Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-09-25
The Day of Judgment.

The conviction that we are now ap-
preaching the Day of Judgment ex-
tends to many of the religious minds
of this period, and it will be interesting
to examine their views.
Brother Moody, the evangelist, and
Gen, Booth, the commander of the
Salvation Army, look for the second
coming of Christ within a comparative
lp short time, believing that it will
precede, and not follow, the millennium.
They think that already the hosts are
gathering for the final battle of Armag-
eddon. Bishop Cleveland Coke OF
western New York likewise discerns
signs that the awful day is near at hand,
and the Rev. Mr.. Vaughn of Ireland
gives US what he regards as the true
elements for fixing the date of its oc-
currence. The day of Judgment will
come, according to his Interpretation
of Scripture and of science, when the
mass of matter which went to the
making up of the bodies of the dead is
equal to the mass of the matter of the
globe. When that equality is reach ed
he argues, there will be nothing left
for the kneading together of the
earthly tabernacles of SOULS" AS the
matter In the universe is ever con-
stant quantity. never increasing and
never diminishing, and the doctrine
sthat the resurreetics3 IF she body re-
quires that every human soul shall
have such tabernacle as Mr.. Vaughn
speaks of, it follows that when this
equality is reached the general resur-
rection must be upon US, for there will
will be no matter except what is in the
resurrected bodies.
IF we accept the premises of Mr..
Vaughn, his conclusiOn, of course, is
irresistible. His logic is without fault.
The date of the creation of Adam is
fixed by religious chronology at b. G.
4l72. If, then, argues Mr.. Vaughn, we
can get the number of human beings
who have since lived and died, and the
bulk of the matter used up for their
bodies. we can tell how much remains
for additional souls. By estimating the
growth of population according to es-
tablished ratios, we can determine
further the time of the Day of Judg
ment and the end of all things. 1t is
a simple mathematical problem when
once we have obtained the elements.
This method of calculation is new to
us. but We see no flaw in it, provided
the doctrine of the resurrection Of the
body so generally put forth in orthodox
creeds is sincerely accepted. 1t is scien-
tific as compared with the interpreta-
ton of the Scriptural prophecies, usu-
ally fanciful only, to which we are ac-
customed, and therefore is worthy of
the consideration of all the theologians
who are looking for the date Of the
Day of Judgment. OF course. people
who do not believe in the resurrection
of the body will give it no heed. They
reject Mr.. Vaughn's major premise,
and he cannot argue with them. But
as Bishop Coxie, Gen. Booth and Bro.
Moody agree with him in that belief,
we do not see how they can escape
from his conclusion, so impregnable in
its logic.
The great difficulty IN determining
the date, even if the resurrec ion of the
body be accepted. arises, of course. from
the difficulty, nay the impossibilitv, of
determining exactly how much matter
is consumed i'm the making of human
body. Besides, there is the lesser diffi-
Guilty of estimating correctly the num-
Der of bodies so made from the begin
ging of time under the Scriptural chro-
noloCy. Is the measure of the amount
simply the weight Of the body at death
or the quantity Of matter which has
gone into it's composition throughout
it's life? The difference is enormous,
and any mistake here would send the
calculator far out of his way. 1t would
make him wrong as to his date of the
Judgment Day by thousands of years.
aud we do not find that Mr.. Vaughn
lays down any rule for settling the
question.
Neither does he go into any particu-
lars as to the proceedings of the Day of
Judgment; but, of course, as an ortho-
dox Protestant, he accepts their order
according to Protestant Interpretation
of Scripture. Gen. Booth evidently
expects it to take place on the earth,
and apparently at some time during
the next century. 1t is agreed, how
ever. that angels will be in attendance;
that an archangel will send forth the
trumpet summon to "arise and come
to the Judgment ye that dwell in the
dust:u that both men and devils will
be iudged, and that the books to be
opened will be the Book of Divine
Omniscience, the Book of Conscience.
the Book of the Scriptures, and the
Book of life. According to the Calvin
istlc theory, only the elect will ESCAPE
condemnation, the others having been
already from the tegin-
ming
This fateful day is so close at hand.
in the opinion of many Scriptural stu
dents, that conferences for pushing the
preliminary work Of con nverting the