8:9. If she be a wall-Bulwark of truth, on the One Foundation.

We will build upon her "Other foundation can no man lay."

A palace of silver-Give her a place with the Great Company class.

And if she be a door-By which men and women have found the Lord and the Truth.

We will inclose her-Give her an environment.
With boards of cedar-Everlasting life.

8:10. I am a wall-The Bride thus refers to herself as having been a staunch defender of the Truth. "Lo, we have left all and followed Thee." What then shall we have?

And my breasts-Unlike the Foolish Virgins.

Like towers-"Whereof ye may suck and be satisfied milk out and be delighted."

Then-Because I reached the development of character He desired.

Was I in His eyes-The eyes of the Bridegroom.
As one that found favor-Peace (margin).

8:11. Solomon-Christ.

Had a Vineyard-For growing the fruitage of love.

At Baalhamon-(Lord of the multitude.) A reference to the Messianic Reign, in which Christ will be Lord of all. He let out the vineyards-Gave the immediate care. Unto keepers-The Ancient Worthies, "whom Thou mayest make princes in all the earth."

Every one Of the keepers.

For the fruit thereof-The kind of fruitage expected.
Was to bring-Present, offer.

A thousand pieces of silver-Yield a rich return of truth and praise from the hearts cultivated.

8:12. My vineyard-The same vineyard.

Which is mine-We are made joint-heirs with Christ. Is before me-Will take a thousand years to till.

Thou, O Solomon-Christ.

Must have a thousand-Tributes of praise.

And those that kept the fruit thereof-The Ancient Worthies.

Two hundred-A fifth as much, as their portion.

8:13. Thou-The restitution classes, address their Lord. That dwellest in the gardens-The heart-gardens of the redeemed race.

The companions The Great Company; the companions that followed the Bride.

Hearken to thy voice-Have entered with joy into the King's palace.

Cause me to hear it-O Lord, I see there is hope for me. I also would be Thine. Show me Thy will.

8:14. Make haste, my Beloved-The restitution classes continue.

And be Thou like-In thy swiftness of movement. To a roe or to a young hart-Leaping from mountain to mountain, kingdom to kingdom.

Upon the mountains-The various divisions of the King. dom of God during the Messianic Reign.

Of spices-Good deeds, kind words and noble thoughts. “And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted." "The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever." Amen.

THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM

That He is mine and I am His, Oh! wondrous thought.
I am so poor, so weak, so lowly, can there aught

Of worthiness in me be found, that He should love
And seek me for His Bride? I hear His voice, "My Dove,
Thou art all fair, My Spouse, there is no spot in thee;
Thy speech is comely, better is thy love to Me
Than wine! Thine eyes as Heshbon's fish-pools, and like flock
Upon Mount Gilead are thy spiced and flower-decked locks.
The winter's past, My Dove, come, come with Me away,
Far spent the night, make ready for thy nuptial day!"
My heart responds, "Throughout the many-centuried night
I've longed for Thee. I've waited for the dawning light;
And I have laid Thee like sweet myrrh upon my breast,
Thine arm beneath my weary head hath brought me rest.
Thou whom my soul doth love, Thy countenance is fair
To see within the secret places of the stair;
Thy head is like fine gold, how beautiful Thy feet!
Thine eyes as doves' eyes, and Thy lips with honey sweet.
I rise, my Lord, I leave my father's house, behold
My Robe of Righteousness, my raiment of wrought gold!
Oh! wealth of love divine, that claims me for Thine own,
Oh! miracle of grace, to seat me on Thy Throne.
Oh! glorious future hopes, Oh! bliss beyond compare,
Through all eternity Thy love and work to share!"

June 25, 1917.

-G. W.S

THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET

EZEKIEL 1

GOD'S CHARACTER AND PLAN

1:1. Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.-Christ promised that at His Second Advent He would raise up a "faithful and wise servant," or "steward," who should watch and give forth in due season meat for the Household of Faith. This one should be given charge of all the Storehouse, the Word of God, to bring out of it things new and old. (Matt. 24: 44-47; Luke 12:42-44.) The Prophet Ezekiel types this servant. As Ezekiel was among the Lord's people, the Hebrews, in captivity in literal Babylon, this servant was among those in captivity in Mystic Babylon, beside the great river Chebar ("Joining"), the stream of commerce which joins the nations, on which Christendom is founded, and from which she draws her support, as did in a literal sense Babylon from her great river, Euphrates. In the early seventies Charles Taze Russell found himself engaged in commerce, but earnestly studying the Word of God, and striving to teach what he found therein. In fulfilment of the Divine promise the Heavenly things were opened to him (Matt. 3:16), and he saw the significance of the visions, prophecies, given in olden times by the Almighty. He was given a crystal-clear understanding of the character of Jehovah.

