Loading...
Larger font
Smaller font
Copy
Print
Contents

Passion, Purpose & Power

 - Contents
  • Results
  • Related
  • Featured
No results found for: "".
  • Weighted Relevancy
  • Content Sequence
  • Relevancy
  • Earliest First
  • Latest First
    Larger font
    Smaller font
    Copy
    Print
    Contents

    I. The Millerite Adventist Movement
    1831-1844

    1. William Miller

    In Jesus I found a friendPPP 10.1

    A skeptic for several years, William Miller experienced a remarkable conversion in 1816.PPP 10.2

    On the Lord’s day following [the second anniversary of the Battle of Plattsburg, New York, which had occurred on September 11, 1814, and in which William Miller had participated], it devolved on Captain Miller, as usual in the minister’s absence, to read a discourse of the deacons’ selection. They had chosen one on the “importance of Parental Duties.” 1Alexander Proudfit, D. D., “The Duty of Parents to Their Children, A Discourse Based On Proverbs 22:6.” Soon after commencing, he was overpowered by the inward struggle of emotion, with which the entire congregation deeply sympathized, and took his seat. His deistical principles seemed an almost insurmountable difficulty with him. Soon after, “Suddenly,” he says, “the character of a Saviour was vividly impressed upon my mind. It seemed that there might be a being so good and compassionate as to himself atone for our transgressions, and thereby save us from suffering the penalty of sin. I immediately felt how lovely such a Being must be; and imagined that I could cast myself into the arms of, and trust in the mercy of, such an One. But the question arose, How can it be proved that such a Being does exist? Aside from the Bible, I found that I could get no evidence of the existence of such a Saviour, or even of a future state. I felt that to believe in such a Saviour without evidence would be visionary in the extreme. I saw that the Bible did bring to view just such a Saviour as I needed; and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired book should develop principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a fallen world. I was constrained to admit that the Scriptures must be a revelation from God. They became my delight; and in Jesus I found a friend. The Saviour became to me the chiefest among ten thousand; and the Scriptures, which before were dark and contradictory, now became the lamp to my feet and light to my path. My mind became settled and satisfied. I found the Lord God to be a Rock in the midst of the ocean of life. The Bible now became my chief study, and I can truly say, I searched it with great delight. I found the half was never told me. I wondered why I had not seen its beauty and glory before, and marvelled that I could have ever rejected it. I found everything revealed that my heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, and applied my heart to get wisdom from God.”PPP 10.3

    Mr. Miller immediately erected the family altar; publicly professed his faith in that religion which had been food for his mirth,2During the years that Miller was a deist, he enjoyed entertaining his deist friends by mimicking the piety of his Baptist relatives. by connecting himself with the little church that he had despised; opened his house for meetings of prayer; and became an ornament and pillar in the church, and an aid to both pastor and people. The die was cast, and he had taken his stand for life as a soldier of the cross, as all who knew him felt assured; and henceforth the badge of discipleship, in the church or world, in his family or closet, indicated whose he was and whom he served. —Sylvester Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, 1853, pp. 66, 67.PPP 11.1

    During the years 1816-1818, Miller engaged in intense Bible study. It was then that he discovered the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14, something with which his name will forever be linked.PPP 11.2

    MonomaniacPPP 12.1

    According to the setting in Sylvester Bliss’s Memoirs of William Miller, this incident happened sometime between 1828 and 1831. However, the statement that prefaces the incident in another source suggests it occurred around 1838: “About six years since, the family physician of Mr. Miller had remarked at various places that Esquire Miller was a fine man, and a good neighbor; but on the subject of the advent he was a monomaniac”-The Midnight Cry, March 7, 1844, pp. 259, 260. Regardless of the date, the story is worth remembering.PPP 12.2

    As Mr. Miller’s opinions respecting the nearness and nature of the millennium became known, they naturally elicited a good deal of comment among his friends and neighbors, and also among those at a distance. Some of their remarks, not the most complimentary to his sanity, would occasionally be repeated to him. Having heard that a physician in his neighborhood had said, “Esquire Miller,” as he was familiarly called, “was a fine man and a good neighbor, but was a monomaniac on the subject of the advent,” Mr. M [iller] was humorously inclined to let him prescribe for his case.PPP 12.3

    One of his children being sick one day, he sent for the doctor, who, after prescribing for the child, noticed that Mr. Miller was very mute in one corner, and asked what ailed him.PPP 12.4

