The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-03
THE FIRST OF A SERIES
OFF CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH
EYANGELISTIC MEETINGS
Held at Music Hall Last Evening and
Addressed by Rev. Henry ID. Page of
Observation-Disclosures of Mr.. Pages Adj

Addressed by Rev. Henry Ii. Page OF
dress
The first Of a series of evening meet
ings conducted by evangelists of the
Catholic Apostolic church was held at
Music hall last evening and was attend
ed by an audience numbering about 800
people, among whom We're number OF
the members of that church who reside
in this city. The meeting was address
ed by Rev. Fl. B. Page of Hartford, who
WAS for twenty years an Episcopal mis-
sionary in Japan.
Following is a synopsis of Mr.. Pages
address:
The coming of the Lord is constantly
presented in the Scriptures as a great
object of hope, as an event fitted to
appeal to every Christian sentiment and
to be waited for with the liveliest and
most joyful anticipations.
Nevertheless, it is plainly foretold
that this event will be preceded and
accompanied by signal judgments upon
the nations; and as it seems certain that
the nations chiefly affected will be the
Christian rather than the heather ma
tons Of the world we are called upon
to seek an explanation of this remarka-
BILE fact of divine revelation namely,
why an event SO Joyful in itself is at
tended by circumstances so distressing
and fearful as these judgments are de-
clared to be.
In seeking such an explanat1 ton our
thoughts naturally, and first of all, turn
to those prophecies which represent the
Lords return as time of sitting and
testing, of separating the tares from the
wheat in the great harvest field of the
world that they may be gathered into
bundles for the burning; of gathering
out Of the kingdom all them that offend
and do iniquity that they may be cast
into the furnace Of the fire Of the wrath
of God.
But the explanation is only partial,
inasmuch as the trbulations of the last
days are expressly described as a period
of trial and temptation coming upon
them that dwell in the whole earth.
And so widespread and so universal is
the predicted time of trouble that ex-
cept the mercy of God should shorten
the days no flesh whatever should be
saved-all which language pictures the
judgments of God as falling not only on
the obstinately wicked and impentent,
but upon these also who profess to be
the servants of God and are recognized
by Him as being His people. And the
view that the people of God as well as
those who reject or deny Him suffer in
the tribulation of the last days is con-
- ,;eo erirr oh,
elation to the apostle ST. John. He saw
Grew. vii, SD a great multitude which
no man could number stand before the
throne in the white robes of righteous
ness and with palms, the symbols of
victory, In their hands. Upon inquiry
the seer is Informed that this great
multitude is one which came out Of the
great tribulation; and the context |
makes it plain that the trbulation thus
referred to is the great tribulation of |
the last days.
We learn, therefore, that a vast null |,
titude of those who shall be eternally |
saved are, Notwithstanding, allowed to |
pass through time of suffering hith-
erto unparalleled. The fact that God |
does not willingly aff1ict or grieve any |
of the children of men, and that His |
mercy and love are specially directed |
towards His own people, raises the |
question why this great multitude |
should come into such distress and |
chastisement. The only answer that |
can be given is that their willingness
to be made ready to meet Him rendered |
such fiery trial necessary. Their suf-
ferings, sent upon them In mercy and |
love, led them to do what otherwise
they never would have done-wash their
robes and make them white in the blood |
of the lamb
In short, God, who foresaw the moral
and spiritual condition of His people |
as it would be in the time of the end,
and their need of special help, promised
to send them Elijah before the great
and dreadful day of the Lord to bring
about repentance and full return to
Him-a promise of which the sending
of John the Baptist was a partial but
not complete fulfllment. This promise
the Lord is even now fulfilling; and the
evangelists of the Catholic Apostolic
Church wished it understood that they
delivered their message in obedience to
a commission thus foretod.
The speaker finished with an earnest
that his audience would hear
him throughout the whole series of three
lectures, without which hearing the ma
ture of this ministry of Elijah could
hardly be understood nor its extreme
and significance properly
Rev. Mr.. Page, the speaker of the
evening, is assistant pastor of the
Catholic Apostolic church in Hartford.
There are churches of this faith in Bos-
ITS NOT BIRTH,
No1. Wnalth Nor Stata hut slI IL LII, |