Jottings(2)

The feature "Jottings" by J.M. has appeared in this magazine almost continuously since 1924. These articles came from the facile pen of Mr. John Miller of Ayr, who was appointed an editor of the Needed Truth in 1937. We regret to announce that the "Jottings" on page 178 of our present issue is the final article in this valued series. Our esteemed co-worker is now in his 86th year, and failing health compels him to lay down his pen.

"Jottings" were written in pairs. The first of each pair appeared only in the yearly volume of Needed Truth, taking the place of the monthly title page. So that those readers who purchase the yearly volume have access to twelve more "Jottings" in addition to those appearing in the monthly magazine. Our brother was gifted with a penetrating mind which he brought to bear on a wide range of subjects. His vast knowledge of the Word enabled him to write with profit and with power. The articles were mostly expository, but sometimes devotional and topical matters came under review.

Mr. Miller led a busy life preaching and teaching the Word but early in his ministry he recognized the value of the printed page as a means of feeding God's people from the Holy Scriptures. Besides "Jottings" many other articles from his pen have appeared in Needed Truth during the past 45 years. It will not be out of place here to remind those who are taught in the Word that the printed page is still a valuable medium for feeding the lambs and sheep of the Flock. Such work requires a certain aptitude, and calls for patience and perseverance. But the discipline of writing is a valuable aid to orderly thinking. The need for competent and devoted writers on Scriptural subjects was never greater, and the present editors of Needed Truth wish to encourage exercise in this direction. If you have something worth while to say, beaten out by prayer and meditation on the Word, your written message may wing its way to someone who needs it and be used by the Holy Spirit for comfort, for teaching or for correction.

The first "Jottings" in 1924 drew lessons from the service of song in the Tabernacle at Gibeon and in the Solomonic Temple. The value of such typology is evident to careful students of the New Testament. Our brother saw that the house of God was a mainline truth of Scripture. It is perhaps fitting that the final "Jottings" deals with the spiritual house or temple disclosed in the New Testament as a principal purpose of God in the present age. We trust that voices and pens will continue to be used in expounding the spiritual treasure bequeathed by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ in relation to a dwelling-place for God on earth.

unknown | Dec 1968
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