    “Well, I hardly know, doctor. I want you to see what does, and prescribe for me.”PPP 12.5

    The doctor felt his pulse, &c., and could not decide respecting his malady; and inquired what he supposed was his complaint.PPP 12.6

    “Well,” says Mr. Miller, “I don’t know but I am a monomaniac; and I want you to examine me, and see if I am; and, if so, cure me. Can you tell when a man is a monomaniac?”PPP 12.7

    The doctor blushed, and said he thought he could. Mr. Miller wished to know how.PPP 12.8

    “Why,” said the doctor, “a monomaniac is rational on all subjects but one; and, when you touch that particular subject, he will become raving.”PPP 12.9

    “Well,” says Mr. Miller, “I insist upon it that you see whether I am in reality a monomaniac; and if I am, you shall prescribe for and cure me. You shall, therefore, sit down with me two hours, while I present the subject of the advent to you, and, if I am a monomaniac, by that time you will discover it.”PPP 13.1

    The doctor was somewhat disconcerted; but Mr. Miller insisted, and told him, as it was to present the state of his mind, he might charge for his time as in regular practice.PPP 13.2

    The doctor finally consented; and, at Mr. Miller’s request, opened the Bible and read from the 8th of Daniel. As he read along, Mr. Miller inquired what the ram denoted, with the other symbols presented. The doctor had read Newton, and applied them to Persia, Greece, and Rome, as Mr. Miller did. Mr. Miller then inquired how long the vision of those empires was to be.PPP 13.3

    “2300 days.”PPP 13.4

    “What!” said Mr. Miller, “could those great empires cover only 2300 literal days?”PPP 13.5

    “Why,” said the doctor, “those days are years, according to all commentators; and those kingdoms are to continue 2300 years.”PPP 13.6

    Mr. M. then asked him to turn to the 2d of Daniel, and to the 7th; all of which he explained the same as Mr. Miller. He was then asked if he knew when the 2300 days would end. He did not know, as he could not tell when they commenced.PPP 13.7

    Mr. Miller told him to read the 9th of Daniel. He read down till he came to the 21st verse, when Daniel saw “the man Gabriel,” whom he had “seen in the vision.”PPP 13.8

    “In what vision?” Mr. Miller inquired.PPP 13.9

    “Why,” said the doctor, “in the vision of the 8th of Daniel.”PPP 13.10

    ” ‘Wherefore, understand the matter and consider the vision.’ He had now come, then, to make him understand that vision, had he?”PPP 13.11

    “Yes,” said the doctor.PPP 13.12

    “Well, seventy weeks are determined; what are these seventy weeks a part of?”PPP 13.13

    “Of the 2300 days.”PPP 13.14

    “Then do they begin with the 2300 days?”PPP 14.1

    “Yes,” said the doctor.PPP 14.2

    “When did they end?”PPP 14.3

    “In A.D. 33.”PPP 14.4

    “Then how far would the 2300 extend after 33?”PPP 14.5

    The doctor subtracted 490 from 2300, and replied, 1810. “Why,” said he, “that is past.”PPP 14.6

    “But,” said Mr. Miller, “there were 1810 from 33; in what year would that come?”PPP 14.7

    The doctor saw at once that the 33 should be added, and set down 33 and 1810, and, adding them, replied, 1843.PPP 14.8

    At this unexpected result the doctor settled back in his chair and colored; but immediately took his hat and left the house in a rage.PPP 14.9

    The next day he again called on Mr. Miller, and looked as though he had been in the greatest mental agony.PPP 14.10

    “Why, Mr. Miller,” said he, “I am going to hell. I have not slept a wink since I was here yesterday. I have looked at the question in every light, and the vision must terminate about A.D. 1843; and I am unprepared, and must go to hell.”PPP 14.11

    Mr. Miller calmed him, and pointed him to the ark of safety; and in about a week, calling each day on Mr. M., he found peace to his soul, and went on his way rejoicing, as great a monomaniac as Mr. Miller. He afterwards acknowledged that, till he made the figures 1843, he had no idea of the result to which he was coming.—ibid., pp. 94-97.PPP 14.12

