Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/363

 ^t CrUidsm of Millennial Hopes ExamfadL &

We cannot suppose that Brother Eaton questions the accuracy of our last census returns, for he surely knows that at the present time the "50,000,000 sq. miles of land surface on this globe* * are not covered "with people as thick as they could stand" two thousand deep reaching up in the sky nearly two miles. Yet, above, he tells us that to him all this "seems a very reasonable estimate" and adds that he has "no doubt" on the subject. Evidently the Brother's desire to make the doctrine of the Millennium * look like thirty cents" as he expressed it "to strike that doctrine a blow between the eyes from which it would never recover" blinded him to the antics of his pencil. But, alas, Dr. Eaton, and many of those who applauded his ludicrous statements, are as far from the truth in their general understanding of the divine plan as they are in error on this simple mundane proposition. The secret of this unwisdom lies in rejecting the clear testimony of the Bible and opposing it claiming that the Apostles and early Church in looking for a Millen- nium were misled by their ignorance of matters now well known (?) by modern theologians of the higher criticism school. Well says the Apostle that to these the teaching of the cross is foolishness they have no use for the doctrine of the ransom, that we are bought back from destruction by the ransom price, even the precious blood of Christ. The words of the Prophet quoted by the Apostle are still applic- able to such, and still explain why it is that worldly wisdom is so liable to err unguided by the letter and the spirit of revelation. The quotation is "I will destroy the wisdom, of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise ? Where is the scribe ? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"! Cor. I: 19, 20,

A CAREFUL ESTIMATE BASED ON PACTS.

We should reason of unknown 1&iags from the basis of that which is kaown. We know that the world's population today is approximately 1,600,000,000. We know that the present rate of increase is eight per cent, for the past ten

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