EXTRACTS

JT “When I bring the sword upon a land”; that is, we are now at the end of the dispensation, and it is the time of judicial dealings; as with Israel then, so with ourselves now.

God is acting judicially; and when He does this in any particular case, then it is the watchman’s responsibility to call attention to it. We can see all around us the judicial actings of God in the nations, and watchmen whether appointed by the people or by Jehovah are responsible to warn them.

ABP Would you distinguish between a watchman and a seer?

JT Yes; the word seer is more official, really involving a gift, I think. Of course, Ezekiel was a seer. The word “seer” was at one time applied to prophets, as we learn in the first book of Samuel. They were called seers because they could see, but it involved that they were prophets. A watchman is set up as a lookout for enemies or for anything of an adverse nature, and to warn the people of it; but a seer might bring in what is possible in the way of ministry. With regard to the watchman, it is a question of any one being recognised by the saints in this sense. Even persons in denominations, I think, would be called to account in this way; whether the people have made them that (Ezekiel 33: 2), or their appointment is by God, as in verse 7.

J. Taylor (Vol. 47, p.142)

What comes closely home in connection with baptism, is to give authority to the name of the Lord in your household. It is positively the case in some of the households of the saints, they do not begin the day with family prayer. They cannot expect to get on much. My conviction is that we as parents have much to do with the failures of our children. They are as keen as possible to find out what is reality with their parents.

F. E. Raven (Vol. 19, p.576)

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