MILLENARIANISM-ITS TENDENCY,
Editor of American Presbyterian : Per
mit one of your readers to express his profound
sense of the service done to the cause of practical
piety, by the essay, completed in your last, from
the pen of Kev. W. T. Eva. The satisfaction
felt, however, has been greatly modified, by the
presumptive argument he has made in favor of
the millenarian theory, comprised in numerous
Scripture citations, which he has not attempted,
in detail, to explain away.
But my object in writing, was not to praise
the task already performed, or invite a more ex-
haustive exposition, but to add my testimony as
to the general drift and influence of Millenarian
ism, as seen in its advocates in our day. First
then, I take pleasure in testifying to the truth of
Mr. Eva’s remark, “ that this theory seems to
lie directly in the way of all earnest, zealous,
continuous effort for the conversion and salva-
tion of the world.” I have never known a genu
ine Millenarian who was an active revivalist;*
tho’ I have known some who had been such , but
ceased to be on embracing the Advent doctrine;
nay, more, I have never known one who was
active in promoting temperance, anti-slavery, or
social reform of any kind. Verily, these brethren
“ have their conversation in heaven,” in so remark
able a degree, that they cannot see or feel their
personal responsibility for the prevalence in the
world of vice and misery, which are the works
of the devil, and which Christ came to destroy.
They distrust the truth of God as a means of
conversion, and the efficacy of fasting and prayer
for procuring a descent of the Spirit; and as a
consequence, rush into the cold, “ sensuous”
theory that God has no cure for deprdvity but by
sweeping judgments like the deluge, and the sub
version of the Jewish Church and polity by Ves
pasian. They overlook the fact stated by Mr.
Eva, “ that the same means by which a single
soul is saved, are those by which millions of souls
are to be saved.”
On this point I beg to remark further, that
the first practical illustration I ever received of
this doctrine, was the deprecating remark of a
Christian brother—who was urged to do some-
thing to remove the prevalent intemperance and
oppression of the land—“ That Christianity was
not designed to reform the world or cure its
evils, but to be a witness of the truth, and gather
the saints together and keep them, till the Master
would come and cure the world by another judg
ment.”
If this is not a species of unbelief, it surely is
an ignoring of the power of the Gospel, as a
puller-down of strongholds.
But I have seen still effects from the
earnest advocacy of the Second Advent doctrine;
I have known those who, from a continuous
study of Daniel and other Scripture writers con
cerning the “kingdoms” of the world “asset
up and cast down,” have reached the most de
spotic theories, totally at war with the genius of
Reformed Christianity and Republican liberty.
I have heard such assert that a pure despotism,
like the Assyrian, was gold, and most like the
Theocracy which is to prevail under the Lord,
during the Millennium; and that the base clay
of the image of Daniel represents the popular
element now being infused into the governments
of all civilized nations. Can a theory be true
which leads to such results ?
Millenarians are accustomed to urge the great
importance of watching , that the Lord come not and
find us asleep, but waiting his coming. Now, to
those that are ready, by faith and a regenerated
heart, the time matters nothing. This proves
that faith and repentenee, and not the “ coming,”
is the special call of the Gospel; for those who
are fitted by the first are also fitted for the latter.
People who are “ready” and busy, are never
concerned about the time. This is finely illus
trated by the story, recorded in verse by Whit
tier, of the Connecticut Assemblyman, who, in
the midst of a dark storm happening (some fifty
years ago) on the very day predicted as the end
of the world, moved that “ the House proceed to
the order of the day,” as he wanted his Master,
in any event, to find him busy, and in the line
of his duty.
Now I take it, that the outgrowth of this sys
tem is clearly traceable to the cold and backslid
den state of the Church. The Lord’s people
have been idle in the vineyard, and this has
grown up as tares, to choke the word and make
it unfruitful. What should we think, at reading
as a conclusion to the biographies of the eminent
Whitefield and Wesley, that, having been instru
mental in saving thousands and thousands of
souls, by preaching faith in Christ, and the duty
of immediate repentance, that they turned a
short corner, and told their hearers that, after
all, the Gospel was not for the restoration of the
world, from the debasement of the Pall; and
that there was no hope for prevailing wickedness,
but in a personal appearing of the Lord and in a
general judgment! Ido not know a Second Ad
ventist who has the spirit of a Reformer, as every
Christian ought to have, or who holds himself per
sonally responsible, if necessary, to resist evil
unto blood.
