| 168 Notice.
Elder Murray Seaman, is instructed by the quorum of the twelve, to come to Nauvoo immediately.
Times and Seasons.
City of Nauvoo,
Wednesday, April 15, 1843.
Millerism.
We do not make the following remarks with any intention of persecuting Mr. Miller, but for the sake of exposing error. We consider that Mr. Miller's folly will soon be made manifest unto all men, and the merited odium and reproach of propagating a false system will shortly be poured with sufficient virulence upon his head, without us in interfering with him; but as he professed to be a wise man, and many are excited by his foolish dogmas, there can be no harm in honestly and impartially investigating the principles that he advocates.
The following lecture which he delivers as his, is an old trite notion that has been entertained by many of our ancient divines years ago, soon after, and during the French revolution, and we have often been surprised that men otherwise intelligent, should entertain notions so wild and visionary.
We extract the following from the "Midnight Cry," published in New York, November, 1842.
Mr. Miller's Lecture, on Friday Afternoon.
"Mr. Miller's last lecture in this city was on Friday P. M. His text was Rev. xi. 3, 'And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth."
He took up his subject under FOUR heads:
I. The OBJECT and CHARACTER of a witness.
The OBJECT. It is to tell the truth on the subject on which he testifies. 'The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' A witness must testify only to what he knows.
HIS CHARACTER for truth and veracity must be good-unimpeachable. It may be a living oral witness personally present-or it may be a written document, which under some circumstances, as the last will and testament of a person, &c ., is of equal or greater weight than a living oral witness.
II. Whose witnesses are they, spoken of in the text? 'My two witnesses.' Christ is the speaker, and claims the witnesses for his.
III. What are the witnesses? Some say the church. But the church is a multitude in her individual capacity-one, in her united character. She does not know the whole truth on each point relative to Christ. Nor do a succession of christian ministers, Beside, Christ declares, John v:34, ' I receive not testimony from man.'
The Old and New Testament are two. They are claimed by Christ, as his witnesses, Matt. xxiv:14. 'This gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.' The Old [New] Testament, John, v:37-39. 'The Father himself hath borne witness of me-ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape'-they are they that testify of me.' These two witnesses do testify the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth respecting Christ. They testify all that can be known of him until he comes again."
Without making any remarks on the nature and character of a witness, or dissenting with Mr. Miller, as to whose witnesses those are, that are thus spoken of; we will proceed to his third head, where he makes the inquiry, "what are these witnesses? some say the church" &c. Now although these two witnesses will be Christ's witnesses, and will speak the truth when thy do appear, we are very far from believing that they are what Mr. Miller represents them to be, for reasons which will hereafter be mentioned;. but that there will be two men who will prophesy in Jerusalem three years and a half; and that the things spoken of in relation to their prophesying, power, death, life, translation, &c., will be literally fulfilled without such great research and profound mystery; and that when it takes place, it will be understood by all connected with it. The Reverend Mr. Irving, of London; who stood at the head of a society that now bears his name-who created such excitement in Britain a few years ago, entertained the same notion that Mr. Miller does for several years, concerning the Old and New Testament being the two witnesses, for some time however before his death, he abandoned those opinions, and believed and propogated [propagated] extensively throughout christendom, the opinions which Mr. Miller partially refers to, in regard to the church; but the difficulty which Mr. Miller combats was obviated by Mr. Irving, for he believed that the spirit and the church, were the two witnesses. That the society which he founded was the true church; that London was the especial place for these witnesses to prophecy in; but that clothed in power, they were to go forth to all nations for three years and a half, to prophesy, to make a speedy work; that at the end of this time the earthquake was to happen; Jesus was to come; the witnesses be caught up, and many other events take place. They had about sixty preachers going through the streets in London, proclaiming these and other things of a similar nature, but Christ did not come at the expiration of that period, and although it is many years since that event was spoken of , some of them have not yet finished their testimony, and
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