, 1877-02-18

lhe supply OF believers IN The speedy sec
ond coming Of Christ does not seem to give
out. 1t keeps up through the discouraging
events Of the centuries Some new sect is
continually springing up with this idea in
the forefront Of its creed. That the Chris
tian world should have faith in the final
coming of Christ as Judge, at the end Of
earthly history, is not indeed surprising, in
REV Of His own words, and as a natural
complement to the doctrine of His first CON-
ing as Redeemer. But, Us He discouraged
oil inquiries as to the date of His second
advent, and declared that His kingdom was
to be like the 1eaven which woman hid
in the meal till all was leavened, the
Church has been content to expect the fact
when the process of leavening should be
more advanced. This conception, however,
was very distastcful to certain class, who
liked to assume prophets Office at second
hand, and, by dint Of alarming interpreta-
tons of select passages, to persuade others
TINT visible Christ was to be expected
shortly: They skillfully applied texts which
related to His then speedy providentia1
Church to his final personal advent, and
called upon a11 who hsd faith in His words
to act upon their interpretations. And so,
in spite of the uniform failure Of these pre-
dictions in particular and in general, each
generation brings new supply Of would-be
prophets, just as jealous and Just rs con-
fdent as their predecessors, and who think
that al religion depends upon the prevalence
Of their notions.
Warned by the signal mistake Of WILLIAM
MULLER, who fixed the date in 1913, the moro
recent Second-Adventists have refused to u.s.
sign definite time, contenting themselves
with affirming that it was the next great
event to be expected, that it might occur any
day, and was sure to take place before long,
rs the premonitory sigma wero occurring.
blr. MooDT, it will be remembered, reserved
this, prudently, as his last topic, but then
asserted his faith in that view; and it is
understood that his fellow lay-evangelists
hold and preach the same doctrine. It is
one of the curious illustrations Of the power
of theory to shape the Interpretation of
facts which occur under our own eyes that
these Second-Adventists rely for evidence
upon tho moral phenomena which to them
indicate that the world is becoming worse
and worse, SO that al hope of much
more good in it is limited to the
expectation that CHRIST will speedily
appear in person to introduce
new dispensnton. While philanthropists
all over the earth are rejoicing in the grad
ua1 anelioration Of the condition of the race,
in the abolition of slavery and serfdom, from
the extension of education among the people,
the progress OF science and Of the useful arts,
the decrease Of intenperance, the elevation
Of woman, the growth Of a spirit Of Justice
and disposition to prevent war By arbitra-
ton, and the institution Of many other re-
forms. these modern pessimists are sure that
the outlook is darkness itself! While their
evangelical" fellow Christians are rejoicing
over the fact that there are moro spiritually
converted church-members now in this coun-
try alone than there we're in all the world
century ago, and that missionaries Gre now
successfully at work in nearly every land,
while heathenism aud Mohammedanism are
tottering to their overthrow, these deter
mined weepcrs still hang their harps upon
the willows, and insist that the Church is in
sad captivity!
We have been wont to think that these e.
pectatioHs Of speedy personal return Of
CHRIST we're confined to the Protestant
churches; but it appears that We were mis-
taken. When men get into the dumps they