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Chosen no: R-4530 a, from: 1909 Year. |
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Watch Tower Bible And Tract Society's Report
--DECEMBER, 1908, TO DECEMBER, 1909.--
HOW fast they fly, these busy
"harvest" years! How golden are their hours for reaping work and for
the ripening work in our own hearts and the filling and rounding out of our own
characters! Hours and days of toil and danger--yet wonderful in their compensating
joys of grace and truth! They are too precious to lose a single one in sin or
in worldly vanities, or even in religiously "beating the air"; and
yet we are glad to see them speeding past and to hope that they are bringing us
nearer and nearer to "the rest that remains for the people of God."
"For
how can we with such a hope
Of glory and of home;
With such a hope awaiting us,
Not wish the hour were come--
The blessed hour, the glorious morn,
When we shall see his face!
Yet peace our hearts! and hush our tongues!
Be calm our troubled breasts;
Each passing hour prepares us more
For everlasting rest.
We know full well the time our God
Appoints for us is best."
While our faith and hopes would be equally clear
and logical whether this age ends in October, 1914, or a century later,
nevertheless our expectation that "Gentile Times" will conclude
October, 1914, undoubtedly has a stimulating effect [R4531
: page 371] upon our hearts and influences all of life's interests and
helps to "wean" us from earthly joys and ambitions and to set our
affections on things above!
If we may judge from hundreds of oral
expressions and letters, received as being the sentiments of our readers in
general, we conclude that the year past has to many of them been their very
best of all years. It surely has been the Editor's best year; and,
notwithstanding grievous heart-wounds, it has been one of his happiest as well
as one of his busiest years.
However, candor requires that we note that the
past year has been one of severe trial and testing upon the Church. And, alas,
some fell in the attack--some whom we dearly loved and whom we had hoped would
be with us in the battle to the end--the victory! Even though forewarned that a
thousand would fall at our side (Psa. 91:7),
we have been surprised--we feared more for some who fell not and feared less
for some who fell.
It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that
the deflected ones are many; nor should the fact that some of them were
prominent imply that the harvest work has been crippled. We have no thought
that it is within the power of opponent to thwart the great King or hinder his
"harvest" work. "All his purposes shall be accomplished."
We merely sorrow for the dear ones themselves as we think of what they have
cast away--their share in "the sufferings of Christ," their share in
drinking His "cup"; their share in "baptism into His
Death"; their share in "His Resurrection."
For years night and day we have forewarned the
dear brethren that the harvest tests would surely be along these lines, and
that supreme loyalty to God and to his Word and his Providences in the Church
would test our love for the brethren. Surely, too, we have long warned the dear
friends that however we might point out to them the precious truths they
must put these on as an armor, else they would be unprepared for the
Adversary's attacks when they would come.
It is just what we might have expected, that our
wily Adversary would attempt to keep the Lord's people from putting on the
whole armor of God and fastening it on. More than this, he attempts to prejudice them against the very instrumentalities God provided to keep the
"feet" of Christ in this evil day.--Psalm
91:11,12.
From various quarters the word came to us that
the leaders of classes were protesting that WATCH TOWER
publications should not be referred to in the meetings, but merely the Bible.
This sounded loyal to God's Word; but it was not so. It was merely the effort
of those teachers to come between the people of God and the Divinely
provided light upon God's Word.
Let us remember that Satan is behind such a move
as that! He poses as an angel of light and a defender of the Bible, yet he has
succeeded in blinding millions with Bibles in their hands and in regular
Bible-study classes! Why would it be any more disloyal to the Bible to
consult THE WATCH TOWER publications respecting the meaning of a verse of
Scripture than to consult the leader of the class or any of its members? Ah!
says the leader, it would be right enough to consult THE WATCH TOWER
publications, only that since (because) from them you got nearly all you
know about the Bible that is rational you are inclined to stick to those
things. I would like you to forget them and let me lead you in a hunt after the old style, in which anything found is more likely to be
confusing than helpful.
On the other hand we forewarn all that Satan
surely will try to lead them to an opposite course--to learn, parrot-like, to
answer Berean questions from the printed page without comprehending the
meaning. The questions should be discussed freely by all first, and then
before proceeding to the next question the DAWN answer should be considered and
discussed and understood. Never forget that the Bible is our Standard and that
however God-given our helps may be they are "helps" and not
substitutes for the Bible.
