Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-11-01
Prophetic Conference.

or all denominations, occupied seats upon
Temporary platform in the Church of the Holy
Trinity (Rev. DR.. s. H. Tying, jc,, rcctor')
corner of Madison svarue and fnrty'second
street, at ten O clock yesterday morning. The
body of tho handsome ediice was we'll filed
with ladies and gentlemen Interested IN the
"Prophetic Conference" of believers IN o s,c'
ond personal visible coming of Christ Many
of the delegates had travelled far. ss was at
tested by the names of "Peoria, ILL.,; "Tope'
ka, Kan.;" kalamazoo, Micb.,' and other
equally distant places on their cards. Neatly
printed pamphlets containing tho order OF ex-
ercises for the tree days session aud copies OF
the bymns to be sung were distributed among
the audience.
After prayers bad been offered and hymns
suug DR.. Tying made an opening address. he
laid down three propositions, as follows: The
authority Of Holy Scripture is the basis OF all
knowledge that the Lord Jesus will in apywlss
return to this Garth; the language OF holy
Scripture is the source of oil Information COD
cerniog both the matter and manner OF the re-
turn of our Lord; tho laws OF language are the
instruments by which we arc to construe the
words of God to ascertain the character and
circumstances of His appearing. If either one
of these con be disproved our docrine must
| fall into doubt. But whenever it is in question
the admission of those principles viii Instantly
take it out of all question.
| 1t was evident to the superficial student OF
the Bible, DR.. Tipg argued, that very irequ2ut
reference is made by all the sacred writer's 10
"the coming Of tho Lord" A careful compu'
| tstion had shown that one verse 10 every twenty
| fgc, or about three hundred vels,s of the New
Testament, speak Of this future event. 50 COT
slant is the alusion to that Wbioh is TO be at
"the coming" 'the appearing" ''the revela'
ton" CT tho Lord, that all exTostors must
| needs havo some theory Of Interpretation, wtioh
would harmonic and explain these passages.
For the negative argument of the present dis
cusson he grouped them in five classes and
sought to show that neither one nor all satisfy
or exhaust the testimonies that they quote IN
support Of their varying dogmas. 1t was held
by some that tho coming Of the Holy Ghost on
tho day Of PeHtecost was the sutticieut full
meut cf the Lords promise. Again, there
wtre cxpositora who hold that the catastrophe
of the tall of Jerusalem iD the year 70 A. u.
and the entrance of Titus the Roman are the
facts to which certein predictions Of the coming
of the Lord referred. A third theory, that the
speaker coubated, resolves mapy passages ct
tho Epistles into what is styled spiritual com
Ing aud prcSeuce, ,aad again it was held by some
writer's that the progress OF the Gospel sod the
Church is the concrete TACT, 10 which the
promise Of the Lords coming combine. Tie
these varying interpretations OF our Lorda
coming was also added one mora, which idenll
fss it with the death Of believers.
These five theories, the speaker contcnded
neither satisfies nor exhausts the teacEiags OF
| the Scriptures in reference 70 the second oom-
Jog of the Lord. Though it wero admitted that
analcgica.y the facts which they relate might
be anticipations OF His coming, yet there ap
peered something 10 all the passages quoted 10
support of those theories which refused to be
crampod and confined by those Interpretations.
The speaker quoted from Dr.. Vance Smith iu
recent number Of the Nineteenth Century,
who, while regarding the Messlanic Kingdom
as unreal and untrue. admitted that the men OF
the frs. Christian generatiou Including the
apostles and the writer's Of The New Testament,
lived 10 the almost daily expectation OF the
Lord and of the end Of the world. DR.. Tyog
oontendad that there was a large class OF pas
ssges 10 the Testament which could not by any
expository skill be connected with ono or all OF
the professcd fulflments already disputed, but
which mpera!i7ey demanded end will brook
20 denial of the personal-ln the seose OF vis'
ible-coming of the Lord The evidence o!
the nouns substantive used to signify the ad'
vent we're frs! 10 this line of proof. They We're
Incapable of other definitions than real, per
souaI and corporcal coming of the Lord. These
words were "Apokalypss, which oocurs in
"Eoiphaneia," which, with the verb from which
| it is derived, occurs 10 ten passages, and "Pa
rousia," which is found in twenty'four texts.
The speaker considered the pronouns aud
ad7erbs which he claimed control and qualify
the various p!oni:el Of the Lords appear
ause. He emphasized particularly the passage.
This same Jesus who is taken up from yJu
| ioto heaven shall 80 come in like manner asyc
see him CO." To these sources of procf he
added the Offices and ac!l)Ds connected with
Christ's coming, and to which the Scripu:s
| command cur reverence, which he claimed
! were all intensely personal, both in their concep
| ton and the mode Of their omplishment.-
| The contrast between Christ ard anti Christ,
SIT forth by St. John, also involved. he said
the personal c)uiog Ct the LORD. D;. Tyng
made many quotations from the New Ts
ment ia support of his views, aud closed b.
pointiog Gu; that er,at copfusi)u had been
caused in the discussion through the soho|as:Io
Associations Ct the word ''pcrson.'
Rev. s. II. Kellogg, DID,, Professor Of
Theology in the Presbyterian Sen i,ary at A!
leghany. Pa, read the next paper, wh'ci wis
l eUtILItu CuIioG SouluS IL III lo'uuiCu
pial?" He. of course, discussed the qussio5
from the affirmative point OF view. Al al
tournament Was then taken uniI three o'clock,
when proceed ogs were opened by Dr. Tying,
Jr., VITO read al addus, prepared by his
father, who was iodisposed and unsbo to At
tend 10 person. Rev. A. j. Gordou, D. d,
lpastor of the Clarendon Street Baptist Church,
Bostop. read long aud we'll written paper on
1.-The First Resurrection Rev. @. *: In.
brie, pastor of presbyterian church 10 jersey
City, read g paper on tho regeneration OF the
material world 1t was then half past five and
sn &C )urnment Was taken for two hours.
Promptly a. half past seven o'clock the
Conference rcsssembled, and the auclence was
even larger than at the day sessloo. A num'
ber Of the letters published tx,usivey 10 lh,
Herald Of Sunday last were read by Dr.. IyDg.
There was also new aud Interesting letter
from Bishop w. ". Niles, OF the Episcopa!