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
John Stuart Mill · en
“LARGE.—Philoprogenitiveness, Alimentiveness, Acquisitiveness,
Self-Esteem, Imitation, Mirthfulness, Form, Size, Order, Locality,
Eventuality, Time, Language, Causality.
“FULL.—Inhabitiveness, Concentrativeness, Caution, Approbation, Wonder,
Veneration, Weight, Color, Tune.
“MODERATE.—Marvelousness, Secretiveness, Hope, Individuality.
“From the 12th to the 20th of March, he lectured in the Town Hall
in Worcester, Mass. The meetings were well attended, the hall being
crowded during most of the time; two thousand people were judged to have
been present. While explaining the 7th chapter of Daniel, Mr. M. very
significantly inquired how there could be a millennium, according to the
common understanding of it, while the little horn warred with the saints,
which he was to do till the coming of the Ancient of Days? A Baptist
clergyman arose, and offered to answer that question the following
morning. The next morning he came in and requested additional time, and
his answer was postponed another day. When that time arrived he came in
and presented the common view respecting the millennium, and inquired
if there was no way to harmonize that text with it. Mr. M. said, that
was what they were waiting for him to do! But he left it there. This
caused Mr. M. to be listened to with more than usual interest. A revival
attended his labors, and considerable effect was produced on the public
mind.
“From the 22d to the 28th, he lectured in the City Hall in Hartford, Ct.
From two hundred to three hundred persons in that city became favorable
to his views as the result of those lectures. Mr. M. was prevented from
giving his whole course of lectures, on this occasion, by a severe attack
of catarrh and influenza, which made him unable to proceed. The Hartford
_Christian Secretary_, a Baptist periodical, said of these meetings:—
“‘One fact connected with this conference struck us somewhat
forcibly; and that was, the immense crowd which attended
the whole course of lectures. We are unable to speak of the
attendance during the day, but in the evening the large hall
was filled to overflowing with attentive listeners. Probably
not less than from fifteen hundred to two thousand persons were
in attendance every evening. This large mass of hearers was
made up from nearly or quite every congregation in the city.
How many of them have become converts to this new doctrine we
have no means of judging, but presume the number is not very
small. Of one thing we are satisfied, and that is this: unless
the clergy, generally, present a better theory than the one
offered by Mr. Miller, the doctrine will prevail to a very
general extent.’