Millerism

We publish the following, not with the view of persecuting Mr. Miller, or any of his followers, but for the sake of shewing [showing] the folly and inconsistency of that system which he is propagating as truth. We consider that Mr. Miller has a perfect right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of his own conscience and however foolish, ridiculous and fanatical we may consider his religion; we wish him to enjoy it, (if he can find any comfort in it) untrammeled and free; and to rest secure from persecution under the broad folds of the American Constitution: but at the same time we claim that free privilege of investigation, which republicanism, and the gospel, alike guarantee unto us, (and which we are always willing to be tested by ourselves,) of trying all principles by the standard of truth; of "proving all things, and holding fast that which is good."

"Jan. 1843. We have now entered upon the year so anxiously looked for by many, and the year for the commencement of the Millennium. Mr. Miller's numbers are now complete; and men's hearts are failing them for fear, (in many places) in looking for those things they expect to come on the earth. The 2d of April will soon arrive, but Millerism will find that "the kingdom of God cometh not with observation:" "But of that day, and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." There is a manifest folly in counting prophetic numbers, although a theory from them may appear plausible. If the prophetic numbers as used by numberers, are definite, though they agree as to the interpretation of the numbers, there is a wide difference as to their fulfilment [fulfillment]. They agree that the 2300 days, when the sanctuary should be cleansed, Dan. 8:14, mean years: that the time, times and a half time, Dan. 7:15, and 12:7, and Rev. 12:14, each mean three and a half years, thus a time, one year, times, two years, and half a time, half a year, which reduced to days at 30 prophetic days to the month, give 1260 prophetic days, which are symbols of years; the 1290 and 1335 days, Dan. 12:11, 12, the 1260 days, Rev. 11:3, and 12:6: and the 42 months, Rev. 11:2, reduced to 1260 days, are all symbols of years, and have their fulfilment [fulfillment] at the commencement of the millenium [millennium], the second advent of Messiah, &c. Here is a wonderful agreement and combination

of numbers; when will they be fulfilled? Ah! here is the jar. Miller says in 1843. Faber 1866, Priest 2000, Woodworth 2100, &c. Miller dates his 1260 years A. D. 583, Faber 606 Priest, 770 & Woodworth 840. Now let the fearful take courage, for one of these scientific numberers is as likely to make correct calculations as another of them, and further, scripture and history condemns the whole art. It is wholly assumption to assert that the above numbers express years, because there are a few special instances where days were symbolical of years, as Eze. 4:5, 6, &c. But says the numberers, it will demonstrate, for the 70 weeks, Daniel 9:2, multiplied by 7, give 490 days, each a symbol of a year, which was the exact time from the commandment issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus to rebuild Jerusalem, to the day of Pentecost; the last week commencing with John's ministry, and Messiah being cut off in the midst of it, &c. This is a nailing argument, and especially as we have been taught to receive this interpretation (as the index of our bibles will show) almost as a part of inspiration. If the reader is not too much shocked at the idea of criticising [criticizing] upon this interpretation, let him proceed with me. "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to annoint [anoint] the Most Holy. Now it is as obvious from the above, that all the events mentioned, must transpire within the 70 weeks, as that any one of them will be accomplished within that time. Then the time of the people to be rejected for transgression, und [and] the holy city destroyed by reason of its pollutions, are as plainly pointed out, as that Messiah should be anointed, bring in everlasting righteousness, and make reconciliation for iniquity: and to this agree the following verses, and carry the 70 weeks down to the destruction of Jerusalem. I supply the words included in brackets. 26th verse, "And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people [the Romans] of the prince [Titus, son of Vespasian the Emperor] that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary:" 27th verse, "And he [Titus the Prince] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: [a covenant of peace to such as would flee out of Jerusalem] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he [Titus] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, [Titus] shall make it [Jerusalem] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate," [desolators] i. e. Jerusalem shall be desolated by the Gentiles, who lifted up their horn over Judah and Israel to scatter, tread down. &c. until that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolators, [the Gentiles] the horns of the Gentiles be cast out, the Jews return, and Jerusalem be rebuilt. Thus we find the 70 weeks do not demonstrate.