    Tell the WorldPPP 14.13

    Miller’s decision to start preaching was not made easily. Years later he recalled the day he decided to start publicly sharing his views about the soon return of Christ. The public labors of Mr. Miller, according to the best evidence to be obtained, date from the autumn of 1831. He had continued to be much distressed respecting his duty to “go and tell it to the world,” which was constantly impressed on his mind. One Saturday, after breakfast, he satPPP 14.14

    down at his desk to examine some point, and, as he arose to go out to work, it came home to him with more force than ever, “Go and tell it to the world.” He thus writes:—PPP 15.1

    “The impression was so sudden, and came with such force, that I settled down into my chair, saying, ‘I can’t go, Lord.’ ‘Why not?’ seemed to be the response; and then all my excuses came up—my want of ability, &c.; but my distress became so great, I entered into a solemn covenant with God, that, if he would open the way, I would go and perform my duty to the world. ‘What do you mean by opening the way?’ seemed to come to me. ‘Why,’ said I, ‘if I should have an invitation to speak publicly in any place, I will go and tell them what I find in the Bible about the Lord’s coming.’ Instantly all my burden was gone, and I rejoiced that I should not probably be thus called upon, for I had never had such an invitation. My trials were not known, and I had but little expectation of being invited to any field of labor.PPP 15.2

    “In about half an hour from this time, before I had left the room, a son of Mr. [Silas] Guilford3The “son” mentioned here was Erving G. Guilford, a nephew ofWilliam Miller, being the son of Miller’s younger sister, Sylvia (Miller) Guilford, and her husband, Silas Guilford. of Dresden [New York], about sixteen miles4About 25 km. from my residence, came in, and said that his father had sent for me, and wished me to go home with him. Supposing that he wished to see me on some business, I asked him what he wanted. He replied, that there was to be no preaching in their church the next day, and his father wished to have me come and talk to the people on the subject of the Lord’s coming. I was immediately angry with myself for having made the covenant I had; I rebelled at once against the Lord, and determined not to go. I left the boy, without giving him any answer, and retired in great distress to a grove near by. There I struggled with the Lord for about an hour, endeavoring to release myself from the covenant I had made with him; but I could get no relief. It was impressed upon my conscience, ‘Will you make a covenant with God, and break it so soon?’ and the exceeding sinfulness of thus doing overwhelmed me. I finally submitted, and promised the Lord that, if he would sustain me, I would go, trusting in him to give me grace and ability to perform all he should require of me. I returned to the house, and found the boy still waiting. He remained till after dinner, and I returned with him to Dresden.PPP 15.3

    “The next day, which as nearly as I can remember, was about the first Sabbath [Sunday] in August, 1833,5The printed article from which this is copied was written in 1845. By an examination of his [Miller’s] correspondence, it appears that he must have begun to lecture in August 1831. So this date is a mistake of the printer or an error in Mr. Miller’s memory. As no mention is made of this in the letter to Elder Hendrix, from which the previous extract is made [not quoted here], he could not have gone to Dresden before the second Sabbath [i.e., Sunday] in August 1831 [i.e., August 14, 1831]. I delivered my first public lecture on the Second Advent. The house was well filled with an attentive audience. As soon as I commenced speaking, all my diffidence and embarrassment were gone, and I felt impressed only with the greatness of the subject, which, by the providence of God, I was enabled to present. At the close of the services on the Sabbath, I was requested to remain and lecture during the week, with which I complied. They flocked in from the neighboring towns; a revival commenced, and it was said that in thirteen families all but two persons were hopefully converted.PPP 16.1

    “On the Monday following I returned home, and found a letter from Elder [Isaac] Fuller, of Poultney, Vt., requesting me to go and lecture there on the same subject. They had not heard of my going to Dresden. I went to Poultney, and lectured there with similar effect.PPP 16.2

    “From thence I went, by invitation, to Pawlet, and other towns in that vicinity. The churches of Congregationalists, Baptists, and Methodists, were thrown open. In almost every place I visited my labors resulted in the reclaiming of backsliders, and the conversion of sinners. I was usually invited to fields of labor by the ministers of the several congregations whom I visited, who gave me their countenance; and I have never labored in any place to which I was not previously invited. The most pressing invitations from the ministry, and the leading members of the churches, poured in continually from that time, during the whole period of my public labors, and with more than one half of which I was unable to comply. Churches were thrown open everywhere, and I lectured, to crowded houses, through the western part of Vermont, the northern part of New York, and in Canada East; and powerful reformations were the results of my labors.” —ibid., pp. 97-99.PPP 16.3

