Memoirs of William Miller

Of Condolence To Surviving Friends

For several months he had been confined mostly to his room. During a part of the time he had been confined to his bed, lounge, or easychair; and he suffered excruciating pain, which he endured with Christian patience. During his greatest sufferings he solaced himself by quotations of numerous passages of Scripture, and favorite hymns of Watts and others, expressive of the hope and joy of the redeemed.

He had watched all the occurrences in Europe with great interest; but, giving up the idea of seeing the Saviour before his death, he had arranged all his business, and waited for the summons when he might "depart and be with Christ."

On the 13th of December he had one of the most severe attacks of pain which he was called to endure. It was then thought he would not survive till the next morning, and Elder Himes was immediately telegraphed for, at the request of Mr. M. Mr. Himes wrote:

"On my arrival, early in the morning of the 17th, he had obtained some relief, and was quite comfortable. On entering his room, he immediately recognized my voice, and, on approaching his bed-side, he was able to distinguish my features, though his eyes were dim. He grasped my hand, and held it for some time, exclaiming, with much earnestness, and in a tone of affection:

"'Is this Elder Himes? -- Is it Elder Himes? -- O, is it Elder Himes? I am glad to see you!'

"'Then you do know me, Father Miller, do you?'

"'O yes; I understand, -- I know what is passing.'

"He was then silent for a few moments, apparently in a deep study. Presently he introduced the subject of my connection with the Advent cause, and spoke of my responsibility; expressed much anxiety about the cause, and alluded to his own departure. I assured him that he had faithfully discharged his duty, was clear from the blood of all men, and could now leave this matter in the hands of God; and, so far as I was concerned, I hoped for grace to enable me to be faithful in the ministry I had received. He seemed to assent, and fell into a doze, -- being weak, and unable to converse longer than a few moments at a time. Presently he said:

"'Elder Himes has come; -- I love Elder Himes.'

"He then spoke on the subject of the 'Spirit of adoption,' which we have now, and of the final adoption, for which we look at the second coming of the blessed Saviour. Last evening he said to Bro. Bosworth: "'Tell them (the brethren) we are right. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh; but they must be patient, and wait for him.'

"His mind is still clear and strong on the subject of the conscious intermediate state. He believes that when he shall be absent from the body he will be present with the Lord. He expects that his flesh will slumber in the ground till Jesus comes and bids it rise, when he will be perfected. He never looked for the crown at death, but at the time when Jesus should come in his glory. The intermediate state is not that for which he longs most (though, with the apostle, he thinks that it is 'better' than this state of toil and sorrow), but the final, the glorified state, when the body shall be redeemed, and made like unto the glorious body of Christ, is the subject of this hope.

"For some weeks past his mind dwelt much on the subjects of the judgment, the 'adoption,' and the new heavens and earth. The following hymns very much interested him. He repeated them over and over, and requested his children to sing them. He seemed to be greatly comforted in hearing the hymn by Dr. Watts --

"'There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain,' etc.

"He was also very fond of hearing --

"'In the midst of temptation, and sorrow, and strife,
And evils unnumbered, of this bitter life,
I look to a blessed earth, free from all care,
The kingdom of Jesus, and long to be there.
Long to be there, long to be there,
The kingdom of Jesus, and long to be there,' etc.

"Such views of the future glory tended to mitigate the pains of his body, which, at times, were violent.

"'Happy the spirit released from its clay,'

was one of the hymns in which he was deeply interested during the last four weeks of his life. It was sung by his children, and those who visited him, repeatedly, at his request. It enraptured his soul during his last hours, when he seemed to be absent, conversing with God and heaven. He often repeated -

"'Victory! victory! shouting in death!'

"The closing scene finally came. On the 20th of December, in the morning, it was manifest to all that he must soon depart. During the morning he made no particular conversation, but would break forth in expressions like the following:

"'Mighty to save!' 'O, I long to be there!' 'Victory! victory!' 'Shouting in death!' etc.

