PAUL AND THE ADVENT MYSTERY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1049, 11 February 1911, Page 13

PAUL AND THE ADVENT MYSTERY.

Delivering tho last of his lectures on tho Advent Hopo at the Abbey, tho Dean of Westminster (Dr. ' Armitage Kobinson) said: "At.first to St. Paul tho advent hopo was very vaguoand undefined. Ho spoko of it in terras which ho had borrowed out of ,'tho past in tho language of the apocalyptic seers. Ho knew there must bo a great struggle, ho knew that it would issue in victory. Ho thought'that the uitimato victory was' very near, and that ho should live to seo it. Ho changed his mind about that in his Jatcr epistles, and ho learned that to die was more than to sleep—it was to bo absent from tho body and prcsont with the Lord. Hut ho also learned there was something rnoro to bo looked for than 'our gathering together' to meet tho Lord in tho air. Ho dropped tho apocalyptic symbols which had served his' purpose at first, aiid ' he spoko words plain enough, though their meaning stretches out into far more wonderful mystery. We cannot think that ho would havo unsaid at tho end what ho said at tho beginning.' He might havo said, as wo, perhaps, must bo content to say to-day: Thoro aro two sides of tho truth) and I cannot wholly reconcilo them. Assuredly 'tho Lord will conic,' 'tho Christ will bo fulfilled.' Think of it in symbols, or riso to tho heights of tho eternal purpose. Either way jf is still beyond our'utmost imaginings.. But to Him who is able to do far more for us than we can ask or imagine, bo glory, glory in tho Church and in Christ Jesus, through all the ages of eternity."