St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-03
About The Adventists.
SOMETHING OF THEIR RELIEF AND
CHURCH ORGANIZATION.
Springfield tMass.) Republican.

NSuG4oG CdAu A1CoSS
For eight days the woods round
about the camp have re-echoed the
hymns of praise. Adyentism is ad-
vancing. The former prejudice
against the mere idea Of a second
personal coming Of Christ is fast
giving way, and many minister
and fair-minded man Of other de-
nominations is investigating the
claims that theee men are daily ex-
pounding. It became a theme of
discussion last week at Mortified
in the Moody convention. Briefly
summed up, the belief Of the mod
ern Adventist is in a personal sec
ond advent of Christ; his reign in a
literal new earth, and the resurec-
ton of the dead bodies of the
saints. Mans death on this earth
is not the only death he will meet
his life is but probation, prepa-
ration, as it were.t to determine the
worthiness Of his entrance into the
next world, which God will give
eternally to the faithful alone.
Therefore, it is absolutely necessary
to accept the Lord in this world ;;
it is the only hope to enter the
next. AS to resurrection and inn
mortality, the views Of the Adven-
list are different from the popular
understanding. Men die, and from
that time till the Judgment day they
are in q sleep, unconscious of all
things. At the judgment they are
walked up, and before the bar Of
divine Justice are dealt with accord
ing to their actions during earthly
life. Those who have accepted
Christ will then receive eternal life
and live with him on the new earth /;
the unbelievers die a second and
eternal death. There is no such
thing as eternal torment or eternal
misery but there is eternal punish
ment, that punishment being the
second and eternal death. Strictly
speaking, the popular religious feel
ing toward adventism to-day is the
same as it was in 1874 or 1854.
The doctrinal chasm between them
and popular theology is as broad
and deep as between Professionalism
and Catholicism. There can be no
agreement between spiritual and
personal second coming Of Christ.
One must be wholly Adventist or
not at all. A mediate line is i'm
possible. Yet this doctrinal of a
personal, real and visible Christ,
set against spiritual, ethereal and
impersonal one, far from being dis
tasteful to the mass of the people,
is eagerly received.
The American Advent Missionary
Society was organized in 1866. To-
day Adventism in the United States
alone reckons 100000 among its
converts. They are organized into
churches, Sunday -schoOls, confer
ences and associations. The chur-
ches are self-regulated, self-governed
bodies who elect Of their own free
will their pastor and whatever off
GERS they desire. A general asso-
citation meets yearly, formed of the
representatives of the several chur-
ches in the different States. There
is no Bishop, and the Church is
responsible to itself for everything.
Yearly there is q conference in
each State Of all the churches in
that State made up of it's own
church delegates. From these
State Conferences representatives
are chosen, the number varying ac-
cording to the churches in the State,
to attend the Advent association.
Besides these State Conferences are
the State camp meetings. The
general convention is one year held
IN the West, the next in the East.
It takes place this year at Chelsea.
The society has publishing houses,
weekly papers, Sunday-schooI pa
pers and quarterlies. During the |
past year 1913 Volumes have been
published and tracts to the amount
of $4,000 pages. Besides the
books and tracts, 100000 copies Of |
the Worlds Crisis, a weekly. have
been issued. The circulation OF the
Blessed Hope, quarterly, has been
1000, and the quarterly Journal Of
Prophecy 1000. The work Of