Bipolar WINTER. Samuel David Steiner

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      William tensed. Great. What other information is he going to try to pry out of me?

      “You do not like me very much, do you?”

      “No,” Miller replied flatly. He felt slightly guilty for being rude to the man, but he did not believe in lying either.

      “I understand.” Morgan stepped forward to stand beside his guest at the porch railing. “You are a Freemason and you consider me to be a traitor.”

      “Of course I do,” Miller said through gritted teeth. “We all took an oath of secrecy when we joined the lodge. Now, you are dragging my cousin into this quagmire!”

      “I never joined,” Morgan said softly. He kept his gaze fixed on the dark expanse of lawn before them. “So, I never swore such an oath.”

      “Then how did you learn of our secrets?”

      “I cannot say,” Morgan replied, “but there are those within your organization who disagree with the credos of the Freemasons.”

      “Then they are the traitors.” Feeling somewhat mollified, Miller turned to leave.

      “Wait. I have something I would like to give you. I think you will need it,” Morgan said.

      Miller stopped in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder at Morgan. “I think not.”

      “You may not like me, but this meeting was not by happenstance. You need me.”

      William Miller barked a laugh. “More like you need money for your book!”

      “Actually, your cousin is paying me a small fortune as an advance, so I am settled on that score,” Morgan said with a grin. “I am not interested in your money.”

      Miller stared at him. Then what exactly is he after? What game is he playing?

      Morgan sighed. “I am just giving you a gift. Will you accept it?”

      Not until his conversation with Ellen nearly twenty years later did William Miller understand why he had accepted the small packet of papers from Morgan that day. It had all been part of God’s plan.

      When Morgan went missing right before his book, Illustrations of Masonry, was published, Miller suspected there might be a clue in the packet of documents and finally opened it. To Miller’s surprise, the information contained in the papers had nothing to do with Morgan’s book.

      Morgan had been imprisoned several months prior for unpaid debts, but Miller found that suspicious, as did many others. When David Miller paid the debts, more unpaid debts surfaced, and Morgan was arrested again. This time another man paid the debts, but shortly after his release, Morgan was captured by two men and was never seen again.

      Soon after, William Miller left the Freemasons, despite having achieved the high rank of Grand Master of the Morning Star Lodge in Poultney. Not only did he have suspicions about the Freemasons’ involvement in Morgan’s disappearance, but their beliefs conflicted with his faith, and he felt he should focus his attention on his expanding congregation and the Second Coming of Christ.

      Many rumors circulated concerning Morgan’s disappearance, but Miller believed he had been silenced by the Freemasons. Publishing his book had essentially signed his death warrant. The book exposed many of the Freemasons’ secrets—secrets group members, himself included, had sworn to keep under penalty of death. In fact, many of the rituals practiced at each meeting centered around a particular oath to exact retribution should anyone ever reveal the secrets.

      Miller shuddered to think of the torture Morgan must have endured.

      He had kept Morgan’s packet of papers tucked safely between the slats in the floor of his trunk at the foot of his bed. He never saw any use for them in his sermons but could not bring himself to dispose of them either. While the information contained in them was religious in nature, it did not fit with the truth he knew regarding of the Second Coming of Christ. The papers laid out the blueprint for something called Septem Montes, describing in great detail how seven distinct sects of Christianity would diverge from the Catholic Church.

      After Ellen’s visit, however, everything changed. He was positive Ellen would know how to use the papers to guide his people into the next phase of existence. He still did not understand their relevance to his role on Earth, but Miller had faith that, together with Ellen, the papers would help him execute God’s will.

      In February, Miller visited Ellen Harmon at her home in Maine. He brought the packet of documents with him, eager to see what she would make of them.

      When she opened the door, he dropped to his knees on her front porch. Her entire body was glowing with a soft white aura.

      “You have had another vision?”

      She nodded. “Yes. It is now clear to me that I am to start a new church, one that will continue your legacy well beyond your lifetime and mine. But I need your help. Without you, I will not be able to create this movement of truth.”

      Rising to his feet, Miller pressed his hand to his heart. “I am here for you and my people. Just tell me how I may help.”

      “Good!” she exclaimed, ushering him into her small parlor.

      Settling into a chair by the glowing fireplace, he pulled the packet of papers from his satchel. “I have brought the package.”

      “May I see?”

      He handed the papers to her then sat forward, warming himself while she read through them.

      For half the day she remained engrossed in study, not breaking, even to eat, until she had absorbed all of the information contained in the papers.

      “So, our mission is now clear,” she said finally, laying the papers in her lap.

      “How so? How does this Septem Montes relate to us?”

      Ellen motioned for him to sit next to her on the settee. “The Catholic Church has already formed six of the seven sects outlined here, but it is waiting to unfold the seventh much later. However, God has another plan, one the Catholic Church is not privy to.”

      “But we are,” William said excitedly. “Are we going to build the seventh church?”

      “Yes,” Ellen said with a smile. “Your followers have disbanded, but we can easily recover many of them. They will flock to this new church, the seventh one, and we will lead them toward the truth.”

      Miller’s excitement faded. They disbanded because of me. Certainly they would want nothing to do with him after his failure. “Is it wise to include me?” he asked hesitantly. “My tarnished reputation will surely be a hindrance. Perhaps I should just stay in the background.”

      “No,” she said gently. “I need you. God needs you.” She laid a hand over his. “You still have work to do. Your reputation is what you make of it. You would be surprised at how resilient people can be.”

      “But…can I not just advise you?”

      “No. You must be next to me, by my side as we form this church.”

      Miller СКАЧАТЬ