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8/20/2019 The Day of the Lord by Joseph A. Seiss, 1861
1/42
~ ~ P m P . P . r A - \ P - ~ P . A P - . q . - L A ~ / L r \ A - . \ -b%,-\
T H
, , , , , . , , , * - * ~ v \ ~
S I l E 1 : 3 f 1 i N SOK
P R I N T E R S P l l I l rADd
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TIIE
D Y OF
THE
LORD
D E L I V E R E D
I N ST.
JOTIN'S (I,UTilT? :AS) CI IU RC II, I'IITL12T3EI,PIIId,
TIIE TTYENTY-SIXTH
S U S D A Y
AFTER
TIXJITY,
A D 1861.
JOSEPIX A. a m s ,
11 n
I U T I O I L
0,
"LAST TIIICS," "C0SI'I.L I S
LCTITICUY,
"LLCTURCb 9
IIEBRCTS," CTC
P I I I i i l D C I ~ i ' I I I A :
A O I D Y
ShilTTI E Y C ~ T I I S I IS CO., 3 XORTH SIXTII ST.
YD
1 1
T I I L I I ~ X
PUBIICATIOVIOLSC
3
N O R ~ I I
INTII
ST.
1 8 6 1 .
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INa time like ours, when n ot only tho gospel of t he
cross,
u t
even th e most elementary views of God, of riglrt
and light, are foolishness to the Greeks, and often even to
the noblest among them, i t is of paramount importance
t o
be faithful in the simple and fundamental truths ~vhich,
21ow~v~rnsignificant they may appear, are th e foundation
of a11 the rest, and to give
all
honor to trut h with manly
moral and logical energy, not heeding the conten~ptuous
shrugging of slloulders of either friend or foe. -DR.
AUDERLCN
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9
~ f t L e
~ o Y ~ I ,
A LECTUllE
O
11 PETER 1x1
3 14.
l L l i n o ~ i n ghis first, that there shnll come in the last days
scoff'ers, ~va ll ti ng fter t hei r own lusts , ancl saying , Where i s the
promise of liis coming? for since t he fa thers fell asleep, all th ing s
continue a s they
w er e
[ram the beginning of th e creation, etc.-
2 PETERii.
3 14.
A
VERY
iinportant portion of Scripture is tliat ap-
pointed Sor th is day s E pist le, which
I
have reatl, and
upon which
I
propose to malie a few observations.
The object of tllesc writings of
St.
Peter , as s ta ted
by
himself, was t o f urn ish a syilopsis of tlic tea ching s
of b o t h p~oy~l le l sL~LIpostlcs will1 respecl Lo thc
great salvation, and to keep his readers specially
atl
inoiilsliecl as to w ha t tlicy we re to expec t. A n d as
the
substance of
evaligelical doctrine is contnincd in
liis Epis tles in ge ner al, so th e snbstanc e of evang elical
predict ion is conta ined in this c linpter in p a r t i c ~ ~ l a r .
I
cannot enter in to
1111
the deta ils, bu t
will
select
a
few topics wliicli may profitably engage our medita-
tions.
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4
THE
D A Y O
THE LORD.
I. Tlie first I nalne, an d th at which forms the
c en tr e i n g ro up of ~ v ~ ~ l c l c r snd
at
once dctcr-
min es i,lle pcliod to wh ich th e whole subject relates,
is
i h e annou~zcem ent hat hrist s to r tuin again
to ti l earth I t is this d octr inc th at th e wllolc pass-
age is meant to assert, defend, elucidate, and enforce
in its practical bearings. It is a doctrine, also, re-
rnarltably prominent in
Ihc
s ac re d w r i t i n g ~ . A s
a
subject of hopeful
expectation t o
the pions,
and
of
ter ro r to t h e ungodly, i l is the nlost formally , rc-
peatcdly, and constantly affirmed.
To
say noth ing
abo ut th e Old Testam ent, (which is just as full
of
i t
a s tlle New,* but wliicll does not always distinguish
X
There
i q
scarcely
a
propllecy in the Old
Testament
concern-
ing Christ, that llotli not, in sorllctliing or otller, relate to lliv
second coming. -Sir Isuar i\rezufon on Di~lzzel, . 132.
The same oraclcs wliich at te st the first coming of Clirist, as
if impatient to be confined to so narro w bounds, cvcrflom, as i t
wcre, in to t l ~ c uture age, nncl expatiale
on
ilie piincipal facts
and circumslances of hi s secolzrl coming. -I1z~~il on t i l e Prophecies,
pp.
129, 130.
< ' I t mould be very difficult to select an y one en ti re prophecy
fro111 the Old Tc sian ~e nt , upposcd to relate to thi s event, [Mes-
siah's comiilg,] which was in rill ils p? inc?j~ccl ~ U T ~ ~ C Z L ~ U T Sceoln-
plished : ~ t ur Lord's first coming. So Stxr, inclcc l, as any im-
portance may be attachecl to the general expectation of the Is-
raclitish Cl~urchbefore t,hat period, scarcely any of thc things
which tliey loolied for and musecl upon wcrc folfilled a t tlie first
Advent. -.B~.ooks's Elemrnls
o
Pr o i 7 7 ~ e t i ca l l iafe~p~etatio?~,.
119.
Tlie coming of Cl~rists the leading silbjcct of the prophccics,
both of the Old a nd K e w Test,amcnt,, cithcr as relates to liis first
or second coming an d these ar e oft,cn i~itin lat cly onnected to-
gether, especially in the Old
Testament. -Bicke~sletil 's Guide to
he
Propilecics, p.
69
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THE D A Y
O F
TILE LORD.
ve ry clearly betw ern t lle f irst Ad ven t an d t h e scconcl,)
there is l inrdly n cl iaptcr in al l the cvangelicnl writ-
ings ~ v h ~ c hIOCS101 in some
way
refer to i t .*
The
Savior l i imseli ; during his
lifetime,
spoltc largely
of
a period W ~ C I I he mo nrnin g t r ibes of t he ear th
shall see tho Soil of ma11 coming ill th e clouds of
heaven wit11 power an d gr ea t glo ry , niid wh en he
sh all scilcl his angels, w ith a gr ea t sonlid
o l
a
t r u m p e t ,
to gatl ier l iis elect from t h e four winds.
(See
Matt .
xxiv. ,
xxv. L u k e xxi. ) Tl le myster ious l ieavcnly per-
~
I (
W e affirni, that TII RCUT.FYT.R'SN C O R T DArrE-knmG IS
TIIB
VERY ror , c-s~ art v ,rrrl: CIII;KCII.
Tliat i t is so I~clrl ortli i n tlie
New Test:~rnent, s beyond dispute."-Cl~~ist's Seeo? d C rnzi?~g,
y
Rev D. Uiotan,
B.D.
. 14.
I
am sure tliat any individual, who ha s not made t ,l ~eubject
s mat ter of previous investigation, moulil be sarprisccl a t tho
result of an attentive researcl~,by discovcring liow freqnently
tho sccorid conling of tile Lord Jcsus Christ is, in
Scripture,
bronght before the believer's view as an cvcnt x-hich lie ougl~t
t o lrecp in constant ~e eollc ction , o sti~i inIa( e iiin to incessant
watchfulness and until.ing patience in ru ~i ni ng ile rnce set before
him."- 1T71~ile IL the Second ilrl?>ent, 1. 13.
This rrn.s tlic great theme on wliich St,. Paul clrvelt, to animate
the first Christians in their trials and to console llleni in ilieir
afflictions.
. .
.
I t is the principa l topic of tlie A\pocalypseof St.
J o h n ; and to this he especially directs th e atterltion of tile first
Christians."-T'el.y
I2eu J
Jjoptist f'c~gcc~zi's
57zcl
of t i l e Il'oild, p. 1
(' ,I s an inceritive t,o repenlance and holiness to sinners,-as s
motive for watclifalricss, prayer, ze:rl, snd diligellce on t l ie part
of Christ ian ~ninist,e i,s nd peol~lc,-n~ore p~onzineace s.giue?z to it
[t,lie Snvioy's secoriil coming] in the
pnyes of
the Nezo Testclme?it
than f o wy othe?. Tlie apost les never failed to give point an d
pnngericy to their 15-xrnings and exliortntions
by
solemn reference
t,o the cer tainty and suddenness of the Lord 's coming."-Bishop
l r e n s h w 612 the Teconcl Aduenf, p.
220.
l i
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6
THE C A Y
O
TIIE LORI).
sonages wlzo appe ared when h e m ade his trium plinn t
ascension from the Mount ol Olives said to those
who witnessed it, Y e m en of Galilce, why stand
y e g az in g up i n to h e av e n ? t hi s s am e J c s ~ ~ s ,hich
is talien up from yon into heaven, sh all so come in
like m an ne r as ye h ave seen hirn go into heaven.
(Acts
i.
9-11. Pau l declares th a t The Lord h im-
self shal l desccnd from heave11 w ith a shout, wit21 th e
voice of th e a rch ang el, an d th e trui1ip of God. 1
Thess. iv. 16.) In the Bpis t le to the Hebrews we
read th a t Ch r is t uTasonce oirered to b ea r th e sins
of m a n y ; ancl un to tliem tliat look for him sha ll
21e
appe ar th e sccond lim e witliout sin unto salvation.
(I-leb.
ix.
28.) P e te r say s of liiinsclf and his fellow-
apostles, W e h ave riot followed cuniiiilgly devised
fables, wlien we rnacle hnow n ~ u l t o on th e power
and
coming of our Lord Jesus Clirist.
(2
I ' c t e ~
.
