Year: 1876

(trom the New grk HerattI


There are four divisions Of Advan-
lists based upon the speedy coming of
Christ, the sleep of the dead, the an
Inhalation of the wicked, and that this
earth is to be regenerated and made
the heaven Of the redeemed. The ad
Yocates of one or mere Of these theo-
rie8 are found in all the churches.
Those who look for the speedy coming
Of Christ place that event somewhere
within the present century, though
comparatively few of them hold, with
DIR. Cumming, that it will take place
this year Those who believe in the
sleep Of the dead hold to the idea that
the mind is the result of the physical
organization, and that when the cody
es the mind dies also Hence they
believe that the resurrection of the body
and mind is a consequence of faith In
Christ the next class 60 a step further,
and b.liefe that the wieked-that is.
all who have not faith in Christ re
I've into nothingness when they die.
This class, who held also to one or
more Of these theories, call themselves
Christadclphlans They are more
numerous ax distinct sect. than the
Second Adyents, The belief that this
e rth regenerated is to be the home Of
blest or the new heaven and new
{ rth that the Apocalyptic seer saw is
very generally held by all. The Rev.
s, Il. Platt, pastor OF DaKalb avenue
Methodist Episcopal church, Brooklyn
holds to the idea Of the speedy coming
Of Christ, and for the reaaon that all
save two or three Of the prophecies
have ran out. And those relate to the
destruction Of the Papacy and the
burning Of Rome, and the explosion
OF the Turkish power from Europe and
perhaps also from Asia Minor They
can be fulfilled within a very few
years, He does not pretend to fix the
time Of Cbrist's coming, but he doubts
not there are steamboats, now on our
rivers and ships on the sea that will
be consumed il the world condagration
Men are building houses OF. iron as If
they were to stand forever, which will
melt like wax in the fires of that great
day. And yet there are comparatively ly
few who look for the speedy coming OF
the Son of Man For, as it was in
the days of Noah. they ate, they drank,
they married and were given in mar
riage and knew not or believed not un-
til he food came and took them all
away. SO shall it be when Christ
comes. Mr. Platt does not accept the
idea Of a millenium or the reign Of
Christ upon earth for thousand years
previous to the great Judgment day.
There is no Scripture upon which such
an idea could be based, and while he
does not attempt to explain that he
finds it opposed to so many others he j.
compelled to discard that theory and
let God take care Of the other. He
believes this earth will be burned up
and purified with ire SO as to become
the habitation of the saints and angels.
But while this process of pur fication
by fire is gcing forward we who are
alive shall be caught up with the Lord
in the air and there remain until the
process is completed. The general
Judgment is to take place on this
earth after that There may, however,
be a great distance in time between
the coming of Christ and the burning
of the world and the final judg ment,
and he would not fix time for any of
these advents, except in general way
to say that they will not take place
this year, but will take place in less
than twenty-five years, and may, and
very likely will, occur within the next
ten or fifteen years