sisters to occupy one side of the car and the brothers the other side. We then removed the wooden partitions, and by keeping the upper berths closed up, the car was thus turned into two long bedrooms, with eight beds on each side. Thus you see we were very comfortable and really became very much attached

to our home on wheels, and it was with considerable regret that we were obliged to leave it and the dear friends with whom we had been associated. The cars were made more homelike by reason of beautiful mottoes which the Watch Tower Society had donated to the expedition. They also furnished a supply of the Millennial Dawn Hymnals, so

that we were thus enabled to sing with you the Bethel Hymn each morning. And we can assure you that the singing did not end with the Bethel Hymn.

The accompanying group shows our Commissary Department, consisting of the chef, second cook, three porters, and some of the friends who kindly volunteered to serve the others. Several others also served, but they do not appear in this group.

Parking the Cars.

We also arranged with the various railroads to park or care for the cars near the depot while we were at a convention. Thus, by having the cars with us all the time, we were not obliged to make new arrangements at each point for a berth when we wanted to move on again. That was all definitely fixed for the entire trip before we left Chicago. Any who have tried the other plan know what it is to take your chances on getting even an upper berth or none at all, or of being in a car crowded with strangers, emigrants and invalids. Arrangements were so satisfactory that many of us did not sleep in a regular bed from the time we left until we arrived home.

Another advantage was that we were not obliged to be bothered with our baggage, as that was left on the cars during the entire trip, in charge of our three faithful porters. The Lord certainly arranged every detail of the trip, and among other features, He arranged for us to have three of the best sleeping car porters that could be found; they were faithful and worked together harmoniously, and did everything in their power to make our party comfortable. We learned to think a great deal of them, and we trust our lives had the right effect upon them.

Prophecy Fulfilled.

"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be greatly increased." (Daniel 12:4).

We were surely fulfilling prophecy on this trip of seven thousand miles, including all our stops, in twenty-five days.

In days of old, when travel was by ox-team, daylight was the only time in which men and women could travel across the continent, and weary weeks were spent in making the trip.

Now, however, in the dawn of the twentieth century, night has been turned into day (most of our travel was done at night while we were asleep), the trail has been transf. ed into twin ribbons of steel; slowly plodding even have given place to hundred-ton locomotives, the ox-goad has been hammered into the throttle, and what was a journey of weeks has become one of a day and two nights.

From the windows of the flying trains we gazed on shifting panoramas of mountain and valley, fertile field and thriving town, deserts, agricultural village and rich mining camp all in the brief space that steam requires to link the sister cities of the West.

Behind the ox-team on the old trail came the lumbering prairie schooner, guarded before, behind, and on both sides by riflemen; bearing beneath its curtains the precious freight of wives and children who followed the hardy pioneers of the West. Today over almost the same trail, roll the well lighted, comfortably cushioned cars, hotels on wheels, bearing the wanderer in comfort, through a land the like of which exists nowhere on earth.

An air of quiet luxury pervades every overland train, yet nothing is at the expense of safety, displaying feats of engineering which once had been deemed impossible. Roadbed and signal systems are so combined as to provide the greatest efficiency of which the human mind is capable in caring for the thousands who ride behind the iron horses. While others ride behind these steel racers, and think it has all come about because of their own special enlightenment, we recognize that it is expressly for those who carry the glad message of great joy, as the prophet says in Isaiah 52:7:

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God REIGNETH."

T SEEMED that the echoes sounded before the Convention Tour through the West really began. Several days before it was time for us to leave, friends began to arrive in Chicago, and the "days of waiting' were days of preparation. The Lord showered blessings upon us and bound our hearts together with the

blessed tie of love-"love divine all love excelling." These blessings of the Lord made us all feel Rich. We tried to exchange expressions of love and gratitude for the privilege granted by the Lord of enjoying this Convention Tour. We had often thought what a grand thing it would have been to have made one of the convention tours with the Apostle Paul, and lo! here was an opportunity of traveling with the Paul of today, as he made a similar tour. We also looked forward with anticipation to the pleasure of being with so many of "like precious faith" for nearly a month, and also to fellowship with those along the way, and to give and receive blessings.

We realized that the Good Shepherd was going before us, and this Manna comment was a further assurance that the Conventions had been arranged by the Lord, and that we would be blessed as far as we would strive to follow in His footsteps, and obey His voice.

We felt the force of the following texts, in Malachi and Hebrews:

"They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared (reverenced) the Lord, and that thought upon His name." (Mal. 3:16.)

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Heb. 10:25.)

We sang the Bethel Hymn for that day, and it reminded us that while we were arranging and preparing for these conventions, we were also journeying toward the Great Conwere to leave Chicago the evening of July 9th, and our ing devotions added further blessings when we read the "ANNA" text for that day.

"When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before him, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice." hn 10:4.

vention, where all the faithful shall be gathered together.

