Memoirs of William Miller

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO THE CONFERENCE

“Your committee, appointed for the purpose of taking into consideration the great principles upon which we can unite and act in advancing the cause of truth, for the edification of the body of Christ, the salvation of souls, and the preparation of man for the near Advent of the Saviour, submit the following report: MWM 301.2

“In view of the many conflicting opinions, unscriptural views, leading to unseemly practices, and the sad divisions which have been thereby caused by some professing to be Adventists, we deem it incumbent on us to declare to the world our belief that the Scriptures teach, among others, the following MWM 301.3

“IMPORTANT TRUTHS. MWM 301.4

“1st. That the heavens and earth which are now, by the word of God, are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. That the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. That the Lord will create new heavens and a new earth, wherein righteousness - that is, the righteous - will forever dwell. 1 And that the kingdom and the dominion under the whole MWM 301.5

—1 2 Peter 3:7, 10, 13. heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. 1 MWM 301.6

2nd. That there are but two advents or appearings of the Saviour to this earth. That both are personal and visible. That the first took place in the days of Herod, when He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, went about doing good, suffered on the cross, the just for the unjust, died, was buried, arose again the third day, the firstfruits of them that slept, and ascended into the heavens, which must receive him until the times of the restitution of all things, spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets. That the second coming or appearing will take place when he shall descend from heaven, at the sounding of the last trump, to give his people rest, being revealed from heaven in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel. And that he will judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom. MWM 302.1

3rd. That the second coming or appearing is indicated to be now emphatically nigh, even at the doors, by the chronology of the prophetic periods, the fulfilment of prophecy, and the signs of the times. And that this truth should be preached both to saints and sinners, that the first may rejoice, knowing their redemption draweth nigh, and the last be warned to flee from the wrath to come, before the Master of the house shall rise up and shut to the door. MWM 302.2

4th. That the condition of salvation is repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 And that those who have repentance and faith will live soberly, and righteously, and godly, in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 25 MWM 302.3

5th. That there will be a resurrection of the bodies of all the dead, 1 both of the just and the unjust. 2 That those who are Christ’s will be raised at his coming. 3 That the rest of the dead will not live again until after a thousand years. 4 And that the saints shall not all sleep, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump. 5 MWM 302.4

“6th. That the only millennium taught in the Word of God is the thousand years which are to intervene between the first resurrection and that of the rest of the dead, as inculcated in the 20th of Revelation 6 And that the various portions of Scripture which refer to the millennial state are to have their fulfilment after the resurrection of all the saints who sleep in Jesus. 7 MWM 303.1

“7th. That the promise, that Abraham should be the heir of the world, was not to him, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. That they are not all Israel which are of Israel. That there is no difference, under the Gospel dispensation, between Jew and Gentile. That the middle wall of partition that was between them is broken down, no more to be rebuilt. That God will render to every man according to his deeds. That if we are Christ’s, then are we Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. And that the only restoration of Israel, yet future, is the restoration of the saints to the earth, created anew, when God shall open the graves of those descendants of Abraham who died in faith, without receiving the promise, with the believing Gentiles who have been grafted in with them into the same olive tree; and shall cause them to come up out of their graves, and bring them, with the living, who are changed, into the land of Israel. MWM 303.2

“8th. That there is no promise of this world’s conversion. 15 That the Horn of Papacy will war with the saints, and prevail against them, until the Ancient of Days shall come, and judgment be given to the saints of the Most High, and the time come that the saints possess the kingdom. 16 That the children of the kingdom, and the children MWM 303.3

—John 5:28, 29. 2 Acts 24:15. 3 1 Corinthians 15:23. 4 Revelation 20:5. 5 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52. 6 Revelation 20:2-7. 7 Isaiah 11; 35:1, 2, 5-10; 65:17-25. 8 Romans 4:13. 9 Romans 9:6. 10 Romans 10:12. 11 Ephesians 2:14, 15. 12 Romans 2:6. 13 Galatians 3:29. 14 Ezekiel 37:12; Hebrews 11:12, 13; Romans 11:17; John 5:28, 29. 15 Matthew 24:14. 16 Daniel 7:21, 22. of the wicked one, will continue together until the end of the world, when all things that offend shall be gathered out of the kingdom, and the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 1 That the Man of Sin will only be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming. 2 And that the nations of those which are saved and redeemed to God by the blood of Christ, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, will be made kings and priests unto God, to reign forever on the earth. 3 MWM 303.4

