February 13, 2024
From Bro. Miller.
[From the Day Star.]
TO THE SECOND ADVENT BRETHREN.
Many of you have enquired, Where is Br. Miller? and, What are his views now? I first thank you, my brethren, for your solicitude for me, and now permit me to give you my settle and firm conviction of our present position.
In reviewing my former convictions of the truth of God's word, I am not in the least shaken. I have still the same unwavering confidence in its inspiration and truth, as ever. As it respects the way, or rules, by which we are to get a true understanding of the same, and a knowledge of its doctrines, precepts, and promises, I have in no case yet detected an error. As it respects the prophecies, and the mode we have used to understand their fulfillment, I am not yet prepared to give up my confidence in. Where in then, say you, is there any difficulty? I answer. Time has shown us there is a wrong some where, and now we are under obligation, say our opposers, to correct that wrong, or give up the whole ground, and go back to them. I know of no stronger obligation for us to correct a wrong if we have one, than they are under to correct us if they can, and I am absolutely certain that they have shown no better light, and in many cases not near as good, as we have, especially on prophetic chronology.
If I was obliged to give up the mode which Protestant commentators have formerly adopted, and follow Stewart or Chase, or any which I have seen of modern writers who have opposed our views, I must give up my bible as a weak, silly, inefficient revelation, of so little consequence to us, that it would lose its whole value o me But they cannot be true. What then, ay you, is the wrong? I will answer you acording to the best light I now have. And I hope to humble myself in such a manner as to receive more or better light if God or any of you should give me such.
I cannot see as we were wrong in the chronology. That the prophetic numbers did close in 1844, I can have but little doubt. What then was there worthy of note that could be said answer to the ending of the periods under these numbers so emphatically describing the end? I answer. The first thing I will notice is, "The hour of his Judgment is come." I ask, is there any thing in the scriptures to show that the hour has not come, or in our present position to show, that God is not now in his last Judicial character deciding the cases of all the righteous, so that Christ (speaking after the manner of men) will know whom to collect at his coming, or the angels may know whom to gather, when they are sent to gather together the elect, whom God has in this hour of his Judgment justified? Rom 8: 33. We cannot be present until we are collected, and we must be justified, and our names all registered in the Lamb's book of Life, and the books be opened before we can be well examined by the angels. And what is the order of the Judgment? Deut. 9-11; Rev.20: 4, 5, 11, 12. First, the thone, and him that sat on it, called the Ancient of days. Thousands thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The Judgment must set, and books be opened. Then the great whore must be judged, and then will appear the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven, when the saints will be raised, the living changed, and both caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The earth cleansed by fire, the wicked and all the works of man burned up. The kingdom of the saints given to the Son of Man under the whole heaven, and he is to reign for ever and ever. This is the order as given by the Prophets and Apostles, and in their very language. I know no rule to change the order of these events [any?] more than the words, and to do either [would?] in my opinion be the highest kind of sacrilege we could commit. I have believed that the [scene?] set in heaven would be the first thing which mortals on earth would see, and would be the sign of the approach of the Son of [man in?] sight of which would cause all [ther the bes of?] the earth, to mourn and produce the cry to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne. This would be a sign no mortal would or could mistake, and would produce the effect spoken of by the Savior, as worded by Matt. 24: 30. Yet I am not positive, that man in his mortal state, while he tabernacles in corruptable flesh will be able to see this glory and live. It also seems by John's description of this event, Rev. 19:1, 2, 11, that the scene of the Judgment begins in heaven, and the first thing mortals on earth will see, will be the messenger of God, Rev. 20: 1, who is Jesus Christ, descending from God to execute the Judgment written in heaven, and fulfill the decrees and promises made in heaven by him who sitteth on the great white throne. See Rev. 2: 4-7,11; Hab 2:20; Zech. 2: 8-13. "After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you." If this is true, who can say God is not already justifying his Sanctuary, and will yet justify us in preaching the time?
I am yet on the rock of presumption, as Bro. Storrs calls it, and I can not honestly get off. To jump into every boat that comes along and call each of them truth, and then delusion, How shall I ever know I am in the truth? I think I can see two great leaks in Bro. S.'s boat Truth, and I hope he will find it out, before it dashes on the breakers of the world's applause, or swamps on the quicksands of unbelief. One of these will be the end of his voyage if he continues in his present perilous position. I am on the rock yet. I know my Captain will not fail. True I expected the Steamer the same time it started from the heavenly port, herein I might have been a little careless in not discovering the exact time it would take to arrive at the rock. Therefore, I must wait, and have patience. I did not go on to the rock for a few days only, and then to jump on to the first boat that come along, especially one where I found in all the scoffers and worldlings. No, no; I believe God will justify our times yet: I may not be able to tell how, but that is no reason why I should give up my faith. Could Abraham tell how he was a going to receive Isaac as from the dead, until the event declared it? Certainly not. I expected Christ on the tenth day of the seventh month, and looked for him. Was that presumption? We are commanded to watch and look, and why not on that day as well as any other? If we are right in believing in experimental religion, I am sure I never experienced a more holy and benificent effect in my life than then. And one thing I do know, if the Advent brethren were ever blessed they were then. Surely this does not look like presumption, any more than Abraham offering his son, or Jonah preaching forty days. I will acknowledge, to believe without evidence would be presumption, or to say, "if it did not come we then it could not come under fifty years." Such views and expressions I have no fellowship for, these are the like, are out of our own hearts, and come under the text, Deut. 18: 20-22 .--But who can honestly say, we have no evidence that he might come then? The evidence that Bro. S. admits, that he is near even at the door, is enough for my purpose. And I am thankful to God that I was on the rock then, and I hope to remain strong in faith, making no compromise with the flesh, or despisers of our hope. I have no guilt in proclaiming time, for the time on is by God revealed, and wherever the mistake may be it is not in my power to rectify it, I must leave that with God. I am then waiting patiently for God to reveal the mystery of time or 1843, and the movement of the 7th month. I deny that either of those times was a lie. - See Webster's definition of a Lie. We can only be mistaken in the precise time, the facts will prove the truth yet.
I am as ever, yours,
WM. MILLER.
Low Hampton, March 20, 1845.
(From the Day-Star.)
