The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

VI. Rogers Reprints Leading British Advent Awakening Expositions

Note must here be taken of a most extensive and systematic American reprinting of the cream of the writing on prophecy that had originally appeared in the British Advent Awakening between 1813 and 1838. Publisher ORRIN ROGERS, ⁷⁷ of Philadelphia, issued five volumes in most unusual semimonthly periodical form, called The Literalist. ⁷⁸ This was between 1840 and 1842, after the British Advent Awakening had passed the crest of its activity. The very name employed disclosed its avowed purpose to advocate the literal interpretation of prophecy, in order to counter the spiritual resurrection, spiritual advent, and spiritual millennium views in popular vogue in this country and in Europe. PFF4 325.3

The set was composed exclusively of complete reprints of treatises ranging all the way from 15 to 312 pages, by such well-known British figures as Lewis Way, William Cuningharne, William Anderson, Matthew Habershon, Joshua W. Brooks, PFF4 325.4

Hugh M’Neilc, Gerard T. Noel, Edward Bickersteth, John Cox, William Thorp, Joseph D. Sirr, and others, advocating the premillennial second advent, the kingdom of Christ, the prophecies, the first resurrection, the millennium, Israel, the destiny of the earth, expectations of the church, our Lord’s prophecy, chronological prophecy, and the coming Bridegroom. Thus the best of British prophetic exposition commingled effectively with the rising tide of American exposition and was widely circulated and liberally cited or quoted by American writers on prophecy. ⁷⁹ PFF4 325.5

The teachings of these noted British premillennialist expositors are treated in Volume III of Prophetic Faith and will not be repeated here. But their fundamental premillennialism was so much akin to the leading Millerite positions that they were at first favorably publicized in the early issues of Signs of the Times in 1840, before the distinctive Millerite literature had been developed. They were not, however, affiliated therewith. PFF4 326.1

The sum total, therefore, of the indigenous American writings on prophecy that we have already surveyed, and now of these added British reprints in addition to the later really astonishing volume of Millerite books, tracts, and periodicals soon to be discussed represents an unprecedented circulation of expositions on prophecy. Otherwise well-informed people of today are not usually aware of their extent, or even their existence; for these writings, intensively discussed at the time, are largely ignored in the histories and biographies of the period. PFF4 326.2

A part of our task is to recapture faithfully and fairly the story of one of the most powerful motivating influences upon the people of America in those crucial decades. That will be developed in Part II. PFF4 326.3