I confess that my judgment of this “ tree,” is
alone by its “fruits." Will not some of our
* Our observation does not, on this point, fully ac
■«®rd with that of our correspondent.—Ed.
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1867.
ministers give us such a doctrinal exposition as
■will furnish a better foundation to stand upon?
..I ■ A Layman.
Norristown, March 18,1867.
REV. E. P, HAMMOND’S LETTERS FROM PA
LESTINE, No. 4.
On our way from Tiberias to Nazareth, we pass
ed through what many suppose to be the Cana of
Galilee, where Jesus performed His first miracle.
In a little chapel the monks pointed out to us two
of the “six water pots of stone,” in which they
affirmed the water was changed to wine. Cana
is now, as it doubtless was then, an obscure town.
But it was in that quiet place, among some of the
relatives of His mother, our Lord first “ manifest
ed forth His glory,” (John ii: 11.) He was just
about to commence His public ministry. He
had called His disciples, and perhaps they were!
in some doubt as to the character of their new.
Master, and their faith in Him.needed to.be
strengthened. The desired result was therefore
accomplished, for it is written, “And His disci
ples believed on Him.”
After a ride of a fow hours, over a fearfully
rough road, we reached Nazareth. We found it
situated at the west end of a beautiful valley; and
surrounded by lofty hills. During our two days’
stay in and about Nazareth, we visited all the
places which tradition has connected with the
life of our Saviour. We had little faith that any
of these traditions were well founded. As there
never has been but one fountain that has supplied
the whole town with water, we could but think
that Jesus must often have drank from that spark
ling spring. As often as we visited the fountain,
we found crowds of maidens, some of them really
attractive in their appearance, with water pots
upon their heads. waiting for their turn to fill
them.
Rev. Mr. Hubert, the missionary, took me into
his Protestant school, where I should think were
some fifty children. At his request I told them
about the children in America, who had learned
to love the Saviour, who once lived on that very
hill-side. During our stay in Nazareth, I felt a
nearness to the Saviour, such as I thought I had
never before experienced. It led me to contem
plate the humanity of Christ, in a way I had
never done before. New chords of sympathy
bound my heart to His. And I felt as I had n ever
before, thatl could go to Him with-every sorrow
and find in Him a sympathizing friend, who had
been “tempted in all points like as we are.”
How often I wished that we might know more of
our Saviour’s history, during His long residence
in that quiet valley!
MOUNT TABOR.
While at Nazareth, we made an excursion to
Mount Tabor, situated some seven miles distant.
The monks of the new G-reek Convent, located on
its summit, have recently constructed a good road
all the way to the top. The day was all that could
be desired. The eminence can scarcely be called
a mountain, for it is only 1400 feet above the
plain, and 1900 above the sea; yet the view from
its top is quite extensive, owing to its isolated po
sition. Though we could not regard it as the
“ Mount of Transfiguration,” still our visit was full
of interest. There is evidence that a town and
fortress covered the oblong area on its summit, in
the days of Christ. It would not, therefore, have
been a place to which our Lord and His disciples
would have retired from the gaze of men. Be
sides, in comparing the account given of this event
by Matthew and Mark, it appears that Christ, 1 a
week before the transfiguration, was near Caesa
rea Philippi, and that on; His way from thence, He
visited Capernaum. (Luke ix : 51, and Matthew
xvii: 24.) But taking Mount Hermon to be
“ the holy mount,”- ail the Scripture narrative !
seems natural. We were interested in looking up
all those places in our Bibles, in which -Mount
Tabor is mentioned. We found it celebrated as
one of the wonderful works of God. “ The north
and the south thou hast created them—Tabor and
Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.” Ps. lxxxix: 12.