    Self-supporting ministryPPP 16.4

    Miller’s motivation to travel and preach was not honorariums, per diem, or mileage reimbursement! Rather, his was a self-supporting ministry.PPP 16.5

    During this tour, while in Canada [between June 21 and July 9, 1835], a woman placed two half-dollars in his hand, which was all the assistance he received previous to 1836. His expenses for travel, &c., were paid from his own funds.—ibid., pp. 122, 123.PPP 16.6

    On the 19th of June [1836] he visited Lansingburgh, N.Y., and continued till the 26th. To pay his stage-fare he received, on this occasion, four dollars, which, with the two half-dollars received in Canada, was all the remuneration he had thus far received for his expenses. Subsequent to that time, as he says in his [1845] “Apology and Defence,” he never received enough to meet his expenses of travel to the places where he was invited; so that his public labors were never of any pecuniary advantage to him, as has been currently reported and believed; but, on the contrary, they were a heavy tax on his property, which gradually decreased during that period of his life.—ibid., p. 125.PPP 17.1

    The date of the letter as printed in Bliss is mistakenly given as February 4, 1844.PPP 17.2

    As to worldly cares, I have had but very few for twelve years past. I have a wife and eight children; I have great reason to believe they all are the children of God, and believers in the same doctrine with myself. I own a small farm in Low Hampton, N.Y.; my family support themselves upon it, and I believe they are esteemed frugal, temperate and industrious. They use hospitality without grudging, and never turn a pilgrim from the house, nor the needy from the door. I bless God my family are benevolent and kind to all men who need their sympathy or aid; I have no cares to manage, except my own individual wants; I have no funds or debts due me of any amount; “I owe no man any thing;” and I have expended more than two thousand dollars of my property in twelve years, besides what God has given me through the dear friends, in this cause.—Portion of a letter printed in the Signs of the Times from William Miller to Joshua V. Himes, written from Philadelphia, February 4, 1843; ibid., p. 181.PPP 17.3

    Singleness of purposePPP 18.1

    Although the Millerites, as Miller’s followers came to be known, were eventually expelled from the churches to which they had belonged, Miller had no desire to establish his own church. Converting souls and helping people prepare for Christ’s soon return was his sole motivation for preaching.PPP 18.2

    In all my labors I never had the desire or thought to establish any separate interest from that of existing denominations, or to benefit one at the expense of another. I thought to benefit all. Supposing that all Christians would rejoice in the prospect of Christ’s coming, and that those who could not see as I did would not love any the less those who should embrace this doctrine, I did not conceive there would ever be any necessity for separate meetings. My whole object was a desire to convert souls to God, to notify the world of a coming judgment, and to induce my fellowmen to make that preparation of heart which will enable them to meet their God in peace. The great majority of those who were converted under my labors united with the various existing churches.—From William Miller, Apology and Defence, 1845, p. 24.PPP 18.3

    “Is your name Miller?”PPP 18.4

    At the invitation of Elder Timothy Cole, whom William Miller had never met, William lectured in Lowell, Massachusetts, May 14-22, 1838. The story of his arrival in Lowell, his initial reception by Elder Cole, and Cole’s subsequent conversion to Millerism illustrate the impact Miller’s preaching had, not just on congregations, but also on pastors.PPP 18.5

    Previous to Mr. Miller’s visit to Massachusetts, Elder T[imothy] Cole, of Lowell, had heard of the results attending his labors in Vermont, and had written for him to visit that city. The dress of Mr. Miller was very plain and ordinary, much more befitting his profession of a farmer than of a preacher. Elder Cole, from the reports of his great success, expected him to appear like some distinguished doctor of divinity. When Mr. M. came to Randolph, Elder C. obtained a promise of his services in Lowell, to commence on the 14th of May, and was requested to meet him at the cars. He had heard that Mr. Miller wore a camlet cloak and white hat, but expected to see a fashionably-dressed gentleman. On the arrival of the cars, he went to the depot to meet him. He watched closely the appearance of all the passengers as they left the cars, but saw no one who corresponded with his expectations of Mr. M. Soon he saw an old man, shaking with the palsy, with a white hat and camlet cloak, alight from the cars. Fearing that this one might prove to be the man, and if so, regretting that he had invited him to lecture in his church, he stepped up to him, and whispered in his ear,—PPP 18.6

