Chapter XVI (2)

“‘The word of God has a sufficiency of all armor, that the
man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good
work. We therefore hope that none of us will try to change the
chronology of the visions; for they must all fail in all our
eyes; and if any vision should be so construed as to fix on
another definite time in the future, we cannot conceive how the
Scripture would be fulfilled, that “every vision faileth.” Let
us then be satisfied in patiently waiting for God’s time. But
let us be careful that we do not lay off our armor, cease our
watching, go to sleep at our post, or be caught in a snare,
when the Son of man shall come. It is better to be ready before
the time, and wait a while, than not to be ready when the time
shall come, and be lost. We exhort you then with the Lord’s
advice, “be like men waiting for their Lord, that when he
cometh they may open to him immediately.”

“‘Again, we exhort you, brethren, that every one may edify, and
be edified, that ye forsake not the assembling of yourselves
together, as often as your situation and circumstances shall
permit; that we may comfort and console each other in our
trials, be established ourselves in the present truth, and our
minds be stirred up to remember that our Judge is now standing
at the door. How can we who have taken so great delight in
the study of the blessed Bible, again return to the beggarly
elements of vain philosophy and tradition of the fathers? We
cannot sit under preaching where the Bible is discarded from
the pulpit, except as a text-book, and the plainest passages
of Scripture are mysticised and explained away, our hope in
the resurrection of the body taken from us, and the kingdom of
Heaven preached as in this state of division, persecution and
death, and the promise of being caught up in the air, ridiculed
by the oft-repeated slang of ascension robes. These things we
cannot fellowship; we will not hear them repeated. We therefore
advise you, dear brethren, to hold meetings for prayer, reading
of the Scriptures, exhortation and singing, if you may not be
able to obtain a lecturer or preacher. And may the Spirit of
God bless you with his presence, and preserve you blameless
unto his coming.

“‘Again we exhort you, brethren, to be faithful in business.
Let every one labor with his hands, in the several callings in
which God has placed us, that none of us may be a burden to
any, and that we may all of us have wherewith to communicate
and do good, for it is more blessed to give than to receive;
and that we may none of us give any occasion to our enemies to
reproach us with being busybodies in other men’s matters, or as
not providing for our own house. In thus doing we may put to
silence the reproaches of those who are seeking every occasion
to destroy the doctrine that we rejoice to believe. We may,
while we are engaged in our several occupations, be fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord. If we could not, it would be
evidence that we were not engaged in a proper calling; or, that
our hearts were not right with God. Paul, the great apostle
to the Gentiles, labored with his hands, that he might not be
chargeable to the saints; and what was duty then, will be duty
as long as the gospel remains to be preached. And we thank God
we have never preached any other doctrine, you yourselves being
our judges.

“‘We also beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that ye be not led about by every spirit; but
try the spirits. For every spirit is not of God; and it is now
evident that there are many spirits in the earth,—even the
three unclean spirits which are working miracles, and deceiving
not only kings, but the whole earth. It therefore becomes us to
be very cautious by what spirit we are led. The spirit of error
will lead us from the truth; and the Spirit of God will lead
us into truth. But, say you, a man may be in error, and think
he has the truth. What then? We answer, The spirit and word
agree. If a man judges himself by the word of God, and finds a
perfect harmony through the whole word, then we must believe we
have the truth; but if he finds the spirit by which he is led
does not harmonize with the whole tenor of God’s law, or book,
then let us walk carefully, lest we be caught in the snare
of the devil and fall from our own steadfastness; and so be
deceived, and lose the crown for which we are running. Let us
follow the teachings of the apostle Paul in Titus 2:12, “That
denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world.” Or, as Peter
tells us in his second epistle, chap. 3:11, “Seeing then that
all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness.” In both
cases the context teaches us to look for the coming of the day
of God; or, which is the same thing, “the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

“‘There are a few individuals among us who are teaching that
Christ has come, and that we were not mistaken in the time,
but only in the manner of his coming. Let us be careful lest
we cease from our watchfulness and so that day come upon us
unawares. Remember that the same Jesus will come in like manner
as they saw him ascend; and every eye shall see him, and we
shall see him as he is, and be like him, when that day shall
come for which we look; and then “the heavens being on fire,
shall be dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat.”
If the one can be spiritualized away, all the rest must of
course be spiritualized in like manner; and it would make the
whole description of the Judgment but a jumble of nonsense. We
hope but few will be carried away by such vain trifling with
the Bible.

