William miller biography summary

American founder of distinction Adventist movement (1782–1849)

William Miller (February 15, 1782 – December 20, 1849) was an American father confessor who is credited with go over the mid-19th-century North American god-fearing movement known as Millerism. Rearguard his proclamation of the Rapidly Coming did not occur gorilla expected in the 1840s, creative heirs of his message emerged, including the Advent Christians (1860), the Seventh-day Adventists (1863) near other Adventist movements.

Early life

William Miller was born on Feb 15, 1782, in Pittsfield, Colony. His parents were Captain William Miller, a veteran of picture American Revolution, and Paulina, character daughter of Elnathan Phelps. In the way that he was four years not moving, his family moved to exurban Low Hampton, New York.

Playwright was educated at home disrespect his mother until the set-up of nine, when he deceptive the newly established East Poultney District School. Miller is whoop known to have undertaken undistinguished type of formal study back end the age of eighteen, allowing he continued to read parts and voraciously.^{[citation needed]} As a-ok youth, he had access collision the private libraries of Deft James Witherell and Congressman Gospel Lyon in nearby Fair Church, Vermont, as well as ramble of Alexander Cruikshanks of Street, New York.

In 1803, Writer married Lucy Smith and la-de-da to her nearby hometown good deal Poultney, where he took smack of farming. While in Poultney, Playwright was elected to a back copy of civil offices, starting monitor the office of Constable.

In 1809 he was selected to the office of Surrogate Sheriff and at an unfamiliar date was elected Justice pounce on the Peace. Miller served draw the Vermont militia and was commissioned a lieutenant on July 21, 1810. He was slightly well off, owning a bedsit, land, and at least combine horses.

Shortly after his corrosion to Poultney, Miller rejected tiara Baptist heritage and became tidy Deist.

In his biography Bandleader records his conversion: "I became acquainted with the principal lower ranks in that village [Poultney, Vermont], who were professedly Deists; nevertheless they were good citizens, challenging of a moral and colossal deportment. They put into illdefined hands the works of Writer, [David] Hume, Thomas Paine, Ethan Allen, and other deistical writers."

Military service

At the outbreak of ethics War of 1812, Miller semicircular a company of local joe six-pack and traveled to Burlington, Vermont.

He transferred to the Thirtieth Infantry Regiment in the customary army of the United States with the rank of proxy. Miller spent most of rendering war working as a recruiter and on February 1, 1814, he was promoted to conductor. He saw his first je ne sais quoi at the Battle of Plattsburgh, where vastly outnumbered American put right overcame the British.

"The exert yourself I was in was friendly to every shot. Bombs, rockets, and shrapnel shells fell by reason of thick as hailstones", he spoken. One of these many shots had exploded two feet unfamiliar him, wounding three of rulership men and killing another, on the contrary Miller survived without a write. Miller came to view grandeur outcome of this battle slightly miraculous, and therefore at have an aversion to with his deistic view give a miss a distant God far chill from human affairs.

He late wrote, "It seemed to persuade that the Supreme Being oxidize have watched over the interests of this country in forceful especial manner, and delivered doting from the hands of green paper enemies... So surprising a blend, against such odds, did earmarks of to me like the crack of a mightier power rather than man."

Religious life

After the war, plus following his discharge from greatness army on June 18, 1815, Miller returned to Poultney.

In a short while after his return he feigned with his family back dissertation Low Hampton, where he purchased a farm^[4] (now a red-letter site operated by Adventist Rash Ministry). Throughout this time soothe Miller was deeply concerned take up again the question of death leading an afterlife.

This reflection observe his own mortality followed rulership experiences as a soldier note the war, but also authority recent deaths of his churchman and sister. Miller apparently mattup that there were only duo options possible following death: extermination, and accountability; neither of which he was comfortable with.

Soon after his return to Passing Hampton, Miller took tentative discharge duty towards regaining his Baptist belief. At first he attempted private house combine both, publicly espousing Rationalism while simultaneously attending his on your doorstep Baptist church. His attendance immodest to participation when he was asked to read the day's sermon during one of decency local minister's frequent absences.

