The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-07
Is CHRIST COMING?
Thousands of People Expect
: Him at Any Moment.
PRE-MlLLENNIAL CONFERENCE
Views Of Drs. Talmage, Crosby Cuyler
and Other Eminent Divines-Learned
Preachers who Look for Messiah.

Erescuers VINO LOOK hor "oss
Is the second coming of the Lord at
hand?
This Is clearly the opinion of many OF
the men who toos part in the proceedings
OF the Baptist conference held in BROOKLYN
recently. They are men. too, whose opin-
ions cannot be treated lightly, or with ais
respect. Late agitation Of the subject has
awakened the interest OF all Christendom
in an item of faith which has found few
open advocates since the death OF Father"
Miller.
The Baptists are not alone in furnishing
pre-niillennialists. The ranks are strength
ened by the joining Of large numbers OF
Presbyterians, of evangelists and ministers
OF other denominations and by the great
mass OF Christians generally.
Christ's speedy advent is something to
inspire the popular heart. and To flre the
public Imagination. The Baptist confer
ence seems to be but the beginning OF q
great revival, destined to extend far and
wide. 1t is interesting to note how prom
inent clergynen regard this certainly sig
nificant movement, and the views OF repre-
sentative preachers of various denomins-
tons in New York and Brooklyn are here
with given.
asked prominent pre- millenialist who
were the leading men in the movement.
He replied that they were too numerous to
mention, but that among them were: Dr.
Charles c. Hall and DR.. Dixon, of Brook
lyn; J. Hudson Taylor, missionary to the
China inland mission. and most of the
800 missionaries under him; Rev. DR.. Ar.
xkrx~ Is 81
Review; DR.. George F. Pentecost. Rev. DIR.
James II. Brooks. of St. Louis; Rev. DR.. c.
Marquis. of the theological seminary in
Chicago; Professor T. J. Duffield.of Prince
ion; Bishop Nicholson, of the Reformed
Episcopal church in Philadelphia; Rev. P.
s. Hanson. . prominent Baptist of Chica-
60; Professor +. Godet. d. D., of Switzer-
land; Rev. a. r. Faucet, canon of York,
Eng: u. L. Moody, the evangelist. and
Charles L. Robinson. the hymn book COM
piler. Rev. A. P. Pritcn ard. pastor Cum
berland Street Presbyterian church, Brook
lyn, is an outspoken and enthusiastic be-
lever in pre-milienialism.
II consider" he said, .that an unbias ed
study of the Scriptures can result only in
ones hearty approval of the pre-milienniai
theory of Interpretation. How one can
obey the oft repeated injunctions OF Scrip
ture to look for the Lords appearing if
millennium Of time al least is TO intervene
between this and His avent Is to me con-
tradiction of terms, which am unable to
reconcile. While at the same time that the
church of New Testament times admittedly
lived and laoored in the anticipation of
Christ's imminent second coming leads me
to the conclusion that this and this emily Is
the true hope Of Christ's church Until He
come
interpreting the language of Scripture
by the same rule which would be applied
to the Interpretation of any other book
there can be to my mind but one meaning
to the frequent scriptural references to
Christ's second advent, and utterly re-
pudiate the custom of spirituali Eing that
which, in any other literary work, would
be judged by the common rules of gram
mar-to be capable only of literal inter-
probation.
''In regard to the recent conference I
would bear this testimony that it was char
acterixed by . spirit of humble waiting
upon God. The subjects successfully
treated were the Offices and work of the
Holy Spirit, the character, purposes. and
power of the church, and the second COM
ing of the Lord, as the church's one and
sufficient hope and inspiration of service.
II am thoroughly convinced, after four
teen years earnest study and observation,
that ignorance and prejudice are, if not the
sole, at least the chief causes of opposition
to the pre-millennial system"
Rev. George G. Needham. the Baptist
evangelist, whose home is at Manchester
by-the-Sea, speaks most hopefully of the
outcome of this conference, in which he
took an active part
There are four things we intend to do"
he said, that have not vet been made
public. First. We are to publish book of
the conference addresses. In the next
place, We shall, on January L, issue an
organ to express the real, not ficticious,
views of the re-milenniallsts. Then We
will establish q permanent summer school
somewhere on the coast to teach our faith.
Lastly, we are to continue our annual con-
ferences. The Rev. DR.. Gordon, of Boston,
invited us to meet there next year, but we
have not yet decided whether it shall be
Boston or Baltimore.
1--WE are accused of taking scriptural
meanings fguratively. and vice versa. The
fact is that We never do so except when
perfectly justified. The post-millennial-
lists are really the ones who are guilty of
what they charge rs. What we are con-
tending for is a fair. candid, verbal. inter-
probation of the Scriptures. They talk as If
we were mere enthusiasts. Why, Rev. C.
II. Spurgeon, the noted English preacher,
is an out-and-out pre-millenrialist. So are
nine-tenths of the best scholars in Ger.
many and England. Would you believe it,
il is here In America, of all countries, that
the pre-millennial theory meets with most
opposition.
- i his faith We profess has been the faith
of the Baptists ever since The time of the
apostles, as we can prove by history. O.
the twenty-five Baptist ministers IN BalIi.
more, twenty-one are millennialists.
Kew. DR.. Samuel Mcbride. another
strong pre-millennialist, said: 1T is
strange to note how we are misrepresented
even by the religious papers, such as the
Christian Examiner. They accuse Us OF
expecting Christ's advent in this genera
iion, that we object 10 the belief that He
may come within say thousand years,
and that we insist that He will come in our
day. All these are misstatements. We
maintain no such ground. We claim He
will come before, not after the millen-
num-"
No pastor has worked harder with
tongue and pen in the service of the Di-
vine Master than the venerable DR.. Theo-
dore I. Cuyler. late of the Lafayette ave.
nue. Presbyterian church in BROOKLYN, who
less than q year ago, after some half q cen.
fury of earnest toll in his parish, retired
from the pastoraie. and is now engaged in
preaching the word of God throughout the