“‘If God does not mean what he says, to whom shall we go for
instruction? Who has been his counselor? and who has set in
the council chamber of the Almighty? Man is but grass, and the
flower thereof fadeth. He is but of yesterday, and his life but
a breath. “Cursed is the man who trusteth in man, and maketh
flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” Hold
on then, brethren, to the sure word of prophecy, for you will
reap soon the fruits of your faith, if you faint not.’

“January 29, 1845, by the action of an ecclesiastical council, Mr. Miller and the majority of the church in Low Hampton were virtually separated from the Baptist denomination. About this time Mr. Miller wrote the following, which appeared in the _Advent Herald_ for Feb. 12, 1845:—

“‘DEAR BRO. BLISS: I have received a number of letters
from almost every part of the country, almost all of them
propounding the same questions, viz., What I thought of the
experience we had in what was denominated the seventh month?
And also, What was my opinion concerning the closing of the
door of mercy, or probation for sinners? To save a multiplicity
of letters, I thought best to answer these queries through the
_Herald_, if you should think proper.

“‘1. The experience of the seventh month. The sympathetic and
simultaneous movement on the minds of almost all the Second
Advent brethren, and on many others preceding the tenth, the
rapidity with which that sentiment was received, the general
credence that was given to it, by nearly all of those who
were looking for immediate redemption, the humbling effect it
produced on the hearts and conduct of those who believed,—in
the abandonment of all worldly objects, the sacrifice of
earthly goods, and in many cases the total dedication of soul
and body to God,—the deep and anxious feelings of heart which
many of us felt, all marked its character. Then we expected
every moment the heavens would open and reveal to us the dear
Saviour with all his shining hosts, and we should see the
graves open and the loved forms of our relations rising from
their dusty beds in immortal bloom and eternal life; and we
ourselves pass the sudden change from mortality to immortality,
from time to eternity. Then, as we verily thought, we had bid
adieu to this world of sin, of misery and woe, and expected
to be ushered into the new heavens and new earth wherein
dwelleth righteousness. Oh, blissful day! How solemn, yet
how interesting. I hope to see another day like this, and
literally realize what I then expected. It was a day long to be
remembered, and I cannot account for it on any other principle
than to suppose God’s benevolent hand and wisdom was in the
movement....

“‘But you ask why I do not show whether the probation of
sinners is ended.[28] I answer, It is a close point, and if
handled at all, it ought to be done very wisely and with
a great deal of humility. I would not grieve, if possible
to avoid it, one of Christ’s little ones. There is much
sensitiveness on this point among our good brethren, therefore
I would much rather keep my views in my own breast, if I could,
and do right, than run the risk of hurting the oil and the
wine. You will, therefore, permit me to give my views by the
Scripture; and first, Dan. 12:10, “Many shall be purified,
and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly;
and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall
understand.” It will be readily seen by this text, that before
the end, the people of God must be “_purified, made white, and
tried_.” Now if probation goes on until the last moment of
time, how can those who are regenerated in this last moment
have their faith and patience tried?

“‘Again, Rev. 7:13, 14, “And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white
robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.” How can it be said, that those
made _white_ “came out of great tribulation,” if in the next
moment after they experience the new birth, they are beyond all
tribulation and trial? Also in the first passage, the wicked
are to do wickedly; and _none_ of the wicked shall understand.
Yet if _one_ of these wicked is converted after the time
specified, then the word _none_ could not be true in fact. This
must be in time, it cannot mean in eternity.

“‘Zech. 13:9, “And I will bring the third part through the
fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try
them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will
hear them; I will say, It is my people; and they shall say,
The Lord is my God.” Here we learn that they are tried in this
state, where they will need to pray.

