Southern Christian Advocate

For the Southern Christian Advocate.

MILLERISM—NO. II.

Mr. Miller's third proof that the world will end in 1843, is as follows.—

"It is also proved by the seven years war of Zion with her enemies, given to us in Ezekiel xxxix. 9, 10. 'And they that dwelt in the cities of Israel, shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand staves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire; and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.' The children of God will be contending with their enemies, spoiling those that spoiled them, and robbing those that have robbed them, seven years, prophetic, which is 2520 common years. Beginning as before, when Babylon began to spoil and rob them, and when they, by the fire of truth, began to burn up the weapons of their enemies, in this moral warfare: this will end in 1843."

In vain did the wise man say, there is nothing new under the sun." Here is an interpretation of Scripture, that is perfectly new, one which had escaped the observation of the Fathers, Reformers, and all others, who have made the word of God their study. It has been left to Mr. Miller to make the discovery. But let us examine it a little further, before we give up the commonly received opinions on this passage.

1st. We cannot see any allusion to the destruction of the world here; not a word is said about it. There is indeed, something said about burning spears and shields, but until Mr. Miller shall prove that spear or shield means earth, we must deny that this prophecy has reference to the destruction of the earth. This, perhaps, could be as easily done, as to prove that the 'sanctuary' in Dan. viii. 13, means—the earth, and upon the proof of this, rests the whole fabric of Millerism!

2d. We can see no reason for making the war a 'moral warfare,' or for interpreting it otherwise than as a literal war to be carried on with Magog, i. e. the Syrians: and that the weapons taken from the enemy, served as fuel for a number of years. We argue thus from three considerations: first, this view is corroborated by facts in History. Dr. Clarke quotes from the Spanish historian Mariana; who says, that after the defeat of the Saracens, A. D. 1212, the weapons left on the field, served as fuel for four years. It must be recollected, that fuel in Palestine is hardly ever needed, except for culinary purposes. In the second place, we must recollect, that the weapons of war in those times, were very different from those in use now; large wooden shields were used, extending from head to foot, and spears often ten feet long. But the third proof, and one conclusive, is, that the language of the prophecy does not admit any other interpretation. In the 10th verse, it says, 'no wood or tree should be taken or cut down,' in consequence of the burning of the weapons of the enemy:—how can this be explained, otherwise, than by considering it a literal prophecy?

3d. We yet want proof that the seven years means more than seven common years; if they do, to be consistent, Mr. M. must interpret the 12th verse in like manner. "And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land;" that is, 210 years. Well, this burying takes place after the war, and before the cleansing of the land; so, if the war terminates A. D. 1843, the church must spend the next 210 years in burying their enemies, and then will the end be. We submit, if this is not the more consistent interpretation?

4th. But why commence this war at the captivity of Manasseh? This war is a victorious war, and was there any thing like success in the history of the Jews, for years after that time? The same objections exist to Mr. M.'s method of calculation and chronology as before. The captivity of Manasseh even if it took place B. C. 677, is a comparatively unimportant event in the history of the Jews, and would never present itself to any one as the point to commence such a war, even though it be 'a moral war,' as is described by Ezekiel, unless he might have a theory to maintain.

5th. We have still another difficulty; prophets foretell, and do not relate past occurrences. Ezekiel prophesied about B. C. 587. Mr. Miller makes the fulfilment begin at B. C. 677—nearly 100 years before the prophecy was uttered. This is strange chronology.

Mr. Miller's fourth argument is the sign of the Sabbath, Exod. xxxi. 13, 17; Heb. iv. 4, 9, 11.

"As God was six days erecting the old heavens and earth, and rested on the seventh, so it is a sign that Christ will also labor six days in creating the new heavens and earth, and rest on the seventh. How long is a day with the Lord? Peter tells us in his 2d Epistle iii. 8. "But beloved be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." If, then, a thousand years is a day with the Lord, how long has Christ been to work creating the new? I answer if we will allow the Bible to make us a chronology, we shall find this year 1843, the 6000 years from Adam's fall will be finished. Then the anti-typical Sabbath of a 1000 years will commence. Rev. xx. 6."

From what passage of Scripture does Mr. Miller derive his authority to make the creation of the world, a type of its existence? There is not one. What are types? Are we at liberty to invest every personage or historical occurrence in sacred writ, with a secret meaning, in addition to its obvious and literal meaning? We contend that nothing in the Old Testament is typical, unless there is express authority in the Bible for so considering it. By departing from this, the only and safe rule, the Rabbis of old, encumbered God's Word with the traditions of men; and from Origen down to Swedenborg; yea, even down to Miller, such "unspeakably dangerous errors," as Ernesti calls them, have opened the door to all the vagaries that an over-excited brain may consider as concealed in the plain language of Scripture. A moment's reflection will show any one that types are not the uncertain things too often supposed,—that it is not the province of man to maintain that the words of Scripture mean whatever they can mean."

This application of the days of creation to the existence of the world typically, originated with the Jewish Rabbis. Prideaux Vol. 2. 417 p. Balt. Ed. 1833." "This year in which Christ was born, is, according to the exactest computation, (that of Archbishop Usher.) the four thousandth from the creation; which falls in exactly with the time, where an old tradition of the Jews placeth the beginning of the days of the Messiah; for it saith that the world was to last six thousand years; of which two thousand years were before the law two thousand under the law, and the last two thousand were to be under the Messiah. This tradition is said to be of great antiquity, and is still retained with great veneration among that people, as one of the most authentical of this sort. But its pretending to foretell when the world shall end, which the Scriptures tell us God hath reserved as a secret to himself, sufficiently proves the vanity of it." But this prophecy will avail nought, unless it can be made out that this year is the 6000th from the creation. Mr. Miller has made every effort to do this, but how signally he has failed, has been shown by Dr. Weeks, of Newark, who points out not less than thirty errors in his chronology. We will not notice them here, only to state, that although the Bible asserts that from the Exodus to the building of the temple was 480 years, (1st Kings vi. 1,) Mr. Miller makes it 627 years. We have no idea, that a perfect chronology of the world can be made out: had the Holy Spirit deemed it important to man that this should have been, it could easily have been communicated. It is well known that the Hebrew and Septuagint texts differ nearly two thousand years in the age of the world, each system has its strenuous and able supporters. But now Mr. Miller after "three days' study" has solved the problem, that has employed the labors of Calmet, Usher and Hales for years. I am aware that these are days of rapid movement, and wonderful ingenuity, but this feat of Mr. Miller far surpasses belief.