Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-04
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
1t Will Be Bodily and Visible
Appearing of jesus.
IN LIKE MANNER AS He WENT
Address by Robert E. Speer of
New York.
Large Attendance at the Big Meeting at
Hanover Church on Saturday Evening
Report of the Speakers Argument.

About /, 1000 people heard Mr.. Robert
i. Speer's address on the second COM
ing of Christ at Hanoy or Church on
Saturday evening. Mr.. Thomas Mo
Corke presided on behalf of the Will
mington Bible Union under whose
direction the meeting was held.
Instructor William L. Pettingill Of the
Union led IN the opening prayer and
Pastor Freund of Hanover Church in
trcduced the speaker. Mr.. Sreer said
in part:
''If we should ask an average
audience Of intelligent people the
question, What is Christianity? we
should doubtless receive several diff
ferent answers. Some would say
Christianity is a set of facts. This is
true, but we might say the same thing
of geology. Is there no difference be-
tween Christianity and geology in this
sense9 But they would say Christianity
is set of facts about Person. Others
would define Christianity as set of
emotions. That could be said of
patriotism. But Christianity differs
from patriotism in that it is set of
emotticns that circle around Person.
"Still others might reply to our
question that Christianity is a set of
beliefs, which is true. but the same
could be said of idealism or any other
system Of philosophy. But Christianity
is set OF beliefs about a Person.
Christianity may also be defined as
set of rules of conduct, which is also
true of any system of ethics, but
Christianity is more than system of
ethies--it is a set OF rules of conduct
which gather about a Person.
THAT Person is Christ. And
Christianity is Just Christ 1t is
Christ, first, thinking of Him as a
historic Person and Character.
Secondly, thinking of Him as our
present. spiritual Lord and life. He
Is not tjsimply historic character mot
merely the Son of David who lived and
walked this earth IS centuries ago.
He is our present living Lord; He is
our life.
| "Again, in the third place, Christi
anity is Christ, thinking of Him as our
ideal and living Head of all mankind.
He ia not only Saviour OF each man
He is Saviour Of all the men together
whom He saves. He is the Head oi
the body,
r. Christianity then, is made up oI
these three facts: First, Christ came
to this earth; second, He went away
and third, the Holy Spirit came ane
is now here.
"But is that allY No; there il
another fact In Christianity and it il
that Jesus Christ is coming back
Christianity is Christ in these foul
senses The truth of His second com
ing Is necessary part of Christianity
And any Christianity that ignores thi
great fact is incomplete. Christs frs
coming requires his second coming
There is to be another coming, not il
humility, but in glory; not in shame
but in sovereignty. For the sake C
rounding out that which is incomplete
the second coming Of Christ is required
"And we need it personally. Th
constant expectation of His secon'
coming makes real the facts OF Hi
first coming and His intervention il
our present lives.
i" But all this is no argument for Hi
second coming. The Bible must settl
it; and ask you to look into tn
Bible itself to find out its plain teach
ings on this subject.
:The truth OF our Lords secon
coming hes suffered great deal fror
its friends. 1t has also suffered frol
, the neglect of Bible students Othe
j doctrines, relatively unimportant, al
{ studied, while this vital question
, neglected. Churches are split up o
/ questions ike baptism; but there
, twenty times as much in the Ne
/ Testament concerning Christ's secon
coming as concerning baptism. Agai
. this truth has suffered greatly beoaus
8 Of the scepticism the hardness OF heal
o and the materialism among Christians
Q They do not want to come into to
) close quarters with Christ.
Q Now, the teaching Of the Bible
perfectly clear on this subject of tf
n second coming of Christ Look at I'll
|. words Of Christ Himself in the openir
h verses OF the fourteenth chapter
# Johns gospel: Let not your heart
q troubled Ye believe In God belie'
Y also in me. @ If go and pr
IS pare a place for you, will come agai
v and take you unto myself. Now, loc
at Luke 70: 40 Be ye therefore reac
also; for tine Son Of Man cometh at {
hour when ye think not. Gould a,
thing be clearer or more unequivoc
's than these two statements-'I wi
come again. and the Son of M;
y cometh.' Add 10 these the eleven
70 verse Of the first chapter Of Act
] 'Tnis same Jesus :" will
,S come ia like manner as ye have SCI
= Him go into heaven And the la
. word Of all in the Bible is Just thi
= He which testifieth these thin
=. saith, behold come quickly
\; Amen, even 30, come, Lord Jesus.
~ This is :. real coming. All Chri
- tians admit that these words are
y the Bible, but many interpret tine
"a away. What did the two men
70 white apparel sayf This same jest
:, :. which is taken up from you in
~ heaven, shall so come in like mann
"a as ye have seen Him go into Heaver
= That is plain language.
. "But some say these statements fr1
% the Word OF God are to be TAX
metaphorically, and that they are fl
IN. filled at the death of the Ohristia
nv Is it possible to interpret the Bill
H. that way? In the last chapter of JOB
Z, where Christ said to Peter, referring
j, John, IL viii that he tarry til
j, come, what is that to thee?' we q
J. informed that the saying went abro
i. that John should not die. Here ii
9; clear dislinction between death a
IS. the Lords coming. This distincti
is, is also made in Ii Corinthians
Al IA, wnere Paul expresses his des
N, to be clothed upon with his glorifi
I'd body from heaven without being 7
~, clothed by death.
a. ..Death rs repre- sented in the Bill