16.) Jo hn says, Beho ld, he cometh with clouds;
ancl ev ery eye sha ll see him , ancl th ey also which
pierced him. Ev en so, Amen. (l lev . i .
7.)
Ancl
in th e ve ry la st words which close tlle canon of
Scr ip ture i t i s wr i t ten , I Jesus have sent mine
an gel to testify urlto you tlicse thin gs
i n
the
Churches. Surely I come quickly Amen. (Rcv .
ss ii . 16-20.) I linow not of an oth er doctrine of th e
gospel t li at is ann oun ced .cviLh more pe rsp icui ty
01-
solemnity. Christ 's bi rth of th e V irg in M ary js not
more explicitly and unequivocally asserted, or more
certainly a ttes ted, tha n his re tu rn again to the ear th
a? l itera lly and tr ul y as he went up out of i t . No r
is the re Creed in Christendom, so far as I know,
8/20/2019 The Day of the Lord by Joseph A. Seiss, 1861
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TIX
D A Y O
TIIE
LORD.
7
which does not embrace it as an essential part of the
Church's faith.
I
shall come to juclge the quick
an d th e dead, says th e Creed wliicll bears the name
of Tllc Apostles'. I c shall coinc again w ith glory,
say s tlie Xynocl of Xice . W e believe t h a t thou
sh alt come to be our judge, lias been for ages su ng
in the
Te Deum.
T he gr ea t Confes-ion of Au gs bu rg
affirms t h a t C hr is t shall operily coliic again to
judge them th a t arc fot~ncl l lre , ancl to l ife
those t h a t be cl ad , according to thc Creed of th e
Apostles.
Ie ascended into heaven, and tllcre
s i t te th , unt i l he re tn rn to judge a l l men
at
the la9t
d ~ y , ays th e Cliurch of Englancl. W e do believe,
out of th e worcl of God, th a t ou r L ord Jesu s Ch rist
shal l come aga in from Ileaveil, arlcl t h a t :ifter a cor-
poral an d vislble m annc r, as lieretofore h e h a th as-
eencleci, bein g ado rned w ith gr ea t glo ry and mqjesty,
th a t he nzay appea r as Ju d g e of quicli ancl dead, say s
th e Collfcssioli of nel g ia . Anci ~~ T.itl lhe same un-
cqnivocal fulness is this article incorporated in all
ou r hym n-l~o olis an d liturgies, celcbratcil in o u r
sacrecl songs , woven into our very p r q e r s , and ut-
tere d over th e grave s of oa r friends as we collsign
th ei r bodics to th e gronncl. Indeccl, i t is one of tlie
g re a t mountain -pea lis of Christianity,-one of llio
th r e e g r an d p a rt ic u la rs ill ~ v l ~ i c hts sublimest sub-
stance lies.
The
Inc arn atio n, T h e Cross, ancl Yllc
Seccnd Conling ar e th e stem s upon which evcry
thing distinctive in Christianity is suspcnclcil, to
which its whole doctr inal system is adjusted,
anti
upon w hich th e hopes of th e ~ v o rl d depend.
To
8/20/2019 The Day of the Lord by Joseph A. Seiss, 1861
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TIIF: DAY O TIIE LORD.
st1
ilie
ou t citlier one of ih esc would be to m angle
the
r
bcrill turfs from elid to e~ lil , o
stifle
the voice of
l ) ro l ) lx ts alzcl apostlrs, to sl?oil lllc noLlcst of Chris-
t l m u tter ances
i n
tlle
clays
of t lie Churcl l s g ~ c a t c i t
puri ty, and to emasculate rcli g~ ou tself .
If C liris tia nit j~ , hen, call teacll ns an y tliing, or
if th e dc cl ar at io ~ ls f tho Xciil7tlzios nl c r t ,111
l.111ifl-
ing
upon
us,
as we profess to bcllcve th a t
tl1cy
clip,
mc m ust accept i t as a t ru th , a nd I-cly ul-ioil ~t
as
all
infallible
verity
that the same Jesus mllo
was
born
a t Bctl.~leheni, rucified on Calvary, and rec eiv e~ l p
illto heaven from 3lIo~lntOlivet is literally and pcr-
so i~a l lyo ret ur n again to th is world, to bc seen with
our eyes ancl llearcl w ith our cars, as h c mas seen a i d
llcnrd in th e clay t h a t he was talicli up. I f th is e
not t i ne , thcrc is
11
t ru th in language , n o inspira-
tion ill tlie Dihle, 11 substance in our faith, no
reality in the Ch ristian s hopes. Th e m ethods of
iuterprctatioii ~vliichcan explain away this doctriac,
or detach it from tlie teasllillgs
a n d
joyous expccta-
tions of th e proph ets and apostles, must, a t the sam c
ra te , s i lc~ice l l tha t ~ v c ave h i ther to heeded as the
oracles of God, a i d lc a~ rcus in
a
world of clarkness
with our only lights sudclenly and forever extin-
guished. I aecoriliagly accept an d declare it, as a
doctr ine
t n t
liluit stalld
o r
fdl l with Chr ls t ianl ty i t -
self, that Jesus is literally and personally, and
w i t h
gre at power alicl glory , to re tu rn ag ain to this world,
once more to treacl tllc localities alrearly hallowed to
his Church
by
his miracles and prayers and tears
an d blood.
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11
A
secoiid point
I
note in the texr, is the pre-
diction that, bq'"o~eC i l ~ i s ~hnll come
n g a i~ z ,a n d
imm ediately p~ ececling ilut p e a t event, l l ~ i s locii-ilze
of h is r e i u ~ n lzull becolne subject
of
cavil, doz~bt,
unbelief, a n d ~evile7r~ent.The apostle urgcs his
rcadcrs to " b e mindful of t h e worcls wliicli w clc
spolten before by th e holy p ropliels, aiid of tlie conl-
m sndrnen t of th e apostles of th e L o rd ancl Savior,
know ing this first, th at I h e ~ e lzall come i n the lasL
d ay s scqfers, zuallci71g after the ir o u n lus ts,
ncl
sny-
ing, 'rV1~ere s the p ~ o m i s ef his coming 2 for since
ilic fathers fell asleep all things conlinue
as they
were." ea rn from these words tllal, i n the times
to ~ v h ic h h c apostle :111~tdes, h e sul ject oS Ch rist's
coming ancl ils acc om p:~nin iciits is to Le agitat ed
and d ~ s c ~ ~ s s e c l ;ha t there will e nlany who ~ v il l ,c
very unfavorably affected toward
it
some of \vliom
will d e r~ y t altogether , sonic rcvlle i t as
a
fool1~11
dream , some agree tliat
it
is t ~ u g l i tn t l le Scriptures
but to
bc
undcrstootl alter
z
m an ne r v ery cliffcrcnt
f rom what the l l tcra l terms im po rt ; ant1 ih ni thcre
~ v i l l e
a
gre a t lzuclc
in
th e miiids of pcoplc
generally
of
susceptibility
to be seriously moved by th is subje ct,
oxeept to rcvi lc i t and to tu rn i t in to r ldic~ile .
A
scoffer is, properly,
an
iizsoleilt ricliculcr, s scorner,
contumelious
rcproacher . Hence, I Ie nr y in loc.)
describes these scorers to be persons who "laugh
s t th e ve ry rnention of C hri st 's seconcl corning, an d
do wha t in them lies to p ~ l t ll oul of co~ m tena ncc
who seriously believe a ~ i d ait for i t ;-who cniinot
deny t l la l there is
a
promise, yet laugh a t 11."
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1 THE
D A Y O F
TEE
LORD
Isa iah
(v. 19 ,
Jcremiall (xvii. 15 , and Ezekiel (xii.
22) had before prophesied
1
similar maniresta
t
ons
wit
refereace to th e same subje ct ancl th e same
tiiiies. A nd C hri st also says,
of
some of his own
proressed servants, th at , as t h c t ime draws near,
t liey wi ll pu t aside th e subjec t, and say , I l y Lord
delayetli his coming, and shall begin to smite their
fcllom-servants, aiicl to cat and clriiik with the
drunlten. (illat t. xxiv.
48-51.)
Star t l ing a lso is it, in illis con l~ectio n, o tllirlli
llom
i n o p e r a t i v e a n d n u l l t l i i s p o ~ v e r f ~ ~ loctrine of
Ch ris l ' s speedy re tu rn h as become in the rc l ig io~ l
f
m ocleri~ inies.
11
is
remarlred
by
a distingnjshed
G e ~ m a i i t l le o l og i a n~ ~ h a t
( ile
secoiid coming of
Ch rist, viewed in coniiection w ith t h e kingdom es-
tnblisllecl
1~yt
upon
earth,
occnpics niuch m ore
p r o m in e ~ i tposition in th c view of t h e Xacrccl Bcrip-
tuxes th an in t h a t of Illc mod ern Church. Tlle
remarl; is unqu estionably tru e.
Ii,may
safely be
said tl iat th ere is no l allother doctrine in th e ~vliolc
Cllristian Creed , of eqnn l prominence a nd im po rt-
ance,
which
is so coldly anci i~ldef iliite ly ap prc -
hcndecl, and so jqjune ly hclcl, by the great mass
even of those wl-io profess and call themselves
Ch ristia~ lr . ' ' People do not exactly deny th a t th ere
is a
promise
t h a t Ch rist xvill come ag ain ; b u t i t is
accepted only with so many allowances, that it can
hard ly be s a d to be received a t all as an efficacious
tru th . hI inis lers a iid expositors have become so
ac-
*
D r . C a r l A u g n s t A u b e rl e n , P r o f e s s or i n
Basil.