It appears at one time to have been the scene of
idolatrous rites; for Hosea thus records the words
of God, “ Hear ye this, 0 priests: and hearken,
ye houses of Israel, and give ye ear, 0 house of
the king. For judgment is toward you, because
ye have been a snare on Mispah and a net spread
upon Tabor.” We read the fourth chapter of
Judges telling how Barak “went down from
mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him,”
and with the “Lord, discomfited Siseraand all his
chariots, and all his host.” In the great plain of
Esdraelon, which lay spread out at our feet, we
could easily imagine the scene. To the south, in
full view, lay Endor and Nain. Our glasses made
them appear very near to us, and we read the ac
count of Saul’s sad visit to the witch of Endor,
and of our Saviour’s raising the widow's son at
Nain. (1 Samuel xxviii; andLuke'vii.) While
we were impressed with the fact that-the great
plain before us had been for ages the battle-field
where multitudes, since the days of Saul and Ba
rak, had been ‘slain, it was far more pleasant to
think of Him who gladdened the - heart of that
weeping widow by resto'i-ing her son to life again.
Somewhere along the sides of the declivity of
little Hermon, near where the village of Nain
lay, Jesus must have met the mournful proces
sion on their way to the burial place. Yery likely
His heart was more deeply moved as He drew
near and looked upon the face of the young man
as it was exposed upon the bier (a common sight
in the east.) There it lay, cold and rigid as mar-
ble. But the life-giving words, “Young man, I
say unto you arise,” causes the blood to tinge
those cheeks; and behold; ;h He that was dead
sat up and began to speak.”..!>Nq wotiderthat tyhe
people of the city ” “ glorified God saying, that
God'lmth,.visited His people.” As from Tabor’s
eminence I looked down upon the few houses
where once stood the “city called Nain,” think
ing of this miracle, the thought occurred to me,
Why did not the Omniscient and compassionate
Saviour come but a little sooner to that distressed
mother? Why did He allow those long hours of
suffering between the death of her son and the
dreaded burial? But the answer which our
Lord gave to the disciples concerning the death
of Lazarus came to my mind. “lam glad for your
sake that I was not there, to the intent ye may be
lieve.” As the dark cloud-in, the background is
necessary to the richness and beauty of the rain
bow, so the, Saviour knew. that.the deeper the spr
■ row of, , that weeping heart the greater .would be
its joy. ....
“ Trials make th.e promise sweet,
Trials give new life to prayer,.
. Bring me to the Saviour’s feet,
Lay me low and keep me there.”
Before leaving Tabor we rode aro.und among
its ruins partly for the purpose of. learning the
real shape of its top. 1 The accounts and pictures
which we had seen of it failed to agree in their
representations. > But. a little observation soon
taught us the reason for their apparent discrepan
cies. Erom the east, it presents the appearance
of a truncated cone; from the west, it appears
wedge-shaped; and from the north and south it
describes the arc. of .a circle. We could not help
but learn a lesson of candor and caution from
these facts. How often do we hear people with
the utmost regard for truth, giving an entirely
different account of some mutual acquaintance, or,
it may be, of' some preacher of the day. Tabor
has been aptly described as “the copsy pyramid,
the leafiest hill in the Holy Land.” Thus we
found it on the 25th of Nov.' And from it so
many places of biblical interest may be seen, that
it is one of those places on which travellers .love
to linger.'
From its top also may’be seen the battle-field
where General Kleber and Napoleon Bonaparte, ]
with a handful of 3,0-00 defeated with vapt slaugh
ter, 30,000 of the Turks. Before leaving, we:
visited the Greek Conyent, built where, more than
six centuries ago, a Christian church crumbled
to ruins. Now pnly five or. six monks,live, where,
centuries ago, hundreds made it their home. As
we looked down 1 on that beautiful fertile plain, at
our feet, we thought of what it might have been,
if its ancient jpeople had not so sinned against
God, causing tlieland to.be “utterly emptied, and
utterly spoiled.” , James Montgomery’s lines rep
resent a scep'usadly in contrast with what we
saw from Tabor and in fact throughout all Pales
tine.
“He climbed the mountain, and behold!
The land before him lay,
‘ Here Jordan’s bounding waters rolled,
There Carmel stretched away.
There-Btranger lives the Patriarchs led,
There-promised Canaan smiled
From, Northern Lebanon out-spread
To Araby, the wild.
A land Of fountains and of rills,
YVith milk and honey fraught;
Whose stones were iron, from whose hills
Marble and brass were wrought.
