The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-11-28
A TIME IN BROOKLYN.
Pre-,1IIiennIal Baptists Have Ovcrwhelm-
Ing Meetings and Declare tho Second
Coming OF Christ Near at Hand.
EXCITEMENT INCREASES

Baptist Conference was continued teoIoi
day in the Centennial church in Adelphi
street, Brooklyn. The interest in the sub
iect was shown by the large attendance at
the morning, afternoon, and evening meet
ings. Representatives were present from
almost every Baptist church in this city
and Brooklyn
Every seat in the spacious binding was
occupied in the evening, when another
service of song began under Mr.. Sankey's
direction.
as the advent pre- millcnnial?" was the
first topic presented. The Rev. Alfred
Harris of Wavcrly, Md, gave an emphatic
Affirmative answer to the inquiry. he
said that if the Bible spoke of the mlllen-
MUM only once it would be enough, but Us
matter of fact there are hundreds OF
such passages in the Scriptures. There
are six distinct references TO the duration
of this period as thousand years. This
is not simply question of time, but
question involving the grand issue OF
Christianity. 1t affects Christian hopes
and the motives of Christian life 1t is q
most significant fact that the Scriptures do
not place any event between us and the
coming of Christ. There is broad dis
tinction between the coming of the Lord
and the day of the Lord. There will br
difference of seven years between the
coming of the Lord and the day OF the
Lord. If the second coming of the Lord
is post millennial, then the apostles had
no knowledge of the fact. The apostles
and early Christians were looking for the
return Of the Lord in their lifetime. Ger
tainv Paul was in this condition of mind.
He could not have had this feeling had he
believed in the millennium theory.
The apostles were taught by Christ him
self TO believe in His return. He COM
lorted His disciples by telling them that
He was going to prepare place for them
and that He would return and take them
unto Himself. He did not tell them that
He would send the King of Terrors for
them.
The speedy coming of the Lord con-
tinucd to be the hope of Christians for
300 years after the apostolic age. With
the dawning of the Reformation this hope
again began to inspire the followers oil
Christ There is to he final resurrection
after the coming OF Christ, and this is to
take plncc before the millennium. If the
coming of Christ is not to he pre- millen-
NAL there are scores and scores of prophc-
sizes which must remain unfulfillcd. Other
wise how can Christ ever become king Of
all the earth! The testimony Of the
Scripturcs is that Christ is to set up His
kingdom in person and sway His sceptre
over the empires Of the world for ,0OO
years subduing evil and crushing out all
wick cdncss. At His coming the world
will he full Of sinners and scOttcrs, just as
it is to-day, and there will be wars and
rumors of wars The post millennium
theory pcrverts the word of God and sub
stitutes human theories instead of Gods
facts. 1t destroys the blessed hope of
the force of the Lords coming as the
great motive of Christian life.
The Rev |. VI. Hadcman, pastor Of the
First Baptist church in this city, spoke on
the subject, Pre- millcnnialism Optims
tic" He said that exactly the contrary
theory prevailed to such remarkable cx-
tent that the words -millennialists and
pessimists had come to be regarded rs
having the same meaning. If YOU want
to iniurc or impair TIE usefulness of
man in the pulpit, it is sufficient to wins
per the word -millcnnialiSts. There is
q strong prejudice against receiving any
belief or theory outside the beaten track.
This pejudicc against the prc-millennial
theory arises, above all other things, from
false and unscicntiic e1igcsis, which
seeks to force millennialism into the
Bible This is the very reverse of opti-
mistic Pre- milennialism teaches that
all things are working for the best; it
fills the soul with supreme hopefulncss,
and acts as an inspiration to practical life
and godly devotion.
The true church of Jesus Christ is both
in the Catholic and Protestant dcEomina-
tons Jesus Christ is coming back TO
consummatc the purpose of His first COM
ing. All the pessmism in the church of
Jesus Christ to-day is the internal doc
trne of the conversion of the world before
the coming Of Jesus Christ. 1t is this
doctrine which makes men full of dscOur-
agement There is less evidence to-day
that the world is being converted than
ever before. The great purpose, however,
Of God to rule the world may be accom-
piishcd to-day, and therefore pre- milen
nialism inspires hope and confidence.
Pre- millennialism rcvolts ut the thought.
The smallpox, the destruction of Icrusa-
lem, the taking Of Richmond, and the last
municipal election are preliminary to the
coming of the Lord. Any moment the
same thing may happen to us as happened
to Nary when she saw the tomb empty and
Jesus ascending. AT any moment the
coming OF the Lord may bring us into
communion with those who have gone
before.
Loud applause followed the close OF the
Rev. Mr.. Haldeman's address. The Rev.
DR.. Mcbride, the pastor Of the church,
announced that an overflow meeting would
he held in the basement of the church
during the remainder of the conference.
The Rev Mr.. Pritchard, pastor of the
Cuml erland Street Presbyterian church,
arose in the body of the house and offered
The use of his church for the overflow
meetings The session closed with devo-
tiona exercises.
THE SECOND COMING OF TIE LORD.
New York Sun Editorial
Thu conviction that the second coming Of
the Lord is close at hand is strong among
large numbers of Christian believers. and
therefore convention of Baptists is now
| in session at Brooklyn to give solemn con-
sidcration to the momcntous subject.
This cxpcction is very different from
the confidence which led Miller to predict
the precise date of the second coming
fifty years ago. The present mllennialists
do net undertake to cipher out from the
prophecies of Scripture the exact day of
the rcappcarancc of the Lord. They
merely interpret the signs and poricnts of
this particular period as indicating that
the beginning of His earthly reign ap-
proachcs. They look for it in this century,
NJ rhnn M. ,nnrn 10 inlv In fhn o ~ rly M ri