Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-12-21

ton of any such crisis 1t is the policy of
modern creeds to postpone the second adj
vent until "the end of the world" or "the
last day Some simply assert that Christ
is coming to judge the world, but they re.
frain from mentioning the date. No doubt
experience modities the views of those who
claim to have the guidance Of supernatural.
ism by the process by which anything can
he made to mean anything
II we ask now what is the rational sig
nliicance of the second coming of Christ,
we answer with the utmost frankness that
we look for no such coming in the clouds of
Heaven, at the last dav or at any time pre-
vious to the last day. There seems not the
slightest ground in reason for supposing
that Jesus of Nazareth will ever appear on
the earth again. All the ideas Of Christ
and Christianity which were given shape
by the Catholic theoogians before and since
Augustine, and which were imported ready
made from the Roman church to the Pro
testant church must be modified to meet the
changed conditions of modern thought
The doctrines of the past cannot live in the
light of the present Tn creed Of Christen-
dom needs to be, and is being reconstruct
ed from its foundation.
The coming of Christ for which we dare
to hope is not physical nor personal 1t is
the advent of the Christ spirit which is our
synonym for all that is highest and hottest
and best 1t is the triumph of Christian
IDEAS and sentiments in the lives and insti-
buttons of men the change of heart which
shall lead men to live as if Christ had come,
not was coming When all men have be-
come Christlike Christ will have come, not
before 1t is not the second advent of
{ ~ Na+a ot,.l,t Il -. a..
coming we are praying for 1t will be time
enough to speculate about the second ad-
vent when the earth has heard of the first
one Eighteen hundred years have passed
since Jesus was born, and only small mi
nority of the race have ever heard of him.
To the millions who have gone down to
death trusting in Loroaster, Buddha, Con
fuscius and Mahomet, how can Christ be
said to have come And shall these unre-
generate heather, many of them of purer
hearts than those in Chrstendom who cry
Lord, Lord, be overwhelmed or Judged
and sentenced rs the creeds declare Not
while the human heart can be trusted as an
interpreter Of eternal righteousness Not
while justice ON earth and in Heaven mean
the same thing. Not while God is God
Christ still tarres Jesus left his work
incomplete. "Where is the promise of his
coming = 1t is still IN the future. Still
the city of God is only a dream, and its
shining walls will never CLEAN upon the
Wistful eyes of man until the energy now
wasted upon dogmatic theology and specu-
lative opinions is concentrated upon build
ing real kingdom of heaven on earth.
But a few brief years we labor
Soon our earthly day is DER.
Other builders take our places
And our place knows us no more
But the work that we have builded
Oft with bleeding hands and tears
And in error and IN anguish,
VIII no perish with our years
1t will be- at last made perfect
In the universal plan,
1t will help to crown the laburs
OF the tOiling hosts of man.
1t will last and shine TRANSPORTED,
In the final reign of right
1t will merge into the splendors
OF the City Of the Light"