1840's MILLERITE - WINEBRENNERIAN. 68pp Unpublished MSs Sermons on Prophecy, Eschatology, and Political Involvement.

An absolutely fascinating and previously unpublished or researched document.

Our author, seemingly the docketed owner, John S. Oliver, Harrisburg, PA [dated 1852 by the signature in what seems to be a later inscription by the author's hand] appears to have been operating somewhere in the orbit of the Millerites, Shakers, or a similar Adventist or Utopian movement. Of course, our author apparently being in Harrisburg, there could also perhaps be influence from John Winebrenner and the Church of God there, who also had significant eschatological focus.  

The manuscript has 8 sections. After an initial Exposition of Nebuchadnezzar's dream [which is eschatologically oriented], we have the first of three sections with perhaps identifiable and distinctive theological views:

In the first, it is simply entitled, "Gen 12, the unconditional promises to Abrham. It is comprised of 18pp divided into sections of already fulfilled promises, proceeding to sections of great interest, entitled The Promises are not Yet Fulfilled, When will the Promises be Fulfilled, Where are they to be Fulfilled, To whom are they to be Fulfilled, etc., 

Well worth investigating our author's use of prophetic Scripture with other apocalyptic movements of the time. Also, he includes the promises that all those who would not hear the word of Acts three would be destroyed. He seems to mean this in some way consistent with conditional immortality or annihilationist theology, which later parts of his MSs make more clear. 

The second differentiating theological work is the Funeral Sermon included in which he lays out with dozens of Scriptural texts the order of death and resurrection. His textual selection and ordering would be consistent with conditional immortality more than an annihilationist position. Everyone dies, then the dead in Christ are resurrected to life with no future in mind at all for those outside of the redemptive covenant. 

Finally, there is a section labeled, "Is it right for Christians to vote; the Bible decides." Our author clearly believes the answer is no. Adventist historian Charles Teel Jr. notes that the question of voting was significant in the Millerite and early Adventist movements. 

Our understanding is that after 1844, many who had become Millerites returned to Shaker or Winebrennerian churches, etc., So our gentleman may well have been an instance of that.

 Fair condition, folio size and every page [68pp.] completely full. Boards are detached, essentially disbound, some pages worn at foredge with minor losses. First leaf of text [just textual references it seems] and the final leaf [similarly, likely just textual references] are not present. None of the three highly unique content sections impacted.