“‘Mal. 3:18, “Then shall ye return, and discern between the
righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him
that serveth him not.” When shall that test be given, which
shall make us discern between the _righteous_ and the _wicked_?
The answer is plain, before the day cometh that shall burn as
an oven. For in that day no doubt could rest on any mind, who
is who, or what is the character each individual would appear
in.

“‘Rev. 22:11, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and
he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is
righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy,
let him be holy still.” This text is perfectly plain and needs
no comment. The 12th verse, “And behold, I come quickly; and
my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work
shall be,” shows that a little while before Christ comes,
every character will be determined. “He,” that is, any _one_,
or every _one_ who is _unjust_ or _filthy_, let him be so
still; and so on the other hand, he that is righteous or holy,
let them be so still. “_And behold_,” connects the sentence
before and what follows after, and is a caution for us to take
particular notice of the reason why they are in this peculiar
situation or fixed state, as though the idle servants could
have no more time to mind their day’s work, which God had given
them in their day of probation to perform.

“‘The eleventh hour was passed, and no chance for them to enter
the master’s vineyard now, in this last hour. While on the
other hand, the good servant might know that the good master
was at the door, and he would quickly pay them their wages, and
relieve them from their toils. See Matt. 20:1-16.

“‘Then this agrees with St. Paul, Heb. 10:36, 37, “For ye have
need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God,
ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he
that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” After we have
done our work, we have need of patience to wait for the Master,
“for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come,
and will not tarry.” I did believe, and must honestly confess
I do now, that I have done my work in warning sinners, and
that in the seventh month. I know my feelings are no rule for
others; therefore, let every one who feels he has a duty to do
for sinners, let him do it. I will have no hard feelings. But
I must be honest; when I am inquired of, I must state my own
conviction honestly. I have done it, and given my reasons from
the word of God. And now let me say, brethren, we will have no
contention on this point, for we be brethren. Let every man
be fully persuaded in his own mind, and so let them speak or
preach, as God and their own consciences may dictate.

“‘I have a strong expectation that Christ will come before the
Jewish year will expire; but let us all see to it that we are
ready every day, so that when he comes we shall not be ashamed
before him. This letter must suffice for all those friends who
have requested my views on the subject. My love to all who love
our Lord Jesus Christ and pray for his kingdom.

“‘WM. MILLER.’

“The editors of the _Advent Herald_ replied to Mr. Miller’s arguments, and contended that probation only terminated with the personal coming of Christ. His letter, as published, gave little satisfaction to either party. Both claimed him. To determine his actual position, Prof. N. N. Whiting wrote him, and Mr. Miller replied as follows:—

“‘LOW HAMPTON, MARCH 10, 1845.

“‘MY DEAR BROTHER:—Your favor of the 5th was gladly received,
and I take this early opportunity to answer your inquiries as
far as my memory or knowledge will admit.

“‘As it respects your first question, whether, in my judgment,
“the time of probation came to an end on the 22d of October or
not,” I answer, My mind was not definite on that day. But the
experience and scenes of that month were astounding to me, and
my mind was brought to a conclusion that God, by his invisible
angels, was separating the two classes of men, the chaff from
the wheat. But to say my judgment was fully convinced that it
was closed, I must say, No. I know it is true that, in answer
to a score of letters, making the same inquiries as yourself,
in my letter, published in the _Herald_, of February 12, I
gave several texts, which, to me, were evidence that, before
Christ came, there would be a time when men would seek, knock,
and cry, and it would not be opened; for, how sinners could or
would knock in the eternal state, I have no means of knowing.
The editors of the _Herald_, knowing more about the controversy
which had begun in the ranks of the Adventists than I did or
could, in order to prevent the mischief or harm which they
supposed my letter might do, attached their notes, which gave
the brethren on the other side of the question more reason to
suppose I had taken the ground that the door was shut in the
seventh month....

