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William Miller
133
It seemed that there might be a being so good and compassionate
as to himself atone for our transgressions, and thereby save us from
suffering the penalty of sin. I immediately felt how lovely such a
being must be, and imagined that I could cast myself into the arms
of, and trust in the mercy of, such a One. But the question arose,
How can it be proved that such a being does exist? Aside from the
Bible, I found that I could get no evidence of the existence of such a
Saviour, or even of a future state.”
“I saw that the Bible did bring to view just such a Saviour as I
needed; and I was perplexed to find how an uninspired book should
develop principles so perfectly adapted to the wants of a fallen world.
I was constrained to admit that the Scriptures must be a revelation
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from God. They became my delight; and in Jesus I found a friend.
The Saviour became to me the chiefest among ten thousand; and the
Scriptures, which before were dark and contradictory, now became
a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. My mind became settled
and satisfied. I found the Lord God to be a Rock in the midst of
the ocean of life. The Bible now became my chief study, and I can
truly say, I searched it with great delight. I found the half was never
told me. I wondered why I had not seen its beauty and glory before,
and marveled that I could ever have rejected it. I found everything
revealed that my heart could desire, and a remedy for every disease
of the soul. I lost all taste for other reading, and applied my heart to
get wisdom from God.”
He now publicly professed his faith in the religion which he had
despised. But his infidel associates were not slow to bring forward all
those arguments which he himself had often urged against the divine
authority of the Scriptures. He was not then prepared to answer
them; but he reasoned, that if the Bible is a revelation from God,
it must be consistent with itself; and that as it was given for man’s
instruction, it must be adapted to his understanding. He determined
to study the Scriptures for himself, and ascertain if every apparent
contradiction could not be harmonized.
Endeavoring to lay aside all preconceived opinions, and dispens-
ing with commentaries, he compared scripture with scripture by the
aid of the marginal references and the concordance. He pursued his
study in a regular and methodical manner; beginning with Genesis,
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and reading verse by verse, he proceeded no faster than the meaning