    “Is your name Miller?”PPP 19.1

    Mr. M. nodded assent.PPP 19.2

    “Well,” said he, “follow me.”PPP 19.3

    He led the way, walking on ahead, and Mr. M. keeping as near as he could, till he reached his house. He was much chagrined that he had written for a man of Mr. M.’s appearance, who, he concluded, could know nothing respecting the Bible, but would confine his discourse to visions and fancies of his own.PPP 19.4

    After tea, he told Mr. M. he supposed it was about time to attend church; and again led the way, Mr. M. bringing up the rear. He showed Mr. M. into the desk, but took a seat himself among the congregation. Mr. M. read a hymn; after it was sung he prayed, and read another hymn, which was also sung. He felt unpleasant at being left in the pulpit alone, but took for his text: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” 6According to notes kept by William Miller in his “Text Book,” he used Titus 2:13 to open more series of meetings than any other Bible text. This he sustained and illustrated by apposite quotations of Scripture, proving a second personal and glorious appearing of Christ. Elder C. listened for about fifteen minutes, when, seeing that he presented nothing but the word of God, and that he opened the Scriptures in a manner that did honor to the occasion, like a workman who needeth not to be ashamed, he walked up into the pulpit, and took his seat. Mr. M. lectured there from the 14th to the 22d of May, and again from the 29th to the 4th of June. A glorious revival followed, and Elder C. embraced his views in full, continuing for six years a devoted advocate of them.—Sylvester Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, pp. 135, 136.PPP 19.5

    Rightly called “Father Miller”PPP 20.1

    Miller visited Portland, Maine, on two occasions: March 1840, and June 1842. On both occasions Ellen Harmon (later White), along with her family, attended Miller’s series of lectures. Years later, she recalled the impact that Miller’s sincerity had on his hearers. As a result of attending these meetings, Ellen and her family became Millerite Adventists.PPP 20.2

    Mr. Miller’s manner of preaching was not flowery or oratorical, but he dealt in plain and startling facts, that roused his hearers from their careless indifference. He supported his statements and theories by Scripture proof as he progressed. A convincing power attended his words, that seemed to stamp them as the language of truth.PPP 20.3

    He was courteous and sympathetic. When every seat in the house was full, and the platform and places about the pulpit seemed overcrowded, I have seen him leave the desk, and walk down the aisle, and take some feeble old man or woman by the hand and find a seat for them, then return and resume his discourse. He was indeed rightly called “Father Miller,” for he had a watchful care over those who came under his ministrations, was affectionate in his manner, of a genial disposition and tender heart.—Ellen G. White, Life Sketches, 1915, p. 27.PPP 20.4

    “Even so come, Lord Jesus”PPP 20.5

    I call heaven and yourselves to witness, my brethren, that I have never taught any thing to make you throw away any part of God’s word. I have never pretended to preach any thing but the Bible. I have used no sophistry.PPP 20.6

    My preaching has not been with words of man’s wisdom. I have not countenanced fanaticism in any form. I use no dreams or visions except those in the word of God. I have taught you no precept of man, nor the creed of any sect. I have never designed to make a new sect, or to give you a nick name; this the enemies of Christ’s second advent have done—and we must patiently bear it until he comes, and then he will take away our reproach. I have wronged no man, neither have I sought for your honors or gold. I have preached about 4,500 lectures in about twelve years, to at least 500,000 different people. I have broken my constitution and lost my health—and for what? That if possible I might be the means of saving some. How many have been saved by these means I cannot tell—God knows—to him be all the glory. In one thing I have great reason to rejoice. I believe I have never lectured in any place, but God has been with me and given me some fruits of his Spirit, as an evident token of the truth. I have never preached or believed in any time for Christ to come but the end of the prophetic periods, which I have always believed would end with the Jewish year 1843; and which I still believe, and mean, with the help of God, to look for until he comes. And I think I can say with my whole heart and soul,—Amen, even so come, Lord Jesus.—Portion of an address given by William Miller at the Millerite Conference held in New York City, February 6-9, 1844; as printed in The Midnight Cry, February 15, 1844, p. 236.PPP 20.7

    Implicit faithPPP 21.1

    Miller’s reaction to all the derision of him after the first disappointment when Christ did not come as expected in the Spring of 1844, is a powerful testimony to any today who are tempted to complain about the difficulties of being an Adventist. At the time, Miller was the object of public ridicule in many American newspapers; the butt of jokes told about him and his followers; and the recipient of scorn heaped upon him by an overwhelmingly skeptical public and clergy.PPP 21.2

