CHRISTADELPHIANS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 823, 18 November 1929, Page 14

CHRISTADELPHIANS

ORIGIN OF FRATERNITY ROMANCE OF EARLY DAYS An absorbing review of the Ch ristadel ph ian movement was traversed at a meeting of the fraternity in the Freemasons’ Hall, Belgium Street, Auckland, last evening. John Thomas, M.D., was the founder of this organisation. His father was originally in the Civil Service of the East India Company. He graduated as a preacher in Hoxton College, London, when 30 years of age, and for several years exercised the clerical vocation in a small way while in the service of the East India Company until he received a “call” to preach for an independent congregation in London The son was brought up in the medical profession: in the year 1832 the doctor was seized with the emigration fever and sailed for America in the Marquis of Wellesley, a ship of 500 tons burden. He acted as surgeon aboard the ship. During the voyage a violent storm was encountered and the vessel almost foundered. The doctor, although not irreligious, had paid little attention to this phase of life and the present danger found him in a state of great uncertainty as regards his future. He then determined that if ever lie got safely to land he would not be taken by surprise again. After a voyage of eight weeks, the ship arrived safely in New York Harbour, and the doctor eventually settled in Virginia and there practised his profession. Not forgetting the resolution he made at sea, he immediately sought a religious community, where he could exercise his devotions to God. and became associated with the body known as the Campbelites, who were under the leadership of Mr. Alexander Campbell. lie became a devout student of Scripture, but found in the course of time that his conclusions differed very much from those of his co-religionists. He endeavoured to persuade them in regard to his views but only evoked the hostility of Mr. Campbell, and after a great deal of controversy, in which the doctor felt that he could not compromise what he considered to be the “truth.” eventually separated with a small following which became the inception of the new brotherhood. To put the matter briefly, the great school of “Conditional Immortality,” inculcated by the Christadelphians and other religious bodies of today, may be largely traced to tlie energy of the doctor and his followers. The present name of the fraternity was adopted during the American Civil War as a necessity for claiming exemption from military duties, which was granted to them. The doctor paid three visits to Great Britain, during which he established a large following. which has continued to increase,

though slowly, till the present day. : He is the author of several inter-: esting works, the most widely circulated being entitled “Elpis Israel." published in IS4S. in which with remarkable perspicuity he delineates from the prophets a movement among the Jews for the recovery of Palestine which he believed would shortly take place, and which has been fully verified in what is known as the Zionist Movement. So much for tlieir origin. Last. evening an address was delivered at their place of worship, the ■ Freemasons’ Hall, Belgium Street, on the subject, ‘‘The Day of Vengeance ; and the Year of Redemption,” words I taken from the Prophet Isaiah. : It was pointed out that salvation is ; not usually associated with the day of j vengeance, due to the idea that death j is not looked at as a catastrophe but as the gateway to a more perfect life. This fallacy, the speaker said, ob- ; scured every phase of divinely revealed truth. Bible salvation lias to do with the earth and the people upon it. Sin millennium of time have only demonstrated the incompetence of 'man to evolve a permanent and I equitable form of government, and becaues of this the prophets declare that God Himself will, through His own annointed King, the Messiah, establish a government upon earth which will guarantee to every person all the necessary requisites of life and the banishment of all anxieties. Such a consummation can only be brought about by Divine power, and will involve tlie greatest revolution 1 of all time, for as it is quite evident for the correction of the multitude of wrongs upon earth, there must be a i complete redistribution of land and : other things: as the coming King ! comes incognito he will be opposed ! in his mission which will bring upon the nations condign punishment so i graphically described in the second ! chapter of Isaiah: it will lead to the ; complete social and iiolitical emanci- ! patiou of mankind. As to salvation in its completes! : sense, the Bible reveals the purpose 1 of God in calling out from among all nations people who set themselves out to serve God, and incidentally their fellows, and associates them with the coming King in the government of the age to come: they will displace all magistrates and government servants i throughout the earth and in the ( establishment of that Divine adminisi tration will be realised the Gospel of j the Kingdom of God preached by S Christ and His Apostles, and the de- ; claration of Moses four thousand years ago, “Asking as I live,” saith the Lord, “all the earth shall be filled with My glory.” LECTURES ON CHRISTIAN SCIENCE The first of a series of interesting public lectures on Christian Science ; will be delivered in the Town Hall tomorrow evening. The speaker will be the Hon. William E. Brown, C.S.U., of Los Angeles, who is a member of the ' Board of Lectureship of the Mother ; Church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston. The second public lecture will be : given in the Concert Chamber next j Sunday afternoon. 1