But, notwithstanding the loss of some of these
dear "reapers" (who very soon begin to do all in their power to
oppose the "harvest" work and to dishearten other
"reapers") the work as a whole progresses, as our details to follow
will show. "The Lord knoweth them that are his," and will keep those
whose hearts are loyal to the sacrifice they made when they were
begotten to the new nature as members of the Christ--the Prophet, Priest,
Mediator, King of the World.
Have we no hope of their return? We would
be glad to welcome them back, but our experience along these lines [R4531 : page 372] forbids us to so hope. If
after having seen our fellowship in the "Mystery," in the
sufferings and in the glory to follow, they now become blind to them so that
they see them no longer, how can we account for the matter? Apparently in only
one of two ways. Either they never really saw these privileges, or else
for some reason the Lord has so thoroughly taken that spiritual sight from them
that they are completely gone now. Of course, some may be merely confused, and
may eventually be recovered: we have not ceased to pray for them, nor to do all
in our power to awaken such as may be merely dreaming, and who may not have
actually lost the light wherewith they once seemed to be "illuminated."--
Heb. 10:32.
On the whole, the "sifting as wheat"
seems to be having an awe-inspiring effect upon those whose sight remains, making them more careful, drawing them nearer to the Lord and to each
other. The effect upon the others seems to be the reverse. They seem glad to
"separate themselves," anxious to bring about division, to boast of
their "liberty." They denounce the majority because they will not
allow the minority to lord it over them, speaking evil of them as
"slaves," "in babylonish bondage," etc.
It would appear that nearly every case of
doctrinal deflection and blindness was preceded by more or less of a
mind-poisoning by slander, evil-speaking, evil surmising. By such rapidly
developed roots of bitterness the Adversary prepared the way for the error, in
nearly every case.
The number being reached and brought into
fellowship in the sufferings of Christ is greater than ever: as if to include substitutes for those who no longer esteem it a privilege to "walk in His
steps," to "suffer with Him," to "be dead with
Him," to drink of the "cup" of their great Redeemer and
Advocate: who prefer to count themselves under the New Law Covenant and prefer
to think of Christ as a Mediator between them and the Father, rather
than as their "Advocate with the Father."
Mark them that cause division and stumblings
contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. (Rom. 16:17,18.) Do not render evil for evil, nor
slander for slander; but both think and speak kindly of them with pitying love,
even as toward all men confused by the Adversary. (2
Cor. 4:4.) Let us keep our hearts in the love of God, and full of love
for all the brethren, and in love for truth and justice everywhere and on all
matters. Let us "mark" how the wrong spirit misguides and
blinds and leads into the dark, while the right spirit of love, the holy
Spirit, guides into the Truth. Let us "mark" the course taken
by those who have separated themselves from us "because they were no
longer of us," and whither that course leads them.--I.
John 2:19.
We congratulate ourselves, and all the dear "members" of the Christ associated with us in this Society, that we still see the
"Mystery of God," and still rejoice in "the fellowship of
this Mystery." (Eph. 3:9; Col.
1:26.) And that as servants or able (qualified) ministers of the
New Covenant we still realize that we are in the "harvest" time; and
that the present work of gathering the elect will soon be finished; and that
then the selection of the sacrificing members of the Mediator being
completed the New Covenant with Israel will go into effect for the blessing of every creature, with Restitution privileges.
We congratulate you also that the Lord has so
wonderfully blessed your efforts and ours in the harvest work during the past
twelve months. Small and insignificant as we are amongst the great religious
systems our work and labor of love is not in vain, but is mighty through God to
the pulling down of the strongholds of error and the finding of the Lord's
jewels in all parts of the earth. Most evidently our Lord has prospered the
work, else it never could have been accomplished. Recognizing this let us
acknowledge it and give thanks for the privileges granted to us to have some
little share in it. While the reward is future, we realize that already we have
been more than compensated by the joys of the Lord for every trial, every
self-sacrifice connected with the service of the Truth and the brethren.
THE
CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT
Like other features of the work, the
correspondence of the year shows a further increase over previous good records.
The Editor is not able to answer so many personal letters as formerly, but he
is still in touch through your letters and often their intimations influence
his writings in THE WATCH TOWER.
He again requests that the dear friends accept
THE TOWERS as personal letters twice a month. The increased volume of letters,
in and out, measures to a considerable degree the general work. The letters
received and sent out by the various foreign branches are not included in the
report which appears in the Summary further on in this Report.
