This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ The Millerite adventists and other Millenarian groups in Great Britain 1830-1860. Dunton, Hugh Ivor Brian The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 10. Oct. 2021 1 THE MILLERITE ADVENTISTS AND OTHER MILLENARIAN GROUPS IN GREAT BRITAIN 1830 - 1860 Hugh Ivor Brian Dunton, M.A. King's College Thesis submitted to the University of London for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 1984 2 ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS The dissertation examines the followers of William Miller, the Millerites, and some analogous groups in Britain. A study of some religious thought patterns provides a framework in which to place the Millerites and their cognates. The second chapter studies the system of interpretation of prophecy that underlay millenarian thought in the period, including William Miller's. An outline of the Millerite movement in the United States, already fully covered in other works, provides a setting for the work in Britain. The fourth chapter is a narrative of events from 1840 to 1848. Taken largely from Millerite sources, it shows a movement that may have attracted several thousand members, but lacked leadership and cohesion. Successive disconfirmations of second advent predictions discouraged the members. The methods employed by the Millerites showed some variations from those of contemporary itinerant preachers. A considerable amount of literature was produced. Millerites both in Britain and America were noted, generally unsympathetically, in the British religious and secular press. Relationships with clergy of other persuasions were surprisingly extensive, in this respect differentiating the Millerites from most restorationist groups. Some speakers and writers treated them as serious opponents rather than ridiculing them. The social composition and religious background of the Millerites appears typical of most of the restorationist groups examined. Millerite teachings are studied to discover the content, and if the teaching developed over the years. British Millerism, as American, had many theological strands. The Mormons, Churches of Christ, Christadelphians and the Catholic Apostolic Church provide comparisons with the Millerites, particularly on the 3 question of why they survived and the Millerites faded away. The final chapter suggests that vagueness of doctrine, weakening of the American base and the impact of new teaching at a time of discouragement disintegrated the movement, although small groups lingered for at least two decades. This is the first detailed study of Millerism in Britain and has drawn on sources hitherto unused in this connection. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 ABBREVIATIONS 9 INTRODUCTION and DEFINITIONS 13 CHAPTER I SOME CURRENTS OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT 1. The Nineteenth Century Background 22 2. The 'Ruin of the Church', or 'Christianity without Sect' 30 3. True Israelites 36 4. Millenarianism 44 CHAPTER II KEYS TO DANIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE 1. Historicist Principles of Interpretation 61 2. The Year—Day Principle 67 3. The Four Empires 71 4. Twelve Hundred and Sixty Days 72 5. Two Thousand Three Hundred Evenings and Mornings 74 6. The Seventy Weeks 77 7. The Times of the Gentiles 78 8. The Seventh Chiliad 81 9. The Great Jubilee 82 10. The Year, Month, Day and Hour 83 11. 'About 1843' 84 5 CHAPTER III THE SECOND ADVENT MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 1830-1855 1. William Miller and his Background 87 2. The First Conference 90 3. Come out of Babylon 92 4. The Midnight Cry 93 5. After the Disappointment 93 6. The Albany Conference and Beyond 95 CHAPTER IV THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MILLERITE MISSION TO GREAT BRITAIN 1. Motivation 102 2. Good News in Print 105 3. The Mission to England 1842-1844 107 4. 1844 119 5. 1844 and Disconfirmation 125 6. 1845 127 7. 1846 and the English Mission 129 8. 1847 137 9. 1848 140 10. Local Studies 141 11. The Geography of Millerism 165 12. Numbers 167 13. List of Places 169 CHAPTER V METHODS 1. Preaching and Travelling 171 2. Magazines and Tracts 175 3. Book Distribution 185 4. Magazine Contents 188 6 CHAPTER VI RELATIONS WITH PEOPLE, PRESS, CHURCH AND CLERGY 1. British Views of American Millerism 192 2. Relationships with Other Churches and Organizations 197 3. Separation, Church—outed, or Co—operation 211 4. Popular Attitudes 217 5. Reasoned Opposition 221 CHAPTER VII SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDS OF THE MILLERITES 1. Social 233 2. Religious 239 3. Training and Financing 240 CHAPTER VIII THE TEACHINGS OF THE BRITISH MILLERITES 1. The Bases of Understanding 247 2. Statements of Belief 249 3. Sermon Series 256 4. Conversion and the Gospel 261 5. Baptism 264 6. Holy Communion 268 7. Man after Death 270 8. The 'Shut Door' 276 9. The Sanctuary 277 10. The Last Things 279 11. There shall be Signs... 