Expectation of a Great War, and The Second Coming of Christ.
The London Times of May 29 said:— The four services at Her Majesty's theatre on Friday, May 28, were densely crowded, it being known that Mr. Moody in the afternoon was to preach his farewell sermon, and give his farewell address to the young converts in the evening. Mr. Sankey, by special desire, sang the hymn, "Jesus of Nazareth passeth by." Previous to doing so, he said, as that would be the last afternoon he would probably sing there, he trusted that by divine grace many would be led by the singing to the throne of God. Mr. Moody, in commencing his address, said there was something to him very sad in that meeting. He had never enjoyed preaching so much as he had since he came to that place. Before taking leave of his audience, many of whom he would never see again, he wished to say that, though he was no alarmist, he desired to express his conviction that the world was on the eve of some very great event—some very great change. He could not say what was going to happen, but if he read the Scriptures rightly, it might be the coming of the Lord, or some great war. Mr. Moody then preached from the words spoken to Noah, "Come thou into the ark, thou and all thy house." Many people of the present time do not believe the world is going to be burnt up. Well, in the days of Noah there were many who, though they worked in building the ark, laughed and scoffed at Noah at night when they had done their day's work, and pointed him out as an old fanatical fool. Still, the time came; and when Noah went in, God shut the door, and when the flood was coming on no doubt many knocked at the door and cried out "Let us in." So it is in the present time. Many regard religious believers who are looking for the second coming of Christ as a body of fanatics; but none should doubt the words of holy writ, but prepare for the coming of the Lord. Some of the London newspapers, commenting on the above, say they agree with Mr. Moody as to a great war being at hand; but these conclusions they arrive at purely from political circumstances and conditions. On the following evening, in course of his address at the Victoria Theatre, the Earl of Cavan stated that he fully endorsed and most thoroughly agreed with these remarks of Mr. Moody as to coming judgments.—Signs of Our Times.