THE ONE GREAT VOICE by D. T. Taylor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 31, 1877

THE ONE GREAT VOICE.

By D. T. Taylor

Of the Apocalypse, Herder thus writes: “There is but one voice in it, through all its epistles, seals, trumpets, signs, and plagues, namely, The Lord is coming!”

This fine expositor is right. “Maranatha” rings through its chapters as do echoes among the mountains. Epiphany opens and closes its pages. “Behold he cometh!” starts the apocalyptic strain, and “Come quickly!” ends it. Herder might have added that in all the New Testament there sounds out that one voice. For it is declared by Bickersteth and Brooks, who have counted them, and is repeated publicly by Moody and Marvin, who with others have confirmed the fact, that one verse in every twenty-five makes direct or indirect reference to that last, grand, mighty presence of Christ on earth.

Now then, the New Testament contains 7,950 verses. The appearing of Jesus, and the events connected therewith, are therefore made mention of in just 318 verses. Before me lies a New Testament. I count its pages—there are 312. There are therefore more adventual verses than there are pages in the book. By calculation I find there are some twenty-five and one-half verses on each page. Divide the 318 verses devoted to this theme by the number of verses on a page, and we have twelve and a half pages of matter treating of this glorious and awful doctrine. Again: There are in this sacred volume 260 chapters, having on the average thirty and one-half verses to each chapter. It will then be found that there are ten and a half chapters of advent reading matter, treating solely and especially on this important subject. This is full four per cent of the entire book. Four per cent announcing the Advent, the Judgment, the Resurrection, and the eternal age.

Thus on each and every page, in each and every chapter (or in such ratio), there echoes the “one voice” of which Herder speaks. Once in a page this neglected doctrine is thrust before the eyes of the church. Every page rings out, Behold he cometh! Every page presents the one “mighty motive,” as Moody rightly calls it. Every page sounds this warning to the sinner, this comfort to the saint. As often as there are pages does the Holy Spirit point onward to the everlasting day, and upward to the returning Bridegroom and King. He is a guilty soul, wrote John Wesley, who seeks to hinder any saint from hearing this one voice. How solemn the thought!

Once more: By actual count I find that the re-living, the rising again, the resurrection of our Lord and the general dead, are referred to about one hundred times. The Judge on the throne and the day of Judgment are brought to view in more than forty places. In more than four-score passages Christ is announced to appear as King, or in other terms the era of the establishment of his eternal kingdom is described. In sixty places I find the words, “come,” “cometh,” “coming,” used concerning our Lord’s personal and second advent at the end of time and at the last day. In twelve places “appear,” and “appearing” are used with plain reference to that glorious event. In each and every one of the eight chapters composing the two epistles to the church at Thessalonica, the second coming is written about and made use of as a motive or incentive to right action. This event is referred to by New Testament writers more times than is baptism; it is written of oftener than is the Lord’s supper; indeed, it is made mention of as frequently, and it may be more frequently, than is the Christian duty of prayer.

The first discourse preached to the church after our Saviour had ascended to heaven was all concerning his coming again, and the manner thereof, and it is a striking fact that the angels were the preachers. The last words in Revelation, the latest message of the glorified Jesus, in the last chapter, three times repeated, coupled with the loving response of John, iterate the “one voice,” and tell us, tell the church, tell all men, that Christ the Lord will return again, and is coming quickly. The fullness of all prayer, the cry of the centuries of his absence, the consummation of all sacred hopes, the last thought and wish which the soul is capable of flinging into the future, the ending of all times, the yearnings of all martyrs, the fond anticipations of the whole church of God, living or dead, are all, all, summed up in that universal, that solemn prayer, Thy kingdom come: come, Lord Jesus.

Ministers of Jesus, “preach the word.” The ratio of adventual preaching by every minister should be in proportion to the abundance and importance of the doctrine. This being true, at least one sermon in twenty-five should announce the last day. Better still, spice all preaching with “the coming,” all through the round year. No fear of man, nor ecclesiastical ostracism, nor loss of popular favor, nor withdrawal of salary, nor dullness of heart, nor scorn of the scoffer, must hinder the minister. We must preach Christ’s appearing whether men hear or forbear. It is not the millennium, but the Judgment; not death, but the advent, that should be proclaimed. And the latter is to be preached, not as a calamity, but as the blessed hope; not constrainedly, as if it were a tedious theme, but willingly and in the love of it; not tamely and apologetically, but vigorously and fearlessly; not because others believe it, but because the preacher believes it, and it is true. The preacher should take the blessed doctrine down deep into his heart, he should study it, think of it, pray over it.

The one voice must not be stifled; neither should it be “damned with faint praise” in its open proclamation. Every denominational paper should announce Christ’s coming in each and every issue. The quarterlies and monthlies should boldly herald it. The Sunday-school books should give prominence to it on their pages. The camp-meeting stand, the church pulpit, the union platform, the synod, the convention, the conference, the association, the prayer and class-meeting, should, in sweet love for the Master’s appearing, sound out in no uncertain strain the “one voice.” Set no times, fix no dates. Proclaim the great fact, herald the stupendous event. Trumpet the one voice, not only of the Apocalypse, but of the whole Bible,—The Lord is coming!

The second advent should be preached because it is grandly true, and transcendently important. It should be preached as a comfort to the saint, and a warning to the sinner. It should be preached as the glorious cap-stone of the triumphal arch of grace, then forever finished. Rev. Hugh McNeil told the captious Charlotte Elizabeth, who once faulted him for making so much of his appearing, that he preached Christ’s first coming as the foundation of the Christian’s hope, but the second coming as the consummation of that hope. She soon after became a firm believer in the near and pre-millennial coming, and lived and died, looking and waiting for her Lord. I thank God that he ever gave me to see these rich, golden truths, and to proclaim the “one voice.” Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, sooner than that I should ignore or be ashamed to proclaim Jesus’ last coming in the clouds. Ministers of Christ, I solemnly charge you not to neglect the “one voice”—The Lord is coming!—D. T. TAYLOR, in World’s Crisis.