Millerism

Springfield, Feb. 22, 1843.

House of Representatives-

To the Editor of the Times and Seasons

Sir,-Last evening I attended a meeting, held in the State House, where a Millerite was holding forth. As it was the first time that I ever heard on of this strange deluded sect, I, of course, felt a little interested, and thinking that his discourse might be edifying to the readers of the Times and Seasons, I have forwarded it to you for publication.

The speaker began the services without much ceremony, but with apparent boldness and sobriety. Prayer was had as usual. This prayer consisted of broken, vain, and frequent repetitions, such as-O Lord, have mercy! O Lord, give us wisdom! O Lord! O Lord! O Lord!-a-hem-a-hem-a-hem-bless the senators and representatives of the people. O Lord, give them wisdom! O Lord,-hem-hem: O Lord-ham-lead us to thee. O Lord, lead us to thee. O Lord lead us to salvation! O Lord, bless us all. Give us wisdom! Give us salvation!-a-a-h-a-m-O Lord! After continuing in this strain for some time, the sound of amen afforded me great relief, as I had suffered materially in hearing these agonizing groans.

Here follows a synopsis of his discourse, and you must judge as to its logic or Scriptural truth.

After making some prefatory remarks, by way of exhortation, telling the audience to seek after knowledge, he read from Daniel, chap. viii. concerning the beast, and the other strange phenomena. He had reference to a chart that was prepared for the purpose of explaining his views more fully, which was hanging behind him. This chart was filled up with various pictures, designed to represent the interpretation of Daniel's vision, and which, he said, was to fulfill prophecy, as the prophet said-"make it plain, and write it upon tables;" hence, said he, we have spread it upon this chart, and now, when prophecy is fulfilled, we need no revelation to know it. He says that the stone spoken of by Daniel, "cut out of the mountain without hands," is Christ in his second coming. The stone referring to Christ! I had myself supposed that this stone referred to the church, as it was to become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth. Christ, when he comes, will appear in person, not as a mountain. He further stated that the secret of the Lord is with them that love him, therefore, put your trust not in the god of this world, but in the God of heaven, for he is able to give us true wisdom. I do not know how much it took of the god of this world, or the wisdom of the world, to prepare this chart. He further says that the God of heaven will hear prayer, and give us wisdom if we will ask him, for human wisdom must fail, and the arm of flesh is not sufficient. Then, thought I, what is the chart or map of the Millerites but an emanation of human wisdom, yet all the mysteries of Daniel's vision are pretended to be explained by it, and not by revelation from God. He states that when prophecy if fulfilled we want no revelation to know it, forgetting, I presume, that Christ said-There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known.-Matt. x. 26. And no one will doubt that Daniel's vision was a mystery. The prophet Amos, too, as well as Christ, differs with this Millerite, for he states-surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.-Amos iii. 7. He quotes Luke 24th to prove that Israel is not to be gathered again; yet he says that God's ministers are to be sent out into all the world, and the gospel must be preached in all nations, to fulfil [fulfill] the promise of Christ, in the 24th of Matthew, and their ministers, he informed us, were the angels that gather God's elect people from the four corners of the earth. I will leave you to judge whether or no his last statement be correct; and whether Israel is to be gathered according to the Scriptures. With one breath he blows hot and with another cold. The main drift of his discourse was to prove that Christ was expected to come every day; and his imperfect references to Scripture rendered it difficult for me to understand what he wanted to explain, in fact I believe he did not know himself, half the time, what he was saying, or what he believed. Daniel's beasts, he says, represents kingdoms, horns power and general rule; the whole referring to the anti-Christian world in the days of the Roman Papacy. The Bible cronology [chronology] of time, according to his rule of interpretation, brings the coming of Christ down to 1843. He speaks of signs preceeding [preceding] his coming, speaks of the eclipse of the sun in 1780, the falling of the stars in 1833, and quotes Joel in support of his position. He says that the host spoken of by Daniel, are saints, because they are trampled under foot, not being permitted to fight, for said he, God's people do not fight. I suppose then Christ and his apostles were not God's people, for Christ told his disciples to sell their coats and buy themselves swords for their own defence [defense] I conclude. Here follows his logic; yet said he one saint shall put a thousand to flight, and two their ten thousands. How this was to be done he did not say, but left his hearers to conjecture (as God's people must not fight). He says, although it is said in the Bible that no man knoweth the hour or the day of the coming of Christ, yet we may know the year. His rule for calculating prophetic time is one day to a thousand years, and vice versa. If this is correct in all cases it may be a thousand years to come before Christ's second advent. Some have said, lo here is Christ and lo there is Christ, but go not after them. That the Quakers believed that Ann Lee was Jesus Christ, and the Mormons

believe that he has come to Nauvoo. He further stated, that he was looking for the day of judgment every moment; for they had counted time down to 1843, and now the reckoning had run out; and as a ship, when her log book is full, is not far from port.* He says the elements of this earth will be burned up, and the wicked destroyed; quoting Malichi [Malachi], but forgetting to say that Elijah, the Prophet should come, before the great and notable day of the Lord shall come, and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers, least I come and smite the earth with a curse. He referred to Noah, the flood, Sodom, Jerusalem, and the present blindness of the Christian world; but forgot to say that Noah had a revelation from God, that an angel was sent to Sodom, or that God revealed to the prophets concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, or that John had said that he saw an angle flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, in order to save the present generation from destruction. This could not be, according to Millerism, as no revelation is needed in these days. Now the query in my mind is this, if we are to have no revelation to make known unto us the day of judgment, and all the mighty revolutions that are to transpire in the coming of Christ, in this day of darkness how shall we know when the trumpet gives an uncertain sound? or is this Millerite's chart sufficient to warn the world of its destruction? or is it an invention of man?

