To wait for the coming of the Lord can in no wise be counted sectarianism, because no doctrine or duty is more plainly pointed out in the word of God by the prophets, evangelists, and apostles. All the servants of the Lord in past ages have looked upon the glorious revelation of Christ as an event of the greatest importance. Indeed, there is no point of doctrine on which all Christian churches in past ages have been more fully agreed than this. Jesus speaks to us through his word, through the fulfillment of the prophecies, and the signs of the times, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." 37 Blessed is he who from the depth of his heart can answer, "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 37 Rev. 22: 12. 11 38 L INTRODUCTION. IKE the prophets and our Saviour the apostles have also in many places and different ways declared things which would take place in the future, and the fulfillment of these declarations has clearly proved their divine mission. In order to know what we must believe and teach, we do not need the help of history except in those things that pertain to the prophecies. Every point of doctrine is presented so plainly in the Bible that no one who is willing to search it need be mistaken. One or two statements from the Scriptures are better than a hundred statements from history. But prophecy is history of future events written in advance; consequently it is necessary to seek for its fulfillment in history written after the events have been fulfilled. We cannot say that every event is recorded in the many profane and sacred ancient and modern histories; but the greatest and most important events are clearly presented, and the different historians agree in their statements. The events pointed out in the sure word of prophecy are some of the most important in the history of the human race. Thus the way is open for us by study and comparison to obtain a clearer idea of the prophetic word. And the more we study it, the more we are convinced of the divine origin of the Bible. For none but the God of heaven can clearly reveal future events. The apostle Paul has added his portion to the prophetic word as well as have Peter, James, and John. No apostle had greater zeal for Christ and the Christian religion than had Paul. He was therefore deeply moved when in the Spirit he saw the great apostasy among the Christians, and he warned against it on every suitable occasion. He also labored to impart to the disciples true conceptions, so that they could be able to distinguish clearly between truth and |