The Bethel Hymn for July 9, was as follows:

"I'm a pilgrim and I'm a stranger, I can tarry, I can tarry but a night; Do not detain me, for I am going To where life's waters are ever flowing.

CHORUS:

I'm a pilgrim and I'm a stranger, I can tarry, I can tarry but a night.

There the sunbeams are ever shining, O! my longing heart, my longing heart is there;

Soon to this country, sin-dark and dreary. Will come the sunlight of heavenly glory.

Of that city to which I journey.

Of that city to which I journey, My Redeemer, my Redeemer is the light; There is no sorrow, nor any sighing, Nor any tears there, nor any dying."

A large company of friends gathered at the Illinois Central Station to greet us and bid us God speed, and a safe return.

A Vow Unto The Lord.

Our father which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. May Thy rule come into my heart more and more, and Thy will be done in my mortal body. Relying on the assistance of Thy promised grace to help in every time of need, through Jesus Christ our Lord, I register this Vow.

Daily will I remember at the Throne of Heavenly Grace the general interest of the harvest work, and particularly the share which I myself am privileged to enjoy in that work, and the dear co-laborers at the Brooklyn Tabernacle and Bethel, and everywhere.

I vow to still more carefully, if possible, scrutinize my thoughts and words and doings, to the intent that I may be the better enabled to serve Thee and Thy dear flock.

I vow to Thee that I will be on the alert to resist everything akin to Spiritism and Occultism, and that, remembering that there are but the two masters, I shall resist these snares in all reasonable ways, as being of the Adversary.

I further vow that, with the exceptions below, I will at all times, and in all places, conduct myself toward those of the opposite sex in private exactly as I would do with them in public—in the presence of a congregation of the Lord's people.

And, so far as reasonably possible, I will avoid being in the same room with any of the opposite sex alone, unless the door to the room stand wide open.

Exceptions in the case of Brethren—wife, children mother, and natural sisters; in the case of Sisters husbands, children, father, and natural brothers.

E ARRIVED at Memphis the next morning and the Convention opened with about sixty present, Brother Rutherford presiding. Brother Cole played the cornet and Sister Turner the piano.

Brother Rutherford opened the convention by saying:

"Dear friends, I am sure our hearts are glad to be here this morning. On behalf of the friends of the Memphis Class, I extend to you a hearty welcome. It is hardly necessary, however, because we are all of one family. Our hopes are one, because we are all called in the ONE hope of our calling. When we come together we love each other and we try to manifest the spirit of love. We all know we are welcome, and we come together for the purpose of glorifying the name of our Heavenly Father, and to build each other up in the most holy faith. I am also glad that we have with us this morning our beloved Pastor, who will speak to us later.

We will now turn this into a Testimony Meeting, and I hope everyone here will be anxious to tell what the Lord has done for you. Let us not be clouds filled with water, but clouds giving out showers of blessings.

Thirty testimonies were then given, and they all showed how glad they were to be present and how much they appreciated the privilege, and what they said voiced the sentiments of all the others who did not have an opportunity to testify. Following are a few of the expressions:

A Brother: This is my first opportunity of being in a testimony meeting, and I feel refreshed already.

Another: Greetings from Monroe, Ark. I want to say that the "Vow" has done wonderful things for us.

Another: I have been empowered and authorized to bring the love and greetings from the Beaver Falls, Pa., Class. We feel that we have been specially blessed, for some of us have been studying along these lines for twenty-five years.

Another: My heart overflows with praise and thanksgiving for His love.

A sister: I said when at the Nashville Convention, I wonder why I receive so many blessings, and thought it must be because I enjoy a good spiritual meal. My prayer is that I may be a blessing.

Another: I desire to extend love and greetings from the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Class; they are with us in prayer and thought and will be with us all through the journey.

A sister: I don't believe I will ever destroy the Dawn Books again.

Another: I praise the Lord that I have been permitted to come to this convention. It has always been my prayer that I might meet with some of God's people, and now I have the opportunity.

Chairman: I am sure it is the sentiment of all that they might be a blessing. How different this is from that of the world; which says, "What is there in it for us?"

Another: This is just a foretaste of the joy beyond.

Brother Dooley: This is more than I anticipated or expected, but that is just the way the Lord does.

Chairman: I had the pleasure of visiting the class this sister is from, about a year ago, and she told me that when

the Dawns first came into her hands, she burned them. Then a second set came to her, and she threw those in the cistern, but the third set came to her, and now she has the truth.

Another: I can't half tell it. For the last fifteen years I have been trying to see Brother Russell, and this is my first opportunity.

Another: I thank the Lord for the great blessing of being in the Colporteur work.

Another: I don't know why the Lord ever did anything for me, and I praise Him for His goodness toward me.

Another: I am at a loss to know what I shall do for all the blessings the Lord is giving me.

Another: I praise the Lord for these associations. I believe He is drawing me out from the world more and more.

Another: My first convention, and I am glad to tell you dear friends, that I love the Lord and all the truth friends, and I want to love all more.

Another: I have wondered why the Lord ever chose me, for I am so unworthy.

At this point Brother Russell stepped upon the platform while the congregation joined in singing, "Blest be the Tie that Binds."

Brother Russell: I am very glad, dear friends, to give my testimony this morning, and to see your faces shining forth the joy of the spirit of the truth and praises to God which you doubtless have within.

I think that our greetings united together with our kindred minds is about as great as we can have this side the vail. Shaking hands and the greeting of the eye help to strengthen us in the faith, after we have the foundation. After we learn to know who our Heavenly Father is, we get into the School of Christ, and He gives us many instructions day by day, and therefore sometimes the grasping of hands and greeting of the eye are the most helpful things that come to us in life; because we all have a sufficiency of discouragement from the world, the flesh and the adversary. As soon as we become New Creatures in Christ it seems that the adversary begins to stir up opposition, and it seems that the Lord lets him. When some of the friends tell me of their difficulties, I tell them, "Good for you." It takes them a little while sometimes to understand what that means, that they are real blessings in disguise; because if we do not have these we will not participate with our Lord and share in the blessings that are to follow.

In substance, my testimony is that, I am very glad to be with you, and by the Lord's grace, every year, and every month, and I might almost say, every day is getting to be a little happier and a little better than before. I am glad to be able to give that testimony, for the Lord's blessing seems to increase day by day. If He permits me to have trials and afflictions, His grace is sufficient. With the Lord's grace abounding in us more and more, the trials and difficulties will eventually bring us nearer to Him ar finally into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Chairman: I am sure that our hearts have been refr by the words of our beloved Pastor. There will be a s at three o'clock for the interested.

HE dear friends at Memphis could not do enough for us. We were met by our dear Brother Jordan and he was just as active as ever. A few years ago he went to Memphis and spent considerable time in the Colporteur work, then encouraged the friends, to whom he had sold the books, to get together for regular study,

and as a result there is now a class of eighteen. They had evidently been preparing night and day for our visit.

Part of the night work may have been spent in connection with their chicken-coops, because we never saw so much

fried chicken in our lives as was set before us that noon, together with all the other bounties their loving and generous hearts could suggest. Realizing that it is more blessed to give than to receive, we are sure that their own hearts received much refreshment as they endeavored to manifest their love in connection with these temporal matters. They had provided a long table and nearly all present sat down, with Brother Russell at one end, and it was a grand occasion for fellowship and for becoming better acquainted.

After dinner we had an intermission of an hour or so, with further opportunity for fellowship.

3 P. M., Discourse by Pastor C. T. Russell. Subject: "WISDOM."

IS text was based upon that passage which says that, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom." He showed that instead of the word "fear," "reverence" was the proper thought, that from the divine standpoint, reverence is the beginning of wisdom. We must have reverence to

begin with, and it must also be the middle and end of wisdom—it must be reverence all the time. Our reverence takes on greater heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths. He who does not find his reverence for the Lord increasing is not receiving the grace of the Lord in the proper manner.

The scriptures tell us that God is not choosing the great things, but rather the mean things of this world. From the scriptural standpoint, we have nothing of ourselves to be flattered over. So taking our wisdom from the Bible standpoint, the Lord's people are a pretty hard class to begin with, and we must, therefore, have a good deal of humility to begin with, ready to accept the Lord's way instead of our own way. For instance, and properly enough, we would like to think as well as possible of ourselves, but when men learn that God will have all men come to Him on the same level, they say, No, I am not a sinner in the same sense or the word that they are sinners. Many are therefore staying away from God and refusing to come to God as sinners, but they are willing to come on a little different plane. They say, These others need salvation, and I hope they will get it, but I was better born. They say, I don't ask any mercy from God, I want strict justice, and I will take the penalty. Such are not in the attitude of mind in which they will receive anything from the Lord. But the Lord knows how to deal with such people. They are not saintly people, but some are noble minded, honest, and good intentioned people. God will have a way of dealing with them. He will show them what they need, and the ONE way of getting that need supplied, and that His way is, through Christ, and every member of the race will need a share in the merit of the great Redeemer; because there is no other name given.

The Road by Which We Came to God.

First, we had this reverence for God; something within us told us that we were not perfect—we had a desire to have fellowship or communion with God, a desire to know God. Even when deceived as to His character, we were still feeling after Him. He was very near to them, but there was something before their eyes which blinded them. 2 Cor. 4:4. False doctrine, darkness for light, and light for darkness, so that the creature feeling after God did not find Him. The scriptures inform us that God will have all the blind eyes opened and all the deaf ears unstopped, and we say, How righteous, how just, how like our heavenly Father! But we have not yet come to the time when God will be pleased to open all the blind eyes; that time belongs to the future. God is now gathering out the Bride class, the Lamb's Wife, a special class. In another picture, they are spoken of as the members of His Body, members in particular.

