The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-12-04

according as his work shall be-" How
nearly this language is like that in
Matthew, when speaking of His COM
ing and rewarding every man according
to his work, and solemnly averring that
this coming should be in the lifetime
of some that heard himl
"Seal not the sayings of the prophe-
cy of this book, for the time is at hand"
must mean, if anything, that their full
fillment was at hand. Daniel, prophe-
sying of events several hundred years
in the future, is told to 'seal the book
even to the time of the end" What
was this end unless the end of the Mo-
sale dispensation and all that was in
volved in itp That it must be this is
indicated in Hebrews: "Now once in
the end Of the world, Tor age) hath
Christ appeared to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself"
Paul is well represented as "clinching
the conclusion" that the blessings re-
sulting from the humility and suf-
ferings of Christ are symbolized by
Mount Zion,-the New Jerusalem:
"For ye are not come" be says, "unto
the Mount that might be touched and
that burned with fire, and which was
SO fearful to Moses that he exceedingly
feared and quaked, but ye are come to
Mount Zion, the New jerusalem" If
the argument is sound the second ad-
vent is of the past, and that by the
second coming of Christ we are to I'M
derstand, first, the introduction of the
kingdom of heaven, or the reign of
grace and truth which came by Christ;
second, that as Judgment must begin
at the house of God," it involves the
end Of Mosaism with all its ritualism,
bloody sacrifices, and its exclusive, I'M
brotherly code of morals, together with
the destruction Of city, temple and
nation.
The conclusions reached by the writer
are well stated in the closing paragraph
of his communication: When the
spirit Of Christ and his truth silenced
the thunders of Sinai; prevailed over
polytheism so its temples were deserted
or turned into churches for prayer and
praise and the worship of one heavenly
Father, who will not say that Christ
came in a grand and noble sense, a spir-
itual power and presence? Premillen-
nialism confesses to weakness of the
truth as it is in Christ, and derogation
of his power, when it asks for a per-
sonal presence, and in the same breath
asks for binding of Satan and his
legions in order that Christ, the saints,
and the truth may prevail. The simple
thought of Crusoe's man Friday here
suggests itself. Why was not Satan
bound 1900 years ago, so the spiritual
presence Of Christ and his truth would
have had a fair field.
This article, while advocating views
long entertained by Universalists, does
not mention the denomination, or in
any way refer to our writers or COM
mentators. No doubt the views pre-
sented will obtain more sympathetic
hearing on this account. We are not
without evidence of the fact that they
have already attracted attention in in
fuential quarters, and no doubt this
forcible presentation, at this time, in
the widely circulated Inter Ocean, will
result in substantial good, not only to
Universalists, but to all who desire that
a sound exegesis of the Scripture
passages relating to the second coming
of Christ may prevail, and the world
be spared from the decisions which
have SO long enveloped the popular
mind on that subject.