A land ofcorn.and wine and oil, :
Whose trees with fruitage hung,
While birds, to soothe the labourers’ toil,
Among the branches sung.
Valleys stood thick with golden grain,
Goats bounded on the rocks;.
And white and dark, on slope and plain,
Roamed pasturing herds and flocks.”
FRAGMENTS FROM THE -JOURNAL QF A
MISSIONARY TOUR IN INDIA.-No. 11.
Beautiful as is the garden in which we are
stopping here in Kagul , it would be easy to draw
a dark picture of the idolatry and superstition
around us, though probably you hardly need
facts to deepen convictions on this point. One
item, however, bearing on the character and
origin of Hindu idolatry, I will mention.
In this very garden, not far from the elegant
bungalow we occupy, is a temple, comparatively
new. Passing near it, I had the curiosity to
look in at the idol. It was the statue of a man,
and like the temple, bore evidence of modern
make. I asked the gardeners and work-people
near me, what god it was, for the most ignorant
generally recognize each of their 330,000,000 of
gods,by their ■ looks and names. Some of them
told me it was Mahadev (great god,) but most of
them merely called it dev (god.) Not satisfied
with their explanations, I catechised an old and
trusted servant of the Bae Saheb , who has been
on the premises some, forty years,. and who,
though unable to read or write, has his cranium
stuffed to overflowing with volumes of historical
facts. Prom this old. man, I elicited the fact
that the idol. in this temple, is the statue of
Raoji Kahudi Saheb, an old Karbhari of the es
tate under lysing Rao ; —that he administered
the estate with great fidelity, and when he died,
some thirty years ago, he left a large sum, of
money, which, in hie death-letter (will,) he en
joined should be used in building this temple, car
ving Mb statue, consecrating and deifying it by
sacred brahman rites, and performing daily pooja
(worship) before it to the end of time-
The thing was done. The name of Raoji Ka
l-udi Saheb is remembered only by a few of the
oldest peqple,, and when these die will be wholly
forgotten—as also the origin of the temple. But
this (of massive cut stone) will ending for ages,
and the new god enshrined in it will continue-to"
be worshipped by succeeding generations in per
petuo —unless Christ sends new fire from heaven
into the hearts of His church and people, and
inspires more earnest efforts to obey His last com
mand.
We leave TTayuf truly thankful that so much
of God’s truth, orally and by the printed page,
has found favorable access to so many minds; and
hearts, praying God to bless it, and cause it to
spring up and bear fruit to ,His praise, and ear
nestly. longing to see this post occupied by some
man. of God, impelled by love and zeal to find
his life-work and joy in efforts to win these idola
ters.to Christ.
KURNOOE,, NOV. 30. .
Here we, are. encamped in the centre of ,a
small village of only five hundred souls. .We
have found, shelter from' the burning sun in an
old unoccupied building, with no article of fur
niture, but in spreading our beds and blankets on
the .earth floor we only follow the example of the
Great Missionary “.who. went about, doing. gocid”
and of all’ His, Missionary Apostles. - ; 1
The people of this place are simple
and ignorant in regard to everything hut, their;
idol-gods and superstitions. There is only one
man among them able to read—the' village . ac
countant. He may gladly accept a Bible apd
read it to all who gather ,to hear him. I have
good audiences here, every night, and during the
three past days have .visited jsome dozen villages,
within a circle of six or eight, miles around us.
Only a mile in one direction is the large village
of Kongunooli, with a population of over five
thousand (5000,) where the village officers and
heads of the people received me most courteously
and more than two hundred have come and lis-
tened, each time I have been there, as long as I
had time and strength to address them.
Being here in the midst of the people, Mrs..
W. has had special facilities for interviews with,
the women, and has found them delighted
to listen to her words, some of them seeming to
be much interested and impressed by. the strange
and new truths of the Gospel. .
NEEPANI, DEO. 5,
With oneinterveningcampon the wayfrom Kur
noor, we find ourselves in this large town pf ten
thousand idolaters, and, twenty-five miles from
Kolapoor., JReepani, sixty, years ago, was . the
capital-of a large independent (principality, en-
gaged. in frequent conflicts with neighboring
States, and, able to .cope with, the .whole force of
the Kolapoor . kingdom. Its turbulent - chief,
Shidoji Rod, was reported the best soldier and
ablest General in .the Mahratti Empire. In 1808,-
the king of .Kolapoor, Shivaji by name, grand
father of our king just deceased, led his whole
army in person against this notable chief, but
was defeated and wounded, and fled back to Kol
apoor' with the fragment of his army completely
disorganized, leaving : his principal officers, and
five thousand men slain on the field of battle.
