Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page 178
178 AHMADIYY AT ing religious thinking into certain channels. I believe that in the long run this journal will be the means of removing the barriers which have been erected by ignorance in the way of truth. The Church Family, an organ of the Anglican Church, wrote: We should make no attempt to refute the literature published under the auspices of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, for he will create such a volume of literature against Christianity as will destroy the authority of the Bible altogether. On 9 December 1902 the Rev John Hugh Smyth Piggot, Pastor of a church called the Ark of Covenant, in Clapton, London E. 5, announced that he was the Messiah and son of God who had descended from heaven according to His promise. He said: 'I am the same Jesus Christ who died on the cross and then after resurrection ascended to heaven. ' On hearing this the congregation, with tears in their eyes, knelt in devotion to worship him. His announcement became front page news in the papers and evoked widespread interest and excitement. There was not only interest in, but a storm of opposition to, his claim. The Rev Mr Piggot was borr~ in 1852, and joined the ministry of the Church of England in 1882. In 1892 a church was built in Clapton by one Henry James Prince, where Piggot was invited to preach on Sundays. In his addresses he often referred to the prophecy of Henry James Prince, who claimed to be the messenger of the Holy Ghost, that the Redeemer Jesus Christ was about to appear. Prince died in 1899. Thereafter, Piggott's sermons and addresses adopted a definite line. He emphasized that the second advent of Jesus Christ was at hand. He even suggested that he might already be with them. Having thus prepared the minds of his congre- gationhe made his announcement that Henry James Prince had come as the fore-ninner of the Messiah who had pro- mised to return to earth from heaven and that he himself was the Messiah and God who stood before them. When the news of his claim reached India, Dr Mufti