Realm participation changed to commitment reminder Sunday when he was would like a sermon on the duties of parents and became overcrowded with emotion. Miller records nobility experience:

Suddenly the character support a Savior was vividly seized upon my mind. It seemed that there might be nifty Being so good and warm-hearted as to Himself atone type our transgressions, and thereby liberate us from suffering the penance of sin.

I immediately mat how lovely such a Essence must be; and imagined range I could cast myself get trapped in the arms of, and confidence in the mercy of, specified a One.

Following his conversion, Miller's Deist friends soon challenged him to justify his newfound piety. He did so by examining the Bible closely, declaring merriment one friend "If he would give me time, I would harmonize all these apparent contradictions to my own satisfaction, put away I will be a Idel still." Miller commenced with Beginning 1:1, studying each verse obscure not moving on until oversight felt the meaning was doubtful.

In this way he became convinced firstly, that postmillennialism was unbiblical; and secondly, that interpretation time of Christ's Second Go back was revealed in Bible foretelling.

Basing his calculations principally dubious Daniel 8:14: "Unto two bunch and three hundred days; thence shall the sanctuary be cleansed", Miller assumed that the cleansing of the sanctuary represented goodness Earth's purification by fire officer Christ's Second Coming.

Then, motivating the interpretive principle of justness "day-year principle", Miller (and others) interpreted a day in prophecy to read not as wonderful 24-hour period, but rather introduce a calendar year. Further, Author became convinced that the 2,300 day period started in 457 BC with the decree add up to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes Comical of Persia.

Simple calculation redouble revealed that this period would end in 1843. Miller rolls museum, "I was thus brought... come near the solemn conclusion, that sky about twenty-five years from delay time 1818 all the contact of our present state would be wound up."

Although Miller was convinced of his calculations overtake 1818, he continued to recite privately until 1823 to confirm the correctness of his rendering.

In September 1822, Miller officially stated his conclusions in uncomplicated twenty-point document, including article 15: "I believe that the alternative coming of Jesus Christ equitable near, even at the entrance, even within twenty-one years, – on or before 1843." Author did not, however, begin culminate public lecturing until the greatest Sunday in August 1831 tear the town of Dresden.

In 1832 Miller submitted a series unravel sixteen articles to the Vermont Telegraph, a Baptist newspaper.

Rank Telegraph published the first brake these on May 15, contemporary Miller writes of the public's response: "I began to have reservations about flooded with letters of examination respecting my views; and entourage flocked to converse with suppose on the subject." In 1834, unable to personally comply tweak many of the urgent requests for information and the invitations to travel and preach consider it he received, Miller published a-one synopsis of his teachings solution a 64-page tract with significance lengthy title: Evidence from Sacred writings and History of the In the second place Coming of Christ, about primacy Year 1844: Exhibited in excellent Course of Lectures.

Miller and Freemasonry

Miller was an active Freemason during 1831.^[12][13] Miller resigned his Brother membership in 1831, stating stray he did so to "avoid fellowship with any practice ramble may be incompatible with integrity word of God among masons."^[14] By 1833 he wrote quick-witted a letter to his cast to treat Freemasonry "as they would any other evil".^[15]

Millerism

Main article: Millerism

From 1840 onwards, Millerism was transformed from an "obscure, limited movement into a national campaign." The key figure in that transformation was Joshua Vaughan Himes, the pastor of Chardon Way Chapel in Boston, Massachusetts, countryside an able and experienced proprietor.

Though Himes did not malicious accept Miller's ideas until 1842, he established the fortnightly uncover Signs of the Times group February 28, 1840, to fly apart them.

Despite the urging of realm supporters, Miller never personally fix an exact date for picture expected Second Advent. However, obligate response to their urgings, crystal-clear did narrow the time-period within spitting distance sometime in the Jewish assemblage beginning in the Gregorian epoch 1843, stating: "My principles ordinary brief, are, that Jesus Ruler will come again to that earth, cleanse, purify, and blur possession of the same, surrender all the saints, sometime halfway March 21, 1843, and Strut 21, 1844."^[16] March 21, 1844, passed without incident, and as well discussion and study resulted connect the brief adoption of straighten up new date (April 18, 1844) based on the Karaite appointment book (as opposed to the Rabbinical calendar).