Now the thought before our minds is, what is it that is ing and drawing us? How was it that His message had or over us and did not reach others? Applying to the futures, we find that "No man cometh to the Father except the Son draw him," and then we find another scripture which says that none can come to the Son except the Father draw him; he must be drawn first before he can come to Jesus, and then they must come to Jesus before they can have access to the Father. I am supposing that God implanted in father Adam a quality of heart and mind, as represented in phrenology, as the organ of veneration, that he should have reverence for his creator. But the fall, mentally, morally and physically, has disarranged us to such an extent, that no two of our heads are just alike. I am glad that I was born with an organ of reverence, and probably you all have some—very few who do not have it would want to come to the Father. These seek to reverence or know the true God, and wherever there are such, God is willing to lend them a helping hand, and to guide them to the acceptable one, Jesus Christ the Righteous, our Guide, Savior, Pattern, and Teacher, as well as Redeemer. When we first began to feel after God, we had some reverence, and we realized that He would direct us as to what we ought to do. That led us to feel after God, whether through reading a tract or sermon, or what, it led us to realize and understand that God had provided Christ as the way whereby we might have life, and then it was our reverence toward God that led us to come to Him, to see how we might please Him. And then, still further, it was our reverence for God that led us to present ourselves living sacrifices. Our reverence for the Lord increased every step of the way, and it continues all the while, otherwise we would fall from our position. If you lose your reverence, you will let go the whole thing. The proper lesson for you, and for me, and for all who are following the Lord, is to have more reverence for Him. Therefore we will want to develop the fruits of the Spirit, so as to be more pleasing to Him. If we have the proper reverence for God we will want to copy Him, and if we lose our appreciation of the copy we will not want to follow it. If we try to copy ourselves, we will lose our reverence for the Lord; also if you try to copy brother so and so, or sister so and so. What would be wrong about that? It would imply that you had lost your reverence for your copy and had found another copy. I do not want any to be followers of Brother Russell. We all want to be followers of the Lord, as dear children of God, and we want to walk in love, in harmony with His character. Whoever loses his reverence for God will go off in some side-issue, no matter how it comes about. The more you think over it, the more will you agree with me. The fear or reverence of man brings a snare.

We have come now, dear friends, to the end of the harvest time of special testing, etc., and the Lord thy God doth prove you. What is He trying to find out? Is He proving you to try to find out if your flesh is perfect? No, He knew that a long time ago; but He is proving you as a New Creature, and as we get nearer to the end of the harvest, we may expect these tests to be more numerous. The Lord then proves you to see if you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength—that is what He is trying to find out. We can thank God that we have found out that we are not as good as we thought. I know who shall stand, and I want to tell you, but I will not give the names, because I can't. Those who will be able to stand are those who love the Lord their God supremely, with all their hearts, soul, mind, and strength—those who have no other will. He wants those who can trust Him where they can and cannot trace Him.

Various Instruments.

He uses various instruments—the Apostles of old, and the teachers of today, but all the while the Lord is reckoning you as being down at the hundred per cent mark, in your mind and intention, even though by His grace He has made up to you sixty, fifty, forty, thirty, twenty or ten per cent. The Word becomes clearer and clearer to them, and they are able to develop more and more of the character likeness of the Lord. Their reverence for the Lord will determine the cut of the jewel, etc. I do not know what the tests will be, but whatever they are they will prove our loyalty to the Lord.

FTER this discourse we had more time for fellowship, then were invited to again partake of food for our physical nourishment, and there was an abundance for all.

We all felt that this, our first stop, had repaid us for all the time, effort and expense for the whole trip—therefore, everything that

In the 12th of 1st Corinthians we have the relationship of the members of the body shown, and in the natural body if one member is injured or not as perfect as the others, it is covered up and cared for, rather than exposing the weakness that may be there. We ought to be glad to do for those who are weakest in the body of Christ. Therefore, let us "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ."

The Evening Service at 8 o'clock was for the public and had been well advertised. There was a good attendance, notwithstanding the heat; and the audience gave close attention while Brother Russell endeavored to explain to them that the dead were dead.

Meanwhile our cars had been waiting for us, and after saying good-bye to the dear friends at Memphis and those that had come from a distance, we started for New Orleans.

came to us from there on we felt was clear gain to us. We certainly never will forget the dear friends of the Memphis Ecclesia and those who came from other points.

It was at Memphis that Brother Russell joined us, as did also Brother Dooley from Bentonville, Ark.