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TIi
D A Y
O F
TH
LORD.
customecl to gloss, spiritualize, and accommodate
t
other th ings th e passages wh ich spe ak of i t, nnil so
preoccupy their minds with fignrative, lirovlclcnlial,
and imaginary conlings of the Xnvior by rncnns
of his doctrines, gospcl, ancl Spi rit, t h a t his re al
coming-which is th e only one th e L b l e spealcs of?
an d which x ~ a s ever me ant to pass out of' th e view
of th e Church as ne ar a t hand-has wcllaigl-1 lost
i ts weight ancl place. I t has bccomc to ma ny a
mere fable. W h a t earn est Christ ian docs not see
a nd l a ~ n c n t he wide-sprcacl influences of' ratiolic~lism
a nd r a t i onn l i ~ t i cpl~ilosophy, explaining away th e
gospel Revelations, and even the most clemeiltary
views of insp iration, of God, an d of n~ o r a li tya nd
rig ht B u t t liere ar e no port ions of t lic Sc r iptu re
which ra t ional i sm so mucl~neglects, despises, or
degrades as tlie prophetic portions, and no class of
men whom it reviles with less mercy than those who
ar e so simple as to accept th e l3rophecies in an y thing
like their l i teral terms.
A
few clays ago
I
read, in a
sermon preached and pnblished by a clivilic whose
writ in gs ar e nnm erous and wicle-spread, th at he
clay of judg m en t, an d t h e da y of t h e Lorcl, anel th e
convulsions an d chan ges of na ta re , spoken of in th e
prol~hecies , are
t o
he inter pre ted xvith gre at lnbitude
of signification, as in t h e high st c Z e g r e e j i y z ~ r a L i v e ;
t h ~ t he clay of t li e Eorcl i s s im l~ly day of cala-
m ity , or a season of snff ering; th e clay of jud gm ent,
th e tim e .ivhen th e conseclneilces of' our nctiorls over -
ta ke u s th e end of th e world, often
the
end of
ihe
exis t ing s tate of things; and a new heaven and t
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1 2 TII D A Y O F
TIIE
LORI).
new e ar th , a be tter m oral conclition of tlie hu m an
raceH :: Tlie sanie author, in tllc same discourse,
says, F o r my own part , th e world seeins to nie to
be ye t in it s infancy. To me th ere is 1zotlling in
ilic Xcripturcs, nor in the prcseiil s tate ol things, to
lcsd nzc to apprehend t'he approach of the end ol the
world, Lut every thin g again st i t . Ev en tl ie la te
~ e l i e ~ a b l crofessor Stuart,-for
a
long time, if liot
sti ll, i h c v er y leacler of New En glaii tl csposilioii,-in
his revi c~ v f Duf ie ld 011 th e Secozlcl C on ~ii igo f hr ist ,+
jests an d jeers over tlie w hole sul?jcct, ancl lau glis a t
those who tr~li e l
U P ,
as in l l lc volume he re~r ie~vs ,
as believers in
j17z~tid
ables. Wllen Chrisliali i ty
was in its virgin
puri ty,
th is was anlong th e riiost
vivifying artic les of th e Creed,-the incentive to re-
pm~Lailce, h e iriotivc to f~ iit ll, lle czlcol~ragemczit o
fidelity , tli e iiisp iration of liopc, ancl th e s pr ing of
colistancy ancl zeal, ~ v l ~ i c hivested even rnar ty~ do ni
of te rr o rs ; Lnt in these last days i t l ias bccomc so
po~t-erlessn tlle coilsciences an d he ar ts of nlen tli at
a11177 ser iou s :liid pr ac tica l concern nbont i t is ho oted
as nnscliolnrly T\-enliness,and tlre nttcnlpt l o se t i t
f'ol.tli ztccorclirig to tlie words of t,he H oly G ho st is
riclicnlcd in hi gh ecclesiastical positions as ide ntic al
w ith th e advocacy of atristic legencis th a t mould
disllonor tlie
brain
of even th e Rabbies in ih ei r
~v ild cst lrcnms. L e t a rnnn, constrain ed by liis soleiiin
. - ~ i r n n p ' s&I i scc l l sneoas W r i t ings , p.
203.
j-
I I i n t s o n P r o p h ecy A p p en d ix
t o
2 d
edition.
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TIIE D A Y O TIIE LORD 3
convictions an d acco untabilitie s, lif t up 11is voice to
reasber t it, in its t ru e sc r i l ~ tu ra l igor a nd to bid his
f ~ l l o \ r sbe read y for its speedy realization, ancl pul-
pits an d presses point a t liirii as illore tllan
n
l i t t le
crazed, anci laug hin gly pn l hiin down on the ir rcndy
list ol lu nati c saints whose ldie utterances ti ley say
tirne proved to be b ut dreams. W e looli on, an d
wond er th a t some of tlie best an d most lcarricd me11
that have livcil shoultl be so flippanlly despatclled,
~nd h a t sn ch moiiientous subjects should be so jeer-
in sly set aside. Arid y et \\re ou gh t not to ~v on dc r.
r
1
he Sc r iptures long ago sa id i t ~voulcl e s o; and S t .
I 'e ter , i l l s t irr ing
us
to remembrance, would liave
u s assured , first of all, th a t sncli thin gs tlie last
clay:,
rvould br in g fo lt h. God has not, indeed, left liirn-
sc l f ~v i thout~vitnesscq. Thcrc are those to wllom
tho (loctrin e of th e corning an d liingclo~ii of tlie
Lorcl Jesu s is a l iving p ow er; whose liearts ar e
kilicllcd
with
the blessed pronzisc of h is coinirig
;
w h o , v ~ i t heloqucrit tongues an d ready pens, are
vali:~ nlly ontciiding for th is portion oi' he faith once
delivered to tlic saints
;
anrl who, tlio ug h langhecl a t
and reviled by men, are ye t l .~onorcd nd prospered
of
God. Nor
arc ihcir
words \v ~t lio nt ffect
i ninny
mreli ant1 pious he arts , wllo wi th tllein w ait an d hope
for th e comiiig of th e I~o rcl. C u t th e gre at nlass of
C2iristendom ha s no s yin pat liy w ith tliem, ant1 talics
plcasare
in
twi t t ing th rn i for t l l ~ i r r edul ity alicl
w ant of bett er learning. A nd \vhat is all t l iis bn t
Peter s prophecy
fu@Zling,-the very C hurc h joining
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14 THE D A Y
O
T ~ I E
LORD
in th e r ibald cry, W he rc is the promise of his
coming
? *
111 A
th ird point
I
riotice in this passage is the
im p o rt a n t chro~zological staternelat which i t c ontain s
w ith r d e ~ e n e e o the second comi?~gf the
Lord
I n
rcclconing ~vl-retherGod ha s been slaclc or no t con-
cernin g tllis proniisc, th e apostle urges i t
upon
us
very p articu larly not to overlook tl le fact, bu t to
rem em ber, liat olie clay is witli th e Lo rd as
a
thou-
sand yeam, and
a
thousancl years as one clay.
Moses, in t h e 11ineteenill Psa lm , had maclc a sim ilar
si,atenient ne ar ly two tliousanci ye ar s before. I t
was also a conimon tllin g anlong t h e ancient people
of Gocl to reckon d ay s as ty pi ca l of tho usands
of
ye ars. A11d as th cr e ar c b u t seven
days
(all tllc
rest being hut repetitions of thesc,) i t was held that
thesc seven days represented so m any th o u ~ a n d s f
years, in wllicli tlie ~vollcl, nd Gocl's adminisirations
Tliose \ ~ h o eny th r coming of t he Lord, aiiil the other gr eat
events of which tlie prophets speak, instead of proving illat the
prophecirs shall never bc literally fi~lfilled, re themselves strilr-
in g instances and cxamples of the cer ta int y of their accomplish-
ment; for
St
Peter has expressly propheqietl of these men, mliom
he calls scoffers, that would malie a jeer of the coming of the
Lord. Our Savior himself proplles icd lliat before hi s coming
nien would grow so secure t l ~ n t hey would set a t naught ill1 tlie
signs and tokens oi liis appearance. And it is a rille wit11 me,
the more I hear people deny the coming of Christ, the day of
judgment, and tlie conflagration, vith other things of the like
nature, tlie more to hold on to them ; for their denial
is
to m e
one of th e highest proofs of th e certa inty of those events. -
1finchester s Lectt6~e.r
n
the Prophecier, vol. iii.
p. 151
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TIIE D A Y
OF
THE
LORD.
5
concerning it, would be consummated. They sa id
th a t as th e worltl was six days in maliing, so i t will
continue for six tl-lousand yeare, to complete what
ha s since bee11 un de rta ke n w ith re ga rd to i t ; ancl
that
as God rcstccl the seventh day ant1 llallowcd it,
so tl le seventh thousand years is to be a gr ea t an d
hallove d world-Sabbath, in which th e f inished ~ vor lrs
of gra ce sha ll ex hib it t o Gocl an d fu rnis h to its
subjects a perSect rest.* P au l tells us, also, t h a t
th er e docs rem ain to th e people of God yest,
wllieh Joshna did not give, and th a t th a t res t is a
oupparlo/*o~,-a flabbatlz-iceepi?zg. (I Icb . iv.
8,
9.)
And in the Reve la t ion of John (xx.
