HIS SICKNESS—VISIT TO MASSACHUSETTS—FANATICISM—MR. MILLER
REPUDIATES IT.
“At the close of his lectures in Philadelphia, Mr. Miller went to
Trenton, N. J., to spend the Sabbath (February 12, 1843). By invitation
of the mayor of that city, he lectured there three days, and was listened
to by crowded houses.
“From Trenton he returned to New York city, but held no public meeting
there. He improved the opportunity to visit a brother at Williamsburg,
Long Island, where he had an interview with the editor of the _Gazette
and Advertiser_, who thus referred to it:—
“‘Our curiosity was recently gratified by an introduction to
this gentleman, who has probably been an object of more abuse,
ridicule and blackguardism, than any other man now living.
A large number of the veracious editors of the political
and religious newspapers have assured us that Mr. Miller
was totally insane, and sundry preachers had confirmed this
assurance. We were somewhat surprised to hear him converse on
religious subjects with a coolness and soundness of judgment
which made us whisper to ourselves,
“If this be madness, then there is method in’t.”
“‘When our interview closed, we were left wondering at the
cause of that malignant spirit of slander and falsehood with
which a man has been assailed, who has spent his time and
substance in a course of unceasing toils to persuade men “to
flee from the wrath to come.”’
“From New York, Mr. M. went up the Hudson River as far as Lansingburg,
N. Y., where he lectured from the 17th to the 21st of February. The day
following, in compliance with the urgent request of the Baptist church
in Half Moon, N. Y., he visited that place, and commenced a course of
lectures, which continued till the 5th of March.
“At the request of Mr. Davis, pastor of the Presbyterian church in
Ballston Center, Mr. M. next lectured in his house from the 6th to the
11th of March; and, on the 12th, gave two discourses at the Spa. As
usual, a large number were present, and God’s blessing was manifested.
“On the 15th of March, he delivered two discourses at Rock City, in the
town of Milton, N. Y., about six miles from Saratoga Springs. He had
attempted to go as far as Albany, to fulfill an engagement there; but,
after getting within fourteen miles of that city, he was obliged to
return to Rock City, where he was taken sick with his old complaint,
erysipelas, in his right arm. He remained at the house of Dea. Dubois,
where he received the kindest attention, till the 23d of March. On that
day he was removed to the house of Herman Thomas, in the same place.
He was carefully provided for there till the 30th, when he was so far
convalescent as to be removed by his son. By short and easy journeys he
reached his home at Low Hampton on the 31st, as comfortably as could have
been hoped for.
“On the 6th of April he commenced a letter to Mr. Himes, in which he
says: ‘I am now at home; was brought home six days since. I am very weak
in body, but, blessed be God! my mind, faith, and hope, are yet strong
in the Lord,—no wavering in my belief that I shall see Christ this
year,’ &c. This letter not being completed on the 13th of April, his son
forwarded it to Mr. Himes, adding, ‘Father is quite low and feeble, and
we fear he may be no better.’
“His complaint manifested itself in a multiplicity and succession of
carbuncle boils, which were a great drain on his system, and wasted his
strength rapidly. On the 3d of May, when their violence had greatly
abated, he wrote: ‘My health is on the gain, as my folks would say.
I have now _only_ twenty-two boils, from the bigness of a grape to a
walnut, on my shoulder, side, back, and arms. I am truly afflicted, like
Job, and have about as many comforters, only they do not come to see me,
as Job’s did.’ Two weeks later, he was again much more feeble, and his
physicians prohibited visitors from seeing him.
“On the 28th of May, his son wrote: ‘Father’s health is no better, on
the whole. He continues very weak and low, confined to his bed most of
the time.’ In addition to his numerous boils, he had, by a fever, been
brought near to death’s door.
“About the 1st of July he was so far recovered as to be able to walk
about his house, and his health continued to improve, so that, from
the 6th to the 9th of September, he gave a course of lectures in N.
