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William Miller’s Dream
[Referred to on Page 48]
I dreamed that God, by an unseen hand, sent me a curiously
wrought casket about ten inches long by six square, made of ebony
and pearls curiously inlaid. To the casket there was a key attached.
I immediately took the key and opened the casket, when, to my
wonder and surprise, I found it filled with all sorts and sizes of
jewels, diamonds, precious stones, and gold and silver coin of every
dimension and value, beautifully arranged in their several places in
the casket; and thus arranged they reflected a light and glory equaled
only to the sun.
I thought it was not my duty to enjoy this wonderful sight alone,
although my heart was overjoyed at the brilliancy, beauty, and value
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of its contents. I therefore placed it on a center table in my room
and gave out word that all who had a desire might come and see the
most glorious and brilliant sight ever seen by man in this life.
The people began to come in, at first few in number, but in-
creasing to a crowd. When they first looked into the casket, they
would wonder and shout for joy. But when the spectators increased,
everyone would begin to trouble the jewels, taking them out of the
casket and scattering them on the table.
I began to think that the owner would require the casket and the
jewels again at my hand; and if I suffered them to be scattered, I
could never place them in their places in the casket again as before;
and felt I should never be able to meet the accountability, for it would
be immense. I then began to plead with the people not to handle
them, nor to take them out of the casket; but the more I pleaded, the
more they scattered; and now they seemed to scatter them all over
the room, on the floor and on every piece of furniture in the room.
I then saw that among the genuine jewels and coin they had
scattered an innumerable quantity of spurious jewels and counterfeit
coin. I was highly incensed at their base conduct and ingratitude,
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