THE KING ’S BUSINESS
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Several stood up in church this morn ing and confessed Christ for the first time. Last week two o f our school boys were converted. The Chinese are very bright and quick to learn. The field has been well canvassed with Catechisms, and all those interested are studying in their homes.
The Catechism does not show them the plan o f salvation, but it tells them about the true God. Mr. Nowack is praying that he may have time to get up a better one, composed o f verses o f Scripture put together, giving the plan o f salvation. Pray for this, and also for the money for our girls’ school, which is no much needed. O
Why do Methodists so bitterly oppose the Second Coming of Christ? The Methodists do not bitterly 'oppose, nor oppose at all, the Second Coming o f Christ. It would be perfectly safe to say that the overwhelming majority o f Meth odists believe in the Second Coming o f Christ. Further than that, they not only believe in the Second Coming o f Christ, but they believe in a personal, visible, bodily Second Coming o f Christ. This is not to say that they are Pre-millenarians, but Post-millenarians ; even those who most oppose Pre-millenarianism believe in a per sonal, visible, bodily return of our Lord. They differ from Pre-millenarians solely on the question as to when that return will take place. The point o f difference is not as to the. fact, but as to the time o f the fact. A large number o f Pre-millenarians apparently have a way o f thinking that every one who does not agree with them in regard to certain details in connection with our Lord’s return, does not believe in our Lord’s return at all. This is an abso lutely unwarranted judgment. It should be further stated that it does not follow that even if a person does not believe in the Pre- millennial return o f our Lord, that he nec essarily puts the return o f pur Lord off for a thousand or more years, for a very large
.number o f those who are not Pre-millena rians do not believe that there is to be a literal millennium in-the future, and their point o f divergence from Pre-millenarian ism is not in that the Pre-millenarian believes that the Lord may return at any time, or at least within a short time, while they believe that He cannot return for a thousand years, but in that while they believe that He may return within a short time, they do not believe that His return .will be followed by a literal millennial reign on earth. One great difficulty in all the controversy is that each side to the con troversy does not understand the position taken by the other side. Beyond a question, many leaders in the Methodist Church do oppose, and strongly oppose, certain views taught by men called Pre-millenarians. O ft entimes these views would be opposed by many Pre-millenarians. The opposition o f some leaders in the Methodist Church to all forms o f Pre-millenarianism is beyond question due to certain dangerous vagaries that have attached themselves to Pre-mil lenarianism, and which are supposed to be an essential part o f it. Not a few who are called Pre-millenarians have attempted to set dates, if not directly for the Lord’s return, at least for events so closely con nected with the Lord’s return as to imply
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