Springfield, Vt. He lectured in Claremont, N. H., on the 11th; in
Springfield, N. H., on the 12th; in Wilmot, N. H., on the 14th; in
Andover, N. H., on the 17th; in Franklin, N. H., on the 18th; in
Guilford, N. H., from the 21st to the 24th; in Gilmanton, N. H., on the
25th; and at Concord, N. H., on the 26th and 27th. On the 2d of October
he gave two addresses at the camp-meeting in Exeter, N. H., and arrived
at Lowell, Mass., on the 3d. He went to Boston on the 6th, gave three
discourses, and then returned home to Low Hampton, where he remained till
the 9th of November.
“During this tour, Mr. Miller was much pained by witnessing a tendency
to fanaticism on the part of some who held to his views. As he had no
sympathy for anything of the kind, and has been unjustly identified with
it in the minds of the public, it becomes necessary to show its origin,
that its responsibility may rest where it rightly belongs.
“The views of Mr. Miller being embraced by persons belonging to various
religious denominations, it was impossible, from the nature of the case,
for those of any particular faith to teach their own private opinions in
connection with the Advent, without exciting the jealousy of those who
held opposite sentiments. To avoid any such clashing of opinions, the
following platform was adopted by the first conference held by believers
in the Advent (October 14, 1840), in their Address unanimously presented
to the public, namely:—[24]
“‘Our object in assembling at this time, our object in
addressing you, and our object in other efforts, separate and
combined, on the subject of the kingdom of Heaven at hand,
is to revive and restore this ancient faith, to renew the
ancient landmarks, to “stand in the way, and see, and ask for
the old paths, where is the good way” in which our fathers
walked, and the martyrs “found rest to their souls.” We have
no purpose to distract the churches with any new inventions,
or to get ourselves a name by starting another sect among the
followers of the Lamb. We neither condemn nor rudely assail
others of a faith different from our own, nor dictate in
matters of conscience for our brethren, nor seek to demolish
their organizations, nor build new ones of our own; but simply
to express our convictions, like Christians, with the reasons
for entertaining them, which have persuaded us to understand
the word and promises, the prophecies and the gospel of our
Lord, as the first Christians, the primitive ages of the
church, and the profoundly learned and intelligent reformers,
have unanimously done in the faith and hope that the Lord will
come quickly in his glory, to fulfill all his promises in the
resurrection of the dead.
“‘We are agreed and harmonize with the published creed of
the Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian, and Methodist
churches, together with the Cambridge Platform of the
Congregational church, and the Lutheran and the Roman Catholic
churches, in maintaining that Christ’s second and only coming
now will be to judge the world at the last day.
“‘We are not of those who sow discord among brethren, who
withdraw from the fellowship of the churches, who rail at
the office of the ministry, and triumph in the exposure of
the errors of a secular and apostate church, and who count
themselves holier than others, or wiser than their fellows. The
gracious Lord has opened to us wondrous things in his word,
whereof we are glad, and in view of which we rejoice with fear
and trembling. We reverently bless his name, and we offer
these things, with the right hand of our Christian fellowship
and union, to all disciples of our common Lord, of every sect
and denomination, praying them, by the love of the crucified
Jesus, to regard the promise of his coming, and to cultivate
the love of his appearing, and to sanctify themselves in view
of his approaching with power and great glory; although they
conscientiously differ from us in minor points of faith, or
reject some of the peculiarities which exist in individuals of
this Conference.
“‘We do not seek to excite the prejudices of our fellow-men,
or to join with those who mock at sin, or who scoff at the
word or promise of the great Jehovah, or who lightly esteem
offices and ordinances of the church, or who empty of their
power the threatenings of the holy law, or who count the blood
of the atonement a useless thing, or who refuse to worship and
honor the Son of God even as they honor the Father; nor do we
refuse any of these, or others of divers faith, whether Roman
or Protestant, who receive and heartily embrace the doctrine of
the Lord’s coming in his kingdom.’
“It was thus unanimously agreed that the sectarian questions which divide
Christians should be avoided in the presentation of the advent doctrine,
and that ‘minor points of faith,’ and the ‘peculiarities’ in the belief
of any, should not be made prominent, to impede their united labors.
“In the autumn of 1842, Mr. Miller’s views were embraced by John
Starkweather, a graduate of the Andover Theological Seminary, and a
minister of good standing in the Orthodox Congregational denomination.