Now as your paper is a vehicle of knowledge, I wish you to answer the following questions:

1. Do the Mormons believe that Jesus Christ has come to Nauvoo?

[If Christ had not come when you were here last, he is not come yet.]

2. If they do, please tell me when he came, and whether he came in the clouds, with ten thousand of his saints?

[We have neither heard of nor seen Christ, nor any saint, coming in the clouds of heaven.]

3. Did every eye see him?

[We have not heard of any body seeing him, either in Asia, Africa, or Europe, and we have had no particular information of the kind in America.]

4. Did all nations wail because of him?

[There has been a good deal of wailing lately among the nations, but not on account of seeing Christ.]

5. Did he consume the wicked, and burn up the earth?

[There are some few wicked left yet. The earth is not burnt in Nauvoo, however you may fare in Springfield.]

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*We think that Mr. Miller will have to put a few more leaves into his log book, or he will not be able to land at all.-Ed.

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6. Are we living in a new heaven, and on a new earth?

[No.]

7. Or did this Millerite tell a lie when he said the Mormons believed that Jesus Christ had come to Nauvoo? for it is important that men should keep truth on their side when they believe the day of judgment is near at hand, least that day overtake them as base and wilful [willful] impostors, wolves in sheep's clothing, and appoint their portion among hypocrites and unbelievers, in that lake where all liars shall meet their fate.

[Yes.]

Having given you a short sketch of the Millerite sermon, some part of which I have not said was not true; but I leave for your better judgment to conclude whether or not they are consistent with the principles of reason, good logic, or the language of the bible. And if the above interrogatories propounded are answered in the affirmative, it must be they have all taken place since I left, and I shall expect to find that a great revolution has taken place in Nauvoo, when I return home from Springfield. I know that strange things do sometimes happen in these last days, and especially in the land of Ham. And what is still more strange, is, that no one should find it out and proclaim it to the world but J. C. Bennett, and the Millerites.-One thing is certain, Balaam's ass was not a Millerite, for he could speak the truth, and talk plain Hebrew, and this Millerite could not do it.

I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant. WM. Smith.

Fort Wayne, Allen Co, Ia. Feb. 16, 1843.

Rev. Mr. Taylor,

Sir,-Having on a former occasion addressed a note to the Hon, High Council of your church and not having received any answer to my communication, I have upon reflection concluded through you, to renew my request. Upon a close examination of the public pulse, I am induced to believe that there is a large and respectable portion of the citizens of this city, and of the adjacent country, who are not only willing, but deeply anxious that a preacher of your church should pay us a visit, and expound her doctrines.

It is true we have occasionally heard the word dispensed in neighborhoods remote from this city, by young men who have but just commenced their career in turning the gospel crank, but who nevertheless are almost daily making accessions to the church; but by the friends of the cause generally, it is not thought expedient that they should commence active

operations in this place, inasmuch as we have a goodly number of learned, and highly talented men among us, who would gladly avail themselves of an opportunity to break them down, by involving them in discussions. It is for this reason that we need an experienced hand-one who is not only willing but able to defend the faith once delivered. &c. By pursuing this course, I have no hesitation in saying that I believe it would be the means of doing much good by forming a large and respectable branch to the church. There is a great number of influential and respectable men among us, who are inquiring after truth, and whose minds are, I think sufficiently divested of prejudice to receive it.

If it is thought advisable that one of your honorable body should be sent on a mission to this place, please announce it in your paper or inform us by letter in season, that preparation may be made for his reception. Permit me in conclusion, to say that my only apology for troubling you with this note, is, that I feel an interest in the cause of our common master, and like to see it prosper.

Respectfully yours,

David Ball.

We are frequently receiving solicitations similar to the above, for elders to be sent to the different parts of the Union and have published Mr. Ball's letter for the purpose of giving a general answer to the whole.

The public mind has of late become considerably aroused, concerning the principles of eternal truth, which the great Jehovah has revealed for the salvation of the human family; so much so that we find it extremely difficult to supply the many calls that are made upon us for elders. We could indeed wish that all the places were as well supplied as Mr. Ball represents the neighborhood that he resides in to be-with even young preachers; we would say of them (while they are zealously engaged in the cause of truth, and studying to shew [show] themselves approved) as Paul said to Timothy: "Let no man despise thy youth." But we are convinced that there may be circumstances, such as Paul met with in Alexander, the coppersmith, when he says, "at my first answer no man stood by me;" that it may require men of experience to combat their errors; men having a knowledge of human nature, as well as of the gospel; and probably this case is one of those.

A special conference will be held in this place on the sixth of April next, at which time there will, in all probability, be provisions made for many of those calls.-Ed.