The Church's Expectation by George Duke of Manchester

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 18, 1856

The Church's Expectation.

By George Duke of Manchester

By George Duke of Manchester.

In a former chapter I stated what appeared to be certain characteristic features of this dispensation. I proceed now to point out what I conceive should be the longing anticipation of the Church with regard to the future.

The grace of God which bringeth salvation teacheth us, "that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." If now, a man denied worldly lusts, and lived soberly and righteously, but yet was not godly—if he fulfilled all the duties of the second table, yet neglected the duties of the first—we should not hesitate to say that such a man was not taught by that grace of God which bringeth salvation: a man truly under the teaching of the Spirit cultivates both godliness and righteousness. But is this all that the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, teacheth? No; it also teaches us to be "expecting . . . the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ," and, apparently, the text implies, that this expectation is as certainly and as universally taught, as is the denial of ungodliness and worldly lusts; there seems no difference; the hope respecting Christ's advent appears quite as prominently brought forward as the characteristic life and conduct of the believer—indeed, I should say more so, for the one is introduced as the end at which the child of grace is aiming; the others are the means towards the attainment.

We may lay it down as a proposition, that only those who deny ungodliness can be "expecting Messiah's advent; for if men cast not off the works of darkness, they continue in a state of darkness; they know not that the night is far spent, and that the day is at hand; for the service of God, and the waiting for Christ, St. Paul gives us as the two great characteristics of true conversion:—"How ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven." But in this waiting, an anxious wish for the event is implied, as well as the belief in the probability of its immediate occurrence.

Taken conversely, the proposition is equally true. Those who are expecting Messiah's advent do deny ungodliness and worldly lusts; the expectation has a purifying efficacy: "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and [or but] it doth not yet appear what we shall be." We are now in possession of this most exalted privilege, although the present is not the season when the sons of God are manifested: the world now knows them not, any more than when He was on earth it knew Him. "But," says St. John, "we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I understand the last clause not as assigning the cause, but affirming the proof, of our resemblance; it is not the transforming power of the beatific vision, but the discerning power of the beatified spirit. To see him as he is, to know him even as we are known, argues an exaltation of our nature commensurate with the glorified humanity of the Son of God; "and every man that hath this hope in him, [i. e., in Christ,] purifieth himself even as he is pure." Every one who has this exalting, exhilarating hope of being made like unto Christ at his glorious appearing, does now strive after, and in some measure attain unto, that purity which is in Christ himself. Hence St. Paul urges it, as the great motive to mortification: "When Christ our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry."

The passage which I have quoted from St. John's epistle, seems to refer rather to the expansion of the intellectual and spiritual capacity of the glorified believer; but there must also be a spiritual body—a body capable of being actuated immediately by the glorified spirit—a body of glory suitable for the perfected spirit. Such was St. Paul's expectation; and in setting forth his walk as an example, in opposition to that which ends in destruction, he implies that this desire of Christ's appearing, and of the consequent transformation into his likeness, was a great impelling motive to heavenly conduct, "for our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall transform our bodies of humiliation, in order that they may be fashioned like unto his body of glory." To attain to the hope, and to live in the expectation of the advent, is, in short, that which characterizes those who are not deficient in any spiritual gift. "I thank my God . . . for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by Him . . . so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

St. James speaks of patience as being the crowning and completing grace of the Christian, so that however perfect he might be, were he not placed in such circumstances as would elicit and call into exercise the grace of patience, he would be wanting in

something; and so great would be the want, that the believer should joyfully exchange a state of peace for one of manifold trials, in order that he might have the opportunity of exercising this grace. "But," adds he, "let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." What, however, can fortify the believer, and enable him to endure in the exercise of this perfecting grace, but the expectation of the Lord's speedy return? The same apostle says, "Be patient, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord: behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." St. Paul holds out precisely the same motive in support of the same grace: "Ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise; for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." In both these passages the consideration of the Lord's speedy advent to put an end to suffering and trial, is held out as the support of patience. And in neither of them is there a hint of a period of spiritual peace and triumph prior to the advent.

Precisely the same thought is held out for the consolation of those under bereavement: "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others who have no hope; for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive [and] remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we be ever with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." To me it appears evident that the special ground of comfort here urged, is the prospect of speedy re-union with the departed brethren; and that, not by our being absent from the body, and so present with the Lord, but by the return of Christ together with those who sleep in Jesus. Here, then, evidently, the whole consolation consists in the probability of Messiah's speedy return.

