Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-20
Guifeau's Fraudulent Book.


THE TRUTH. AND THE REMOVAL. By CHARLES
Washington, ID e.. 1882.
Ninety-seyen pages of the two hundred and
thirty-seven contained In this book are a reprint
of a previous volume, which was published in
Boston several years ago, entitled, ''Thc Truth:
Companion to the Bible. BY Charles J. Gui-
teau, TIL eolo@ian." more thoroughly fraudu-
lent literary performance probably never APP
peared. The main purport of the book was to
show that Chrsts Second Coming took place in
connection with the Destruction of Jerusalem,
AID 40. Guiteau announces that idea of the
Second Advent as has Otrn diSc0Uay, in the fol-
lowing words:
1--WE present the idea that Christ came in
Judgment at the destruction of Jerusalem as
discovery. and ask for it a prayerful reception.
No one can understand the Bible without Hcis
view of the Second Coming. and herein is the
great value of the discovery" Page %. IF
our doctrine to wit: that Christ's Second Com
ing occurred at the seige of Jerusalem, A. ID. TO-
had been known to Luther and his associates, it
would have saved them vast deal OF trouble
and many long and wearisOme and useless con-
troversies. So with all the great chuIchmen of
the past. They all missed the truth which it
hath pleased God. the Father. to reveal through
u.s." Page "a.
1t is true that this idea of the Second Coming
is a discorTy,but the discovery was not made by
the assassin who copspiied this book. Ii was
made eight years before he was born and Was
taught him in his fathers house from his in
fancy. He Cannot remember the day when his
ears had not heard the doctrine announced by
bis fathers lips The discovery Of The truth
about the Second Coming OF Christ, was made
by John Humphrey NOyes, q student in Yale
Theological Seminary at New Haven in 1S:,
In q history of his Religious Experience" pub
fshed nearly forty years ago in The Perfectio,sit
1t Putney. VT. Mr. Noyes gave the following ac-
count of the discovery:
MY first advance into positive heresy. e. e.,
1fFin NOT fa1 INV f,a ohr,po, Y
made early in the summer of 1888. In the course
OF my Biblical Investigations it happened that
my attention was arrested by Christ's sugges-
ton concerning JOhn-'If | will that he tarry
tai 4 come, what is that to thee 2 john 81: %
This seemed to be an iBtlmation that John would
live till the Second Coming. and the disciples
appeared to have SO construed it. How such an
lntimatiOn could be recOnciled with the received
theory. that the Second Coming is vet future
was tn me very mysterious matter. i had long
been growing strong in the belief that the Bible
Is not a book of inexplicabie riddles but that
all its hidden treasures are accessible to those
who make the Spirit OF Truth Their guide.
resolved. therefore. to examine this mystery
fearlessly and faithfully. Accordingly made
1t my business for several days to ascertain
the purpOt of all that Ii said In the Bible
concerning the Second Coming Following my
old method of study. | read the New Testament
through ten times with INV eye on the question
suggested by John 2l:22, and with my heart
struggling IN prayer for full access TO the truth.
ond Coming In which there was any clue to its
time. exactly conceded with the natural infer
enee from Chrlsts words. namely. that Johns
lifetime would extend to that event. This
view was altogether new and surprising to me :;
but accommodating proof was stronger than the
fright OF novelty, and at the end of the exami-
nation. my mind was clear. | no longer cnn-
jecssped or beisUed in the inferior sense of that
word but kTse,0 that the time appointed for
the Second advent was within one generation
from the time of Christ's personal ministry"
In 1884. Mr. Noyes. IN connection with some
associates at that time in sympathy with bis
new views. BEGAN the publication. at New Haven
OF paper called The PesJectaoniSt One Of the
earliest articles published IN this paper vas
entitled The Second Coming of the Son of Non
Et9aIeen Hundred Years Ago" In this article
an the PASSAGES In the New Testament directly
bearing On the event, as To its time were passed
In review, followed by a profound discussion of
the subject-its bearing true Christianity.
and on the history of ChristendOm during
appeared. or The Perfectsonist was started.
hr- NOyes had called public attention
10 the subject by printing and distr .buting
i've hundred haGd-bs entitled. Tine Second
Coming OF the Son of Man. in which the Bible
references To the subject were giyen) The doe
trine continued 10 be- advocated in The Pe1tec-
fosilsf Tor more than year. and found favor in
many minds throughout the country. After
ward. at Putney. Vt. Mr.. Moves continued to
present the subject in a variety of publications
the Way Of HOLINESS, The Witness The Perfection
ist and the Spiyltasdl Magazine Finally. in IS47.
the substance OF all that Mr.. Moves had written
on the Second Coming was republished in a
book called: The Berean; A Manual for These
Who Seek the Faith of the Primitive Church
One thousand comics ofthis book were published
and put IN circulation. Luther W. Guiteau,
father of Charles j. Guiteau bought MANY
eopses Of it. IL was in his house probablx a.
soon as Charles could read. Charles heard it
read He heard its doctrines discussed: and
tins doctrine OF the Second Coming having
faL Fisa N inn
strGctlon of Jerusalem, was the central doctrine
OF the book He made special study of the
Berean. and Its presentation of this doctrine at
ADn Arbor Mich, in 1869. He studied it. and
Subsequent discussions OF the doctrine In other
publ CATIONS of the Oneida Community while he
resided at that institution. from 1861 TO 1855
These facts show the utter falsehood and nv
poc!isy OF Gulteau Ella IN to original discovery
OF tais doctrine OF the Second Coming They
indicate also the key To tine whole character of
tile man a. 'theol0gian" and literary preten-
der. namely: the Self-GPpror,riation of other
peoples ideas and discoveries, and the dishonest
assertion OF la.7,s as has 01ca for The purpose of
7cq,tiriag notOrssty All his claims TO divine in
spiration are of the same fraudulent character
and made for the same purpose
Not only did Guiteau steal the doctrine of
Christs Second Coming In A. ID. 40 from the
writings Of John Humphrey Moves. but his
Truth Is full OF purioinings from the same
source None of his quotations from the Rt7ean
are credited; they are not even Indicated by
quotation marks, with one execution Every
pains IL taken TO make them appear as has o,cn
production. Sometimes word is changed or
added Sometimes sentences are interviewer
among others of his OWL Here are some
samples of his thefts:
"Ol nearly every page Of the New Testament
We find the speedy coming of Christ" in the
clouds Of heaven. with power and great glory.
held up by the eYangelists. and especially by
the apostle Paul, as an event which would give
To the saints of the primitive church and the
Righteous dead OF past ages. a secure and gio-
rioas redemption "-Ti7sGa, PIP. 49, 49.
Here Is the original passage from which the
above va Guiteauized:
Ion almost every page OF the New Testament
we ind the Second Coming of Christ held up as
the central beacon-ll2ht Of the hopes OF beiev-
ers-an event which should bring them GER
p. 375.