“9th. That it is the duty of the ministers of the Word to continue in the work of preaching the Gospel to every creature, even unto the end, 4 calling upon them to repent, in view of the fact that the kingdom of heaven is at hand; 5 that their sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 6 MWM 304.1

And, 10th. That the departed saints do not enter their inheritance, or receive their crowns, at death. That they without us cannot be made perfect. That their inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, is reserved in heaven, ready to be revealed in the last time. That there are laid up for them and us crowns of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give at the day of Christ to all that love his appearing. That they will only be satisfied when they awake in Christ’s likeness. And that, when the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, the King will say to those on his right hand, ‘Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’ Then they will be equal to the angels, being the children of God and of the resurrection. MWM 304.2

“ASSOCIATED ACTION. MWM 304.3

“We are induced, from present circumstances affecting our spiritual interests, to present, for your consideration, a few ideas touching associated action. MWM 304.4

“Order is Heaven’s first law. All things emanating from God are constituted on principles of perfect order. MWM 304.5

The New Testament rules for the government of the Church we regard as binding on the whole brotherhood of Christ. No circumstances can justify us in departing from the usages established by Christ and his Apostles. MWM 305.1

“We regard any congregation of believers, who habitually assemble for the worship of God and the due observance of the Gospel ordinances, as a Church of Christ. As such, it is an independent body, accountable only to the great Head of the Church. To all such we recommend a careful examination of the Scriptures, and the adoption of such principles of association and order as are in accordance therewith, that they may enjoy the advantages of that church relation which Christ has instituted. MWM 305.2

“PLAN OF OPERATIONS. MWM 305.3

“In the midst of our disappointed hopes of seeing the King of Glory, and being made like him, and still finding ourselves in a world of sin, snares, and death, the question forces itself upon us, MWM 305.4

“What now is our work? MWM 305.5

“To us it seems clear that our first work is to make straight paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. We are in duty bound to give the household meat in due season, and to build ourselves up in our most holy faith. While doing this, we are to continue, in obedience to the great commission, to preach the Gospel to every creature: so long as the love of Christ dwells in us, it will constrain us. We shall not be released, while in our present state, from our obligations to be ‘workers, together with God,’ in saving those for whom the Redeemer died. It is evident that the duty, which of right devolves on every minister of the Gospel, of proclaiming the hour of God’s judgment, is, if performed at all, to be done by those who are convinced of its truth. Shall we continue to do it, or shall it be left undone? And if we continue to work in this peculiar department of the Lord’s vineyard, what system of operations shall we adopt for carrying forward our work? On this point we feel that we have need of great wisdom and prudence. MWM 305.6

“In sounding the alarm through the length and breadth of the land, and awakening a general interest on the subject of the Lord’s speedy coming, and its kindred doctrines, our camp-meetings have been of incalculable importance, and, in many instances, have accomplished much good. But that peculiar work seems to have been performed, and a new aspect presents itself. What we now do must be done more by dint of persevering and determined effort than by moving the masses of community. MWM 305.7

“We would, therefore, advise that our mode of operation, in this respect, be varied so as to meet the exigencies of the times, and are of the opinion that our camp-meetings, except in particular cases, where the brethren deem it will advance the cause, should be dispensed with for the present, and our energies expended by visiting the towns and villages, and in some convenient place giving courses of lectures, and holding series of conferences. By this we think our means could be better husbanded, and fewer laborers could carry on the meetings, and thus a wider field be occupied. MWM 306.1

“We would also take the liberty of urging the importance of a wider circulation of our books and periodicals. These have been, and may still be, the means of great good to the community; and many may thus yet be reached who have not listened to the public lectures. Especially is it important at the present time to spread widely those which relate particularly to the personal appearing of Christ, the resurrection of the body, the return of the Jews, etc.... MWM 306.2

“Nor can we think ourselves justified in neglecting Sabbath-schools and Bible-class instruction. We would suggest to each congregation the necessity of opening a Sabbath-school for the benefit of at least their own children, and as many more as can be induced to attend. If the beginning is small, perseverance will accomplish the object.... MWM 306.3

“In all our labors we cannot be too deeply impressed with the sentiments of Paul, addressed to Timothy, his son in the gospel. ‘The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle toward all men, - apt to teach, patient; in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves, if God peradventure may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.’ MWM 306.4

