The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-01-19
A SECOND ADVENT SERMON.
BY REV. j. P. MAC LEAN, PH.D.
JANUARY, 1895.

When | was student in the theo-
logical department of st. Lawrence
University, it was the rule to have
three Sundays vacation during the
month Of February. This opportuni-
ty was seized upon by the Senior
Glass to seek a permanent location
when the college year should close.
The members of the Junior Glass
found it favorable to secure little
extra pocket money.
The vacation of February, 1869, l
spent at East Jaffrey, N. H. Soon
after my arrival it was announced
that there would be Second Advent
preaching at the school building hall.
Curiosity led me to attend one even
ing. Although more than twenty
five years have elapsed since then,
yet the picture has not grown dim in
my memory, and as this is the first
record l have made of it, my mind
has not been refreshed by written data.
The weather was unpropitious, the
walking was unfavorable, in conse-
quence of which the audience was
quite small. There were two speakers,
each of whom took a whet at the SUBJ
ject. Both men were coarse looking,
dressed in ordinary apparel. Their
earnestness in presenting their theme
convinced me of their sincerity.
Their object was to prove that we
were living in the last days, and that
the millennium was at hand. The
wall of the building back of them
was partially covered with diagrams
and pictures, presumably taken from
the book of Daniel. The smaller man
of the two explained these drawings,
and proved, conclusively to his own
mind, that the end of mundane af-
fans was at hand.
After his ingenuity appeared to
have been exhausted, the larger man
took hand in the matter, and proved,
doubtless to his entire satisfaction,
that the railroad train had been a
subject of prophecy, and on account
of the fulfilment of that revelation
the end was at hand.
The evidence was found in the sec
ond chapter of Nahum. The speaker
had his subject we'll in hand. He re-
ferred to no scrap of paper nor book.
He spoke earnestly, and appeared to
feel the weight of great responsible
ity resting upon him. He claimed
that this chapter was prophecy of
the railroad train. The first verse de-
scribed how cars were dashed to
pieces in collisions and from being
thrown off the track. In order to
prevent this it was necessary to
swatch the way" and hence men
were hired to protect the tracks.
In verse 3, "the chariots shall be
with flaming torches" is a direct
prophecy of the locomotive. The
word "chariot" refers to the engine,
and claiming torch" TO the headlight
in front of the locomotive. "The fir
trees shall be terribly shaken" is full
filed in the shaking of the ground,
and the consequent disturbance of
the trees, when the train swiftly
passes by.
Verse 4. "The chariots shall rage
in the streets; they shall jostle one
against another in the broad ways"
This refers to the noise the engine
makes as it passes through the
streets. They "jostle" when they
slacken speed, and the cars bump one
another. "They shall run like the
lightnings." The word lightning"
refers to train on the New York
Central called the ''lightning train"
Verse 5. "He shall recount his
worthless" This is the conductor
taking up the tickets. "They shall
stumble in their walk" In passing
through a car when it is in motion, a
person stumbles. "They shall haste
to the wall thereof" The passenger
hastens to take his seat THE de.
fence shall be prepared" This is the
side of the train against which the
passenger leans.
Verse 6. "The gates of the rivers
shall be opened, and the palace shall
be dissolved" Some times the draw
bridges are left open and the train
plunges to its destruction, and the
palace car is demolished.
Upon this chapter the speaker la
bored for nearly an hour. Notwith