“‘With our present light, it would be impossible for any man
to prove that the door is shut; it can only be a conjecture,
founded upon circumstances in the case. There are two cases
which I will mention: one would be the cessation of the
operation of the Spirit upon the hearts of the truly pious in
laboring and praying for sinners; and the other must be the
fearful looking for the fiery indignation, which, I think,
according to the Scripture, must seize upon the hearts of
those who have willfully rejected Christ. The hypocrite is
given over to believe a lie, considering himself safe in his
profession; and, consequently, the despair of some, and the
perfect recklessness of others, and the restraint of the Holy
Spirit being withdrawn from the minds of the impenitent, would
immediately produce a time of trouble such as Daniel 12:1
speaks of: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great
Prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people
shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book.” These would at least be evidences to my suspicion,
if not to my full assurance. It was a fact, for a few days
in the seventh month in the circle of my acquaintance, that
the reports I heard from every quarter led me to have strong
suspicion that we had approached the time which I cannot but
believe we must experience before the end. I think at present
the evidence is strong against the idea of the door being
shut; but those brethren who have adopted the suspicion at
least ought to be treated with a great deal of kindness. I do
not like much I have seen published and spoken on both sides
of the question. It is one of that kind of questions which is
calculated to divide warm friends; for it cannot be settled
satisfactorily but by time and experience.

“‘The arguments, in my humble opinion, on both sides, want a
great quantity of brotherly love to make them digest easily.
I, then, beg and pray, my brethren, that we may let contention
alone before it is meddled with.[29] And I now plead with those
who have supposed the door to be shut to yield the point to our
brethren of the opposite view; for it is evident at present
that all the evidence is against its being now shut, if we can
believe the reports of our brethren from different parts; and
surely my soul will not permit me to doubt their veracity who
have been with us as pioneers in the work of calling up the
world to this important point of our faith, the second advent
of Jesus. Let us be silent at least for two months, if Christ
does not come before, and by that time I think we shall obtain
more light; and if Christ does come, we shall not wish to be
found contending with brethren of a like precious faith on a
subject dependent wholly on circumstances in which we may be
so likely to err. I do hope my advice will be heeded in this
thing, and that we will be patient, and not grieve each other;
for the Judge is at the door....

“‘WILLIAM MILLER.’

Writing on the 7th of April, he referred to these things as follows:—

“‘LOW HAMPTON, APRIL 7, 1845.

“‘MY DEAR BRO. HIMES: I should utterly despair of the second
advent cause were it not evident, by its past and present
history, that God is for us. You know, my dear brother,
there was a time when you and I, with a few choice brethren,
stood alone.... We acknowledged our weakness, and claimed no
superiority over our fellows. We provoked no one to combat, and
made no attack on the prevailing or popular institutions of the
day; yet they began to be alarmed. Why? Because, as the people
began to hear the foolish reports of our enemies, they became
more and more anxious to know what these things meant....

“‘Among the many pious who took sides with us were some of
those uneasy, ever-changing, unstable, insubordinate, and
self-exalted spirits, who stood ready to jump on and ride
into notice and power the moment they saw how the case would
go. This kind of spirits have always seized the reins of
government, are never satisfied with their present position,
and will change with every new moon. There are many of this
class among us, if not of us, at the present time, who are
trying to lead away followers after them.

“‘This is a peculiar time. The greatest variety of fanciful
interpretations of Scripture are now being presented by new
luminaries, reflecting their rays of light and heat in every
direction. Some of these are wandering stars, and some emit
only twilight. I am sick of this everlasting changing; but, my
dear brother, we must learn to have patience. If Christ comes
this spring, we shall not need it long; and if he comes not, we
shall need much more. I am prepared for the worst, and hope for
the best. God will not forsake us, unless we forsake him....

“‘It is a small thing to be judged of man’s judgment, says
the apostle; so that you need not fear man. I have often been
consigned to perdition, and yet I have a blessed hope. I often
think, when I hear a brother judging and condemning another,
what an excellent pope he would make. Therefore, fear them
not; for if we judge and condemn our brother, we are making
ourselves “judges of the law, rather than doers of the law.” ...

“‘WM. MILLER.’

We find in the _Signs of the Times_ for March 12, 1845, a statement from Mr. Miller relative to himself and the Bible, taken from _The Investigator_, an infidel paper published in Boston.

