, 1859-12-07
&sTho Great TrtbuIptionss In London.

tEfeGl Tie ~ l. E.ffnl16 1-A-l
Rev DR.. Cumming, minister Of the scottish
National Church, in Crown Court. London, has
awakened q prodisious excitement b{ heraldng
the early destruction Of tic world. His church
oresaows with mnlitudes Of affHghted people,
who fully believe that within n few years the
whole earth will be calcined in flames, and be
even boasts that Lord John Russell and Sir
James Graham are among his congregation.
The prophecies Of the Old and New Testament
respecting the coming Of the Son Of Man, md
the general ruin Of earthly rains, ara literally
interpreted; and contemporary events, such as
the late political convulsion. and revolutions Of
Europe, The commercial panic Of 1857, the wars
in India and China, hesimultaneous prevalence
Of cholera, drtheEia and other maladies IN dlf-
fe1eut parts OF the world, and even the meteor
ic phenomena of the heavens, are declared signs
Of the approaching catastrophe. Dr.. Cumming,
who, like Chalmers. is n scotchman, has some
thing Of Chalmers headlong and tnmultuous
eloquence. and eDforces his appeals with IN
ola podrid1 of hiztosical fact, scripture quota
tion und fanciful theory, viii h, to the excited
hearers, must be truly appalling. The Aille1ite
epidemic. which in this country expired not
long since In very languil demonstration near
Newark, appears to be reklndsed beyond sea,
md Dr.. Cummings lectures on "Ihc Great
| Tribu!ation," which re observe are republished
| By Rudd / Carleton. Of this city, afe almost
| universally read Tie Doctors conclusions are
not, however, allowed to pass unchallenced. and
| eEen the prophetic robes he las assumed hare
| not exempted him from the severity OF the
critics, who pick flaws without mercy in his
facts, quotations, ndhis pretensiops to scholar
| ship. One instance Of the damaging effect Of
this treatment relates to Or. Cummings pre-
dic,ion that the world will bs destroyed in 1867,
which he attempts to prove, as follows:
1--WE fud, on the authority Of Lady Hester
Stanhope, that the Moslems hare d tradition
current n1nong them Of some great calamity to
befallthem in the year 13i5 OF the 1lcgIra, and
this (he conctndes) can be nothing but their
final fall" lie then e1claims: ''The He1lfa
dates our year 1s2-and l245 to 64., and we
have 1s5; for tic year Of the expected stupcud-
Gus cyent."
The falacy of this yaticinat;on is Tins ex-
posed By writer in one Of the British Journals:
TN ttlis calculation Dr.. Cumming forgot, or
did not know, that the year Of tile 1iegtEa con-
sis.s Of twelve lunar months, and that thirty
three Of lhsm are required 10 make thi.sy.two
Of ours-con.equently ls45 years Of that era
are equal to only about 1907. It, therefore fol-
lows that.the great tribulation, the dreaded ap-
| proach Of which is frightening into fits the old
women of Grown Court, has actually COME and
gone thirty years ago! l should not refer to
! this subject again we're It not for the positive
fact that the publication Of this trash has caused
greuter excitement in what is called the ''rcllg1
| Gus world - than any circumstance which has
occurred at this side Of the Channel within the
memory Of living men,"
When nc hear that men Ike Lord John Rus.
sell and Sir Junes Graham, with others ofcqua
advantages Of education. swell the crowds who
listen to the visionary c1hortations Of DR.. Cum
ming, and that Sturgeon il also j fayorite cleri
cal orator to the masses Of London, it is uasurr
| to feel certain degree Of satisfaction in con
trasting with such models Of pulpit dectamatior
the leuding preachers Of the great metropoli:
Of America. Notwithstanding the alleged bae
taste and want Of discrimination in our popu
lar audiences, spargeon's discourses must b
e1pnrsa!ed beloss ahss @ aFs suited 10 Inc sas.'
that no popular clergy raan in any leading de
1ominstiou could retain his position i'll shoul.
be guilty Of The fanaticism Of Cumming. or tA
: protaue eccentric,tics which 80 frequently cb.r
; acterizc the pulpit llaTangues Of his Baptist ii
| raj