We will now examine the 2300 days found in Dan. 8:14, and show their fulfilment [fulfillment]. "And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." This number is allowed to extend to the second coming of Messiah, to cleanse the christian church, or sanctuary, &c. I will now ask three questions: 1st. What is meant by the sanctuary, referred to? 2d. Who defiled it? and 3d. When and by whom is or was it cleansed? 1. The sanctuary was the first inner court of the Temple, Heb. 9:2. "For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called sanctuary." 2. Antiochus defiled it. 1 Mac. 1:20, 21, "And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem, with a great multitude, and entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden alter, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof," &c. Verse 54, "Now the fifteenth day of the month Caslen, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Judah on every side. 59th. Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God." We have now found who defiled the sanctuary, and took away the daily sacrifice, according with Daniel's vision. 3d. "So he [Judas Maccabees] chose priests of blameless conversation, such as had pleasure in the law: Who cleansed the sanctuary, and bare out the defiled stones unto an unclean place," &c. 1 Mac. 4:42, 43.-Let the reader turn and read to verse 52d.-"Now on the five and twentienth [twentieth] day of the ninth month, which is called the month Caslen in the hundred forty and eight year, they rose up betimes in the morning, and offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made," &c. The sanctuary lay desolate just three years.-the length of time of the vision, from the third year of Belshazzar to the cleansing of the sanctuary was 387 years, and the 2300 days end B. C. 165, and consequently are not symbols of

years, for Daniel was shewn [shown] nothing in this vision which was to transpire later than the Grecian empire: the angel Gabriel expounded this vision, and brought the time no farther down than the death of Antiochus, B. C. 164, which was in the 149th year of the Grecian empire.

We will notice but two numbers more, found in Dan. 12th chapter. In this vision he is shewn [shown] certain events which are to transpire in the Persian, Grecian and Roman empires. The angel closes the events of the Grecian empire, with the death of Antiochus, which bring us to the close of the 11th chapter, and then relates some events to transpire among the Jews, while the Romans should sway universal empire: as 12:1,-as time of trouble, &c. the same predicted by Jesus, Mat. 24:21, 22. "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," as fulfilled, Mat. 27:52, 53.-Verse 6th, "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders." Verse 7th. "It shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." When was the power of the holy people scattered? In the A. D. 70, and here ended this time, times, and half time: but Daniel did not at that time understand it, and says, verse 8th, "And I heard but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord what shall be the end of these things?" Verse 11th. "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, (to set up the desolation of abomination) there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." Then this 1290 days marks the time from the taking away of the daily sacrifice by Antiochus, to the setting up of the abomination in the holy place by the Romans, as spoken of by Jesus in reference to Daniel's vision: which time was about 235 years, by our common chronology, and the 1290 days do not represent years. We might notice some other numbers, but deem these amply sufficient, to show the total failure of days being symbols of years, in all cases in the scriptures. Some of the saints on earth may find that these numbers do not refer to the rise of the true church, in 1830, or the first endowment in 1836, any nearer than they refer to the second advent of Messiah. We are to watch for the coming of Messiah in faith, meekness, humility and prayer; observing the signs of the times instead of mystical numbers, and the wise will understand. S. P."

We do not agree in every particular with the above; but we consider that the false foundation upon which Mr. Miller rests his fabric is fully developed and exposed in all its naked deformity.

Concerning there being no certainty in numbers, however our wise men may have differed in relation to this matter, we believe that there is a certainty in them when they are understood; (or why did the prophets give them?) but we do not think that either Mr. Miller or his followers understand them. Language has become confounded, corrupted, changed, mixed and adulterated, so that words are very unintelligible signs of ideas, in the most perfect languages now extant. But numbers have not become so altered; fo [so] far as we have any knowledge, numbers are the same in all languages; they may have different names, but are the same in arithmetical calculations. Two and two make four, and four and four make eight in the English, French, German, Hebrew, Caldaic, Arabic, and, we believe, in all the different languages. But, while this uniformity exists, there is a difference in the times spoken of in the scriptures; not a discord, but different rules of calculation. We are told that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Now, as we know what the Lord's time is, and what men's time is, if Mr. Miller will importune God, and get the spirit of prophecy, which will teach him a little more than his philosophy, he may, perhaps, get to know what a prophet's time is, and then if he can obtain the ministering of angels, as Daniel did; they may perhaps inform him what an angel's time is, and thus, becoming acquainted with God's, angel's, prophet's and man's time, and having the spirit of prophecy to know the circumstances under which the numbers were given, and their application, he will be able to arrive at more just conclusions than to believe that the end of the world will be this year, or next.

Some of his fanatical preachers have made the following statement.-

"Several Millerites have lately been in our city, and they pronounce Mormonism one of the greatest humbugs of the age; and aver that Joseph Smith is the great he goat spoken of in the scriptural prophesies."-Chicago Democrat.

We do not profess to be such great prophets, nor such profound philosophers as Mr. Miller and some of his associates; but we prophecy that the world will not come to an end on the 28th of April next, nor next year. And when it comes to pass we shall know which is the greatest humbug; Millerism or Mormonism, and probably we may then found out who wears the beard.-Ed.

***Notice is hereby given, that Elder Curtis Hodges, jr. is requested by his family to return immediately to them, for they stand in great need of his assistance. Truman Wait.