He had been a minister at the Marlboro’ chapel, in Boston, and at other
places, and was regarded as a man of peculiar sanctity. He was at
that time, unemployed by any people, and Elder Himes being obliged to
spend much of his time in preaching in other places than Boston, Mr.
Starkweather was called as an assistant pastor of his church, at the
chapel in Chardon-street.
“Mr. Starkweather commenced his labors there in October, 1842. He was
tall, well formed, and had a voice of great power and not unpleasant
tones. His personal appearance was thus prepossessing, which, with his
reputation for superior sanctity, enabled him easily to secure the
confidence of his hearers, who nightly thronged the chapel.
“His principal theme was the necessity of a preparation for the
Saviour’s coming. At such a time no subject seemingly could be more
appropriate. But Mr. Starkweather had embraced peculiar views respecting
personal sanctification; and, contrary to the understanding which had
been had on the subject of sectarian views, he made his own notions
not only a test of readiness for the Lord’s coming, but of Christian
fellowship,—demanding the largest liberty for himself, and granting none
to others. He taught that conversion, however full and thorough, did not
fit one for God’s favor without a second work; and that this second work
was usually indicated by some bodily sensation.
“During the winter, the losing of strength and other cataleptic and
epileptic phenomena became manifested, and were hailed by him as
evidences of the great power of God in the sanctification of those who
were already devoted Christians. He denominated such ‘the sealing power.’
“Those who were familiar with the history of fanaticism in past ages,
who had read with pain the termination of the career of the eloquent
Edward Irving in England, who knew the devastation caused by fanaticism
in the time of the Reformation, of its effects in the early ages of
Christianity, and of the results produced by it even in many portions of
our own country during the infancy of some of the sects among us, were at
no loss respecting its character.
“It was at first supposed that Mr. Starkweather was an innocent cause of
this, and that he was ignorant of his strong mesmeric powers, by which
he had obtained a sympathetic influence over some of his hearers. He was
reasoned with on the subject, but to no purpose. His mind was bent in
a certain direction, and pursue his course he would. His actual spirit
was not discovered until leading brethren publicly dissented from such
exercises as any necessary part of Christianity. At this the uncaged lion
was aroused, and it became evident what manner of spirit he was of.
“Near the close of April, 1843, it was deemed necessary to take a decided
stand on the subject. A meeting had been appointed for the afternoon, and
Mr. Himes, who had been absent during these occurrences, with judicious
brethren determined to endeavor to stem the current of fanaticism which
had commenced. In a calm and faithful manner, he gave them the history
of various movements which had been destroyed or greatly injured by
fanaticism; and, without intimating that evidences of such then existed,
he exhorted them to learn from past experience, and see to it that they
avoid the rocks on which others had been shipwrecked.
“Mr. Starkweather arose in reply, and was so vehement that Mr. Himes felt
justified in again addressing the audience, exposing the nature of the
exercises that had appeared among them, and their pernicious tendency.
“This so shocked the sensibilities of those who regarded them as the
‘great power of God,’ that they cried out and stopped their ears. Some
jumped upon their feet, and some ran out of the house. ‘You will drive
out the Holy Ghost!’ cried one. ‘You are throwing on cold water!’ said
another.
“‘Throwing on cold water!’ said Mr. Himes; ‘I would throw on the Atlantic
Ocean before I would be identified with such abominations as these, or
suffer them in this place unrebuked.’
“Starkweather immediately announced that ‘the saints’ would thenceforth
meet at another place than the Chardon-street chapel; and, retiring, his
followers withdrew with him.
“From this time he was the leader of a party, held separate meetings,
and, by extending his visits to other places, he gained a number of
adherents. He was not countenanced by the friends of Mr. Miller; but the
public identified him and his movement with Mr. Miller and his.
“This was most unjust to Mr. Miller; but to this day the Romanists
identify, in the same manner the fanaticism consequent on the
Reformation, with Luther and those who repudiated the doings of Munzer,
Storch and others.
“While Starkweather was thus repudiated, he persisted in forcing himself,
wherever he could, upon the public, as a religious teacher and lecturer
on the Advent.
