The Burning of the Earth.
By Mary W. Howard
“The earth,” says Peter, “and the works therein, shall be burned up.” This misquotation occurred in an article in Review No. 26, Vol. xxviii, credited to the Independent. I took special notice of it, for it is just what we so often hear affirmed, and even, by those who mean to understand what they read, simply because it has been said so many times, that they never stop to look at the grammatical construction. But let a similarly expressed sentence occur in a geological account, and it would be esteemed the sheerest stupidity, not to say ignorance, to make the also refer to the coming clause, instead of the preceding one. Peter affirms, or rather the Holy Ghost directs him to affirm, “that the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also.”—The earth shall what? Why, melt with fervent heat, just as we should expect it would, if, as geologists inform us, only a hundredth part of the earth’s diameter is in a solid state and the rest fire. The remainder of the passage is unmistakable; and yet we might as readily expect a blunder at the word therein, as at the word also. But all concur that the works of the earth are to be burned. I am not aware that any believer of the Bible has ever sought to spiritualize or symbolize away this affirmation of scripture. But there may be room for honest differences of opinion regarding the works. Are only the works of man meant? or are the works of God and man alike to be burned? An aged descendant of the staunch old Scotch covenanters once asked me my opinion concerning the destination of our earth. Having told him, he replied, “That is just it. If I had erected a beautiful mansion, and had let it pass into possession of bad occupants, would I needs burn the mansion in order to be rid of them? No. I would simply eject them, give my dwelling a thorough renovation, if needful, but preserve it for other and better recipients.” And this is just what the Bible plainly teaches is to be done. Out of Christ, “our God is a consuming fire.” Heb. xii, 29. But they who are Christ’s, will ere this be safe in Heaven, having been caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so evermore to be with him. 1 Thess. iv, 17. To be with him when the New Jerusalem comes down from God out of Heaven,—with him when the renewed earth, cleansed by purifying fires, shall have become the abode of the righteous. The thought is not original with me, but has struck me with great force, that even at a time when God saw that wickedness was great in the earth, a deluge of water sufficed to cleanse it; but it did not remain cleansed, and God saw that the increased corruption could only be expunged by the “fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. iii, 7. “The world shall burn, and from its ashes spring
New heavens and earth, wherein the just shall dwell;
And after all their tribulations long,
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds.”
The council of Nice, A. D. 325, says, “We expect new heavens and a new earth, according to the Scriptures, at the appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. And then, as Daniel says, ‘The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom,’ and there shall be a pure earth, holy in the land of the living and not of the dead,” &c. Would that more of those who profess to preach the gospel, felt the divine impulses that moved C. Mather in Boston in 1700. At that time he said, “But this word of God is in my mind, like burning fire shut up in my bones, nor can I any longer forbear, but must again and again denounce this doom to the earth, sufficiently prepared for the fire. Yea, should some Nero command me to be burned in the flames, I will not cease to preach and foretell, with earnest voice, the dissolution, renewal, and purification of the world by fire.” Are there not many longing hearts ready to respond with Dr. Doddridge? “Let that illustrious day come with all its horrors. We shall go from a dissolving world to the new heavens and new earth, wherein righteousness forever dwells.” It is really surprising to see how the doctrine of the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ, is so quickly ignored by our popular theology. But I ought not to say surprising, for hath not the Scriptures foretold all this, unless that pertinent inquiry recorded by Peter, where he tells us that “in the last days scoffers will come, saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” &c., be disposed of as I once heard from the pulpit as follows: The remark was thrown in that now-a-days there were many saying, like the old atheists of Paul’s day, (!) “Where is the promise of his coming?” Is comment necessary? Once, while instructing a Sabbath-school class of bright little girls, one said, in reply to a remark of mine, “I did not know that Jesus was coming to our world again.” Would that this not knowing did not extend to older persons. But why wonder? since the apparent avoidance of the theme by those who have assumed the position of watchmen on the walls of Zion, or, what is worse, the tacit doing away of the force of such passages as, “He may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness in the presence of God the Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” 1 Thess. iii, 13. Some will scarcely believe this is done, but not a week since, I heard a beautiful and practical discourse from the text, “When he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.” Likeness to Christ was the theme till the close, when the appearing of Christ was represented to mean that spiritual manifesting of Christ in the hearts of his followers, and not a hint of anything further. My own heart felt the lack, but others saw nothing wanting. And once at a funeral, the preacher using for a text the words of Jesus, “I go away, but I will come again unto you,” made the coming again refer to the familiar coming up in our remembrance of the various looks, doings, and sayings of our departed friends. These little incidents may seem unworthy a passing record, but I give them as illustrations of the fact that they have taken away the key of knowledge now, as truly as when Jesus pronounced the words to a wilfully-blinded class, in the days of his sojourn among mankind. MARY W. HOWARD.
Malone, N. Y., Dec. 1866.