"He finally sunk down into an easy sleeping or dozing state. Occasionally he roused up, and opened his eyes, but was not able to speak, though perfectly rational, and knew us all. He continued to breathe shorter and shorter, till five minutes past three o'clock, P. M., when he calmly and sweetly gave his last breath. The silver cord was loosed, the golden bowl was broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern; the dust was left to return to the dust as it was, and the spirit returned to God who gave it. Peacefully and happily he died, with his wife, children and friends about his bed! I closed his eyes, while all other eyes were filled with tears. It was a solemn scene. While the wife and children and friends were weeping the loss of a beloved relative, I was there to weep the loss of a father in Israel.

"The funeral service was attended on Sunday, December 23rd. The Advent chapel in Low Hampton being too small to accommodate the family, friends and citizens, who were desirous of attending, Mr. Shaw, pastor of the Congregational church in Fairhaven, kindly offered the use of his large and commodious house. It had been Mr. Miller's request that the funeral service should be held in the Advent chapel; but, this being found impossible, the family decided to have a short service at their residence, to bury the body, and then to proceed to the Congregational house, for the performance of the more public service.

"The relatives of the deceased, and a large number of his neighbors and others, assembled at the house at 10 A. M. I read the following portions of Scripture, namely, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 3:20, 21; Colossians 3:1-3. The choir from the Fairhaven church then sung the hymn commencing with --

"'Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb.'

After a prayer, those present took leave of the corpse, and the procession -- formed under the direction of Dr. Smith, of Castleton -- proceeded to the old family burying-ground, about half a mile distant. The body being lowered into the tomb, the following hymn was sung by the choir:

"'Happy the spirit released from its clay,' etc.

"With a last, lingering look, we turned from the tomb, and proceeded with the numerous friends to the meeting-house, to attend the more public service. About one hundred sleighs followed in the procession.

"On arriving at the house, I found it densely filled with people, with the exception of seats reserved for the family, and those who had formed the procession. The service was commenced by singing the hymn in the Harp, beginning with --

"'How blest the righteous when he dies.'

Mr. Shaw, pastor of the church, read the 90th psalm, and addressed the throne of grace; after which the hymn --

"'Why do we mourn departed friends?'

Was sung. I gave a discourse from Acts 26:6-8: 'And now I stand, and am judged respecting the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; to which promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God day and night, hope to attain; respecting which hope, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. What! is it judged an incredible thing with you, that God should raise the dead?' With a narration of the prominent events in the history of the deceased, and a brief synopsis of his views, the speaker presented the hope of the promise of God to the fathers, to be consummated at the coming of the Lord. The services lasted three hours, and were concluded with the hymn --

"'They sleep in Jesus, and are blessed.'

The audience were attentive and interested to the close.

"J. V. Himes."

Mr. Miller left a wife, six sons, and two daughters.

At the Annual Conference, held in New York, in May following, by a unanimous vote, the following letter of condolence, prepared by a committee appointed for that purpose, was addressed to the relatives of the deceased:

"In Conference, New York, May 8th, 1850.

"To Mrs. Lucy Miller, her children, and other relatives.

"Afflicted Friends:-- Since our last meeting, you have been called to mourn the death of a beloved husband, a tender parent, and an affectionate friend. In your bereavement we truly sympathize. In your loss we also have lost a friend and brother. But we mourn our loss in view of higher considerations. We regard him as a man called of God to a most important work; and as a man greatly blessed in the successful performance of that work. The unsullied integrity of his life was crowned by a peaceful and hopeful death. The deep sense of gratitude we feel to God for the benefits conferred on us, through his instrumentality, we trust will find a response in many Christian hearts. Through the divine blessing on his teaching, our attention has been directed to a more faithful study of the Scriptures, to clearer, more harmonious and correct views of divine truth. We have thus been led to rejoice in hope of the glory to be revealed at the appearing of Christ. We fondly hoped that he might have been spared till our expectations were realized. He has passed away. May we remember that our obligations are increased by the truth which he taught. May we be prepared for a reunion with him and all the redeemed in that day. Our sincere and united prayer is, that the grace which sustained him under his severe trials, and in the closing scene, may support you in your bereavement, and in all the afflictions of the present state, and secure to you the enjoyment of the glorious future. Tendering to your acceptance this expression of our sympathy and condolence, we remain your affectionate brethren in the faith once delivered to the saints.