4-7
we aye
told of a cert ain thousancl ye ars, fkr down a t t h e
elid of t h e world, at the commencement of wllicll
S at an is to b c bou nd, th e powers of w ickcdnes?
overth row n, ancl t h e saints raised from th e dead,
clncl during wliich the martyrs arc to sit on tllroncs,
and all tlre pious clead to be made blessed ancl holy
as tlle priests of God and
of
Chris t , and to re ign
w ith him,-which answers ex ac tly to tlle idea, of a
Grea t Sabb ath. These sta tements , taken a long with
th is declaration of S t. l etcr, t h a t one clay is to be
* The tradition that the cnrtli, as w e l l as the moral and re-
ligiou? st stc of it s inllnbitants, mere to ~ n d e r g o great change
at t he cncl of six tliousnnd ycals , h as been cletectecl in tlle ~v r i t -
ings of Pagans, Jews, an d Chribtialls. I t i s fooncl in the most
ancient of those comnlcataries of the Old Testamcxlt ~vliichwe
owe to t h e llabbinical school, a n d . preceded by several ccn-
turies the introduction of tile Christian f,~ith. -Bzai~op
Russell
on
fhc lThllennium p. 38
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6
THE
D A Y
OF TIIE LORD
taken as a thou sand y ears, and a thousand yea rs
as
one day, seem vcry well to be ar ou t th e old tracli-
tioa-refcrrecl to E lij ah th e prophet-tliat th c world
sliall co ntin ue for siu tho usa nd years,-two thousan d
ycars voicl, or without the la w ; t ~ v oh o u s ~ i id c ar s
undcr th e l a w ; ancl two thousand un der the Mes-
siah,-and that
t he
seve nth thousand ycars mill b e
h e day of tllc holy, blessed God," " t h e day of
j~ td g m c n t ,
n d
tlie worlrl to come."
It
is very cer-
tai n t lia t a vcry l ar g e proporti011 of th e proibundest
and best C'riristinn tea ch ers lave acce pted i t as prc -
sen ling th e t ri lt h of Gocl, arid re g~ ~ l;l tc clheir faith
on this subject accordingly.
The apostolic
B n r n n l ~ n s ,
he conipanion ol
St
Paul,
(
a good man)
and
1~111 f th e II o ly G host,"
has
luft us
an
Epistle , in which he says, (chap. x i ~ i .
-6,
"G od m ade irl six day s th e worl
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TITI.:
DAY O
TTT
L O R D .
1 7
Jrenceus
whose Cliristiall preceptor was the dis-
tin gu ish ed I'olycarp, one of thos e ang els of th e
Churches to wliom th e Savior in th e Apocalypse
directed one of t h e seven Epistles, also says, I n
wh atever nu m be r of clays th e world was created,
111
th e sam e nu m be r of illonsands of ye ar s t will come
to it s consumm ation. God, on th e si xt h clay, fillislied
the worlrs which he made; and Got1 rested on the
scveiitl1 da y fr o n ~ ll his w orks. Th is is a history of
th e past, an d a prophecy of th e Suture; for th e day
of tlie Lorcl is as a tllousa ad y ears.
Victorinzss, Bishop of Pet taw , who was one of
tlse niartyrs in the persecution
A n 303-313, says,
The t r a c and proper S i~ bb a th ha ll bc lrept in the
seventh m l l l e n n i ~ m t l l e r ~ f o ~ che Lo rd La th assigilcd
to those FevPlz clays indiv idua lly a t h o ~ s ~ ~ l dcars.
Lac tan t ius
wlio lived about Ihc snmc period,
says, L c t th e philosophers, therefore, who rcckon
u p tlionsallds of ages frorn th e beginn ing o l th e
~vorlil ,u nd ers ta nd th a t tlie s ~ n n otal l ias not yet
reached tl le s ix thonsaildtli year; and, whca that
nnnzher s
complete,
a n end m us t be nlacle of th e pr e-
sent st:xtc of th ings , an d th c condition of hum an ity
be monlcled anew for t h e bet tcr. As, the n,
a l l
the
~~rorli-sf Gocl were finisllecl ill six days , th e ~ vo l. ld
mnst co~ lt iuue n i ts present s ta te th rough s ix ages,
t h a t is, six thousancl ycars. A nd again, as, when
his works were finished, he rcstcd oil the seventh
day, and blessed it , i t follo~vs h a t upon the end of
the six thoasandtll year all evil and wicliedncss
mu st be wipcd away from th e e ar th , and justice
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8
TILE
D A Y OF TIIE LORD.
reign for a thousand ycars, and t l le world enjoy
calm an d repose from tlle la bors it
h:~s
o\v so l o ~ g
endured.
Cypi-ian tllc nolecl B i ~ l l o p f C'artllage, who died
a
marhyr to his faith, also says, Iil tlie Divine
ar ra ng rn ie at of th e world, seven clays Tvere a t first
employecl, and in t liem seven tho us ,~ ndyears -we]-e
incluciccl.
It ~vonlc? e cnsy to cite mlrnerons otllcr au tho ri-
tics of this sort frotn anlong tlic ancient Cliristiatl
f athe rs , such as C len icat, J u ~ t i nMarty r , I ' ap i
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THE
DAY
OF
TEE LORD 19
and
conclndes with these words, set oa t in lar ge
letters, line for line :
S A W I X G
OF TJIE SClIOOL OF ELIAS
TIIC
PROPIIET
Six thousand ye ars s l in ll the world s tand
Two thonsnlzcl, void.
T ~ v olionsnnd, the Lnw.
Two il~ousancl,Christ .
These are unto Gocl tlie six days ol thc wceli.
The scventll is t l lc cverlasting Sabbath.
Psalizl XC. 5, ancl
2
Pe ter i ii .
8.
A t l ionsand years are to t l ie Lord as one day. *
islzop atinzer also say s, Tlle hvorltl wa s or-
dain ed of God to continue, as Scr ipt ur e ancl learn ed
nien ag ree, six thousant1 yea rs.
Shal l
WP,
then, receive or reject this cornput
2 011
of the t imes ol th is wor ld?
I
believe tliat me
accept mucli upon far more slender grouizclr. Where
to filzcl scrious objections to it,
I
k i io ~ v o t. H O W
o
confnte it,
I an1
a t a loss. T1.ins God him self
lias colifornied t h e o r d r r of h is pioviclence to it .
1
1
he passages ol Scripture to which I have referretl
rnore thaii harmonize mitli it .
S
tliey do not abso-
Intr ly asser t or rcq uire
it, they sugges t it an d a r e
bes t
i i i terprctcd h y
it.
I t coil1ol.m;: to th a t ty pica l
system upon wllicli ilcarly every tlliiig mas originally
coastrnctecl. It llas becn bcllcvccl aiicl tau g h t as a
revelation
from God by a very large lzumber of the
ablest and most reliable of C hristian trac her s. T he
ancient Jewish Church held i t as
a
set t l ( l verity.
Walch's
Luther , vol xiv.
pp. 1111 1117
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20 TILE D A Y
O TEE LOI1D
And, for one, I feel bouild to accept it, until God
shall teach me bet ter .
I n w hat yea r of ' the ~vorlcl'sage we a rc l iv i i~g , t
is not possible at this clay accurately to ascertain.
Acc ording l o tlle common recli-oning, i t will y et be
about one liundrcd and tl i ir ty-f ive years to the end
of t lie s ix t l iousai~d . B L I ~liere is nothing upon
~ v h i c h cnrilecl nlcn differ mo re th a n on th e siibject
ol chronology. I know of no systein wl~icllcan be
received w ith confidence. Some nialie th e time m ore,
an d soinc less, to t h e cild of th e
six
tliousand years.
Ja rv is calculates ye t one hnnclred an d tweiity y ea rs;
P,r o\v n~ , bout th ir t y Bliss, nhout twen ty Shimc-
all and Snvillc, abou t sc vc i~ Bowcn, five nad F yne s
Clinton, but
one.
Tlle t r n t h is, tliat 17otliiiig ve ry
tlefi~lite s l rno ~~ rii11 th e subject . TVc li-no~v illy th a t
w
are ill tlie evening of th l a ~ tilystic day,-tlic
S atu rd ay of t lic world 's long week. A t an y rate,
Petei- 's rcmarlr is tru e, th a t llc L or d is not slack
coliceriliilg his promise, as sonic men couilt slack-
ness. Th oug h always presen ting t h c clay of t h e
Lord as
YLCU.~.
and really and truly so in vai-ious
i~ np or ta a t espects, y e t so i n tlle highest aiicl fallest
sellse
osily
accortlirig
t o
t h a t s y s t c l~ iwhicl-1 tnlies
a
thousand years
as
one day. Th is was his gracio us
plan from the beginning, to which he lzas all the
time been working, clclaying to execute speedy ven-
geance upon th e wickedness of m en, a nd exercisiilg
upor1 tliein his grea t lon g-su rerin g th at they m igh t
repent and be saved. H e a lways m eant to come,
and to come soon; but he never proinised to
come
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TIIE D A Y
O
TlIE LORD. 21
any sooncr than a t the end of s ix thousand year-
day?,
which a rc only now for ll ie fi rs t t ime ~ ~ c r g i n g
to thcir close.
We may,
accorcliagly, lalie this text
as
ail iuti-
mation that a grcat Sabbath ol' rest nncl glory is in
rese rve for this wo rld, ancl th at , if no special provi-
dcncc slinll come ill to sh o r tc i~ h e tinlc, we m ay ex-
pect it to commence a l t h e conclusion of th e six
thousallcltli year from t he creatio11,-which cannot
an y longer be far off. M ay God ha sten tlle tim e
IV Another point I notice in tile test is the
sfnie7rmzt as
to
the ??zamne~7 which the d a y of the
Lord
shall
be ushel-ed in.
The apostle says il
-\vill come,
lotw with st n cling
th e sltcpticisin alid tlic
scoirs of men, a i d th at i t will come as a t l ~ ie f l l
t h e
iiight.
Pa ul a lso makes th e same s tntcmeat , in
th e same words, as a nia t ter ~v cl l n ilerstood by t he
primitive Christians. 1 Thcss. v.