“In conclusion, permit us to add the following resolutions: MWM 306.5

“Resolved, That this Conference, while it sympathizes with every Scripture effort to save men from sin, and prepare them, by grace, for the Kingdom of God, - and while it bids god-speed to the publication of the gospel to every creature in the world, - yet it feels bound, by the most solemn considerations possible, to oppose, to the utmost of its power, that fatal and delusive doctrine of modern days, namely, that the Scripture warrants the belief, or even the hope, that, before the second glorious and personal appearing of Christ, to glorify his saints and renew the earth, the world, or even a majority of it, will be converted to Christ. And, 1st. We deem it anti-Scriptural, - opposed to all that class of scriptures which represents the church as in a state of warfare and suffering until her deliverer - Christ - comes, - all those scriptures which declare the coexistence and the mingling of the righteous and wicked, even to the end of the world, - all those passages which represent the continuance of the Man of Sin, the little horn of the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision, the great dragon power, etc., as existing till the personal advent of the Saviour, to destroy them that destroy the earth, and to reward his saints. 2nd. We deem it dangerous to the eternal interests of men. It holds out to them the hope that a period more conducive to piety than the present is before them; thus inducing, however unintentionally, the sinner to defer immediate repentance, and encouraging professors to wait for a more favorable opportunity to expend their energies for saving sinners, both at home and abroad. And, finally, its direct influence is to put far off the second advent of the Saviour, and thus lull the world into a state of carelessness with respect to an immediate preparation for the event. There can be no millennium until the first resurrection, the resurrection of the just. MWM 307.1

“Resolved, That we consider the doctrine of the restoration of the natural Jews, as a nation, either before or after the second advent of Christ, as heirs and inheritors of the land of Canaan, as subversive of the whole gospel system, by raising up what Christ has broken down - namely, the middle wall of partition between the Jew and Gentile. It contradicts those declarations of the New Testament which assert ‘there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek;’ that ‘the promise that he shall be heir of the world was not to Abraham and his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith;’ and that ‘there is neither Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free, male nor female,’ but that, ‘if we are Christ’s, then are we Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ For this Judaizing doctrine claims there is a difference between the Jew and the Greek; that the children of the flesh are accounted for the seed; that there still is the distinction of Jew and Gentile; that we do henceforth know men after the flesh, etc. We feel bound, therefore, as we value the fundamental principles of the gospel, to enter our most solemn protest against all such teachings; and in our public services we will endeavor to meet, in the spirit of love and meekness, this error, and expose its gross absurdity; while, at the same time, we will proclaim to all, both Jew and Gentile, the message found in the commission given by the Great Head of the Church - ’He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.’ And ‘WHOSOEVER calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ MWM 307.2

“Whereas, in every great religious movement, there have been, among the wise and sober-minded advocates of the truth, others who have risen up, striving about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers; making great pretensions to special illumination; indulging in many evil practices; creeping into houses, and leading captive silly women; laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith, who will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; turning their ears away from the truth, and turning unto fables; and who walk disorderly, working not at all, but are busy-bodies, for the cause of whom the way of truth is evil spoken of; and, whereas, in connection with the doctrine of Christ’s near appearing, as in all previous religious movements, some of this class have risen up, calling themselves Adventists, teaching for doctrines that with which we can have no sympathy or fellowship, with many unseemly practices, whereby the word of God has been dishonored, and the doctrine of Christ’s appearing brought into contempt; therefore - MWM 308.1

“Resolved, That we can have no sympathy or fellowship with those things which have only a show of wisdom in will-worship and neglecting of the body, after the commandments and doctrines of men. That we have no fellowship with any of the new tests as conditions of salvation, in addition to repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and a looking for and loving his appearing. That we have no fellowship for Jewish fables and commandments of men, that turn from the truth, or for any of the distinctive characteristics of modern Judaism. And that the act of promiscuous feet-washing and the salutation kiss, as practised by some professing Adventists as religious ceremonies, sitting on the floor as an act of voluntary humility, shaving the head to humble one’s self, and acting like children in understanding, are not only unscriptural, but subversive, if persevered in, of purity and morality. MWM 309.1

“And whereas our congregations have suffered greatly from persons who have called themselves to the ministry and taught errors, and by smooth words and fair speeches have deceived the hearts of the simple and led them astray; therefore - MWM 309.2

“Resolved, That we recommend to our brethren to encourage those men only who give evidence that they are called of God to the work; who are of good behavior; who abstain from all appearance of evil; who are vigilant, sober, apt to teach, not greedy of filthy lucre, no brawlers, not covetous; men who will teach the unadulterated word of God, and, by manifestation of the truth, commend themselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. MWM 309.3

“(Signed in behalf of the Committee,) “WILLIAM MILLER, Chairman.” MWM 309.4

The above, after a full discussion and careful examination, was unanimously adopted; as was also, from the pen of Mr. Miller, the following MWM 309.5