THE WATCH TOWER
The subscription list of THE WATCH TOWER we rely
on as the best test of all respecting the numbers of the deeply interested.
Hence we urge that each one of this class send us every year his
subscription or renewal--whether for cash or on credit or as the Lord's
poor for the "Charity (love) List." Numbers of the brethren stand
ready and anxious for the privilege of paying for the "Charity" list.
But under the later interpretations of the postal laws we are hindered from
counting as a subscriber any who do not yearly comply with one or the
other of the above conditions. Do not wait until your name has been dropped; but
save us and yourself trouble [R4532 : page 372] by
renewing promptly and in plain language; for sometimes P.O. Inspectors
ask to see the letters.
Our WATCH
TOWER list does not
show a marked increase over last year. We still publish 30,000 copies each
issue--which allows about 3,000 for sample copies and for new subscriptions.
The cutting off of some who did not renew, accounts for this in part.
Responsibility for the size of the list lies
largely with you, dear readers. You are our agents; not for the sake of "premiums," but because you appreciate the contents and because you desire as "fellow-servants" to dispense the Divinely provided "meat in due season" to all who
belong to the "household of faith."
THE
COLPORTEUR DEPARTMENT
The output of volumes the past year, as will be
seen from the Summary, was less than for the year preceding. But that year had
a phenomenal record, which we dare not hope ever to exceed. Assuredly no fault
lies with the dear Colporteurs, who now number about 625, and whose loving zeal
for the service is continually manifested in various ways. One Brother has
tried the plan of introducing the six volumes of DAWN-STUDIES for $2.15--only
about the price of one volume as such books are ordinarily sold. He reports
that he sells as many sets of six as he formerly sold sets of three. And where
formerly he sold one he now can usually sell three. Should this plan become
generally successful it might lift our output for the coming year still higher
than that of 1908. Nor is it merely the sale of the books, for some are more
attracted by the IV. or V. or VI. Volume than by the first three. Again, the
entire six upon the book-shelf attract more attention and are the more likely
to be examined.
We are glad to note that this service seems to
be yielding a larger fruitage than ever before. Either the public are in
better attitude of heart and head to receive the Truth or the Colporteurs are
more successful in finding and gathering the deeply interested. Surely the
Colporteurs, too, are putting forth more effort to establish little classes for
DAWN-SCRIPTURE STUDIES. Communicating with the Office they frequently arrange
for a Pilgrim visit, or themselves give a few Chart Talks, and illustrations of
how to conduct profitable "Scripture-Study Meetings" with our helps.
One thing is very evident, namely--that the dear Colporteurs themselves are
reaping rich blessings from their privileges in the service as "able
(qualified) ministers of the New Covenant"--seeking to serve it in the
sense of seeking for and assisting and making ready the "members" of
the Great Priest who shortly will establish his Mediatorial Kingdom and bless
Israel and the world under the New [Law] Covenant. [R4532
: page 373]
THE
VOLUNTARY TRACT DISTRIBUTION
More and more those who love the Truth and have
zeal to serve it are anxious to do so. If they cannot give their entire time to
preaching or Colporteuring they can enlist in the army of voluntary tract distributors.
Many are doing so and the result is great. The fruit of their labors is
manifested in many ways--partly by the greater yielding of prejudice and
opposition--partly by the letters of inquiry for more reading matter which
reach our Office. But a very special blessing resulting from this work is the
rich outpouring of the Lord's favor upon the heads and hearts of those who
render this service--to the Lord and to the Truth and to Brethren in Babylon,
who could not otherwise be so well reached. The Summary shows a grand total
that certainly should be inspiring to us all. Surely the quantities are far in
excess of any other tract distribution work. So far as we know, it exceeds all
others combined.
Yet we would not boast. When we have done all in
our power we are to realize that we are unprofitable servants, that we do not
bring to our Lord as much as we receive from him. If we could double or treble
the work, surely we all would rejoice in the privilege which thus would be
afforded us of testifying to our Lord of our love and zeal for him and his
Truth, and for showing forth to our fellow creatures "the praises of him
who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light." What shall be
done in this Department of the harvest work during 1910? Let each reader ask
himself this question and answer it according to his judgment of what would be
pleasing to the Lord.