2.)
And t l ie
Savio r himself has given noticc, Bcholcl, I come
as a tliicf, (E ev . xvi.
15;)
not , i~~c lecd ,ith tlie de-
signs of a thief, but in such time and in sucll
nlanner
as
tile thief comes,-or, as lie elsew here c s -
plains
it,
' ( i n uch n koz/'j.CIA y think not.
(Mat t .
xxiv. 44
.)
That holly will
be
a n 1 1 0 1 ~f tize
~zigiz~,
oth
liter ally an d figuratively. N iglit is tllc time wllen
thieves w ork ; an d th e statenipnt is th at lic will coiile
as hief i n tile wight. W hen th e ~m cn~bocliccl
W o rd of God, a t tlie bcgilining, first came into our
world, i t was ni gh t; for darkness was upon the
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22
TILE
DAY O TIIE
LORD.
face of th e clecp ; and tha t Word was,
Let th r be
Zigj~t nd there was l igh t . W hen t l ia t same W ord
hccame jucarnate, a nd was bo rn into th e world as a
man, i t was in th e night,-while shepherds were
( keeping w atch over the ir flocli: by nig ht. A nd so
his coming in the gre at day shal l a lso be in th e
night . W he the r i t s lia ll be in th e second watch,
or in th e thircl watch, wh ether a t even, or a t mid-
n igh t , o r a t the cock-crowing, o r in the n io ra i i~g ,
we kiiow 11ol. This oilly we lcaow,--that i t sl lall be
(
i n
t h e n ig ht , w hile m allkiiid is n ~ a p t n sleep,
and svorlclly faiicy fecds on golden dre am s. B u t i11
th e figurative, a s well ;IS i l l th e l i teral , night,-in th e
clnrliest ho ur of th e Chu rch a n d of th e ivolld
;
wheii
therc wil l be but l i t t le gci iu inc aposbol ic fc~~tl ind
life i11 tlle enrtli, and tlie virgins, both wise and Sool-
jsl-I ar e slumbel.ing and sleeping; wlien th e powers
of clarklress have put forth their last and most suc-
cessfill attem pts, and unsanctificd hu m an ity is most
deludecl with dream s of security an d progress --then
tlie
clay
of th e L or d sliall come, and th e long-abse nt
Jcsus be again revealed.
That
hour mill also be an uncxpected hour.
Tlic
thicf comes uncxpectcdly. H e does n o t tell th e good-
ma n of tlre housc ~ v hc ii ie will come. I I e tries lo
niakc l iis approacll with as l i t t le intimation of i t a t
tlie tim e a5 possible. A i~cl o of tlrat da y an d hou r
k n o ~ v c t h no m a n , no, no t tlie allge ls of heavcii.
( M a t t , xxiv 36.) As jn tlle day s t h a t were before
th e floo(1 thc y v e r e eat ing an d clrinkiilg, nia rryin g
an d g iving in mar ri agc , un t il t he da y th a t Noe
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THE I)AY OF TIIE LORD
3
entered into the ark, a?xd knew o t until the flood
came, an d tool< the m a11 a w a y ; so sllall also th e
com ing of th e
Son of lnan be." (M at t. xxiv. 38.
Preceding signs tlicre will be,-"signs in th e sun ,
arid in
the
moon, and in the s tars , an d upon the
earth ," (Luk e xxi. 25, 26,)-but no t such signs as
th e unbclicvillg world shall und ers tan d and heed,
(Daniel xii . 10;) for
up
to the veyy time of the
bu rsti ng fort11 of doorn th ey shal l be say ing , Peace
ancl safety."
1Thess. v. 3. The wise, inilccd, shall
understand, ar id "arc not
in
darlincss, that that clay
should overtake
t lz m as a thief." 1 Thess, v. 4.)
Occ npyiiig, watching, wa iting, exp ecting, as tho
Savior coniniands, th ey shall be r c a ~ l y o receive
him , an d to shout, Blessed is he th a t comelh in t l ic
name o l the Lo rd " yea , and to mount up to meet
him a s on eagles' wings. (Isa.
xl 31.)
B u t w ith sudclenness, as well as s tea lth, sl lall t h a t
h ou r com e. T o a ll m hosa h a r t s a r e o v e r c l i a r g ~ d
with surfei ting , and dru nl< en n~ ss, nd cares of th is
life, i t sllall
come unaw ares." Th e destruction
which i t is to brin g to tho gu ilty will be "sudclen
dcstrnction." 1Tliess. v. 3. But cvpli in the case
of those pr eparec3 for i t , i t will corne wit11 a degree
of suddenness. Upon "ull.,"-"all tlienl t h a t dwell on
th e face of the who le eartl-1,"-ivhicl~ would seem to
include the clcront and watchful as well as thc care-
less an d unbeliev ing, tlie Xavior say s, i t will come
a s a sna.i.e." (L u k e xx i. 35.) Quick as the spark
from smitten steel , and sudden as the l ightning's
f lash , shal l i t break in upon th e world . Fo r as
t h e
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4
TIIE
DAY O F
THE
LORD.
l igh tnin g cometh out of the east and
jl sheth
even
ililto th e west, so sllall also th e com ing of th e S on of
man be. (M att ,
s s i v . 27.)
In a nioment, in the
twinliling of an cye, say s tlie :~p ost lc, 1
Cor.
xv.
52,
sliall tlie great tmnslation be effected; and
before we lrliow it we shall be changecl.
There
is
also this otllcr feature attending tlie ope-
rations of tlie thief,-that h e is u ~ u n l l yn the Iiouse,
a n d tlirougli o r well on with his wo rk, before his
presence is discovcrcd. TVc miss v h a t he has tnlien,
we beliold th e depredations lie has wro ugh t, or we
ar e aroused by tlie cracklin g of th e flames his hands
have ignited. A nd so Jes us will pcrliaps he here,
anrl dolng his worlr, bpfore
we become acquainted
wi th the i j c t .
I
suppose th at the f i rs t cvlde~ ice l ic
living saints ~ v il l hav e of liis presence will be
conteniporaiieous wltli tlielr translati011
;
bu t there i s
a t least oiie g e n t transnctioii conliectccl ~ ~ ~ i t hh e
scenes of t h a t ho ur wh ich sEiall precede t h e tra ns -
la tion . Pau l says, W e th a t a re a live and remain
unto tllc coining of th e L or d sh all not
go
efo~e
hem
which a rc a~ le cp ; an d th a t wlleii the Lord s lia ll
descend h e dcnd in Ch rist shall rise first.
L
'Phcss. iv .
15, 16.
1i:very Ch ristian's grave sha ll
be vncaterl, nnd 111s corrilptlble body have put on
~n iino r ta l i ty , cfore one l iv ing sa in t shal l be trans-
la te d. EIcrc, thc n, will be sornetliing carr icd off
before th c world shall find out an y th ing about w hat
has happened; for
I
suppose that tlie rcsurvection
of th e saints will conform to th a t of thei r L ord, an d
not occur visibly to m en in t h e flesh. Wo fa r
as we
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TIIE D A Y O TEE LORD
5
linow, iiobody saw Christ rise, A n d it would scclii
as iS tlie same ste alth were to a llen d th e translation
also. A nian iiz his
Led
shall a ~ ~ ~ a l ~ c ,nd find llis
wife go ne ; an d nnotller sliall call for his Sc~itlif~~'ui
se rv ni ~ l , rid f ind 1-um miss ing; ant1 watcl lers a t t l ~ c
coucli of aflictioii shall look for the ir pa tient, an d he
shall not be, because Gocl llas talicii hlm. It is so
th a t 1i:iioch scelns to ha ve been s to lc ~ i way froni th e
earth . (IIcb. ii. 5. Elijah in liis ascclisioii was
visible to
l l
frien d slid successor oilly as 2 special
Scivor of God which hc could not prom ise in ad -
vance. (2 K ings i i. 10. An d ~ v i t h he s tcnl tl ii iicss
of the uiidiscovcrccl thiel the Szvior, i t seems, will
come an d remove his clloseli saints ~v itli ou t tllcir
most iritirnate eartllly hiencls k no w il ~ g t, cxccpt by
wh at ih cy afterw:trd miss. ELat,h
he n o t
said as
much himself? W ha t are his words
I tell you,
in1 t h a t ni gh t th er e sha ll be tnro in one be d ; th c one
sllall be talien, an d tlic otlicr left. Two sha ll be
grinding tog ethe r; th e orlc shall be talien, and th e
otllcr
lcft.
T ~ v o hall be in the field th e one shall
be talrcn, an d th e oth er left. (L nk c xvil. 34-36.)
W h a t
are me to gat,Ilcr from tliis,
b u t
t h a t
t he
one
shall
iintl
th e oth er stole11 aw ay from lliin wi tho nt
his
knowing i t a t ihc
t i m e ?
The
wiqe virgins
m e t
tlie
Bridegroom, nlid
hntl
already entered in will1 him
t o
tlie feast, before th e foolish ones fo~uiid t out. (' T h e
day
of the Lord corneth
as a thief n
t l z
night "
Solenin a i d afl'ectilig tr u th TVatcl~ ye, there-
fore, and
pray
always, snith your Lord .
(Luke
xs i . 36 . )
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26 TIIE
D A Y O
THE LOZD.
V . Still anotlicr point
I
notice in the tevt is the
terri.c eon$agi.ntion 7uhich
i s
to lake place u;Jzcn
Christ comes.
I t i s remarkable tha t g rca t f ires a rc
eve ryw he re spoken of in conilection w ith th e da y of
Christ's revelation.
