PART SECOND.

ADDRESS AND LECTURES.

AN ADDRESS

TO THE BELIEVERS IN THE SECOND ADVENT NEAR, SCATTERED ABROAD.

MY DEAR BRETHREN AND FRIENDS:

GRACE, mercy and peace be multiplied unto you, from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

In time past, I have travelled quite extensively in the U. States and in Canada, publishing the glorious news of the near approach of the Second Coming of the dear Savior, to tens of thousands, both of saints and sinners. With many of these, I have formed the happiest acquaintance. It would afford me the greatest pleasure to meet those friends again, and renew an acquaintance so happy and endearing. But for this I cannot hope in this world. You will therefore permit me to address you, through the only medium now left me, on the glorious subject which has occupied your and my attention for several years past. It may be the last time I shall be favored with of addressing my friends scattered abroad, to whom I am bound by so many tender ties. As a friend of - mine has conceived the idea of publishing another volume of my productions, which may fall into the hands of very many of my old friends who will see my face no more in this world, I avail myself of the privilege of appending to the same this address, containing my solemn, and, perhaps, last advice to you all, and thereby clearing the skirts of my garments of the blood of all.

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It is about nine years since I first began to publish the doctrine of the Advent near; though I had been fully convinced of its truth long_before, by a close and patient study of the Bible. But such were the difficulties attending its promulgation, that I was restrained from the duty for a long time. And when you consider the circumstances in which I was pla ed, you will not wonder that I shrunk, for a time, from the responsibility. I was alone; no man stood with me" for a number of years. I had to contend against the prepossessions and prejudices of the entire christian community; the systems, talents, as also the superior education of the clergy; the religious press, and the political also, throughout the country; the institutions of learning, both literary and theological; the unbelief of the church; and, in short, the whole world were against me. Had you have seen the old farmer then, without education, with but limited means, almost unknown, unaccustomed to public speaking; without sympathy, authority, or recommendation from men; going into the world with the Bible alone in his hand to bear a solemn message to a sleeping church and a stupid world; a message so alarming as the announcement of the speedy coming of the last judgment, and the conflagration of the world;-a doctrine so contrary to the human heart, so opposed to all the received opinions of the community;-had you have seen me under these circumstances, I am disposed to believe that you would have pronounced me very visionary and fanatical. I speak not these things boastingly; God forbid; but rather to show my weakness and incompetency, and to magnify the wisdom and power of God, who is able to take worms to thresh mountains, and the weak things of the world to confound the wise and mighty; and that you may value these things the more, as being of God, and remain steadfast, watching unto prayer.

This view of the instrumentality which God has seen fit to employ in connection with the effects produced, will show that this cause and doctrine are of

God. What other object could I have had in view, in preaching this doctrine, under the trying circumstances specified above, but to glorify God and save my fellow-men? Yet how many unworthy objects and motives have been attributed to me, by many of the professed disciples of Christ, and by a scoffing and unbelieving world! Take for examples the following from among the thousand lying reports circulated through the land :

"That it was for worldly gain!" How can this be true? Look at the circumstances. According to my calculation of "prophetic times," there were but twelve years to the " consummation of all things." If I ever got rich, it must be within this period of time. Now what were the facts? Four years of the time were spent in New York, Vermont, and Canada; and all that the old man received would not amount to one dollar! Not that the brethren were not willing to give. No; for they often urged me to take; but it was wholly refused. Since which time, I have received some contributions, in order to bear my heavy travelling expenses; but my receipts have never exceeded my expenditures. But say they, "he has made it by his books." But, my brethren, this cannot be a motive; for my books were not thought of nor written until a number of years after I had gone out and published the doctrine. And then, again, the books were not published by me; but by those to whom I gave the privilege of publishing the first and second editions without charge. Does this look like speculation? "Well, then," says the opposer, "he does it to get a name, like the man who set a city on fire that he might obtain notoriety." This needs no argument to confute it. The man who could conceive so ridiculous and silly a motive, or impute to others such motives, would be considered, if justly dealt with, either a madman or a fool; particularly where there is not a particle of evidence to support such imputations. Then he does it "to raise up a sect or party." This needs no more argument than the

former. To raise a party or sect, to exist certainly not more than twelve years, and now not more than three years, you cannot suppose it to be an object. Again, thousands, and even tens of thousands more of you can witness, that I have begged of you to make no divisions in your churches or sects; that we had more than enough already. I have advised all men of every sect not to separate from their brethren, if they could live among them and enjoy christian privileges. I have often given my advice to those who have complained of persecution among their brethren, to live down persecution by well-ordered lives and godly conversation. Surely, my brethren, you will say this doth not look like sectarianism. And then, to cap the climax of arguments, a Rev. D. D. of the Baptist order cries out, "It is all moonshine." "Amen," says the Universalist minister. This is argument well endorsed. My opponents have been in the habit, too, of spreading false reports, in order to destroy the influence of what they could not confute, and by ridicule try to destroy what in sober reason they could not condemn. They have published my death in the public papers, when some of them knew it to be false. They have published, and reported, over and over again, that I had altered my calculation of prophetic time a hundred years. They have published the foolish story, that I would not gamble away my little home, in order to convince wicked and corrupt men that I believed the doctrine that I preached. They have told and published too that I built stone-wall instead of rail-fence on my farm. Some have gone into distant places, and reported that I was building a large house with money I gọt for preaching, when the truth is I built a house in 1817, of small dimensions. They have reported that I was insane, and had been in a mad-house seven years; if they had said a mad world fifty-seven years, I must have plead guilty to the charge. They have reported, that, for preaching this doctrine in many places, I have been cast into prison. They have reported, that city authorities had ordered me to leave

their jurisdictions, and not to preach publicly within their borders. Here let me state, as an act of justice to my country, and honorable to our rulers, that in no case has any officer, in any city or town that ever I have been in, or under any government, interfered between me and my duty, or misused me in any manner; but wherever I have had any occasion for their assistance, I have ever found them prompt and energetic in their measures, and kind and gentlemanly in their manners. I wish I could say as much of some of our bigoted clergymen. These, and many more foolish and false reports, have been circulated through our country; yes, and by those who ought to be examples of the flock and shepherds in Israel. And now let us take a view of the effects produced by the promulgation of this doctrine, and see how much evidence we have that it is of God.

1. Wherever this subject has been presented to the people with any fairness, it has been invariably said, and you yourselves are witnesses, that it has produced a general reading and searching of the Bible; our enemies themselves being witnesses also. This cannot be called a bad effect.

2. Wherever this fruit has been seen, ("the searching of Bible,") it has produced a complete revolution with a large majority of such in their faith and hope. And whereas some did not believe that Christ was ever coming again to the earth, or, if he did, it was a great while yet to come, and of course there could be no such thing as watching for his return with such; now they are anxiously looking for his glorious appearing. This must have the happiest influence on the mind and life of every individual who thus believes. Again, many were of opinion, that the church in some future period would enjoy a long time of unexampled prosperity; while those who had slept would sleep on for 1000 years, and some supposed 365,000 years; and of course they would not be united with their brethren, nor be satisfied, until a vast number of years had rolled away, for the resurrection could not take place until after