"THE
FIELD IS THE WORLD"
Evidently the due time has come for the
proclamation of the harvest message in every nook and corner of this favored
land, to which the Lord has brought people of every nation and through whom in
turn the message properly goes back to their home lands. For a time the Lord's
providence opened up to us no other channels for distributing the Truth than
the interested--Colporteurs, Sharpshooters, Volunteers, etc., but latterly he
has opened secular channels--newspapers. The intimation would seem to be that
there was not a sufficient number of "reapers" to accomplish the work
intended in the time apportioned.
A year ago we noted the fact that eleven
newspapers were publishing the sermons regularly and that brethren familiar
with newspaper work had advised our removal from Pittsburg that the sermons might come from a
preferred city and that the number of newspapers to use them would greatly
increase. We noted the providential leadings in connection with the transfer of
the Society's office to its present location. We now note the resulting
blessing of the Lord upon this newspaper service; for, instead of the eleven publishing
the sermons a year ago, we now have more than four hundred, with the list
continually increasing. The Brethren having this part of the service in charge
estimate the present weekly circulation of the sermons to be about two and a
half million copies; or for the year, one hundred and twenty-five million
copies. As newspapers are reckoned to reach four persons each, these figures
run up enormous totals.
The majority of these papers are weeklies which
reach rural districts not so easily accessible to Colporteurs, Volunteers, etc.
Moreover we have occasionally encouraging reports. For instance, we learned
recently the following from a Brother who was Colporteuring in Tennessee. He canvassed
the clerk of a country store, where several men had congregated. As soon as it
was learned that his books were from the same pen as the sermons they had been
reading in their newspaper he got a hearty welcome and sold sets to nearly all
in the store. Later one of these purchasers, laboring with others upon a road,
recognized him as he passed and introduced the subject to his associates. Thus
several more sets were sold and the Brother was urgently requested to hold a
meeting and to address them along these lines. The lesson to us is "Sow
beside all waters. Withhold not thine hand; thou knowest not which will
prosper, this or that."
Now an additional feature of newspaper work has
been started. Some of the larger newspapers desired the sermons but could not
spare more than one column of space. In an endeavor to meet these requirements
and thus to still more fully circulate Present Truth we have commenced to
supply these papers--the weekly Sunday School Lesson headed "Brooklyn
Tabernacle Bible Studies." Already ten newspapers are publishing these, and,
their circulation being large, about one-half a million of readers are now
being reached in this manner weekly.
Our intimation above, that this service is
carried on by worldly agencies alone, might give the wrong thought. In a very
particular and important sense all of our readers have the privilege of
co-operating in this service, and very many of them are doing so--by
patronizing the journals which publish the sermons, and by encouraging their
editors from time to time by post card or otherwise--advising them of their
appreciation of this feature of their journals. It is not ours to reward you,
dear friends. The great Chief Reaper takes note of your efforts and ours to use
the various agencies which he is pleased to open up for the dissemination of
the Truth. We are all waiting for the joyous moment when he shall say,
"Well done!--enter into the joys of your Lord." Indeed in these
various ways we are already entered into some of those joys--the joy of
sacrificing and serving in the interest of others. If we thus drink of
his "cup" now, we shall drink afresh of his cup of joy in the
Kingdom.
THE PILGRIM
SERVICE
The report of Pilgrim service in our Summary
does not include work of this kind done in other lands, but merely in the United States and Canada. The summary shows fewer
Pilgrims, but about the same amount of work--a little more. The results of the
work continue to be favorable every way. The new location of the office is
favorable to the Pilgrim service. Our office helpers use their Sundays and
evenings in this work and we are now planted in the center of a population of
twenty millions of people, the most remote accessible by a few hours' ride.
The dear Brethren engaged in this Pilgrim branch
of the service have special opportunities for serving the Lord's dear flock. We
pray for them, and believe that they enjoy special blessings of the holy
Spirit, specially qualifying them for this work of ministry. All of the Lord's
dear people are to be "Able ministers of the New Covenant"--serving
it by their own sacrificing and the promotion of the spirit of sacrifice in the
brethren in general, by exhorting them to drink of the cup of the New
Covenant, of which our Redeemer drank; that they may be accounted worthy of
sharing with him in his Kingdom glories.