This language of the Apostle seems to have taken such hold of the Thessalonians, that their desire for the Lord's return amounted to an error in the way of excess rather than of defect; for in his second epistle, St. Paul prays that the Lord would direct their hearts into "the patient waiting for Christ." Such, apparently, was their ardent desire for his advent, that it almost trenched upon the grace of patience. How very different is the condition of the Church now from what it was then! the Apostle having to rein in their ardor; whereas our sluggishness needs much goading. But with those who have the assurance of hope, and are living in the sense of God's favor, the Thessalonian would be the more likely state of the two; they would be hoping "for the grace which is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ;" those whose conversation is in heaven are looking from thence "for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; and in all holy conversation and godliness, not looking for, but "hastening on, the coming of the day of God." . . .

It is distinctly said that the crown of righteousness "is laid up for . . . all those that love his appearing," and not only so, but apparently it is only for those, for it is, "unto them that look for him," that he will appear unto salvation. In that day the Church will say, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is Jehovah, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." The iteration seems to mark that the waiting was an evidence that his appearing would be to their joy.

I have now stated what I apprehend should be the expectation of the Church, and the blessed effects of that expectation upon the disposition and conduct of the believer. I will now show some of the evil consequences upon the character of those who profess to be followers of the Lord, but yet who do not live in this attitude of expectation.

In the perilous times of the last days, covetousness will be a leading feature among men who have the form of godliness while denying the power, but such men cannot be living upon the contemplation of Christ's speedy return, for nothing can be so effectual against the snare of covetousness as the expectation of Messiah's advent, for it is the thought which enables one to sit loose to the world, and which frees from all anxiety. "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand, be careful for nothing."

Our Lord also intimates that some of his servants will be fostering a spirit of persecution, and indulging fleshly lusts, just because they say in their hearts, "My Lord delayeth his coming;" upon which he urges watchfulness; for those only who watch and pray always will be accounted worthy to escape; so our Lord says again, "Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." And those who do watch for his advent are blessed: "Behold, I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth." The whole point and force would be taken away from the exhortation to watchfulness, if we admitted that there was to be a spiritual millennium intervening before the second advent; the idea intended to be conveyed seems to be the possibility, if not the probability, of Messiah's return within the period of a natural life. "The end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."

A similar exhortation, "Let us watch and be sober," is grounded just upon the fact of light or darkness upon this point being the distinguishing mark of the believer: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief:" the "but" here is a particle of opposition by which St. Paul distinguishes the brethren from others. The son of Jonas in like manner makes wilful ignorance the characteristic of the wicked scoffers in the last days, attributing to them this inquiry, "Where is the promise of his coming?" Hence he expressly warns the beloved not to fall into this error of the wicked.

The expectation of the Lord's advent has always been the aspect of the true Church: it was so in the apostolic days; it was so with the fathers for the first three centuries; and it was so with the Reformers. Our Church, therefore, teaches us to say, "I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." We do not merely state our belief that there will be a resurrection of the dead some time or other—a thousand years hence, or even a year hence; but we declare that we are in the attitude of hope and expectation: "I look for it"—I know neither the day nor the hour.

The notion of a spiritual millennium which originated apparently by the oscillation into the opposite extreme, from the excesses of the German Anabaptists and English Fifth Monarchy Men, has since been fostered by the expectations raised from the efforts of religious societies, till it has become the deliberate creed of many. Thus we are enabled to understand how it can be used by our Lord and St. Peter as a prophetic feature and sign of the last days. I do not mean to imply that carelessness or indifference alone, upon the subject of the Lord's return, could be considered a prophetic sign—for that, I fear, has been the melancholy feature in most ages of the Church—but the deliberate maintenance of a doctrine which virtually says "My Lord delayeth his coming," is a prognostic of the speedy approach of Messiah. Now, we before observed, that a man who holds the spiritual millennium cannot be expecting the advent of the Lord: is he not, then, saying in his heart, "My Lord delayeth his coming?" And of what is such a belief the forerunner?

Shortly, then, to recapitulate this chapter. We may be confident, that an expectation—which is taught by the grace of God, which is a sign of true conversion—which is purifying in the highest degree—which shows itself in all holy conversation and godliness—which is a mark of the highest spiritual knowledge—which therefore characterizes those for whom the crown is laid up, . . . is holy in its tendency—is in accordance with the divine Mind, and is a point of great practical importance. On the other hand, that ignorance upon this subject—which is wilful—which betokens a child of darkness—which encourages a covetous disposition—which fosters a persecuting spirit—which unbridles the animal desires—and which will end in sudden destruction—is to be reprobated and carefully avoided.

My second conclusion, therefore, is, that the Church ought, according to the Scripture, to be "looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and Saviour," which conclusion being inconsistent with the belief of an antecedent spiritual millennium, confirms our former inference, drawn from the character of the present dispensation.

I have shown, that during this present dispensation, the enemies of Christ and his Church are in the ascendant; and that the Church is, or ought to be, looking for the return of the Lord.