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luded even as charged by the postmil- lennialists. And what becomes of the purifying hope? Should the saints for these nineteen hundred years have been watching for death? Shall we all begin to trim our lamps in 1923 when the season of the feast of trumpets draws nigh? The Apostle Paul says: “ Ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.” What can this mean if it does not mean that the saints, enlightened in the Word, will be con stantly looking for and ready for the great and blessed event? The words were addressed to those living in the days of the Apostle. There is not the slightest reason to believe that they are intended for a small company in the last days who may receive enlighten ment as to the year of Christ’s coming. The plain teaching is that we are to keep this hope ever before us, that we may not be surprised should He come TO DAY. The world is to be taken by surprise, and so sudden will be the Lord’s coming that no preparation will be possible. We would hesitate to proclaim to men that Christ could not come until 1923 or thereabouts, for He might see fit to come in such a year as we think not. Far safer, to say the least, to be daily, hourly living in expectation of His com ing. If he tarries until 1923, we have lost nothing. Like Jesus Himself, let us be “ henceforth expecting.” A CORRECTED EDITION In the epitaph which Franklin wrote for himself, he said, “ The body of Ben jamin Franklin, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its leather and gilding, lies here, food for the worms;’ yet the work itself shall not be lost, for it will, as he believes, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amend ed by its Author.”
early church that Christ might tarry for “ a long time.” (Matt. 25:5, 19). Yet this thought was in no way to' set aside the blessed hope as being imminent, for they were told “ no man knoweth the day nor the hour, no, not the angels, but the Father only.” Again we are told that “ Paul knew he need not expect his Lord any moment, for he knew the time of his departure was nigh.” It is interesting to contrast with this a statement from a postmillen- nial writer who seeks to prove that while Paul at the first fully expected the Lord to come in his day so that he would be caught up, instead of going by way of the grave, he subsequently found that he was mistaken and changed the teach ings of his later writings. Many post- millennial writers have frankly admit ted that the Apostle Paul did share in the expectation of the / coming of the Lord, but because of his misunderstand ing of the promises made by Jesus. But even granting that Paul did know in advance that his departure was to be bv way of the grave, have any of us had such a revelation? Dr. Griffith Thomas says, “ Paul’s example and his words alike teach us to be prepared to meet death with unflinching courage but above all things, to look for the parousia of the Lord.” There is always the pos sibility that we may depart in death, yet death is not our hope and even though we pass through the gates of death, the blessed hope will still be the Christian’s yearning, for until the sec ond coming of Christ, he will not be clothed upon with the glorified body nor will he receive his full reward. The same writer also tells us that in John’s Gospel the thought of John’s liv ing till the coming of the Lord is delib erately repudiated. Even were this true, (which it is not) is it up to any believer today to deliberately repudiate the thought that he may be among those who shall be “ caught up alive?” If so, the saints of all the ages have been de
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