1:2, 3. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, the Word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzl, In the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there upon him.—Men do not raise themselves up to become great and honored agents in God's outworking of the Divine Plan of the Ages (Luke 18:14; Eph. 3:11); but now and then throughout the centuries Jehovah Himself (1 Cor. 12:18) has raised up Christian men to carry forward one step or another of His purposes. God made special use of St. Paul, St. John, Arius, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, Martin Luther and Charles T. Russell. The significance of the word Ezekiel is "God is

strong," and epitomizes the faith and the message of Pastor Russell. He shows the power of Jehovah to save His people now (Acts 15:14), and later to save all the willing and obedient of mankind. (Acts 15:17.) As Ezekiel was the son of Buzi, "Contemned of God," Pastor Russell was born the child of a nominal religious system which is unfaithful to Jehovah. Pastor Russell, by the faithful carrying out of his vow of consecration to Divine service, was accepted as a true priest of the Almighty. He sacrificed himself and all that he had until, in October, 1916, he died penniless, but rich in the things of God. Chosen expressly by God to declare the message of Present Truth to the last, or Laodicean age, of the Church, the hand, power, of Jehovah was upon him.

1:4. And I looked and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire-As a young man Charles T. Russell was looking intently to see what might be discerned in the Word of God. "Watch," said the Master. Pastor Russell took for his motto, “I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me.' (Hab. 2:1.) He called his semi-monthly publication, "THE WATCH TOWER"; and, firm in the belief that the Second Advent took place in 1874, he included as a sub-title, "And Herald of Christ's Presence." The north symbolizes the spiritual phase of the Kingdom of God. (Isa. 14:13; D653.) Pastor Russell beheld coming, permitted by God, a great Time of Trouble, a whirlwind of warfare, revolution and anarchy. (Jer. 25: 32; Psa. 58:9, 10; D528.) It was the cloud accompanying the approach to human affairs of Him for whose Kingdom many have so long prayed. "Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His Throne, a fire goeth before Him and burneth up His enemies round about." (Psa. 97:2.) A conflagration, beginning with world war, is upon the earth, developing into revolution and anarchy. Fire symbolizes the last of these misfortunes. (Dan. 7:11.) The situation is complicated, infolding, perplexing. None of the national leaders understand the situation. To the poor world, in gross darkness, and lying "in the wicked one," the cloud is full of darkness (Isa. 60:2), of gloominess (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15); but to those who are taken out of the world and into Christ, it is full of brightness and hope-a white cloud, with a silver lining. In the bright light of the dawning Day of Christ the faces of the Lord's people light up with joy as they see these things coming to pass; for

their "deliverance draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28)-the deliv erance, too, of the whole world from the kingdom of Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), into the glorious King. dom of God, the other side of the trouble. With the understanding of God, His work, plan and purpose, there shone forth the amber, golden glow of the Divine presence, and of the true character, nature and glory of the Almighty God of Love. The Father Himself is supervising the trou blous commotion, bruising to heal (Hos. 6:1), and "shortening the days."-Matt. 24: 22.

1:5. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.-Out of the contemplation of the cloud of trouble, the worldwide commotion, the destructive anarchy, and of the golden amber glow of God's presence, came a wonderful understanding of something long misunderstood and misrepresented-the char acter of God. As the vision showed "four living creatures," so the Divine character was seen by the Laodicean steward to consist of four active principles (Rev. 3:14); Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom. The four have the likeness of

a perfect man.

1:6. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.-Each of the four attributes has four charac teristics or attributes; and each has the Word of God (wings-Rev. 12:14), in the Old and New Testament, in two different ways of operation (two pairs).

1:7. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass.-The feet members of Christ, embodying the Divine attributes on earth, are righteous (straight) in Christ's righteousness, pure, unblemished in God's sight, holy, acceptable, living sacrifices (the calf is a type of unblemished sacrifice); and they shine with the imputed perfection of the Man Christ Jesus. 1:8. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they four had their faces and their wings.-The hand is symbolic of power and of execution of purpose. Overshadowed by the Word of God is the Divine power (hand) to execute the thing purposed, operating through human channels, through the power of men. He shows the qualities of the Divine mind through man. Shielded, protected, sustained by the Word (wings) -(Psa. 61:4), the work of the Almighty goes on through "the foolishness of preaching." (1 Cor. 1:21.) Men and women are "coworkers with God." (2 Cor. 6:1.) The hands (powers) of man are instruments for the operation of infinite Justice, Power, Love and Wisdom.