Pa ul says, T h e Lorcl Jesu s shall
be revcalccl from heaven wltll liis mighty angels,
n
jlam ing jire taking ve?zgeunce u p o n them t i ~ a t,now
not God
nd
that obey not tile gospel.
( 2
Tliess.
i.
7,
8.)
Ev en ill th e Olcl Tes tanlen t i t mas prophesied,
Beho ld, t l ie day conieth th a t sha ll ba rn as an oven;
and l th e proud, yea, an d all th a t clo irvickedly,
shal l be s lu hb lc ; and the day th at comeil l shal l
burn them np. ( l la l . iv. I.) Yea, saith tIie Lord,
I
will shoirv irvonders in the henvc~lsand iu the
e ar th , blood, and firc, an d pill ars of sniolio. (Jo el
ii.
30.
A n d so we also read, in th c tex t, of fire, an d
very g re at h ~ a t , nd nlel ting, and burning, in th e
a i r and ill tl le c lenients, in th e e ~ r t h
n d
in the
thillgs on th e ear th . More, however, has been made
of thesc fires than , I t hi nk , i s ~ v a ~ r n n t e c ly Scripture.
T h c most explicit passage on tlle subject in all th e
Bible is this from Peter, which is rather s trongly
transla ted, an d so worded in our version as to lead
off
the reader 's imagination l~cyoiidwhat hclieve
to bc the apostle 's meaning.
H e spcalis of t h e heave ns being oil fire, and
as
to pas s aw ay an d b e clissolvcd. People rea d
this, an d begin t o th in k of th e regions of th e sun ,
moon, and stars , alicl so m o ~ u l t p arnong th e orbs
an d systems of creation, un til th e words before
them become
a
pic tur c of tlie en tire w reck of th e
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TILE D A Y
O F
TIIE LORD.
27
whole nia tcr id universe. B u t
I
am
satisfied that
the re was aot2ling of t h e so rl in t h e mind of Pe ter,
or of th e IIoly Gliost by whicll he wrote. Th e wo rd
reilclercd -leavens meails simply t h e atm osp he re
~vl l ichsurround s the ear th, an d does not car ry us
an y furtl-ier th an th e regions of th e clouds an ti
miiicls,-- the air, (Matt. viii.
20;
Rev. xix. 17,)
he slcy, (M at t, xvi.
3,)
the realm of tlic cloucls,
(M att . xxiv. 30; Jam es v.
18.)
The word rcnclered
being on fire simply mea ns inflamed, mad e fiery,
an d may be considered as having i ts irnport in th is
placc exhanstcd by a condition of the atmospliere
in w2iich it is heated, filled with fiery volcanic
emissions, anJ l i t
up
w ith ligh tnings. The worcl
rende red sllall pass a ~ v a y oes not mean, to cease
to exist . I t means, t o pass, as from one place or
s ta te to another
as
where we read, h at no man
m ight pus s by tl iat way, (M att . vii i. 28,) Jesus of
N az ar et h passe ti^ by, (L uke
xviii
37.) A s applied
to the atmosphere, i t expresses a change implying
motion, and that very violent and boisterous, as
tlle accompanying word, rendered with
a
grea t
1 cannot but feel astonished that any serious and intelligent
man should have his mind fettered mith the con~mon-I might call
it the vulgar-notion of a proper destruction of tlre earth. Some
seem to extend the notion to thc mhole solar system, appliecl to
tile idea of an extinction of i t and reducing to nothing; a11d thi s
rlotion has been general, and thus it has gained so strong a hold
upon the feelings of many pions persons t ha t t hey have n ~ a d et
an article of faith. But I confess myself unable to find any evi-
dence for i t in
nature,
reason, or Scripture.-Jolln I'ye Smzlh,
D.D.,
F R S : Geology
nd
Revelation, p. 161.
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8 THE
D A Y
O TIIE LORD.
noise, also indica tes. Tlie additional word rcil-
d e ~ ddissolved is of t h e same gen eral impol t.
I t means to loosen, ~ uz bin d; as where the B:\vior
says of tlie colt, Lo ose hi m ; an d of tlie apostles,
\Yhatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in 11c;lvcn. It is used in Acts xsvii .
41
witli reference to t h e brcaliing aw ay of th e hinclcr
]>art
of
t h e
ship
iii which P a u l was -cvrecliecl. I t
r e lc r s liere to the rup tu re of those i l l l i ~ ~ e i ~ ce s
mliicli now ho ld the v d r i o ~ ~ sar ts of tlic physica l
wollcl in cluiet,-lo a, fi-ceing of tlie elements
to
rusli
ancl clash ahont
in
de st ru ct iv e commotlol; niicl m i-
resbrainilil fnr y, jus t as th e Psa lnii st clcscribes t h e
scene
:- O u r
Goti slinll come
;
a fire shall clevonr
belo:-e him,
ncl
i sha ll be v e ~ yenzpestuous .j.o7~?zrl
abo ut hzn ~. (Ps. 1. 3 . Tli is is th e ~v ho lcesteilt of
t lie tcrm s concc r i~ing he fa te or ( ( ihc henvens.
A n d even in wllnt is said of lic ea rth tlic ivord
docs n ot 11cce;;snrily mean t h e en ti re globe on w llicll
we clwell. \\re oftell speak of t l ~ eC ~ T ~ / Lv i t l l o ~ ~ t
nieaning the wliole planet. W he n any violcrlt
p
he av al o r agi tat ion of th e surface of t h e cart11 occnus
i l l
a
par t icular d i ~ t r i c t r country , we say, Li~eeclrtl~
shooli, an d call
it
an ea~thclnalie,-wllcli real ly i t
~ v z
only the crus t
of
the eartl i , and that in oilc l imited
locality.
It1
the n ight- t ime wc say, tlze ear th is
wrapped in darliiiess, when i t is less tliali one-half
of the earth that is so cnsl~routlcd. The snine worcl
is also frequently trnlislaled ln?zfZ,C O Z L ~ ~ I ~ ~ / ;xs, ( ( tlie
~ o L ~ ~ ~ R o v
i th noisy
r r ~ s l ~ i a g .
Cra l~me l . ~
ib le
roads,
i n
~ I P nwner of
a
lenpcst; Dc
Wette,
' (vtzt Gel bi~sc7~.
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TITE
DAY
O THE
LORD.
9
land of Geniicsaret, (Marl
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30 THE D Y O TIIE LORD
except as every constltnent element of the ear th is
fouild in any given portion of i t ; just as we find the
elelnents of the ocean in any drop from the ocean.
The relcrcnce, plaiiily, is only to such Iusihlc and in
flammable substances as may be subject to the action
of thc judgmeiit-fires, without determining ally tl-ling
as to the extent of the coaflagration.
Tlie word
rendered shall melt is very mucll the same as
that just before trai~ilatecl dissolved, and is nearly
everywllere else ill the Scriptures translated loosed.
The additional word reildercd with ferveilt lieat
is tlie participle of a verb signifying to be J~ealecl, et
olzji~e,n$amed. The plain grammatical mcallilig of
tlie phrase is, that certain clcmeiltary substances-of
the earth shall become loosed and disiategratecl by
being heatcd and set on fire, as in the case of great
and violenl volcanic crnptious, when vast floods of
fire and lava are ejected horn the earth, filling mllolc
countries will1 darliness and destruction.
Ancl in such a conditioil of things we can easily
conceive what is mc,znl by tlie otlier pllrase, ('the
worlcs that arc in the enrtll shall be burned. Our
xrersioli reads, c~ll he worlis;
bub
this word
all
upon which some lay so much stress in this con-
nection, is not in the original. It is ail acldition of
the translator. Tliere is no reason to believe that
all the works that are in the earth shall be bnraecl.
Of course, as f
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THE
D A Y O F
TIIX LORD.
3
13nt, as t he re is nothing to show th a t th e b urning
an d fusing of th e e ar th is -to be un iversal, so the re is
no reason to believe that this dcstruclion of the
worlis th a t ar e in i t i s to be
universal:
the one is
commensurate w i th th e other , and in ne i ther case do
the words imply universali ty.
The statement which the apostle gives coilcerning
i h e
o ject
of thcs e fires also bca rs ou t th e conclusion
th at the y ar e not to be universal. They a re for
the perdit ion of ungod ly m en; th a t is, for th e
ternporal clestrnction,'K and the precipitation iiito the
tornlcnts
of a llo the r world, of t ho sc upon whom
Ch rist 's pa rticu lar veiigeance is to fall in tliat notable
day of th e Lord. T h e ung od ly mea here spokeil
of cann ot ta k e to
be
all classes of th e unrcgeaernCe,
including evcrybocly not found worthy to cscapc the
grea t tr ibulat ion of those times. Th e Scripture s
teach that t l iere wil l be cverl Christian people, in
tliat clay, mlio will not be counted worthy, and who
shall be left when Ch rist has take n to himself
tliosc found fit for the iranslnlion.
Tllc parable of
t lie ten v irgins is proof ci~o ugli on thi s point .
Fi ve of these virgin s were foolish; b u t the y wcrc
still virgin^, and also had the oil of grace in their
lamps. Th ey do not, therefore, ra nk with
('
ungodly
men, an d thosc em inently wiclied an d blasphemous
people who are everywherc singled out as the
sub-
jects of t h e g r e a t destructioli. These, th en , 8,nd
The Geneva version reads destruction, instcnd of “per
dition; De Wette,
Untergangesn ove~thmu.
