Letter
Gentlemen--Although unable to agree with you as to the year 1843, and the non-restoration of the Jews, still I have looked with admiration upon the boldness with which you have been enabled to hold up before an unbelieving and scoffing world, the solemn and glorious truth--the Son of man is near, even at the doors. For better than ten months I have proclaimed in the ears of all who hear me, that "something of unspeakable moment is at hand." I read these quoted words yesterday in your paper, and as they are precisely the same ones I have repeatedly used, and as I have not the least doubt that they sprang from deep and awful impressions made upon my mind by the Spirit of God, I am deeply struck by the coincidence of their being manifested in like manner to the Rev. Mr. Brown, as signified in your paper. What, my brethren, does this mean, but that the Son of man is now working deeply upon the hearts of his chosen children, preparing them, and teaching them to prepare others, for his immediate coming. This is the interpretation I have given to what Christ in his infinite condescension has done for me; and now that I discern precisely the same manifestations made to a brother clergyman in a far distant field, of whom I never before heard, and with whom I could have had no previous communion, my convictions are only deepened, and I am filled with a more awful awe of what is soon to come upon the world. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in all my holy mountain, and let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Go on, then, my brethren, fear not what man can do, but rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. Christ is our shield, our refuge, and exceeding great reward, I speak but the truth when I affirm, were I to attempt to describe the course through which my master has taken my mind the last ten or twelve weeks, I could not use more explicit terms than those Bro. Brown has used, as expressive of his. To God let us give exceeding glory. I cannot but repeat that the coincidence is most marvelous and expressive in these days of darkness and unbelief. "Truly these are strange times." Strange because previously we have had so little faith, and now to be introduced so suddenly into that marvelous light in which Christ is closing up the scenes of these last days, fills us with as much astonishment as the young convert is filled when he first tastes an omnipresent God--and we exclaim, notwithstanding our previous light, "What a Babylon, what a Babylon we are inhabiting!" Before, we were like little children sitting in a dungeon lighted up by a single candle, hence we could see but a little distance, and had not the most feeble conceptions of the depravities with which we were surrounded. But now the sun itself has come down in our midst, and Oh God! what sights do we behold. The valley of dry bones, and a church dead in the wilderness, are to us no longer figures of speech, but we see them as with the naked eye, and cry, O Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live. Then said I Lord how long? A deep and awful revival of religion has been given to my church in the mean time. On the last Christmas eve, I preached the Son of man near. It was blessed by the Spirit immediately to the deep anxiety of a few, and the work has extended until it has embraced nearly every soul above 12 or 14 years of age, in fact all excepting a few who have shown an unwillingness to seek; hence to some considerable extent I have an additional testimony that it is a truth which Christ now especially blesses. I feel a strong inclination to express more particularly the course of the Spirit with me. The Monday evening following this proclamation--Christ at the door--I was invited to attend a union prayer-meeting, during which I rose and spoke, concluding with a strong declaration that now God was going to pour out his Spirit greatly. I thought of no such thing when I rose. And the firm determination with which I spoke could only have come, as I felt at the time it did, from the Spirit of God. The event has confirmed it. It was during this week that the Holy Ghost was given me in a new and glorious manner, and I was enabled to realize all that brother Brown does state, a mighty increase of faith, and love, and spiritual discernment, connected with an irresistible disposition and determination to proclaim, Lo, the Bridegroom cometh. Christmas eve I did it tremblingly, somewhat doubtingly--but now I was fully persuaded that my faith stood in the "power of God," hence there was no hesitancy. The Spirit took of the things of Christ and showed them unto me. I was in a measure prepared for this by reading the Bible in connection with the writings of Bishop Newton, and other distinguished divines of the Church of England, who maintained the true doctrine of the soon pre-millennial advent of Christ, without setting the year, which latter they deem beyond the will of Christ to man, although at the same time they say, that they see not but that all things are ready. For the views which I have thus been enabled to take, and the zeal and power with which I have moved amidst this work of God, I have been proclaimed crazy, both far and near; but thanks be to God, if I am beside myself, it is for Christ's sake; hence there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me, and to all who love his appearing.
A few evenings since, I held a meeting for prayer and enquiry in my own house, and was filled with great surprise at the manner with which the Spirit came upon me when I told the hearers of Christ's soon coming--so much so that I made it known to all present. During the second week of the revival, I was called away about 40 miles to visit a sick brother. On the road I had no peace except proclaimed at public houses, and at all proper times, the Advent near, and in the mean time the Spirit brought to my mind without any previous thought on my part, the long neglected Scripture, "Is any one sick, let him call on the elders of the church," etc. I was filled with dismay--enquiring most diligently of Christ whereunto this would lead, and was soon composed, feeling that if now He was reviving one long neglected truth, it was not at all incredible that He should revive another, and that He should bestow it upon one whom He had formed by grace to fear neither man nor the devil. "Truly, these are strange times!" But only strange because we are now just waking from spiritual death, and coming of a sudden out of deep spiritual darkness--beholding the veil torn in twain which shut out from our eyes the full light of God, and the glory with which he will soon fill the earth. Let then the watchmen set upon Zion's towers, cry aloud and spare not; especially let them whom Christ has raised to the highest pinnacle, whose spiritual vision is most extended, let them too cry speedily of all things they can see coming on the face of the earth. Let him cast his eyes over the signs of the times, and proclaim them all, in one voice. Point to the water-wheel of the great manufacturer; show how it has ceased its roll; look to the once thronged exchange, and see how it is deserted of its worshipers--closed as it were and still as the temple of Janus, when Christ first came; point to the sailot sleeping upon the shrouds to pass away the unemployed hours of a prostrate commerce; let him look to the once rich forsaking their palaces for the humble dwelling, exchanging the sumptuous dinner for the single potatoe. Amidst all this distress, see the poor beings looking to a sinful Congress for help--getting none. See how God is confounding their councils, making their boasted wisdom appear foolishness to all men. Crying that the country is dying of poverty, yet spending tens of thousands to recall in one session the foolishness of a previous one. Humanity finding no relief here, tell them of the next Providence--the raising up a body of men who proclaim from one extreme of this distress to the other, Lo, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Ye have nothing else to do; look for this blessed hope, and glorious coming of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. He shall wipe away all tears from your eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed away. "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord."
Yours, in the hope or the gospel,
George A. Stirling,
Minister of Episcopal Ch.
Huntington, Ct., March 24th, 1843.
April 5, 1843 JVHe, HST 37