    On April 5 [1844] Miller wrote to Elon Galusha that he was “looking every day and hour for Christ to come.” He looked forward to being “like him, whom twenty-eight years ago I loved. . . . I thought before this time I should be with him, yet I am here a pilgrim and a stranger, waiting for a change from mortal to immortal.”PPP 21.3

    Miller went on to note that the scoffers must scoff, but, he affirmed, God would take care of him. “Why then,” he queried, “should I complain if God should give a few days or even months more as probation time, for some to find salvation, and others to fill up the measure of their cup, before they drink the dregs, and wring them out in bitter anguish. It is my Savior[’]s will and I rejoice that he will do things right.”—Letter written by William Miller to Elon Galusha, April 5, 1844, quoted in George Knight, Millennial Fever, 1993, p. 162.PPP 21.4

    Today, today, and today, until He comesPPP 22.1

    Miller’s reaction to the “passing of the time” on October 22, 1844, as described in a letter written on November 10, 1844, to Joshua V. Himes, demonstrates his unshakable faith in God despite his disappointment in Christ not having returned as expected.PPP 22.2

    Although I have been twice disappointed, I am not yet cast down or discouraged. God has been with me in spirit, and has comforted me. I have now much more evidence that I do believe in God’s word. My mind is perfectly calm, and my hope in the coming of Christ is as strong as ever. . . .PPP 22.3

    Brethren, hold fast, let no man take your crown. I have fixed my mind on another time, and here I mean to stand until God gives me more light, and that is, to-day, to-day, and to-day, until he comes.—Portion of a letter written by William Miller to Joshua V. Himes, quoted in Sylvester Bliss, William Miller, pp. 277, 278.PPP 22.4

    Unshakable confidencePPP 22.5

    Miller’s unshakable confidence in Christ’s soon return continued right up to the time of his death on December 20, 1849. During the last few months of Miller’s life, he was confined to his bed. When death appeared imminent, a telegram was sent to his close friend and associate, Joshua V. Himes, to come to Low Hampton, New York. Himes arrived on December 17, 1849. Although virtually blind and very feeble, Miller recognized his friend and colleague. One of the few things Miller said to Himes was the following:PPP 22.6

    “Tell them (the brethren) we are right. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh; but they must be patient, and wait for him.”—William Miller; quoted in Sylvester Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller, p. 377.PPP 22.7

    Miller’s death came three days later.PPP 23.1

    The closing scene finally came. On the 20th of December [1849], in the morning, it was manifest to all that he must soon depart. During the morning he made no particular conversation, but would break forth in expressions like the following: “Mighty to save!” “O, I long to be there!” “Victory! victory!” “Shouting in death!” &c.PPP 23.2

    He finally sunk down into an easy sleeping or dozing state. Occasionally he roused up, and opened his eyes, but was not able to speak, though perfectly rational, and knew us all. He continued to breathe shorter and shorter, till five minutes past three o’clock, P. M., when he calmly and sweetly gave his last breath.—ibid., p. 378.PPP 23.3

    “He comes! He comes! He comes!”PPP 23.4

    The following are the closing lines from a letter William Miller wrote on March 26, 1832, to Truman Hendrix, a Baptist minister who was among the first to accept Miller’s views. It demonstrates how vivid the second coming of Christ was in Miller’s thinking, even years before 1844.PPP 23.5

    Look!—look again! See crowns, and kings, and kingdom stumbling to the dust! See lords and nobles, captains and mighty men, all arming for the bloody, demon fight! . . . See,—see these signs!PPP 23.6

    Behold, the heavens grow black with clouds; the sun has veiled himself; the moon, pale and forsaken, hangs in middle air; the hail descends; the seven thunders utter loud their voices; the lightnings send their vivid gleams of sulphurous flame abroad; and the great city of the nations falls to rise no more forever and forever! At this dread moment, look! look!—O, look and see! What means that ray of light? The clouds have burst asunder; the heavens appear; the great white throne is in sight! Amazement fills the universe with awe! He comes!—he comes! Behold, the Saviour comes! Lift up your heads, ye saints,—he comes! he comes!—he comes!PPP 23.7

    “Wm. Miller”
    —Closing of William Miller’s letter to Truman Hendrix, March 26, 1832; ibid., p. 102.

    Larger font
    Smaller font
    Copy
    Print
    Contents