Brother Dooley had come a long way to join us for the still longer trip, but our hearts were all made sad because of the fact that just as we were about to pull out of the station, he discovered that his railroad ticket was missing. Thinking that he might have lost it at the public service, he left the train to hunt for it, feeling that he would be obliged to give up the journey through the West if he could not find it. We were therefore obliged to leave him behind. He found Brother Jordan and spent the night with him.

N THE Western tour Brother Russell was followed one day later by Brother Rutherford, beginning at Memphis, Tenn.

Sunday afternoon, the 11th of July, Brother Rutherford addressed the public from the subject: "The Divine Plan from a lawyer's standpoint." A large and appreciative audi- This was followed in the evening by a onesance listened. This was followed in the evening by a question meeting for the benefit of the public. A number who had manifested much interest at the afternoon service attended and asked many questions concerning the plan.

On the same day Brother Rutherford addressed the interested on consecration and baptism. Followed by water immersion, several symbolizing their consecration.

Not having a report of these discourses we are unable to give them here.

EAVING at 11 P.M., we passed through what is said to be some very interesting and beautiful scenery, but, of course, at that time of night we were in no position to appreciate it, and therefore will briefly state what the day traveler does see:

Stretches of open, undulating country are passed, varied by groves and heavy timber belts. The prosperous fruit and vegetable farms of the many northern settlers suggest thoughts of table luxuries at the northern home during months when they were practically unknown but a comparatively few years ago.

The long-leaf pine region, the borders of which have been entered after leaving Jackson, Miss., afford a new mental diversion, particularly as scenes pertaining to the lumber industry are brought to view in the vicinity of such points as McComb, Miss., and Hammond, La. Later the scene shifts to that of the picturesque typical Louisiana swamp, with its rank broad-leaved, semi-tropical vegetation and its luxuriant timber growth Heavily Festooned with Waving Plumes of Spanish Moss.

Typical Southern country towns are passed in rapid succession. In connection with the latter, the negro types, the mule teams, the ox carts and the broad verandas and outside chimneys of many of the buildings, are new features of attraction to the Northern tourist journeying south for the first time. Many of the towns are picturesquely located on the bluffs of a rolling country, and frequent glimpses are had of the stately southern mansion of the olden days.

PRAISE and Testimony Meeting had preceded our arrival. We were met at the depot and greeted by the class, which numbers about thirteen, but, of course, there were other visiting friends there. At this place we were also joined by Sister Browne and daughter and Sister Townsend, of Birmingham, Ala.

Also by Sister Richards, from Miami, Fla. Sister Richards is quite an elderly Sister, but she stood the journey from

of us were privileged to go to the homes of some of the friends and enjoyed the pleasure of a bath, which was very acceptable after our ride through the heat and dust.

Before the afternoon service, which was for the interested, we had opportunity for a street car ride, and thus saw many things instructive and interesting in this historic city, especially to us of the North. For many of us it was our first sight of tropical plants and trees in their natural state.

thereon as well as any of the younger ones. All the class did what they could for our comfort, and quite a number

New Orleans, the City of Romance in History, of Genial Clime, of Social Brilliancy, and the Home of the Mardi Gras.

The very names of its streets are in many instances but condensed pages of its history—both French and Spanish while in stuccoed walls, iron lattices, balconies, court-yards, and other details one sees a constant reminder of Spanish occupancy. The narrow streets and interesting architectural features of this old part of the city, and the broad and handsome streets of the new part; the beautiful private residences embowered among the orange and magnolia trees, the numerous public squares and fine statues; the public buildings, churches and cathedrals, some of the latter of considerable note, one of them containing frescoes by Canova and Rossi; the cemeteries whose silent occupants are all entombed above ground—all these things and much more await even the transient visitor to the Crescent City.

At 3 P.M., Brother Russell Spoke On: "THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES."

Text : " Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,

until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24.)

IS discourse was in substance as follows: As the city of Babylon represented the Empire of Babylon, so the city of Jerusalem represented the Jewish nation. The Scriptures refer to the fact that centuries before our Lord's day the Jewish Kingdom had been overthrown—had passed to the control of the

Gentiles—and in our text our Lord declares that this subserviency would continue until certain times of the Gentiles, certain years or periods of their control, would pass away. When we read that certain times will be fulfilled, we are justified in thinking that these times have been foretold. And in looking for the statement of the matter in Holy Writ, we notice the facts of the case as follows:

God established the Jewish nation as His representative nation, or Kingdom, in the world, with the understanding that in some manner and at some time that nation would be the channel of divine blessings to all the families of the earth, in harmony with the original Oath-Bound Promise made to Abraham. After a precarious existence of nearly six hundred years, the star of Jewish Empire set, and it has not re-arisen since. The particular date at which the Typical Kingdom passed away is clearly marked in the

ptures. The solidarity of the Empire in the hands of David, and his son, King Solomon, was lost in its on in the days of Solomon's successor. Nevertheless,ony with the Divine prediction, the royal line con- the tribe of Judah; as it is written, "The soeptre

shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come." (Genesis 49:10.)