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3 TIIE DAY OF
TIIE LORD
many others, shall bc left upon th e earth, in the
flesh, ~vhclz Chr ist comes, ancl sh all pass ov er, a s
Noall an d his fam ily over t h e flood, to be th c subjects
of that new order of tllings which is then to be sct
up. Th e victims of the sc jndgment-fires a r c to be
only the actually and flagraiitly wiclied, men dis-
tinguished for their impiety and rejection of the
claims of God,
confederates
in
wrong, adherents of
tlle beast aiicl ihe fi~lseprophet, and despisers and
blaspheniers of the gospel of Je su s; as ~ v c ead in
various passages of 8cripburc.* F o r th e da y of
th e Lor d of hos ts shall be up011 eve ry one th at is
proud and lofty, and LIPO~I every one that is l if ted
u p ; and lie shall be brou gh t lo~v. (Is a, ii . 12.) And
that these characters may receive this their doom ill
the most signal manner, wc read that thcy nre to bc
marvellously draw n togethe r b y P rovidence, (Zech.
xiv. 2 ; Rev. xvi. 16, as the wiclied Jctvs in the
cncl of th eir s ta te were gathcrecl togeth er w ithill th c
walls of Jern sale m , an d, a t a molncnt whe n they
least expect i t , i h c Lo rd will plead against them
with pesti lci~ceand with blood, and mill rain upon
illern an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, aiid
fire, and brimstone, (Ezek. xxv iii. 3 2 ; and the i r
flesh shall consunle away while th cy s tan d upon thc ir
feet, and tlieir eyes sha ll consume away in th ci r holes,
and their tongue shall consumc away
ill
their
mouth, (Zech. xiv.
1 2 ; )
whilst their leaders are
Sce
Dan.
vii.
10,
Matt.
xiii.
41,
4 ;
2
Thess.
i
7
8 ;
tev
xvi. 13-1 0 xix.
19,
20.
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THE
D A Y
O F TEE
LORD.
ca st alivc into t h e lake of fire bu rni ng wit11 bri m -
st one ; so fulfilling tllc ivorils of tlle
P~a lm ,
xxxvii.
20,) The ~vickeclshall perish, ancl the cllernies of'
Iho Lord shall be as the fat of lambs
:
they sllall
consume; iiito smokc shall they consume awny "
Aricl so also shall it be
with
all their worlis.
Nor are these judgment-fires tllcli first to
bc
created. Tiley alread y exist, storecl away in tllc
nlysterious constitution of nnturc. Onr version
speaks of tile heavens ancl the ear th ~vhicl la r c
I ~ O T V ,s 1~ ep t n s tore , reservecl ~ u i t o i re . B u t
many translate the apostle 's words
t o
mean tha t i t
is theJire tliat is stored. According to thi s rende r-
% Dr. E. E. IClliott, au th or of tlle admirable worlr called JIora:
Apocu lyp t i cz , (vol. iv. p. 1'32, 4th edition,) mikes the follo~ving
note on this point :
The h e a ~ e n s nd {lie earth mllich now arc (c.e, contradis-
tinctively to thosc tlist were over~vllelmcdby the floocl) are by
the same mord
stored wilil re,
(so
I
understand the phrase,) 'being
ltcpt unto the clay of jndgment,' &c. I t i s only by this ren der ing
or the r ~ O ~ ~ a n ~ ~ / ~ ~ o / ~ c v o ~vps that the apostle's cvidc~lllyntcnclcd
anti tlicsis car1 be cxpressccl, bctwcen th e old worlcl stored with
water , by which, as t i l i n s t ~ t i m en t u l i t y , t s t i ts appointed tirrie
perisllerl; and the present world
stored w ith .fire,
by which
it
i n
it s time, is also to perish. Besides that , i n the received sense,
T E ~ ~ U ~ ~ I ~ L D ~ ~ V O Ls a mord not n ~e rc ly ~ipcrfluous ut inappropriate;
' s tored
up
being a phrase 11sec1 of things laid aside from present
use, which certainly onr present c:irth an d atmosphere a rc not.
Compare, as to llic
water , Ps.
xsxiii. 7 , (Sep t . , )
rlEcsy EV 8 ~ a a z l p o i ~ .
a,f iu~uovr.
siicl, as to the
re,
Job xxviii. 5 rcnclcrcd by the
Clialdee, 'Uencath the earth is Gehen~za.' Also 1s:liah xsxiii. 33:
Topliet is ordninetl of old : for tile king it is prep ared: he ]lath
made i t deep and lar ge: the pile thereof is fire, and much wood:
the breath of the Lord,
si
a stream of Isrinistonc, doth kindle
it. '
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34 THE
D A Y
O F THE
LORD.
ing,
this passage furnishes a remarliable i l lustration
of how th e Scrip tures hav e anticipated th e
dis-
coveries and induction s of modern science, A ll th e
clenielits nroulid us are full of la te nt fire. T he ear th
we tread on is n, globe of im prison ed Gre. F o r cvcry
fif ty feet you penetrate into its interior yon have th e
ten lpcrz~turea degree warmer tha n a t the surface .
you w ere to bore oil i n ~ v a rd owards i ts centre,
you would no t reacll the d ep th of one liunclycd miles
before com ing to a n inte nsit y of hca t which would
fuse tl lc hardest substances of which the earth is
composed.
Scientific men, accordingly, assure
us
tha t unde r a t l l in crust, proportioned to th e whole
mass ab out as th e ti re t o the wlzecl of a wagon, th er e
seethes
a
whole w orld of fires, str ug gl in g for ven t,
an d he re an d thc rc showing tllcmselves from volcanic
c Similarly Tel.tullian, Apol. 4 7
: Gehennam,
q u z est
ignis n-cnni
sziblewa~lei ad pcenanl t i~esaurus.' I n mliich view of th c j e r y
interi or of the ea rth, other fat hers agreed: as Jerolne on Jonah
ii.: 'Infernis in media t e r r a essc perhibctnr. '
Wherever, in Europe an d America, the tempcrnture of t he
ai r, tho watc~ .s, nd th c rocirs in deep excavations has been ascer-
tained, i t ha s beell founcl higlicr than t,he nican temperature of
the climate s t thc surfacc and the cvpcriment has been maclc in
hunclredv of
places.
It
is fnm~r l
,on, tlla.t,
t,he heat increases
rapiclly as me descend belom t hat point i n thc eart h's crus t to
1~7hicll lie sun's hca t cxtends. Thc mean ra te of increase ha s
been stated by tlle British Association to bc
o n e
d e y e e of P a h ~ e n -
heit for e v e y olly- zre.feet. A t this rute, LL
I C X O W N
K O C I C S 11-OULI
IIIET,T AT TIIE
DCPTlI
O F ABOTI r SIXTY NII.l3S. Sllall F C hence Con-
clude t,hat all the nlattcr of the globe below
this
tlliclrness is
actunlly in a melted s t a te? Rlost geologists linve not seen how
such a conclusion i s to be avoiilei1. -l'rof. Ilititeheock's Lecture on
the
Future
Condit ion nd Destimj of
t he
E a r t h .
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THE
D A Y
O F THE
LORD 35
eratcrs . A nd i t is s imply the letting loose of tl-lesc,
with the tempests, and earthqnalics, ancl convulsions
in earth and air which, must needs attencl snch a11
evcn t, th a t th c apostlc liere sets bcfbre us. TVhilsl
th e dcsccnding Sav ior shall be revealed in clouds,
thu nd er, and terr if ic l ightnings from above, th c f iery
flood from b en eath sha ll br ca k opcn i ts prison-cloous,
a n d a ivar of loosed elemcn ts ensue,
at
~vll ich l lc
whole ca r th and h e a ~ e i i s ha ll sha lie , the sun bo
darliencd, and thc rnooli become as blood, whilst
ea r th 's r igh t fu l K in g sha l l r ide upon i t d l , sweeping
out before liis clrcacl chariot-wheels the cnlininateJ
st re n g th of hell's moizstrons usu rpa tion s
VI.
B u t
I
pass to ailother topic.
The
apostle
speaks of
n e w heavens nd
nezo
earth wlzcrein
clwelleth ~2ghLeousness.
IIc seems to be clclivcring
himself upon this point in the name of all liis fellow-
apostlcs. f I e speaks of th is licw ord er of th in gs as
the conlmon Christian expectation.
I
rcceivc
it,
therefore, as
a
doctriilc of Christin nity,
tliat
there
ar e to be new heaveris and a new earth. Nay ,
t h e ap ostlc gocs f ~ ~ r t l l e r21e say s t h a t God hin~ sc lf
llns promised n e w lleitvcns
and a n e w
ear th . Nor
will it be hard to find the record of that promise.
T h e word of th c Lo rd, b y 1sai:th th c prophet, (lxv.
7; xvi. 22, lorig ago was, Beho ld, I create new
heavens an d a new earill ancl the former sha ll not
be
rcmembercd , nor come in to mind. B ut be ye g l d
an d rejoice forever in th a t which
I
create . For
the nctv hcavens and thc new ear th , which
I
will
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6
THE
D A Y
O TIIF
LORD.
nzalie, shall remaill before me, saith the Lord.
Tlierc lins been s t r o ~ i g ispositiori in nicn, some-
how,
t o
spiritualize and explain away this promise,
2s cvcry thing clse relating to tlie kingdom to come.
Somc tell us Lliat it is nothing but poetic figure.
