THE Independent, once quite an orthodox journal, now a leader in higher criticism, refers to 238 different titles of works on the second coming of Jesus Christ, and counts that the great majority are "veriest rubbish," and the remainder hopelessly out of date; and then advises its correspondents to take Dr. Clark's "Outline of Christian Theology," which is a "mine of common sense and spiritual insight on the truth of the Christian religion." But the poor correspondent if he follows this advice, will find nothing—absolutely nothing—but Dr. Clark's say-so and his own conclusions; for Dr. Clark admits even the fallibility of Jesus, and questions whether Christ Himself was not mistaken as regards His second advent.
The same article tells us that as we advance in the New Testament, the writers themselves change, for we learn "in the fourth Gospel the return is no longer marvelous and apocalyptic, but the quiet coming of the Spirit to the heart. And this is the only parousia which can be preached with any compelling message to the men of to-day."
We are further told that "no considerable body of people will ever again anticipate the personal return of Jesus to the earth. The pervading of society by His Spirit, which is actually taking place,11is something a great deal better." But that simply means human consciousness; and of course the unregenerate Christian is much better satisfied to go on in the old way. People do not like to hear of the Lord's personal coming, and yet that is the very thing which the fourth Gospel presents. "If I go, . . . I will come again, and receive you unto Myself." In that last recorded prayer of Christ's in the 17th of John, we read further, "I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;" and we are also instructed in those wonderful unfoldings of spiritual truth,—the 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters,—that the Spirit takes Christ's place when He is absent, and that it is expedient that He go away in order that the Comforter might come. And the closing book of the Bible, written by the same beloved apostle, at about the same time, rings with the second coming of Christ from beginning to end.
We will not dispute the Independent's statement that no considerable body of people will anticipate His coming, but we are sorry that that is so. This, too, confirms the words of Jesus, that "when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith?"—that is, this faith, as to His coming, on earth. The question implies that He will not; and leaders of religious thought are doing all in their power to educate men away from the thought of His coming. Yet He is coming again. "Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."