Sketches of the Christian life and public labors of William Miller : $b Gathered from his memoir by the late Sylvester Bliss, and from other sourcesWhite, James
Philosophy
Sketches of the Christian life and public labors of William Miller : $b Gathered from his memoir by the late Sylvester Bliss, and from other sources
White, James
Miller, William, 1782-1849
“On the 19th of June, he visited Lansingburg, N. Y., and continued till
the 26th. To pay his stage-fare, he received, on this occasion, four
dollars, which, with the two half-dollars received in Canada, was all
the remuneration he had thus far received for his expenses. Subsequent
to that time, as he says in his ‘Apology and Defense,’ he never received
enough to meet his expenses of travel to the places where he was invited;
so that his public labors were never of any pecuniary advantage to him,
as has been currently reported and believed; but, on the contrary, they
were a heavy tax on his property, which gradually decreased during that
period of his life.
“On the 21st of July, he writes, from Low Hampton, to Eld. Hendryx: ‘I
have been confined at home, for three weeks past, by a bilious complaint.
I was taken unwell while lecturing at Lansingburg, N. Y.; but I finished
my course of lectures, and returned home, and have not been well since.
My lectures were well received in that place, and excited attention. The
house was filled to overflowing for eight days in succession. I feel that
God was there, and believe that in his glorified kingdom I shall see
the fruits.... Infidels, deists, Universalists, and sectarians, were
all chained to their seats, in perfect silence, for hours—yes, days—to
hear the old stammering man talk about the second coming of Christ, and
show the manner, object, time, and signs, of his coming. O my brother!
it makes me feel like a worm—a poor, feeble creature; for it is God
only who could produce such an effect on such audiences. Yet it gives
me confidence; for I solemnly believe it is truth; and God will support
his word, and will be present where it is preached, however feeble the
instrument; for “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world.” Therefore, if I were preaching before all the kings of the earth,
why should I fear? for the King of kings is with me. If all the lords
were there, yet he is Lord of lords, and of the great men of the earth.’
“Mr. Miller again lectured in Dresden, N. Y., on the 7th of August; in
Orwell, Vt., on the 11th of September; and in Keesville, N. Y., on the
18th. He then gave courses of lectures, beginning at Lawrence, N. Y.,
on the 22d; Stockholm, on the 29th; Parishville, on the 7th of October;
Massena, N. Y., on the 14th. He gave ten lectures at Fort Covington, N.
Y., beginning on the 20th, and was at Chataugay, N. Y., on the 27th.
This terminated his labors for the year 1836. In allusion to these last
visits, he wrote on the 23d of December:—
“‘I have not visited a place where the Lord has not given me
one or two souls for my hire. I have spent eight weeks in St.
Lawrence County, and delivered eighty-two lectures this fall.
Next week I am going to Shaftsbury and vicinity.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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