Of the last king of Judah, Zedekiah, the Divine declaration was, "And thou, profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come when iniquity shall have an end. Thus saith the Lord God, Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." (Ezekiel 21:25-27.) That statement was made just prior to Israel's captivity to Babylon, B. C. 606. And the crown and sceptre have been overturned since then, and will continue so to be until Messiah himself, at his second advent, shall take the throne as the Antitypical Son of David.

The Interim of Time.

The interim of time between the overthrow of the crown in the days of Zedekiah and the establishment again of the crown in Messiah's Kingdom at his second advent is Scripturally termed the "Times of the Gentiles"—that is to say, the years of the Gentiles; the years in which the Gentiles would bear rule over Israel and all the earth; the period in which God would have no representative nation in the world, Some may inquire: Were not the Israelites restored from the Babylonian captivity? Yes, we answer, but they did not receive back the Kingdom; they were thereafter subject to the great dominant kingdoms of the world. First they were subject to the Medo-Persian Empire whose Emperor, Cyrus, restored them to their own land , a subject-

nation.

Subsequently they were subject to the Grecian nation. And in the time of our Lord they were still a subject nation to Rome. Pilate represented the Roman government, and so did Herod, the King of Galilee. Anyway, the Herods were not Israelites, but Edomites.

While it is true that an outward form of Jewish Kingdom was maintained subject to the Roman Emperors for a time, the last vestige of this authority passed away with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army in A. D. 70, and the Jews have never been able to re-establish themselves in their own land up to the present time. Now, in harmony with the Scriptures which foretell Israel's restoration to Palestine, and their re-establishment as the earthly representatives of God's Kingdom, the Zionist movement is coming forth with good hopes of soon effecting a Jewish sub-Kingdom. We may be sure, however, that the declaration of our text will come true to the very letter—"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled"—or, filled full.

When God subsequently gave his servant, the Prophet Daniel, a vision of these same Gentile governments that

Let us look backward and note what the Scriptures declare respecting earthly empires and the period of their domination. If possible, let us ascertain when the Gentile times began, and when they will end, giving place to the Kingdom of Messiah, the spiritual Kingdom, the Church glorified, whose work will be the ruling of the earth, the blessing of all nations, and the uplifting of the human family out of sin and death conditions to all that was lost through Adam's disobedience, to all that was redeemed through the obedience of Christ Jesus.

The Scriptures very particularly draw to our attention King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Very carefully does the Prophet explain that Nebuchadnezzar had a vision of deep interest to him, but the particulars of which he could not recall. He demanded of the wise men of the Empire a statement of the dream, as well as an explanation, arguing that if they had any supernatural power by which they could explain a dream, the same power could rehearse it. Then it was that Daniel, the Prophet, was brought to the notice of the King, and by Divine power not only rehearsed the dream but explained it—a dream of much more interest to all Christians than it possibly could have been to Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Many of this audience doubtless recall the dream and its interpretation, yet we will briefly rehearse it. In his dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a great image of wonderful height and grandeur; its head was of gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, its legs of iron, and its feet of iron mixed with clay. While it stood erect, a stone was taken from the mountain and hurled at the image, striking it on the feet. Forthwith the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold were crushed to powder and became as the chaff of a summer's threshing floor, and the wind carried them away. By Divine illumination, Daniel, the Prophet, explained the vision thus: The head represented Nebuchadnezzar's own universal Empire, Babylon. The breast and arms of silver represented the kingdom which would succeed his as a universal empire; namely, the kingdom of the Medes and Persians. Upon the fall of Medo-Persia, the Grecian Empire would become universal, to be succeeded in turn by the Roman Empire, whose great strength was symbolized by the iron. This is the Empire which ruled the world in the days of our Lord. Thus we read that our Lord was born at Bethlchem, whither Joseph and Mary had gone at the command of Caesar-Augustus, the Roman Emperor, who sent forth a decree that all the world should be taxed. The civil Roman Empire lasted for several centuries after Christ, and was followed by the ecclesiastical Roman Empire, of which the popes at Rome were the representative heads. This Empire, partly civil and partly ecclesiastical, was represented by the mixture of the iron, representing civil power, and the clay, representing papal religious power; and this phase of Daniel's image still exists in the kingdoms of Europe as represented in the ten toes of the image which stand for the divisions of the territory of the old Roman Empire in Europe.

