TO  THOSE  INTERESTED
IN  THE
WORK  AND  PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE
INTERNATIONAL  BIBLE  STUDENTS  ASSOCIATION

Dear Brethren in Christ Jesus:

Those of us who have been privileged to examine and study the works of the late Pastor Russell, and to know him personally, will always be grateful for the help and inspiration his labor of love has been to us.

As a personal tribute, I gladly state that, as a result of the opportunity to study his, I came to realize the importance of earnest examination of the Word of God; to see the unscripturalness of the dogma of eternal torment; to recognize that there were various features of God's purpose, each devoted to its specific objective; and to apprehend more of the love of God and His gracious provision for the salvation of mankind.

Looking back over the forty years of Christian experience since coming into contact with the work of the International Bible Students, I now realize the significance of repeated warnings given us by Pastor Russell lest we become "sectarian." He firmly held to the "development of truth," and never asserted himself to be the sole "channel" of the doctrines of God's Word. Just as in the case of Martin Luther, who was wonderfully used of God to present to the saints truths that had been hidden or obscured, there developed a tendency to make him a sole "channel" for the dispensing of "present truth," so, in the case of the "followers" of Pastor Russell, the subtle beginning of a "sect" developed by using unscriptural terms to describe the relation of Pastor Russell to the saints. By so doing, we placed in our own way an obstacle which still hinders many from going on to see greater revelations of God's grace. No doubt after the death of Martin Luther, a mistaken sense of ""loyalty" hindered many, for a long time at least, from seeing further developments of God's plan: fearing, lest the acceptance of any fuller realization of God's grace might not be showing true devotion to him as the "channel" of that time.

Those who, while thanking God for the blessings brought into their lives through the ministry of Pastor Russell, have remembered that the "light shineth more and more," have now come to see the glorious truths of transcendent grace, and desire to share with others these wonderful realizations. May He help many to examine and see; and, as a result, rejoice in the abiding peace that will surely enter into the hearts of such as make these truths their own. Any who, through fear, hesitate to examine, study, and absorb, we remind that in the "colporteur" work of the International Bible Students Association, we were instructed to tell our Christian friends who then feared to examine the word of Pastor Russell, to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good." Surely, in our later Christian experience we should be willing to follow the very advice we gave others, and thus place ourselves in readiness so that the faith of Christ Jesus may lay hold more firmly on our lives and hearts; and through that faith and attendent love we may revel in the message of God's grace given to the church, which is His body.

May His spirit guide us into the fuller realization of His Word!

DO YOU KNOW
what the Scriptures Teach on these Subjects?

A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE
"DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES"
Topics for careful consideration:

"Truth-seekers should empty their vessels of the muddy waters of tradition and fill them at the fountain of truth-God's Word. And no religious teaching should have weight except as it guides the truth-seeker to that fountain."--Divine Plan of the Ages, p. 12.

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