“On the 9th of August, 1843, a camp-meeting commenced at Plainfield, Ct.,
at which Starkweather was, and some manifestations were exhibited which
were entirely new to those present, and for which they could not account.
Another meeting was held at Stepney, near Bridgeport, on the 28th of the
same month, where the developments were more marked. A few young men,
professing to have the gift of discerning spirits, were hurried into
great extravagances. Elder J. Litch published a protest against such
exhibitions, in which he said:—
“‘A more disgraceful scene, under the garb of piety, I have
rarely witnessed. For the last ten years I have come in contact
nearly every year, more or less, with the same spirit, and
have marked its developments, its beginning, and its result;
and am now prepared to say that it is evil, and only evil,
and that continually. I have uniformly opposed it wherever it
has made its appearance, and as uniformly have been denounced
as being opposed to the power of God, and as resisting the
operations of the Spirit. The origin of it, is the idea that
the individuals thus exercised are entirely under the influence
of the Spirit of God, are his children, and that he will
not deceive them and lead them astray; hence every impulse
which comes upon them is yielded to as coming from God, and,
following it, there is no length of fanaticism to which they
will not go.’”—_Midnight Cry_, Sept. 14, 1843.
“During Mr. Miller’s confinement by his sickness, he had not come
in contact with any of these things; but, on his last tour into
Massachusetts, he had seen something of it, and took the earliest
opportunity to do his duty respecting it, by a prompt disclaimer.
Before reaching home, he stopped a day at Castleton, Vt., and wrote the
following letter, which was published in the _Signs of the Times_ of
November 8, 1843:—
“‘DEAR BROTHER: My heart was deeply pained, during my tour
east, to see in some few of my former friends a proneness to
wild and foolish extremes and vain delusions, such as working
miracles, discerning of spirits, vague and loose views on
sanctification, &c.
“‘As it respects the working of miracles, I have no faith in
those who pretend beforehand that they can work miracles.
See Rev. 13:13, 14: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he
maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight
of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the
means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight
of the beast.” Whenever God has seen fit to work miracles,
the instruments have seemingly been unconscious of having the
power, until the work was done. They have, in no instance that
I recollect, proclaimed as with a trumpet that they could or
would work a miracle. Moses and the apostles were more _modest_
than these modern pretenders to this power. You may depend upon
it, whosoever claims the power has the spirit of Antichrist.
Rev. 16:14: “For they are the spirits of devils, working
miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of
the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day
of God Almighty.”
“‘I know they pretend to prove that men are to have this
power unto the end of the world, by Mark 16:17. But take the
whole passage together, and what does it prove? Not that all
believers can do these miracles, but that these miracles would
follow those who believe; that is, those who believed in the
record that God had given would, in the apostolic age, have a
confirmation of the truth of that word by those miracles, which
would follow them.[25] The word would be thus confirmed by
miracles, performed by prophets and apostles, who were inspired
to write the Old and New Testaments. I see no reason for the
working of miracles in this age; “for if they believe not Moses
and the prophets, neither would they believe though one should
arise from the dead.” Since the apostles’ day, none have worked
miracles but the anti-Christian beast.
“‘The discerning of spirits is, I fear, another fanatical
movement to draw off Adventists from the truth, and to lead
men to depend on the feeling, exercise, and conceit of their
own mind, more than on the word of God. It builds up a spirit
of pride and self-righteousness, and thus loses sight of the
humbling doctrine, to account others better than ourselves. If
all Christians were to possess this gift, how should we live
by faith? Each would stand upon the spiritual gifts of his
brother, and, if possessed of the true Spirit of God, could
never err. Surely the devil has great power over the minds of
some at the present day. And how shall we know what manner of
spirit they are of? The Bible answers: “By their fruits ye
shall know them.” Then it is not by the spirit.
“‘I think those who claim this power will soon manifest, by
their fruits, that they have another rule than the Bible. I
have observed that those persons who think that they have
been baptized by the Holy Ghost, as they term it, become more
sensitive of themselves, and very jealous for their own glory;
less patient, and full of the denunciatory spirit against
others who are not so fortunate as themselves. There are many
spirits gone out into the world; and we are commanded to try
the spirits. The spirit that does not cause us to live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world, is not the
spirit of Christ. I am more and more convinced that Satan has
much to do in these wild movements. He has come down, having
great wrath, knowing he hath but a short time; and he will, if
possible, deceive the very elect.