Daniel's View of the Matter.

would bear universal sway over the earth from the time of the removal of the diadem from Zedekiah until the establishment of Messiah's Millennial Kingdom, the picture was a different one. Instead of a glorious image of towering height and splendor, Daniel saw four great, terrible wild beasts. The first, like a lion, corresponded to the head of gold of the image—representing Babylon. The second, like a bear, corresponded to the breast and arms of silver in the image, and represented Medo-Persia. The third, like a leopard, corresponded to the brass of the image, and represented Greece. The fourth beast, great and terrible, found nothing in the animal kingdom to represent it. It corresponded to the legs of iron, which represented the Roman Empire; while the ten horns of the latter beast corresponded to the ten toes of the image, representing papal Rome and the present subdivisions of imperial Europe. The difference between these two visions represents how differently present institutions, the kingdoms of this world, are viewed from the human standpoint and from the divine standpoint. From the worldly standpoint and estimation, the kingdoms of the past have been majestic, grand; from the standpoint of God, and those who have His Spirit, they have been beastly.

The sequel to both of these dreams showed the overthrow of the earthly governments by the heavenly government. As it is written, "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, and it shall break in pieces and consume all of these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." The Kingdom of God was pictured in the stone which smote the image on its feet. That stone prefigured Christ and the Church, and shows that it will be the power of God through the Church that will ultimately work the wreck of all earthly governments. Do not misunderstand me; nothing in the Word of God teaches anarchy, or authorizes God's people to fight with carnal weapons; rather they are exhorted to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and to leave all else to the Lord, assured of His willingness to make all things work together for their good.

As Christ in the flesh lifted neither hand nor tongue to smile the earthly Empire, nor opposed Caesar and his representative, Pilate, so his followers are to raise no opposition to the powers that be, but are strictly enjoined to "be subject to them."

The Image.

What is going to happen to the Image? Oh, that is another part of the dream. You remember Daniel said, I had dreams and visions, and saw a stone cut out of the mountains without hands, and it smote the image on the feet, etc. It did not smile it on the head, for that would have been Babylon. But it struck it i. ue feet, down in the very last part. What was the result? The whole image was ground to powder and the wind carried it away, and the stone became great and filled the whole earth. The explanation is that that kingdom represented by the stone is God's kingdom, the very one we have waited for, and the very one that was taken away typically from Zedekiah—the real one is the one Christ will have.

Well, Brother Russell, does that mean that we are to knock the other governments to pieces? Oh, no. Our warfare is not with carnal weapons. Our Lord is the one that will knock them to pieces. We are glad the time is coming when God's favor shall return to the Jews, when He will bless all the world through the Jews, and you and I are glad that now, during this Gospel Age, God is taking us out of the world as representatives of that stone kingdom. (Lu. 12:32.) He called some who were Jews at the beginning of the Gospel Age, as we have the word through the Apostle John, "He came unto His own, but His own received Him not, but to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God." They were not sons before, they were servants; but now privileged to become sons. You remember Moses was faithful as a servant, not as a son, but Christ was faithful as a Son, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence firm unto the end. It is this house of Sons that the Lord is gathering out. It is this kingdom of God that will be the pow of God to overthrow the present institutions and esta' righteousness and truth, and will cause the knowle God to fill the whole earth. So it is a great privilege we enjoy to become members of this Kingdom of G

I remind you that God had foretold all about His people, that is, He foretold all about it in a certain sense. As an oak tree is in an acorn, so all God's purpose was in the brief statement to Abraham. After he had been a believer and manifested his consecration, the Lord said, "Abraham, come out of thine own country to a land that I will show you, and I will make a covenant with you." So when he did that, God did make the covenant with him, which was that, through him and his seed, God would bless all the families of the earth. God did not at that time wish to make it any clearer, for it was not His "due time," only to give a brief outline. God wished that that promise should be clearly understood, not only by Abraham and the children of Israel, but that you and I should understand it, so that you and I might have a great deal of confidence in it; because God knew that it would not be fulfilled back in Abraham's time, but hundreds of years afterwards. He not only promised it, but He also swore to it with an oath, as recorded in the 6th chapter of Hebrews. So the Apostle says that because of these two unchangeable, immutable things, we might have strong consolation. Not that Isaac or Jacob, or the Nation of Israel might have strong consolation, but that you and I might have strong consolation.

