King's Business - 1918-04

276 THE KING’S BUSINESS Scriptures,” second, that He “ rose again the third day” (1 Cor. 15 :l-4 ). Given those two facts, which are absolutely and immovably established facts of his­ tory, the whole Christian system of faith and doctrine naturally and necessarily follows. A tract has been recently written by Prof., Shailer Matthews and pub­ lished by the American Institute of Sacred Literature, entitled, “Will Jesus Come Again.’fl This tract is so full of mis-statements, puerilities and absurd logic that it is really a cry of despair. It shows how strongly the post-millen- nialists feel that something must be said to stem the tide of premillennial truth, and how absolutely impossible it is to get anything that is really scriptural to say. •The tract will do much good, for any person of fair intelligence who will read it will see how impossible it is for the post-millennialists to answer the scriptural arguments of the premillennialists. They will feel at once that such a weak defense amounts to a confession of defeat, and they will see how impos­ sible it is to hold post-millennial views without discrediting the teaching of the inspired Apostles, and even of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Prof. Matthews shrewdly avoids speaking of the teaching of Christ or the Apostles, but con­ stantly refers to what “ the early Christians believed.” He speaks very sneer- ingly of what “ the early Christians believed.” He does not dare to speak of it as what our Lord Jesus and the inspired Apostles taught, though there is no mistaking that that is what he is sneering at. We welcome the tract. It will set many people to thinking on this great question, and it will certainly prove a boomerang to the post-millennialists. We expect later to enter into a thorough criticism and exposure of the fallacies,' follies and falsehoods of this tract, either in the pages of T h e K in g ’ s B u s in e s s or in tract form. The post-millenarians are evidently greatly disturbed over the rapid increase of, those who, are accepting the biblical doctrine of the personal, pre­ millennial return of our Lord. This is indicated by many things, as for example, Dr. Shailer Matthews’ tract, “Will Christ Come Again,” and by articles that have appeared from other post-millennialists in various magazines and pamph­ lets, but Prof. Shirley Jackson Case, of the Divinity School of the University o f Chicago, caps the climax. The University Press has just issued his book, “ Millennial Hope.” Dr, Case in his bitter opposition to pre-millennialism says, in an interview reported in the Chicago Daily News of January 21st: “ Two thousand dollars a week is being spent to spread the doctrine (i. e., the doctrine of pre-millennalism). Where the money comes from is unknown, but there is a strong suspicion that it emanates from German sources. In my belief the fund, would be a profitable field for government investigation. My object in writing the book was to enlighten the American people, for if the belief spreads many would not be able to see the need of fighting for democ­ racy. That the doctrine of the premillenarians has many supporters is cer­ tain, as the divinity school gets many communications each week from pastors all over the country asking how to combat the idea.” rjOST-MILLENNIALISM’S CRY OF DESPAIR. T TNPRINCIPLED METHODS OF POST-MILLENNIALISTS.

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