“‘On sanctification I have but little at present to say.
Sanctification has two prominent meanings in Scripture: setting
apart for holy purposes; and being cleansed from all sin and
pollution. Every soul converted to God is sanctified in the
first sense. He devotes himself to God, to love, serve, and
obey him forever. Every one who obtains complete redemption,
body, soul, and spirit, is sanctified in the second sense.
The first kind is, or ought to be, now enjoyed by every _true
believer_ in Christ. The other will never be accomplished till
the resurrection of the just, when these vile bodies shall be
changed. We are sanctified, in the first sense, through faith
and a knowledge of the truth; and, in my opinion, are not
perfect until we are perfect in faith and knowledge of the word
of God. Yet many among us, who pretend to be wholly sanctified,
are following the traditions of men, and apparently are as
ignorant of truth as others who make no such pretensions, and
are not half so modest. I must confess that they have to me an
appearance of boasting.
“‘I would not judge harshly; but I cannot see any reason to
believe them any more holy than many others who make no such
claims. I would say nothing to prevent any man or woman from
living holy. This is what we are all seeking after, and what
I expect to attain, when Christ shall come and blot out my
sins, according to his promise. Acts 3:19. I think those with
whom I have conversed, who pretend to have obtained this
grace, instead of enjoying more than others, labor, in their
arguments, to lower down the standard of holiness to their
present capacity. Instead of looking for a blessed hope at the
appearing of Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies,
and raise our capacity to enjoy and adore him forever, in
an infinitely higher state of perfection, they think they
are actually enjoying all the promises _now_, and are not in
need of any further work of grace to give them a right to the
eternal inheritance of the saints.
“‘If this be so, and we are truly perfect, sanctified, and
prepared for our possession in Heaven, then every moment we are
debarred our right of entering and taking possession of our
inheritance would be an illegal withholding of us from our just
rights of participating in the enjoyment of the will of our
blessed Master. But it is not so. We are minors, and subjects
of chastisements. Prov. 3:11, 12: “My son, despise not the
chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction; for
whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son
in whom he delighteth.” Heb. 12:5-9: “And ye have forgotten
the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what
son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh
which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not
much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?”
“‘Therefore, let us all be modest, unassuming, and godlike,
pressing on to the mark. Let us not, therefore, judge one
another any more. Rom. 14:13: “But judge this rather, that
no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his
brother’s way.” 1 Cor. 8:9-13: “But take heed lest by any means
this liberty of yours become a stumbling-block to them that are
weak. For if any man see thee, which hast knowledge, sit at
meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him that
is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered
to idols; and through thy knowledge shall the weak brother
perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the
brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against
Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will
eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother
to offend. If my brother is truly perfect in every good work,
he will bear with me and my weakness.” Rom. 15:1: “We, then,
that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and
not to please ourselves.” 1 Cor. 9:22: “To the weak became I as
weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all
men, that I might by all means save some.”
“‘I have not written this to condemn my “perfect” brother,
or to call out a reply. He may call one thing perfect
sanctification, and I another. If he is “perfect” and strong,
he can bear my weakness. If he wants contention, it will show
that he is not perfect, but contentious. I beg of my brother to
let me follow on to know the Lord; and God forbid that I should
call him back. I hope he will not boastingly exclude me from
the path he would tread. May God sanctify and prepare us for
his own use, and deliver us from the wrath to come.
“‘Yours, in the blessed hope,
WM. MILLER.
“‘_Castleton, Vt., Oct. 12, 1843._’
“Not only Mr. Miller, but all who were in his confidence, took a decided
position against all fanatical extravagances. They never gave them any
quarter; while those who regarded them with favor soon arrayed themselves
against Mr. Miller and his adherents. Their fanaticism increased; and
though opposed by Mr. Miller and his friends, the religious and secular
press very generally, but unjustly, connected his name with it;—he being
no more responsible for it than Luther and Wesley were for similar
manifestations in their day.