The Book of Religions: Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America, to Which are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together With Biographical SketchesHayward, John
Religion
The Book of Religions: Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America, to Which are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together With Biographical Sketches
Hayward, John
Christian biography; Religions; Sects
The excellent and learned Stillingfleet, in the preface to his Vindication
of the Doctrine of the Trinity, says, “Since both sides yield that the
matter they dispute about is above their reach, the wisest course they can
take is, to assert and defend _what is revealed_, and not to be
_peremptory_ and quarrelsome about that which is acknowledged to be above
our comprehension; I mean as to the _manner_ how the _three persons_
partake of the _divine nature_.”
MILLENARIANS.
The Millenarians are those who believe that Christ will reign personally
on earth for a thousand years; and their name, taken from the Latin
_mille_, a thousand, has a direct allusion to the duration of the
spiritual empire.
The doctrine of the millennium, or a future paradisaical state of the
earth, it is said, is not of Christian, but of Jewish origin. The
tradition is attributed to Elijah, which fixes the duration of the world,
in its present imperfect condition, to six thousand years, and announces
the approach of a Sabbath of a thousand years of universal peace and
plenty, to be ushered in by the glorious advent of the Messiah. This idea
may be traced in the Epistle of Barnabas, and in the opinions of Papias,
who knew of no written testimony in its behalf. It was adopted by the
author of the Revelation, by Justin Martyr, by Irenæus, and by a long
succession of the fathers. As the theory is animating and consolatory,
when it is divested of cabalistic numbers and allegorical decorations, it
will no doubt always retain a number of adherents.
However the Millenarians may differ among themselves respecting the nature
of this great event, it is agreed, on all hands, that such a revolution
will be effected in the latter days, by which vice and its attendant
misery shall be banished from the earth; thus completely forgetting all
those dissensions and animosities by which the religious world hath been
agitated, and terminating the grand drama of Providence with universal
felicity. We are not unmindful of the prophetic language of Isaiah,
(49:22, 23,) together with a sublime passage from the book of the
Revelation, (11:15,) with which the canon of Scripture concludes—“Thus
saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and
set up my standard to the people. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers,
and their queens thy nursing mothers, [they shall become good themselves,
and be the protectors of religion and liberty,] and thou shalt know that I
am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. And the
seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (See Matt 13:29, 30; 27:32.
Luke 17:29, 30. Acts 3:21. Heb. 1:12. Phil. 3:9, 11. 2 Pet. 3:13. Rev.
20:1-6, and chaps. 21, 22. Apoc. chap. 21. Ezek. chap. 36.)
WHITEFIELD CALVINISTIC METHODISTS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account