L e t m e a s a r c y ou t h a t i t is l it er a l P e t e r
quotes i t as lite ral reality. Wlleri he spcalis of the
heave ns arlcl th e ear th wh ich a rc now, lie mealis the
litera l l ieavelis and earth . Th e burnings and loosen-
i n g ~ f wllicll he would liave liis readers s tan d in
awe are l i tera l burnings. Tlic changes th at he pre-
dic ts are changes th at arc to occur in t lle m ateria l
ea rt h we siaacl on, a n d i n t h c a ir ~ v e r ea th e, w i ill
no more figure ahout t lcm tll:t11 about the waters of
the flood. A nd dire ctly from these saddening clesola-
tions he paises to t he subjecl of th ei r rcpar atlon,
con-
l lec t ing the p lon~ise f tlic ne\v hcavclis and earth
with
I hc b ~ e a l r i n g ow n oi' tllc p r e s ~ ~ l t~c ,~vc r l snd
ea rth, auil fortifies himself ngairist re gr et s over tlzc
oiic by tlle cxccllcncies which he anticip ates in th e
o ther . And if he is not spealii~igwith equal li teral-
ness of both, i t is useless to coafide in t h e ce rt aint y
of language. Besides, what arc figurative heavens
ancl ea rth in tlie place of th e lit er al an;l rea l ones
a n d wh at can a spir i tual rcparatiorl do for a natura l
tlesolation lV111 a swcc t ivorcl in th e ea r mcild
a
rcr it in a ga rm en l? Fro m a l l the te rms , surround-
ings, ailcl conilnon lams
of
speech ancl association be-
longing to tlie case, th e apost lc can ~ n c a n o o ther
tha n a l i tera l new licavcns and earth . An d wh at
propl-lets anaosulced, and Pcter lookecl for, John in
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TIIE D A Y O TIIE LORD
7
vision saw, not in symLol, but also ill literal reality.
Fo llow ing irnlllecliatcly upon liis desc ription of th e
juclgmci~l-scenes,we fiiid this record
:-
And
I s a w
a new Eieavell ;incl n new earth; for t l lc i irs t hcavcn
an d tlie first onrill were p ase cl nrzray. ( I lev. sx i .
1.
I clairn, Ilicrcfore, lhat these new lleavriis aild
ea rt h a re to be, an d th a t it is one of the consolatioils
of a C h is t i a n to expect them.
N or arc tvc to suppose th a t they will be qui te
ot he r heavens an d cart11 th au tliose me ha ve a t
present. G re at cliangcs ar e to be macle, b n t no t a
11cw crcntioa, sep ar at e an d dlst inc l from t h a t wliicll
now is. I'cter says of
t h e
worlcl before the floocl,
t h a t i t
periahecl. 13ut i t was no t the ea i t l i t l i ~ t
perished. I t was only th e orde r an d constitution oC
tliirigs upon it. I t .cvas th e sam e ea rth afte r tllc
flood th a t ~t wa s before, th ou gh sornewhat altcrccl
i11 it s configuralioa an d inl iab ita i~ ts. A nd as tlie
pe rish ing i11 t h e one case is cited as correspon ding
to the
dissolution
ancl passing away
in
the other , I
cannot bu t take th e n c ~ v eavens ant1 ear th to be ,
s irnply , the pres fn t h c a ~ e n s nd car tl i
renezucd;
t h a t
is, maclc
IICW
again,-brougllt back to the ir origin al
excellence. T he sam e law will, donbiless, holil nlilcc
in all tlcpartm ents of rcdeniption , ancl t h e method in
one be tlie same in all. Red em ption I-ins tlire e t rr ri -
torieq : tlie soul, tlic body, an d th e m aterial world,
of x~rhich h e body forms a par t. 111 two of thcse,
a t least , i t is not God's m ~ tl i oc ?o destroy the old
and to put ail eiltircly 11em crcnlioll i11 its place.
The new mnn is sim ply th c old m an renewec1,-
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8 TEE
D Y O F
THE L O R D .
tlle same heart brougllt undcr new influences and
put inlo a ne~rr
condition.
The risen and glorified
bociy is the same corlupt and dying body we put
into tlie grave, only transfigured and fashioned to
ariother pattern, wit11 new attributes. t is the
snrnc soul af ter regeneralioii t h a t i t was belore re-.
geiicratioi1, wit11 the sanie inlierent constitntion.
W e cal l i t
( a
new crcnturc. W e say, old thin gs
h ave passed a ~ i ~ ~ l y ,nd bellold all things have bc-
come ne ~v . B u t i t was th e same Tau1 af ter t lle
scenes of Dam ascus as before ; a t least, as to all th e
e lements of l ~ i s oilstitu enl nntu rc. Tlle risen hocly
of Clirisl was th e same th at w as crnciiicd, with even
th e nail-prints a i d tl ic s ide-wound wllicli i t carr ied
with i t to th e grave. I t had new qualit ies nllcl
;idapttitions but
it
was the same body.
It
is t l l is
corrul3tiblc th at m ust pu t o n i i i c o r r ~ ~ p t i o n ,nd
( his ~n or t a l ha t m us t p a t on immor ta li ty . And
as ill thcse two dcp artm cnts
I
conclude i l will bc in
tllc oilly remaillilig one,-that t l ~ e ew lleavens aild
e a rt h a r e l o be ~ l o t l l i ~ i gnore nor less t ha n the pre-
s ~ u tieaveiis and earth, subjectccl to
new
and re -
ge ilera ting iilfluenccs, evolvin g new qn alili cs, and
at3aptlng the in to be tllc fit abode of tlie recleemcd.
R ed cc~ ne d neli can har dly
bc
collsidered leclcemcd
w ithou t t h a t redemption being exteildecl to th e
~ n t ~ t c r i a l orld with which Lliey ar e by essential
aature so closely uelntcd.
But I
callnot coriceive of
,z redeemed m ate ria l world other tha n as of a re-
deemed man, in ~vliicl-1lle co ntin uity of essential
na tu re is sim ply modified, not brolccn. Th e Sa vio r
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TIIE
D A Y O F TI-I%,
LORD.
39
llinisclf ha s also d ropp ed a word up011 th is s ub jcc t
whicli sets i t in cry clear l igh t. I t is found in
Matt. xix. 25 He there refers his followers, for
the reward of their sacrifices for his sake, to t'lic:
tim e when tlle 8011 of rnan
sliall sit in tlie tliroile
of his glo ry.
The Son of
is never sl?olieii of
as s i t t ing, or
t o
sit,
011
the th ron e of his g lory, exccpt
at his corniilg
n t
the
encl
of th e p res en t orde r of
t,liings, usually called lie end of th e world. A i d
yet he calls this session upon his throne, nlicl ending
of t h c prcsen i xvorld, an d liis aclm inistr,ztio~ ~sn t h a t
connection,
TIIE
R E G I ~ K E R A T I O N ~ - ~ ~ ~
r~lingencsia
-the renovatio11-the nza liil~g f th in gs new again.*:
T h i s application of tile mord re,yene~nlio?z, irt this p:hssagc,
docs not so clcal.ly appear in most of our English Bibles.
U r .
Campbell has made the following criticism in the case:-
(
The clause
cv r l ~ u L s y . / ~ v s ~ ~ n ,
ere, nlny be constrnccl citlicr
wit11 the preceding words or vi t h the followil~g. I n the former
of these mays our trnnslato~s xvc understood theln, and I-lave,
tliercfore, rendered the verse,
I
say nnto
y o n ,
that yc ~ h i c h
hare followed rnc in th e regeneration, whcn the Son of man sllnll
sit in t he tltrone of liis glory, ye also silall si t npon tmelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.' I tl~inlr, n the contrary,
tliat the words ought to bc understood i11 the lat te r way, a nd have,
therefore, translated them in thi s nxmncr :-lI say unto you, th at
at tile re?~ovtrlion, hen the Son of man shall be seated on his
glorious throne, ye my followers, sitti ng nlso upon twelve thrones,
shall juclge tlic twelve tri bes of Israel.'
-l 're2imi7znnj Uisse~tutio?zs
tv1d i l i ~ l eson the Go,ycl.r,
b y
George CYunzpbell,D
n., vol. i.
p.
460.
The Syrinc Kc~vTcstn~ncr~t,,ccording to 1Inrilock's
Literal
Tr:rnslation, very clcnrly coineidcs w i t h this rendering :- Jcsirs
ssid unto them, Ve~ily say to you, that, as for you who have
followed me, when the Son of nlan shall sit on the throne of his
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14
~ x 4 : D A Y
OE
T ~ I E ,ORD.
th is gr ca t an d terr ib le da y of th e S avior 's coming,
to t h e sccnes o l desolation ivliicl-1 a re to a tt en d it s
introduction, ancl to th c glories which i t is to br in g
to th e believing anil faithful, a n ~ 1 rilxving from tliesc
th e conside rations wit11 wh icli to ma ke liis adino-
nitions effective, 11c balies his stand in the presence
of tlie whole Cliristiall C hurch , a nd n ia l~ es hi s as
liis select, last, and most solcmn appeal
:- TV~IERX-
FORE BELOVED, SEEING T I I A T
YE
1; 1< FOR SUCEI
TIIISGS
R E
D I L I G E N T T I I A T
Y E
I I A Y
BE
FOUND O F
I t IN
1N
PEACE, W r T H O U T SPOT, AN B T ~ A ~ S I E L E S S . ' '
A
subject capable of suc h a use as this i t is p ro fm c
an d blaspliemons bo stig m atiz e as a illatter of mcrc
speculation . Coalcl an y iliin g be inorc solemn, or
touch more deeply upon the profoundest vitalities of
re l ig ion? Lc t us then , take i t du ly to hear t , and
so mnch the inore as me see tlle day approaching.
JIappy th nt niinister .ivlio ~ 1 ~ ~ 1 1ash ion h i s e~ l io r ta -
tions to i l lis apostolic mo del; and happ y tl iat man
who sllall model liis cxpectntioils and his life accord-
ing to th is
apostolic
cx l~or ta t ion
The grncc of our Lord Jesus Christ
bc
with you
all. Amen.