Shidoji, Rpt)> proposed.!© follow -up- his ; advantage
and attack Kolapoor,' [but the old Reshwa at
Poona interfered,, effected, a reconciliation be;
tween Neepani and Kolapoor, and to render it
permanent, arranged to have a Kolapoor princess
given in marriage to the Neepani chief. This mar
riage was celebrated, at Kolapoor with great
pomp, June 21st, 18Q9, but no sooner were the
public ceremonies-oyer, than the crafty Neepani
chief , absconded with his royal bride. the, same
night, and .disregarding, all his new family
he soon invaded .the kingdom, and again defeated
the whole Kolapoor army. But at this point of
time, British] interference came in to check both
I the contending parties,and prevent any enlarge
ment of this Neepani principality. Indeed, for
some reason, a-fu.ll third of its,territory was then
made, over <to Kolapoor, though subsequently
taken, back and engrossed in the British Raj.
And such, w.e now find, is the status of this
whole ,Neepani principality. Its last chief, died
only.a few years since, but all. that remains of
him and his principality is his old Fort and Pal
ace and two. youthful widows—all else has be
come British. The reasons and details of ab
sorption may be left to politicians. While ad
mitting the wiser rule of the British, all things
considered, it is still hard to suppress sympathy
for the relics of these old chiefs and ruling fami
lies, thus suddenly “wiped out.”
The senior widow of this late chief had the
courtesy to invite. Mrs. W. to visit her. We found
her living in the old palace within the fort out
side the native town, and both the fort and pal
ace showed evidence of the large resources of the
chief who built them; for there had been much
regard, to strength and permanence, with no par
simonious display of taste and ornament.
Our reception produced a eonflict of emotions,
alternating between the sad and the ludicrous.
When a Hindu king, chief or nobleman invites
us to an interview, he always meets us at the en
trance of his palace or durbar, sutrounded with
a. train of attendants. As we approached the
palace of this Bae Sahel) yesterday, we expected
only attendants to. receive us, as the lady of
course would not appear among men. But we
were surprised to find a bright little,boy,of four
summers standing to receive us, with all the in
signia of native royalty,, and right.. well did. the
little fellow do the honors of the occasion, though
when he led the way into the durbar room, this
young sprig of would-be-royalty had to be car
ried in f;he arms— or rather, astride the hip 0 f
his attendant. We foundthe explanation of this
to be, that the poor widow bad-adopted this child
as an heir to inherit the rights, power and pre
rogatives of her husband, the late chief, and
was training him in all the forms and etiquette of
royalty, sacrificing all her private resources to
keep up her costly establishment, in the forlorn
hope that the British Government would yet re
cognize the adoption and restore the principality
to her family, with this child as its chief—a hope
to be deferred till her heayt is sick and the grave
closes over her and the dear child too.
While Mrs. W. had her interview with the
Bae Saheb, and .women of Jbe. Zeimna, with
Bible iii'hahd and tiie sermon on the_ Mount for
my text, I had a valuable opportunity iu the
durbar to explain to some sixty officials and at
tendants the divine principles and teachings of
oiir holy faith/ " .
My aiidieices each ' day in town fiave been
laiger, Sornetitties rising to twb and three hun
dred; and’ thoiigh many Brahmbns are always
present, they skem ‘ little inclined' to controversy,
while the 7 - cotaiiihOn' people nod dsserit and often
give; ahdible Expression to 1 their Strong feelings
of approval; as they listen to the truth.