“‘TO THE EDITOR OF THE INVESTIGATOR.

“‘Sir,—Your kind offer to publish all the letters from those
who have been converted from infidelity to Millerism, prompts
me to give you a short account of my own conversion, which may
enable you the better to judge what Millerism is.

“‘When I was of age, I settled in a village where all the
heads of the families were deists, as they were then called,
and they put into my hands all the deistical writings of that
age. I soon became one of them, and the consequence was, I
denied the Bible being of divine origin, calling it a “book of
priestcraft,” and argued that the professors of it themselves
must, if honest, concede that it could not be from God; because
it professed to be a revelation from God, and yet more than
half was a mystery which could not be understood. And some
went as far as to say we ought not to try to understand it.
This, to my mind, was a plain and palpable contradiction. I
therefore rejected the Bible, when I ought to have rejected
the expounders of it. Thus, from 1804 to 1816, I was a firm,
and, as I then thought, a consistent, opposer of the Christian
faith. In 1816, by the grace of God, my eyes were opened to see
the weakness and folly of my own faith, founded on nothing but
the philosophy, assumptions and fancies of erring mortals. I
saw a great want of evidence for a faith in these matters, more
substantial and certain than anything I then had. I felt in my
inmost soul that eternal consequences might hang upon my faith
in these things, for anything to the contrary which I could
show. I had often laughed at my Christian friends for having
a “_blind faith_,” believing what they could not understand.
I now saw that my faith was as _blind_ as theirs, if not more
so, for I could prove nothing hereafter, and of course I had no
reasonable hope.

“‘This brought me to examine for myself the evidence of the
Christian’s hope. I therefore laid by my former prejudices,
prepossessions, commentators, writers, pro and con, and
determined in my own mind to examine the Bible for myself. And
if the Bible did prove itself to be of divine origin, I would
believe it, let the consequences be as they might; but if it
did not, then I would reject it and be a deist still. Then I
began the Bible, determined in my own mind to know whether God
or man was the author. I spent the greater part of two years
in reading and comparing scripture with scripture, prophecy
with history, and I had not gone half through with the reading
of it, before I was perfectly satisfied of its divine origin.
No mortal man, or men, could have written with such harmony,
wisdom, and truth, without inspiration. The Bible answered all
my inquiries, settled all my doubts, established my faith, and
gave me hope which has been nearly or quite twenty-seven years
an anchor to my soul. I have seen much of it fulfilled, since
then, and I can truly say, If there is any one thing on earth
which I love above all others, it is the Bible.

“‘And now, sir, let me tell you, _Millerism_ is to believe,
try to understand, love, and proclaim to others, the good news
contained in the Bible. This is all I have ever done to call
down the slander of the several sects which I have received. I
can say, honestly, I have never designed to proclaim or publish
any sentiment, word, or doctrine, but such as I found clearly
taught in that blessed inspired volume. Let God be my judge, I
know I believe it. And I pray God that you, my dear sir, may
become a Millerite too.

“‘For I believe there is no religion in our world that gives
such a _blessed hope_ as the religion of the Bible. All others
are dark and incomprehensible concerning a future state.
“To be, or not to be,” was a question which the ancient
philosophers of Greece and Rome could never settle among
themselves. Nor all the wisdom of our modern writers were able
to settle this important point for our hope. But you will
acknowledge, if the Bible is the word of inspiration, then that
point is forever settled, and we have an answer to the question
of immortality and eternal life.

“‘I admire your frankness and generosity as an opponent, and
believe you are not wishing to bind men to your particular
views or creed; but are willing to search yourself, and to let
all others search for true light, on so important a subject as
I think this matter is,—the truth or falsity of what I call the
blessed Bible. I have strong hope, my dear sir, that you will
give this subject a thorough investigation. As it respects the
statement of Bro. Himes, if you will keep open your columns as
fairly as you hitherto have done, you will soon be convinced
it was not a very random shot. I am, sir, a lover of an honest
man. Yours, &c.,

“‘WM. MILLER.’