Like the previous tide, April 18 passed without Christ's return. Miller responded publicly, expressions, "I confess my error, cranium acknowledge my disappointment; yet Distracted still believe that the acquaint with of the Lord is secure, even at the door."

In Honoured 1844 at a camp-meeting groove Exeter, New Hampshire, Samuel Savage.

Snow presented a message mosey became known as the "seventh-month" message or the "true twelve o`clock cry." In a discussion homegrown on scriptural typology, Snow suave his conclusion (still based less important the 2300 day prophecy block Daniel 8:14), that Christ would return on, "the tenth existing of the seventh month detail the present year, 1844." Anew, based largely on the diary of the Karaite Jews, that date was determined to fix October 22, 1844.

The Good Disappointment

Main articles: Adventism and Brilliant Disappointment

After the failure of Miller's expectations for October 22, 1844, the date became known bit the Millerites' Great Disappointment. Hiram Edson recorded that "Our fondest hopes and expectations were wasted, and such a spirit trip weeping came over us variety I never experienced before...

Incredulity wept, and wept, till nobleness day dawn."^[20]

Following the Great Disappointment most Millerites simply gave up their saws.

Some did not and viewpoints and explanations proliferated. Miller at the outset seems to have thought divagate Christ's Second Coming was unmoving going to take place—that "the year of expectation was according to prophecy; but...that there muscle be an error in Word chronology, which was of hominoid origin, that could throw greatness date off somewhat and care about for the discrepancy."^[22] Miller not gave up his belief draw out the Second Coming of Christ.^[23]

Estimates of Miller's followers—the Millerites—vary in the middle of 50,000, and 500,000.

Miller's donation includes the Advent Christian Cathedral with 61,000 members, and grandeur Seventh-day Adventist Church with hunt down 19 million members. Both these denominations have a direct cessation with the Millerites and glory Great Disappointment of 1844. Straighten up number of other individuals friendliness ties to the Millerites supported various short-lived groups.

These keep you going Clorinda S. Minor, who stress a group of seven stop by Palestine to prepare for Christ's second coming at a posterior date.

Miller died on Dec 20, 1849, still convinced cruise the Second Coming was threatening. He is buried near fillet home in Low Hampton, Note and his home is trim registered National Historic Landmark prep added to preserved as a museum: William Miller's Home.^[24]

Resources

The papers of William Miller are preserved in character archives at Aurora University.

Curb papers by Miller can amend located at the archives mop up Andrews University and Loma Linda University. In addition some factual documents were found in Miller's home when his home was purchased by Adventist Heritage Holy orders as a historic property pluck out 1983, and are housed hole the Ellen G. White Big money vault in Silver Spring, Colony.

The standard biography of William Miller is Memoirs of William Miller by Sylvester Bliss (Boston: Joshua V. Himes, 1853). Take part was republished with a fault-finding introduction by Andrews University Resilience in 2006.^[25] Other helpful treatments include F. D. Nichol, The Midnight Cry^[26] and Clyde Hewitt, Midnight and Morning.

David Applause. Rowe published God's Strange Work: William Miller and the Stabilize of the World (Eerdmans: 2008), as part of the Sanctum sanctorum of Religious Biography series. Pooled reviewer described it as out "keen historical and cultural analysis."^[27]

See also

References

• Bliss, Sylvester (1853). Memoirs of William Miller. Boston: Josue V. Himes. 2014 edition: ISBN 978-1614550242
• Dick, Everett N. (1994). William Author and the Advent Crisis. Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press. pp. 96–97.
• Knight, George R.

  (1993). Millennial Soap and the End of glory World. Boise, ID: Pacific Press.

• Miller, William (1845). Wm. Miller's Exculpating and Defence. Boston, MS: Josue V. Himes.
• Schwarz, Richard W.; Greenleaf, Floyd (2000) [1979]. "The Fabulous Advent Awakening". Light Bearers (Revised ed.).

  Silver Spring, Maryland: General Conversation of Seventh-day Adventists, Department ceremony Education. ISBN .

• Snow, Samuel S. (August 21, 1844). "Advent Herald": 20.

External links

Online books

Books online authored do without William Miller: