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Chapter 21—Reaping the Whirlwind
William Miller and his associates had sought to awaken pro-
fessors of religion to the true hope of the church and their need of
a deeper Christian experience. They labored also to awaken the
unconverted to repentance and conversion. “They made no attempt
to convert men to a sect. They labored among all parties and sects.”
Said Miller, “I thought to benefit all. Supposing that all Christians
would rejoice in the prospect of Christ’s coming, and that those who
could not see as I did would not love any less those who should
embrace this doctrine, I did not conceive there would ever be any
necessity for separate meetings. ... The great majority of those who
were converted under my labors united with the various existing
churches.
But as religious leaders decided against the advent doctrine, they
denied their members the privilege of attending preaching upon
the second advent or even speaking of their hope in the church.
The believers loved their churches. But as they saw their right
to investigate the prophecies denied, they felt that loyalty to God
forbade them to submit. Hence they felt justified in separating. In the
summer of 1844 about fifty thousand withdrew from the churches.
In most of the churches, there had been for years a gradual but
steadily increasing conformity to worldly practices and a correspond-
ing decline in spiritual life. But in that year there were evidences of
a marked declension in nearly all the churches of the land. The fact
was widely commented on by both the press and the pulpit.
[234]
Mr. Barnes, author of a commentary and pastor of one of the
leading churches in Philadelphia, “stated that ... now there are no
awakenings, no conversions, not much apparent growth in grace in
professors, and none come to his study to converse about the salva-
tion of their souls. ... There is an increase of worldly-mindedness.
Thus it is with all the denominations.
1
Bliss, p. 328.
2
Congregational Journal, May 23, 1844.
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