The commonwealth. (Wilmington, Del.) 1858-18??, 1863-09-30
OUR LORDS COMING.


1, Two correspond tents, spssking for them
selves, and Gas they Supposed for many
others among our readers, express their re
gvst that we have no more TO say on "the
speedy appearance Of Jesus to raise the dead
and judge the world" They would be glad |
70 have column weekly set apart to articles
on that subject. The belief thst we are
rapidly approaching the end Of the world,
they think, has been embraced by men of
such ability, learning and pisty, and as the
fruit Of such Intense and dsvout study, that
il ID now 'environed and defended with ar
yuments strong and sublime as the mouu-
tsins." They suggest that ''ignorance or
Indifference, now, is not only an unfortunate
but culpabls isnproprissy.',
30 far as these remonstrances regard the
editorial conduct of this journal, we need
only to remind our friends that thoseassh no
do not see the evidence that the end is66sar,
ought not to be expected to indoctri&nate
others in that belief. And that is the case
With ourselves. We believe that It Ia not
for us to know the times and the sessons,
which the Father hath put in HIS own pc wer,
and that it is at once presumptuous and
useless for US to be searching after what God
does not mean to reveal. At the same time,
We do not undertake 10 jud aarptoers, or to
soeuse them of ''culpsble in] Ropristy" for
entert aiming different view of the subject.
Their mistake, il suoL it should prove to be,
is nothing that skould divide them from our
Christian love and fellowship.
1t has been often said that, whatever NAV
have been revealed at that time, previous o
tho Pentecost, knowledge on these subjects
Is new sttainable: Christians are not in
darkness, and need not be in ignorance, but
are exhorted to watch and wait TO the end.
We ind, however, very different meaning
in those passages. 1t is not said, aye need
not be in darkness" but "Ye are not in dark
ness, that that day should ovsrtake You as 8
thleL" And this evidently does not mean
that they were instructed as TO the time OF
the end, but that they had such a spiritual
character as to be ready for it Whenever II
should come. "Ye are all the children q
the light, and Of the day." Ye are so. from
the very fact that ye are believers. We have
the faith that onr Lords coming will b,
recognized by true Christians. And sincs 4
very great majority OF those who give evi
dence that they are Christians, tail to Sc,
signs of the Advent, we think those VIII,
suppose themselves to see its approach 4,
cleadly, must be mistaken.
And in regard to the vigilance which th,
Bible commends, we cannot help thinkin,
that 1t is very different sort of watchful
ness from that which Ia commended by GU
-millenialist brethren. aye are all tn
children of the light" says the Apostle
Therefore, let us not sleep as do Others bu
let us watch and be sober. Let us''--what
go to cyphering, calculating, pryng into tn
mysteries of fulfilled prophecyf Not at all
"Let us, who are of the day, be sober, put
ting on the breastplste offaith and love, ant
for helmet the hopo of salvation. 70
dod hath not appointed us to wrath, but l.
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ
who died for us, that, whether we wake o
sleep, we should live together with him
wherefore, comfort yourselves together, an
edify one another, even as also We do. an
we beseech you, brethren, to know ther
which labor m"ng you, and are over YOU i
the Lord, and admonlsh you, and to esteer
them very highly in love for their work
sake. And to be at peace among yourselves
IL Thess. 8. 49,. II the state of min
which is here commended had been MOI
uniformly produced and nourished by mile
marian speculations, they would have De
maps been less repulsive than they are
many sober-minded Christians.-Era,aips