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THE KING’S BUSINESS N ot a “F ad .” A Chicago paper classifies Chiliasm as a “fad.” By the dictionary a fad is “a passing fancy.” In the British Encyclopedia under Millennium’ that prince of patristic scholars Harnac says, “Millenarianism appears so early that it might almost be regarded as an essential part of Christianity. , . In former times it was associated almost inseparably with the gospel.” Indisputably—it is not a F ad , no passing fancy persists a score of centuries. T he P urpose of missionary work is not “to give God am excuse to damn the world as soon as the gospel is preached to all nations.” What premillenarian says that it is ? God needs no excuse to damn. We teach that Christ comes not to damn but to save the world, and a cardinal distinc tion between us and our detractors is that the latter do teach that He comes to sweep it with the besom of destruction. No Chiliast believes that, he would cease to be such prima facias, but he is pre - eminently missionary . I t is scandalous to couple Chiliasm with Beeman, Schweinfurth, Mor- monism, Russellism, Doweism, Eddyism. It would be as reasonable to. charge marriage with polygamy; Christianity with “Christian Science” ; or to reject every tenet of the faith because each has been travestied. In sober earnest the responsibility for those heresies rests with our opponents. Millenarians are advocates of a whole B ible , opposed to “natural selection” as applied to Scripture. But for the “Spiritualizers” even Mrs. Eddy would not have dreamed of a “Key to the Scriptures.” . . “T h e V iew of prophecy on which this system is founded is now known to be false,” says one writer. He speaks for that- false criticism that has said, “Prediction does not predict.” He betrays a man who does not know that there is a world of scholarship outside his range, and in this he is with his assertive colleagues. The millenarian holds that Prediction predicts; the Bible contains prediction; what was predicted to pass came to pass as pre dicted ; what is predicted to come to pass will come to pass as predicted. This system is not “now known to be false,” it never can be false, it is, and it must be, and ever will be the system of all sound expounders of the prophetic Word. A “ S pectacular K ingdom ” is ascribed to the pre-millenial consumma tion. Here, perhaps, is a matter of taste. Some prefer Beethoven, others Wagner. But the Bible description is somewhat spectacular (Rev. 19:11, 20:3). Dr. G. Dana Boardman, special lecturer at the University of Pennsyl vania, said, “His second coming will be to glorification. It is among the infinite pro prieties of the future, that the earth whereon he once trod in defeat arid shame shall be the earth whereon he will tread in conquest and glory. . And so, when he does return, it will be in unspeakable power and pomp, efful gent in all celestial emblazonry, radiant in his Father’s glory and his own, sitting at the right hand of power, riding on the clouds of heaven, escorted by ten thousand times ten thousand chariots, and all the holy, shining ones of God.” “J ewish missions .” We are charged with specializing in Jewish mis sions, and confess to it. We do keep company with the Haldanes, Judson, Chalmers, Duff, McCheyne, and the Bonars. But, again, this is not peculiar to Chiliasm. John Hall, Howard Crosby, Cuyler, etc., etc., were no mille'n-
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