The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-08-13
For the Central Presbyterian.
HISTORY OF PRE-MILLENA-
RIANISM.

1t is persistently asserted by the advo-
Gates Of this doctrine that it was the doc
trine of the Church until the time of Whit
by, about $50 years ago. This assertion
we propose briefly to examine
l. 1t is admitted that there was Pre-
millenarianism in the primitive Church, as
there is in the Church Of the present day
There have always been good men who
were impatient for the consummatiOn
when the faithfulness of Christ should be
fully indicated in rewarding His true
witnesses and in Furnishing His enemies
This is perfectly natural. Peter In his
day, felt it necessary to admonish the
Christians to whom he wrote that God
was not slack concerning His promises. y
1t is natural that the creatures Of a day
should be impatient. "God is patient,
because He is eternal.
= Ii is admitted that this doctrine was
at one time Cat the beginning of the third
century, for instance, very-preYalent. II
the Church, though not more so thai
Aranism seemed to be at later date, say
about A. D. $50.
8. But the prevalence of a doctrine does
not make it the doctrine of the Church.
In order to become the doctrine Of the
Church, it must appear in her creeds
and we challenge our Pre-millenarian
brethren to produce a single creed adopted
by the Church in which their doctrine Is
taught Indeed much stronger case
could be made out, in this respect for
Arianism than for Pre-millenarianism;
for Arianism was adopted by several
Councils. Surely, an argument is not
safe, which is capable of being urged in
behalf of doctrine which involves the
denial of the Lord that bought u.s.
4. The Pre-millenarianism in the
primitive Church may be accounted for
In various ways without supposing that
the Bible sanctions it. (a) The Church
was suffering persecution, and longed for
the deliverer The wish was father to the
thought. Hence, as the historians tell u.s.
Kurt Oh. Hist, sec. 40, s. "when the
aspect of outward affairs changed under
the reign of Constantine the Great, these
views lost their hold on mems minds. -
o. Mosheim Comm. on Christian Affairs
before Constantine, vol. H. PIP. 244, fl. in
Yidals Translation says that the notion
was borrowed from the Jews. Co., Rus
sell (Connexion of Sacred and PrOtane
History-Introduction) says that it came
from the notion that the world would last
lust 5000 years (six millennimms Of work
and triaO and there would come a mil
lennial Sabbath of rest and glory. The
fathers of that day were not acquainted
with Hebrew, and used the Septuagint
version of the Old Testament, whose
chronology was about 1900 years longer
than that of the Hebrew, as we now have
it. Hence they supposed that, after the
birth of Christ, only half millennium Of
the worlds work-day period remained to
be fulfilled. Hence, Lactantius says
As God labored six days in making the
world. so also His religion and truth must
of necessity labor during six millenniums,
in consequence of the prevalence Of wick
edness. And again, since He, after fin
ishing His works, rested on the seventh
day and blessed it, so at the end Of the
sixth millennium all Wickedness shall be
abolished from the earth and righteousness
shall reign a thousand years, &c" Gifted
by Hagenbach, History Of Doctrines. sec
139, s. Lactantius was a Pre-AdYentlst
and this passage may be interpreted in
this sense, though it is susceptible Of an
other. The view of Lactantius was COM
bated by the great Augustine in passage
cited by Hagenbach. Augustine de-
nounces the views Of the ChiHasts "a Greek
word corresponding with MillenniaGsts
which is from the LATIN as grossly SEN
sual. and confesses that he was once Of
their opinion. (d) The root of Pre-mil-
lenniaGsm of ancient and Of modern times,
we have no doubt, is that curiosity in
reference to times and seasons - whish Is
so natural to us all, and which our Sa-