281 12. Time Setting 287 13. Current Affairs and Prophecy 295 7 CHAPTER IX PEOPLES CALLED OUT 1. The Brethren 297 2. The Catholic Apostolic Church 300 3. The Christadeiphians 303 4. The Campbellites, or, The Churches of Christ 311 5. The Latter-Day Saints in Britain 317 CHAPTER X THE DECLINE OF MILLERISM 1. The Age to Come 331 2. The Remnant 334 3. A British Adventist Group in America 345 4. Reasons for Decline 347 CONCLUSION 355 BIBLIOGRAPHY 356 PLATE 246 8 Acknowledgements Theses do not by statute or regulation require a prefatory note. However, it would seem churlish to pass by those who have helped to make this work possible. Professor Stuart C. Hall has, by his confidence, guidance and informed criticism,ensured that a 'spare time' project has been completed. County and municipal librarians and secretaries of historical or church organizations have proved unfailingly courteous and efficient. The high standards of Dr Williams's Library, the Bodleian, and the British Library are well enough known not to require the writer's praise. Andrews University, Michigan, Aurora College Illinois, Berkshire Christian College, Lenox, Mass., and Newbold College, Bracknell, have been most helpful in making available their collections of nineteenth century books and papers. A special debt is due to those who turned manuscript into typescript, wearying revisions not withstanding, and to the technical skills, patience and great generosity of Mr Arthur Dyason and Miss Cheryl Dyason and of the directors of D.P.S. for word-processing and printing. 9 ABBREVIATIONS Full bibliographical details of each work are given in the first reference in the notes and in the Bibliography. In this list of abbreviations only sufficient information is given for ready recogni- tion. Dissertations are indicated by (D). Adventist, Importance An Adventist, The Importance of the Doctrine of the First Resurrection Advent Review Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald AH Advent Herald AHBA Advent Harbinger and Bible Advocate AHMA Advent Harbinger and Midnight Alarm Ambassador Ambassador of the Coming Arthur, 'Come Out' D.T.Arthur, 'Come Out of Babylon: A Study of Separation and Denominationalism, 1840- 1865'(D) Arthur, 'Himes' D.T.Arthur, 'Josiah V.Himes and the Cause of Adventism, 1839-1845' (D) AV Authorised Version Bible Advocate Bible Advocate and Precursor of Unity Bible Advocate (H) Bible Advocate (Hartford, CT) Billington, 'Churches L.Billington, 'The Churches of Christ in of Christ' Britain: A Study in Nineteenth-Century Billington, 'Millerite L.Billington, 'The Millerite Adventists in Adventists' Great Britain, 1840-1850' Billington, 'Revivalism' L.Billington, 'Popular Religion and Social Reform: A Study of Revivalism and Teetotalism, 1830-50' Bliss, Memoirs S.Bliss, Memoirs of William Miller Bristol Times Bristol Times and Bath Advocate Brit.Mill.Harb. British Millennial Harbinger 10 Carwardine R.J.Carwardine, Transatlantic Revivalism: Popular Evangelicalism in Britain and America, 1790-1865 CEQR Church of England Quarterly Review CFF L.E.Froom, The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers CM Christian Messenger and Reformer CMFM Christian Messenger and Family Magazine Coad, Brethren F.R.Coad, A History of the Brethren Movement Cross W.R.Cross, The Burned-Over District Damsteegt P.G.Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission DNB Dictionary of National Biography Davidson, Logic J.W.Davidson, The Logic of Millennial Thought: Eighteenth Century New England EAH European Advent Herald Expositor and Advocate Prophetic Expositor and Bible Advocate FFBJ Felix Farley's Bristol Journal Ford D.Ford, Daniel Gaustad E.S. Gaustad, editor, The Rise of Adventism Gilbert, 'Growth and A.D.Gilbert, 'The Growth and Decline of Non- Decline' conformity in England and Wales' (D) Gilbert, Religion A.D.Gilbert, Religion and Society in and Society Industrial England; Church, Chapel and Social Change, 1740-1914 Hale, SAM A.Hale, Second Advent Manual Herald of the Kingdom Herald of the Kingdom and to Come 1DB Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible Inglis, Churches..