The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-08-13

viour rebuked in His apostles (Acts i 6,
~ We are more sohcitous to know about
future events, the when and the how, than
about our present duty. Hence the Sa-
viour reminds His disciples of their duty
". s. after having chided their curiosity
". y. Peter learned the lesson well as
we see in Acts iii: 1921, when he teach
es the Jews that the speediest way to Sc
cure the coming Of Jesus is to repent and
be converted.
5. One more remark in regard to
Pre-Adventism in the primitive Church,
1t seems to have been, in the main, Of a
sensual sort. Schlegel, the pupil and
annotator of Mosheim divides the ancient
Millenarians into two classes, the gross
and the refined. The latter made the
chief difference between the millennial
reign of Christ and His present reign to
consist in the higher enjoyment of spir-
itual pleasures, yet without wholly ex-
Guiding the pleasures of sense. But the
former expected, in the Millennium, all
kinds of sensual delights, and the free in
diligence of all, even the most exorbitant
lusts And those gross Chiliasts are to
be found not only among the heretics
but among the orthodox, as the example
of Irenaus proves. Gennadius of Mar
settles divided the Chihasts into four
classes, of which two seemed to have been
decidedly sensual (see Murdock's Mos
helm, vol I, page l85, foot-note 49, Now
we do not charge our modern Pre-Ad-
ventists with holding sensual views. We
only mention these facts by way of eau
ton to them against making too much of
the fact of MilIennialism in the primitive
Church. History sometimes proves too
much, as our immersionist brethren have
found. 1t proves indeed the general use
of immersion; but it proves also the Gus
tom of immersing IN pl@3S natawate OleS /;
hence that women did the immersing for
at least one-half Of the subjects.
The results, in regard to this doctrine
in the primitive Church, as reached by
learned and impartial judges Gas Hagen
bach in Europe, and Shedd in America)
may be summarily stated thus
/. That it had Jewish origin, or at
least was intimately associated with Jew
ish modes of thinking about the Messiah.
The Ebionites were Chiiasts, and so were
the Jewish Christians generally.
2. That its earliest defenders were weak
men; Barnabas, Hermas, and Papias The
Chiiasm of this last is ascribed by the his
torian Eusebius to his inability to under
stand the Scriptures. No traces of Chill
iasm are found in the writings of Clement
of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp "a disciple Of
John who wrote the book. of Revelation),
Tatian Athanagoras, and Theophilus OF
Antioch.
8. That the doctrine, in the time gifts
greatest prevalence (from $50 to 250),
lever found Its way INTO the creeds Of the
Church. Tertullian and Ireneus both
i've us creeds or brief sulnmari, S Of Chris
ian doctrine, and were both Of them Chill
asts; vet neither of them puts Chiliasn
into his creed. 1t was evidently consid
cred an open question among the ortho-
lox; although it was held in the grossest
orm by some Heretics.
4. That the third century witnessed g
very decided opposition to the doctrine
under the lead of Origen, Clement, and
Dionysius of Alexandria After the third
century it disappeared entirely in the
Eastern Church, In the Western, it seems
to have fingered little longer; but
through the influence of Augustine, who
had been Chiliast, but changed his opin-
ion, the opinion ultimately gave way to
the view that the millennial reign OF
Christ began at His ascension into heav-
en-. This explains the remarkable fact
that at the close of the 10th century there
was an universal expectation of the APP
preaching end of the world; because the
Millennium was supposed to be about tc
expire. This is fact, by the way, which
those who assert that Pre-millennialism
was the current doctrine down to Whitby
will find it impossible to manage. The
whole of Europe was then expecting
Christ to come and the day Of judgment
to begin, because the Millennium was
closing.
5. That the majority of the ancient
Chiliasts held very sensual views Of the
millennial state That Iren@us (whOse
name our modern Pre-Advenhsts are fond
of parading) is no exception to this rule
applauding, as he does, the puerile alb
surdities Of Papias.
We now proceed to notice the history
of the doctrine in after times.
l. The general expectation of the i'm
pending end of the world at the close Of
the 10th century, is, as we have seen
against the notion OF Pre-Adyentism. 1t
was prevailing tradition among com,
mentators that the period of thousand
years spoken of in Revelations Xxx. com
menced with the manifestation, or the
noSoiOn of Christ and that the establish