The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-07

held meeting in New York. 1t was the
most representative meeting OF their menu
beers ever held. The whole subject was
then gone over and their ablest men DIS
cussed it. There was Brooks, for instance,
Of St Louis, their biggest man.
81 well remember his ninety-nine reasons
for his belief. Why the majority OF them
had no more to do with the subject tnan
they had with the Mckinley bill.
II was then q member OF the Chi Alpha
Club. In its membership were many Oh
the leading ministers of the country.
Storrs and Beecher had belonged to 1t. but
had dropped out. Schaaf was member.
So was Hall, and q number equally well
known. There we're thirry-ive OF US, and
after each days session of the pre-miilen-
niaIists we would go over the same ground.
Nothing that they brought forward had
any weight with us. Now, if that was the
case with so large q body of theological
thinkers it showed that the arguments OF
the pre-millennialIs.s were not so convinc-
ing as they themselves imagined.
"Yet again admit there have been and
are many sincere men in their ranks. DO
ratio Bonner. the celebrated hnguist OF
Great Britain, was one. 1t was his con-
slant theme. He sung it., he hymned 1t,
he talked it. he enthusiastically believed in
it. Still. outside of his hymns he was a
thorough polemic. Moody is another who
believes in it. Hes does not, Of course.
rank with Bonner. DR.. Tying never wen I
to bed without expecting to see the Lord
the next day. My friend Pentecost is an
other enthusiastic believer.
"They certainly are earnest. / look upon
them IS imnued with mysticism. Bonner
was as great q mystic as one ever met.
They're positive, too; no doubt Of that |
might say of them as Smith said OF Ma
caulay: i wish / was as sure of anything
IS you are of everything
"Christ, it appears to me, when He was
on earth, completed His work. There is no
reason why he should come again. 1t is
reflection on His mission here to say that
diabolism cannot be put down. Wasn't
this plan for the worlds regeneration
Why should he be expected to alter it2 II
is rare religious idea on which DIR. 7. De-
Witt Talmage has not something timely
and readable to say. The subject of pre-
millennialism he admits, however. is rather
out of his line.
he said, "as perhaps other clergymen have,
and they may be right and / be wrong,
still my Own belief is and has always been
that Christ will not re-appear on earth un-
til judgment day. do not speak authori-
tatively, you see. There are Christian men
who make special study of certain branches
and are most competent therefore to dis
cuss them. Then, there are those who
study the languages, others the archno!og-
ical confirmation, and others again the
geographical cunfirmation-any one OF
which is the pursuit OF q whole life time.
The pre- millennialists, many of whom l
know and entertain the friendship and
highest opinion of. have made the Scrip
lures the subject of the most thorough
thought and investigation. 1t would not
become me therefore to denounce their be-
lief as false, when, for all / know to the
contrary, they may have arrived at the
truth. have read the proceedings OF the
conference with the greatest interest, but
yet not 50 thoroughly as to feel like pass
ing any decided opinion on the views pre-
scented.
81 don't concede that the world is so
given up to the devil as the pre-millenial-
lists believe. think that Christ has given
Us all that is necessary to carry on the fight
against sin. He says that the Holy Ghost
is to be the comforter.
II may say that certain religionists are
specialists. These are the holiness people
for example. They believe that they have
reached q state where they are siniess.
Maybe they are. / know / have not
reached that state, and don't know any
one who has"
Yet the Christian Herald, of which DIR.
Talmage is editor. has pre-millenial ten
denbies.
DR.. Howard Crosby is quite emphatic in
declaring that he does not believe in pre-
millennialism.
1.-The trouble with the followers of this
faith" he said to me, sis that they read
the Scriptures to suit themselves. They
take as figurative what is literal and as lit
eral what is figurative in the Bible. / can
not see any reason for thinking as they
do"
I asked DR.. A. j. F. Behrends what he
thought of it all.
Not much" he replied, "It will not
amount to anything great. Itis one of the
episodes in the history of Christianity. II
is like strong current that dashes up
against q rock and is beaten back again.
Why, sir. in short, it is simply one of the
eccentricities of the times