"(Signed,) N. N. Whiting, President.

Secretaries:

• "O. R. Fassett,
• "S. Bliss.

The death of Mr. Miller was very generally noticed by the religious and secular press, many of whom spoke in just terms of his honesty and ability. Other papers connected with his memory extravagances with which he had no sympathy and never participated in. But he has gone into His presence who will right all wrongs, reverse all unjust conclusions, and mete out to each one his just measure, according to the deeds done in the body. He died in the confident expectation of departing to be with Christ, and of shortly participating in the glories of the first resurrection.

A friend, Mrs. L. H. Smith, communicated the following lines

"On The Death Of Mr. Miller

"Has our noble old soldier resigned his last breath?
On the battle-field's front has he yielded to death?
Is that glorious armor now low in the dust?
Are its splendor and brightness now marr'd by earth's rust?
Must we bear him away, 'midst the darkness and gloom
That shroud and pavilion the gates of the tomb?
But stand for a moment, ye who bear up the bier,
Let us give one last tribute -- the fast rising tear;
Let us look on that brow, with its broad, high expanse;
Let us gaze on the veiled eye, once bright in its glance;
And that marble lip's curl. -- O! how lifeless and still!
How the touch of that hand brings a soul-thrilling chill!
Yet, a halo of glory seems shrouding that form,
That has past the dread tempest of life's closing storm:
It was left by the spirit that upwards has fled,
Surrounding with radiance the form that is dead;
Like a beautiful star that's departed from heaven,
But has left gleams of light in the spot where 't was given;
Or a sparkling diamond in a casket fair,
Though removed, yet its brilliance seems lingering there.
But, bear onward, bear onward the course to its sod;
Tread softly, for you're bearing the servant of God.
But where are the laurels, the bright wreaths of fame,
And the heralds announcing his deeds and his name?
Where the gorgeous procession, the splendid array,
With earth's glorious trappings, its pomp, its display?
Him you bear has been noble in deed and in word;
Mankind he has served, with his life, with his sword.
But that sword was the Spirit's -- his armor was given
From the arsenal kept in the high courts of heaven.
But -- bear onward, bear onward the corse to its sod;
Tread softly, for you're bearing the servant of God.

"Farewell to thee, pilgrim; to earth thou didst come,
Like the star of the morning, precursing the sun.
In our moral horizon, when darkness was deep,
When the world seemed all wrapped in a lethargic sleep,
When the mantle of death hung round like a pall,
And his sceptre of strength seemed to wave o'er it all;
Then the light of thy spirit gleamed forth like a star
On the beautiful hope of the land that's afar;
Then the gems of God's word were brought forth from the mine,
And the key of that casket of glories was thine;
And then on thy spirit the rich light was poured,
Of the beauty of earth, with its Eden restored,
Never more to know aught of a withering bloom,
Never more on its bosom to bear up a tomb;
But, to crown all these glories, that time must soon bring
The hope of God's people -- our conquering King.

"Farewell to thee, pilgrim; no green wreaths we twine,
In token of honor for deeds like to thine.
From the hand of the Master that bright gift must be,
That can bring aught of glory or honor to thee.
Rest there, beloved sleeper, 'neath the snow-curtained bed;
Soon the mandate shall echo -- 'Come forth, all ye dead!' --
Through the caverns of earth where God's people may be,
And to depths of the coral groves, under the sea.
Ye who bear him now rest. -- Lower the corse 'neath the sod;
Farewell to thee, thou faithful, true servant of God."

The remains of William Miller repose in the Low Hampton Cemetery, a short distance east of his late residence. The family have marked the spot by a neat monument, the pattern of and inscriptions on which are given on the page following.