“Sanctify them through thy truth:
thy word is truth.”—St. John 17: 17.
Vou. 1.
GREAT GRIMSBY, JANUARY,
1885. No. 9.
THE PRESENT TRUTH.
PUBLISHED MONTHLY
At 72 Heneage Street, Great Grimsby, England,
—for—
The International Tract & Missionary Society.
Terms : 2s. 6d. a year (post free) in advance.
Make all Orders and Cheques payable to
The Secretary, MISS JENNIE THAYER.
THE NEW YEAR.
Wry hail we thus each new-born year,
With voice of joy and scenes of mirth ?
What room for gay and festive cheer,
While woe and darkness span tho carth?
While sin and suffering, pain and death, still throw
Their baleful shadow over all below ?
Earth trembles at the cannon’s roar,
War's murderous visage scours the plain,
Its fairest spots are drenched with gore,
Its fruitful fields aro piled with slain,
And what are all these slow revolving years,
Dut funeral pageants of distress and tears?
Contagions spread their wings of pall,
Fierce tempests rage with blasting breath,
And earthquake throes, engulfing all,
Make short and sure the way to death.
No peace, no safety, no enduring cheer,
To him who builds his hopes and treasures here,
Yot glad we hail cach New Year's morn,
For from the great high throne of Heaven
A royal fiat forth has gone,
A glorious word to earth is given:
Behold, says He who looks creation through,
Whore sin has marred my works I make anew.
New earth to smile before his face,
New heavens in crystal beauty dressed,
New years to run a guiltless race,
New joys for each immortal breast,
New flowers upspringing from the sinless sod,
New waters sparkling from the throne of God.
New bodies for these feeble forms,
New life from e'en the mouldering tomb,
New skies unrent by raging storms,
New heanty, new unfading bloom,
New scenes the eternal era to begin,
Of peace for war, of righteousness for sin.
Speed then away, O tardy years!
Fly quickly, hours that intervene!
CGroaning we wait the time when tears
Shall be but things that once have been,
Dawn, thou blest morn, so long in promise given,
The glorious glad new year of God and heaven.
U.S
THE HIDDEN MEANING.
WaatevER evil falls across may path,
T straightway look, with optimistic eyes,
To see what purpose underneath it Hes
For I believe always God's seeming wrath
Is but the veil to some intended good,
By men not understood.
But if we will take time amidst our grief
To search for it, I think woe cannot fail
To find the hidden meaning ‘neath the veil,
And, having found ig, lo! we find relief!
And what has seemed a cruel, chastening rod
Proves the kind touch of God.
— Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
GENERAL } RTICLES.
“Ileur; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my
1ips shal be right thinga."—Prov. 8: 6.
BIBLE SANCTIFICATION. NO. 8.
BY MRS. BE. G. WHITE.
THE CHARACTER OF JOHN.
Tur apostle John was distinguished above
his brethren as “the disciple whom Jesus
loved.” While not in the slightest degree
cowardly, weak, or vacillating in character,
Lie posscssed an amiable disposition, and a
warm, loving heart. lle seems to have en-
joyed, in a pre-eminent sense, the friendship
of Christ, and he received many tokens of the
Saviour's confidence and love. He was one
of the three permitted to witness Christ's
glory upon the mount of transfiguration, and
his agony in Gethsemane; and to the care of
John our Lord confided his mother in those
last hours of anguish upon the cross.
The Saviour’s affection for the beloved dis-
ciple was returned with all the strength of
ardent devotion. John clung to Christ as the
vine clings to the stately pillar. For his
Master's sake he braved the dangers of the
judgment hall, and lingered about the cross;
and at the tidings that Christ had risen, he
hastened to the sepulcher, in his zeal out-
stripping even the hmpetuous Peter.
John's love for his Master was not a mere
human friendship; but it was the love of a
repentant sinner, who felt that he had been
redeemed by the precious blood of Christ.
He esteemed it the highest honor to work and
suffer in the service of his Lord. His love
for Jesus led him to love all for whom Christ
died. Hisreligion was of a practical character.
He reasoned that love to God would be mani-
fested in love to his children. He was heard
again and again to say, Beloved, if God so
loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
“Wolove him because he first loved us. If
a man say, I love God and hateth his brother,
he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother,
whom he hath seen, how can he love God,
whom he hath not seen?” The apostle’s life
wag iu harmony with his teachings. The love
which glowed in his heart for Christ led him
to put forth the most earnest, untiring labor
for his fellow-men, especially for his brethren
in the Christian church. He was a power-
ful preacher, fervent, and deeply in earnest
and Lis words carried with them a weight of
cotvietion.
The confiding love and unselfish devotion
manifested in the life and character of John,
present lessons of untold value to the Chris-
van church. Some may vepresent him as
possessing this love independent of divine
grave ; but John had, by nature, serious defects
of character; he was proud and ambitious, and
quick to resent slight and jury.
The depth and fervor of John’s affection
| for his Master was not the cause of Christ's
love for him, but the effect of that love.
John desired to become like Jesus, and under
the transforming influence of the love of
Christ, he became meck and lowly of heart.
Self was hid in Jesus. He was closely united
to the Living Vine, and thus became a par-
taker of the divine nature. Such will ever
be the result of communion with Christ.
This is true sanctification.
There may be marked defects in the char-
acter of an individual, yet when he becomes
a true disciple of Jesus, the power of divine
grace makes him a new creature. Christ's
love transforms, sanctifies him. But when
persons profess to be Christians, and their
religion does not make them better men and
better women in all the relations of life,—
living representatives of Christ in disposition
and character,—they are none of his,
At one time, John engaged in a dispute
with several of his brethren, as to which of
their number should be accounted greatest.
They did not intend their words to reach the
car of the Master ; but Jesus read their hearts,
and embraced the opportunity to give his
disciples a lesson of humility. It was not
ouly for the little group who listened to his
words, but was to be recorded for the benefit
of all his followers, to the close of time.
“And he sat down, and called the twelve,
and said unto them, If any man desire to be
first, the same shall he last of all, and
servant of all.”
Those who possess the spirit of Christ will
have no ambition to occupy a position above
their brethren. It is those who are small in
their own eyes who will be accounted great
in the sight of God. And he took a child, and
set him in the midst of them ; and when he
had taken him in his arms, he said unto them,
‘“ Whosoever shall receive one of such chil-
dren in my name, receiveth me; and whoso-
ever shall recoive me, receiveth not me, but
Him that sent me.”
What a precious lesson is this for all the
followers of Christ! Those who overlook
the life-duties lying directly in their pathway,
who neglect mercy and kindness, courtesy
and love, to even a little child, are neglecting
Christ. John felt the force of this lesson,
and profited by it.
On another occasion, his brother James
and himself had seen a man casting out devils
in the name of Jesus, and because he did not
immediately connect himself with their com-
pany they decided that he had no right to do
this work, and consequently forbade him. In
the sincerity of his heart, John related the cir-
cumstance to his Master. Jesus said, * For-
bid him not; for there is no man which shall
do a miracle in my name, that can lightly
speak evil of me. For he that is not against
us is on our part.”
Again, James and John presented by their
mother a petition requesting that they might
be permitted to occupy the highest positions
of honor in Christ's kingdom. The Saviour
answered, “Ye know not what ye ask.”