D.’
“His disappointment in the passing of the time was great; but it did not at all impair his confidence in God, or affect his usual cheerfulness of disposition. Eld. Josiah Litch, who visited him on the 8th of June, at Low Hampton, thus wrote:—
“‘I found both himself and family well and in fine spirits. Indeed, I have never seen him when he seemed to enjoy himself better than at present. If any evidence of his sincerity in preaching the advent of Christ in 1843 were wanting, in addition to his arduous and unrequited toil of twelve years, his present humble submission to his disappointment, and the spirit of meekness with which the confession of disappointment is made, is sufficient to satisfy the most incredulous that nothing but a deep conviction of duty to God and man could have moved such a man to such a work. That he is greatly disappointed in not seeing the Lord within the expected time, must be evident to all who hear him speak; while the tearful eye and subdued voice show from whence flow the words he utters.
“‘Although disappointed as to time, I never saw him more strong than now in the general correctness of his expositions of Scripture and calculation of prophetic times, and in the faith of our Lord’s speedy coming.’
“In company with his son George and Mr. Himes, Mr. Miller left home on the 21st of July, 1844, for a tour as far west as Cincinnati. They reached Rochester, N. Y., on the 23d, and on the 24th commenced a series of meetings in a beautiful grove in Scottsville, near that city. Mr. Miller was listened to with unusual interest.
“From Rochester they visited Buffalo, N. Y., Toronto, C. W., Lockport, N. Y., Cleveland, Akron, Cincinnati, and other places in Ohio. At this last place he lectured, on the evening of August 19, to an audience of about four thousand persons, and continued there one week.
“They had proposed going further west, but freshets in the rivers in those parts prevented. They returned from Cincinnati, up the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, to McConnellsville, which they reached on the 28th of August, and where Mr. M. delivered five lectures.
“On the 2d of September they left this place by steamboat, down the Muskingum river to Marietta, from thence to take a boat to Pittsburg, on their way to Philadelphia. On board the boat for Marietta they found from thirty to forty Methodist ministers, who were on their way to attend the Methodist Episcopal Conference in that city.
“Mr. M. noticed some sly glances from one to another, which seemed to say, ‘We will have some sport with the old gentleman.’ He, however, took no notice of them, but went to a retired part of the deck, and commenced reading. Soon a dandy-looking minister walked past him several times, and finally asked him:—