The Pilgrim Brethren should be, and we believe
are, specially qualified for this service. We continually look for the guidance
of the Lord's Word and the leadings of his providence in respect to who may
serve the flock most advantageously along the lines of this service--the means
which the Lord puts at our disposal being considered a factor also in
determining how many shall be thus engaged, etc. These dear Pilgrim Brethren,
Colporteurs, and others express themselves [R4533
: page 373] as encouraged greatly by the fact that they are remembered
daily by the more than six thousand of our number who have taken the Vow
suggested in these columns some time ago. This was our motive in the framing of
that particular clause of the Vow which specifies prayer for the harvest
workers everywhere. Many letters told the Editor that he was continually
remembered at the Throne of Grace, and in the knowledge of this he is greatly
refreshed and strengthened. This led him to desire that the sympathies and
prayers of all might be enlarged so as to include all who love the Lord and who
are seeking to manifest their love and faith by devotion to the Harvest Work.
We remind you again that the amount set down in
the Reports of the last two years as expended for the Pilgrim service includes
much more than their personal expenses and traveling expenses. It will be
remembered that we invited the friends everywhere to send to the office a
memorandum of [R4533 : page 374] funds which
they expended in connection with One-Day Conventions and Pilgrim Visits--for
the hire of halls, advertising of meetings, etc. We give credit in the TRACT
FUND for the amounts thus expended, just the same as though the money were sent
to us and paid out by us. All such expenditures are charged to the
Pilgrim Service account, thus swelling the amount considerably.
While the Society proposes to furnish all the
expenses of the Pilgrims, it expects, and the Pilgrims heartily agree, that their
expenses shall be kept just as small as decency and comfort will permit.
Neither they nor we forget that many of those who contribute to the TRACT FUND
are very poor in this world's goods, and that their donations frequently
represent special self-denials for the sake of the Lord, the Truth and the
Brethren. Our thought is that all engaging in the Pilgrim service should do so
from this same standpoint of self-sacrifice. Nevertheless it is our desire that
the Pilgrims shall be comfortable and that their clothing shall be such as
would not cause the friends to be ashamed of their appearance--
"decent."
SUMMARY OF
THE YEAR'S WORK
Letters
received....................................... 81,649
Letters sent out....................................... 88,230
----------
Dawn-Studies
sent out--all volumes, all languages...... 626,981
Average per working day................................ 2,035
----------
Tracts and
Towers and People's Pulpit circulated
free in English language, 8,538,800--pages............171,999,000
Tracts and Towers and People's Pulpit circulated
free in other languages, 6,269,700--pages............. 83,368,800
Sermon circulation--weekly service--newspapers......... 407
Total number of sermons published......................140,421,496
----------
Pilgrims in
service during the year.................... 42
Miles traveled in the Pilgrim Service (Bro. R.
45,700)............................................... 311,816
Public meetings held by Pilgrims....................... 2,781
Parlor meetings held by Pilgrims....................... 6,070
Financial
Showing.
Balance from
1908 report...............................$ 8,100.34
"Good Hopes," 1909..................................... 96,870.81
-----------
$104,971.15
Expended in
Foreign Missions:
Germany............................$
6,562.02
Australia..........................
1,822.67
Scandinavia........................ 2,330.26
Jamaica............................
1,702.21
Switzerland,
France
and Italy......
350.06
Africa.............................
4,270.78
India.............................. 351.77
Greek, Syrian, Spanish............. 623.93
----------
Foreign Missions total........$18,013.70
Expenditures:
Account Tracts, postage, freight,
People's Pulpit, Sermons, etc....$43,794.19
Gas, coal, office help, etc........ 6,024.72
Account Pilgrim Service, conventions,
advertising, etc................. 27,420.16
---------- $ 95,252.77
-----------
Balance for 1910................................$ 9,718.38
We rejoice that in God's Providence we are able to make so favorable a
report. We congratulate you and ourselves that the substantial balance on hand
will give us a good start for the new year. Present prospects are that it will
afford us better opportunities than ever before for the glorious harvest work.
We shall greatly miss the few dear friends who walk no more with us, but we
cannot delay for tears. We leave them in the Master's care and onward press our
way. Some very precious brethren have been found by the Truth during the year
closing and we doubt not the Lord has others ready for every crown that may be
vacated.
"A
little while, our trials will be over.
A little while, the harvest time will end.
A little while until the Great Chief Reaper
Shall have us in his Kingdom without end."
W.T. R-4530a : page 371 - 1909r