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

Our friend and correspondent, Br.
Mark Holroyd, Of 446 Warren avenue,
Chicago, has performed valuable SER
vice to the cause of truth, and we may
add OF common sense, by contribu-
ton to one of our city papers, review
ing the deliverances Of the late Pro-
phetic Conference on the Second Com
ing of Christ, and presenting some con-
siderations of sound and Scriptural i'm
port in favor of the views SO long advo-
Gated by our church, that this coming"
is not personal, but spiritual, and
that it was fulfilled in the generation
which knew Christ on the earth. The
writer is very clear in his statements,
and makes the matter quite plain to his
readers.
Speaking of the words of the prophet
Joel, who foretells a time when God
will show various wonders in the heav-
ems and in the earth, the writer re-
marks: Peter on the day of Pente-
cost read no more into this than what
was then transporting. "This is what was
spoken by the prophet Joel" etc. Christ
emphatically says "This generation
shall not pass away until what is SYM
bolized by the sun being darkened, the
moon not giving light, the stars fall
ing from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens being shaken, shall have been
fulfilled. To read more than great
moral, spiritual, and political changes
in the quotations from Isaiah and Joel,
Acts, and the gospel of Matthew, one
must be infexibly set on his pet theory.
The burden of the gospel is of king
dom of heaven at hand. But we must
keep in mind that Christ says his king
dom sis not of this world" Then it
is moral and spiritual and its King a
moral and spiritual one, and his COM
ing moral and spiritual one, involving
judgments and rewards. We are no
more warranted in giving greater lati-
tude to the language Christ uses as to
his coming than the rule we are follow
ing gives us. In collating from the
four Gospels we are struck with har-
mony Of statement as to time. Matt.
xvi, 81, 2S we read: For the Son of
man shall come in the glory of his
Father, with his angels, and then he
shall reward every man according to
his work; verify, say unto you, there
be some standing here which shall not
taste of death till they see the Son of
man coming into his kingdom" Mark
has nearly the same language in ninth
chapter. Also Luke (ix, 26, 27). In these
quotations FROM the three Gospels the
most remarkable thing is the solemn
asseveration that this coming will be
within the lifetime Of some that heard
him.
OF the Book of Revelation, which is
declared "the textbook for Second Ad-
ventism," we have these forcible OBJ
servations Scholars and the church
fathers are divided as to the time when
written, but the internal evidence is
that it was written before the destruc-
ton of Jerusalem.
The book opens with the statement
that "things were shown to John that
must shortly come to pass and that the
time was at hand" for the development
of some event or events-some coming
-"Behold he cometh." The last
chapter has these significant express
sions: "Things which must shortly be
done Behold, 1 come quickly. Seal
not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book, for the time is at hand" Verse
l2l. "BehOld 1 come quickly and My
reward is with Me to give every man