‘ We'find' ni6e"s‘chool of one hundred
and fifty pupils, i large number of readers, and
more biger demand; frii Orir sonptnre and tracts
than 1 in' anyplsfbe before yisitfed.'/* */ *
’ Yesterday morning; as I was gbing early to my
service iti'town I Met a eSowdof exci
ted people' just Outside the gate, and on looking
for the cause of their excitement, I observed a
poor man in tlieir midst, inno'cent bf all clothing
but a rag around" his loins, rolling oyer and over
through dirt and filth‘amidst the surging mass
of 1 spectators, and 1 gradually hearing ‘ the high
road.- In answer to my inquiries, I learned that
having suffered' from pains and; ccintOrtions in his
limbs, the man two'years ago went to the god
iTafoba at Gudh' 'lngluz -for 'help, that He re-
mained there ; a whole year constantly worship
ping the god, and had'Enally made a vow to Ka
loba, that if he would h'ealhita, he would perform
Dundwat (penance) by rolling in this way from
Neepani, some twenty miles, to\ the god’s shrine
at' Gudh Ingluz. The trim God : Had ! healed the
‘poor man, or at leist be fancied himself better,
arid now he'was hastening to fulk 'hik vow.
1 Such penance is frequent among the Hindus,
but' generally performed by measuring the dis
tance' with ‘the length df‘the bidy l —t. e., they
fall prostrate on' the feee and' reaching forward
with thb hahd make a mart on the ground,'then
rising they bring' the feet to' the rhirk and again
prostrate the body: Many perform this penance,
travelling 1 sometimes hundreds of miles in this
way to the! great shrines; especially to,Vithoba at
Panderapobr This man chose the Slower and
more tedious' process of rolling, eipee'ting thus to
make more merit and win.more fa.f6i with the
goil. He stopped' at; my .rec[ii'est ‘ and listened,
with the crowd, to my words' 1 for seine tide, but
no arguments Or entreaties Could diVert'him from
his purpose. The whole force of 'their inveterate
shperstitionb binds th'ein to the stfi<st'performance
of Siich Vows. 1 I never shccieeded;in dissuading
froth such- performances except in . A Single In
stance. This wks the case of a young girl, whose
parents' had induced her td make' a Vow to swing
on the.hooks in honor of the ; god’ Khundoba, if
he' would prosper their efforts tor find ‘ a husbatl
for her. At length the husband was found, tie
marriage duly performed,'and neit came prepara
tions to fulfil the vow. Thousands gathered to
witneSs thfe'act, and the parents brought up the
poor girl to the post i.n front Of Khundoba's
shrine on the top of a mountain. I came upon
■the scene on one of my preaching tours, and was
so moved by the Sight of 'the preparations and of
the trembling girl, .that T left fio‘effort untried
with the parents and brothers of the girl and the
officers of their village; to dissuade frCm the cruel
act. For two and • a half hours my best endea
vors availed only to cause delay: But then a quarrel
arose between two - officiating priests,? each of
whom claimed the privilege o'f cutting the poor
girl’s hack and inserting' the hook, and the paltry
fee for so doing. Aided by this quarrel, I suc
ceeded in persuading the parents and brothers of
the girl to release her, and she bounded off down
the mountain: with, manifest joy at her deliver
ance. Knowing the strength of Hindu super
stition, I am not without fears that the poor girl
may have been made to swing on a subsequent
occasion, hut the distance?of scene has prevented
my ascertaining.
. Tbis place, is-another, most desirable
centre for a mission station. . "With its population
,°f ten thousand, and fifty flourishing village?
within a dozen 1 miles, it commands a-large and
promising fields I-have visited: ;a! 'dozen l of the
nearest villages since we reached, here, and every
where find eager listeners. , .that they are
ready and anxious to embrace the Gospel, for
they never heard itrbefore—but they are ready to
listen and betaughtj and'as Ghristfd promise fail
eth not, a man of true love to souls- iqight win
many bright stars hereVorbis crown-qf rejoicing-
Pi that some devoted young man. would fix lit*
heayt. on Netpani, .and come set up his banner
here in the name of our Divide Redeemer.
In the love of the Gospel,- yours sincerely,
■ ' " . - ' R. G. WILDBB.
P• S.—We have been gratified to find love of
knowledge and public spirit: enough, here to in
duce-an effort to get ; up a -lilbrary. . They have
gathered a few books, and the teachers and other in
fluential persons. requested copies of our scriptures
and Christian tracts and books' as an - addition to
their collection. We are most happy to gratify
them and place samples; of ? ojur Christian books
where they will become so widely known. It-