Year: 1878

The Prophets tn Council.
The Prophetic Conference, as its friends
are pleased to designate it. has adjourned
without day. From our position as
terested in it as o religious novelty, care
fully watching its details and reading its
papers through, in spite of our increasing
bepuzzlement. We were struck, in the
first place, by the conspicuous absence, both
in the call and on the platform, of certain
reverend gentlemen to whom it is the habit of
this community to look for religious instruc-
ton, and by the further and perhaps equally
important fact that among the scores who
signed the call and were present at the meet
ings very few names are to be found which
have any national or commanding influence.
1t seems to have been conference OF the
unknown on the subject ofthe unknowable-
an attempt to be definite in the interpreta-
tion of dreams and visions which for ages
have been the despair Of scholars and COM
mentators. 1t is hardly possible to suppose
that the professors in our seminaries and
the learned teachers of the largest congre-
cations that are gathered in the city would
be Indifferent to matter as important as
the one discussed by this Conference is
supposed to be. It is very peculiar, there
fore. that one of them should excuse him.
self on the ground of his having married
wife, and another on the ground that he
has bought yoke of oxen, still another
because he has bought piece of land. and
so on until the chairs which such men have
the right to fill are all left unoccupied.


We were impressed, in the second place,
with the wonderful elasticity Of the Scrip
lures as interpreted by the Conference, and
the ability of the human mind to find there
whatever it happens to be in search Of We
are not sufficiently versed in these matters
to express any more than our surprise that
such enormous conclusions can be logically
derived from such meagre premises, and we
cannot check our wonder that some of these
OF information concerning the divine plan
which are closed to Others who, according
to human reasoning, would naturally have
the prior claim. The visions of Daniel could
not have been more clearly explained by the
Prophet himself, while those of st. John
were SO lucidly interpreted that the pre-
millennial advent of the Lord amounted, as
one speaker asserted, "almost to a mathe-
matical demonstration. This is not so re-
markable when viewed from the standpoint
of human conceit, but it is to the last degree
remarkable when viewed from the stand
point Of actual attainment in knowledge and
the general bewilderment of the profoundest
scholars up to the time when the Conference
held its first session.


In the last place our attention was called
to the unfortunate position in which New
York will find itself when the great event
occurs. The moving mind in the Conven-
ton declared, virtually, that Christianity
has thus far been an utter failure and
that the world is worse off now than it was
eighteen centuries ago. TO be sure, and
singularly enough, he failed to adduce his
proof facts, and contented himself with the
mere statement, which leaves us vague
hope that things are not as bad rs they seem
to be. We were greatly startled, however,
by the announcement that when the Lord
comes and all the saints are caught up in
the air this wicked city will suffer
no perceptible change. A few favored
clergymen will take their departure
but their large congregations. together
with our merchants and municipal
officers will all be left. Only few
vacant chairs will announce the consum-
nation. This is a degree of defniteness
as to who will and who will not be saved
which may be very refreshing to the few,
but it is equally depressing to the many.
When and under what circumstances the
information was obtained only the initiated
know, and they are disinclined to tell. It
is enough for US that ipse dixit


1t is not strange, therefore, that we bid
farewell to the Conference with sigh
of relief. and express the hope that another
may not be called in our day, lest it impart
still more disagreeAble news. 1t is one.
of the inscrutable providences that some
of us should know SO much, while others
know SO little, and that they who are so
excessively gifted should be those whom
you would never suspect of being so well
informed. On the whole it may be better
to continue our church services, our chari-
ties and philanthropies, Tor there is bare
possibility that some on. has blundered
On that bare possibility rests our hope Tor
the future.


Parties in France.


The results of the recent municipal