At the time of Isaac's birth it had a kind of fulfillment, but not in its full sense. At the time the promise was made, Abraham had no children, and it was not until twenty-five years afterwards that Abraham had a son, Isaac. God's promise was not fulfilled in Isaac, but God then said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." So I suppose that as Abraham watched the boy grow up to manhood, he wondered how he was to bless all the families of the earth. No doubt the father and mother were somewhat disappointed, and so God confirmed the promise and said, that through Isaac, his seed should be called. Then Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau, and then again, God indicated that the promised Seed should come through Jacob, and so they waited and expected that the Nation of Israel would be the seed of Jacob, because as Jacob was dying he gave the Abrahamic blessing to all of his sons, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then God said, Your nation cannot exist of itself and I will send the Messiah; and now, be ready, for when He comes. He will come as a Refiner, etc. Who can abide His coming? They expected that when He would come that He would be a great general, leader, prophet and teacher, and that He would smite all the nations, and that then Israel, as God's agent, under the leadership of Jesus, the Messiah, would extend the blessings to all the families of the earth. They did not expect anything so very different from what it will be. But when Jesus came, He was not the one they were expecting, and they were disappointed. So the scribes and Pharisees said, It is nonsense and foolishness to talk about that man which so few people recognize. Why, He does not claim to be as holy as we do. He eats with publicans and sinners. All He has is a little group of tax gatherers and fishermen—they are nobody—who would pay any attention to them? He is deceiving them, telling them that He will have a throne, and that they shall sit with Him in His throne, and they are leaving their business and marching around with Him; it is the worst kind of a delusion. We can sympathize with them, can't we, dear friends? We can almost realize that it was said to us. They said, If we could only get these people to see, but you know that you cannot reason with such common people; you know they are walking by faith. We will expose Him, so that these poor fishermen will not follow Him. We will get Him right here and ask Him some questions, and He will not be able to answer them, and it will expose the whole thing. We will ask Him first, When is your kingdom to come? Then we will say, Where are your soldiers? And He will not know what to say. We will ask Him how He will feed his soldiers, etc. We'll show Him up—it is all nonsense.

So they started to do this, and we read: "And when He was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom would appear" (He took all the wind out of their sails, and they did nothing further to say), He answered and said, "The tom of God cometh not with outward show, neither here nor there, but it shall be everywhere in your They asked Him no more questions. They could

ask all the questions they pleased, and they could not hit His argument at all.

As a matter of fact, our Lord was indeed and truth the Messiah, and He did a very important work, the redemptive work, by dying the just for the unjust. Then His next step was to call a little flock to be His spiritual agents that they might share with Him, that they might be members of His Kingdom, and be exalted to be with Him through the power of the first resurrection. But they could not see it then. The poor Jews looked at it from the fleshy standpoint, so we should have much sympathy for them. I sometimes wonder if I would have received Him under those same circumstances. I am very glad that I am not under their temptations, but leave it all with the Lord. When Christ and the Church shall be glorified, then the Messiah will be composed of Jesus the Head and the Church His Body, and together they will be the great Priest, Prophet, King, Judge and Mediator, which Peter tells us in Acts 3:23 God is raised up during this Gospel age. It is all centered in the cross of Christ, and we are being transformed day by day by the renewing of our minds, ready for the first resurrection. So this is the great Messiah that is being raised up, and this is the great Mystery, which God all through the past ages has hidden, but which is now made known unto the Saints. It was not God's due time in the past. Are you sure of that, Brother Russell? Yes, I am sure of it, for Jesus said so, on one occasion, as you can read in Matt. 11:25. It was made known only to certain ones, as our Lord said to His disciples, "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but to all those who are without, these things are spoken in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not perceive," etc. If they had understood these things, as Peter said, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. God did not make their heart bad, but their ignorance co-operating with their evil heart caused them to do this. The world knows us not, even as it knew Him not, and therefore you and I are to have the same consideration that Jesus had, and are to be privileged to suffer with Him. So if you and I have any of either the literal or figurative stones, remember that the Lord suffered also, and we are not to be above our Master. But if they knew these things, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; and if they knew all these things, they would not have persecuted the members of His Body.

Look at the matter from a different standpoint; you remember how the Lord came into the world, was made flesh and dwelt among men. Being born under the Law, He was subject to all the terms and conditions of that Law; He was bound to keep the whole Law, and if He failed in any part, He would have been a violator of the whole Law, and could not have been our Redeemer. He was perfect, however, as we read in Heb. 7:20—different from the other members of the human family. He had a right to be the Redeemer and Messiah, because He kept the Law, which would give Him the right to perfect human life as a man—not as an angel—but merely the earthly life, the same as any other Jew if he could have kept the Law, but no other Jew ever did keep the Law, so our Lord secured only the earthly rights, but God had another arrangement for Him. Instead of His keeping those earthly rights, He laid them down, exchanged the earthly rights, and received instead the heavenly or spiritual. As the Apostle puts it, He was obedient unto death (on this account). God has also highly exalted Him, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. It was by virtue of His sacrifice. What did He sacrifice? Did He sacrifice everything that He had? No. He had exchanged the heavenly things for the earthly. The Apostle says, He that was rich, for our sakes became poor, that He might sacrifice them. After He became a man, then He made the sin offering, or sin sacrifice. What did He have to offer? He had an earthly nature—all that father Adam had. Father Adam was king of the earth, and had a right to earthly life, as a perfect man before he sinned. So Jesus, you remember, was made a little lower than the angels, etc., corresponding exactly with Adam. Adam became a sinner and came under the condemnation of death, but Jesus came, kept the Law, and secured all that Adam lost. He had a right to Adam's place and a right to say Now I am king. He could have given the world a good deal of instructions, and they might have said, Let us get under

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