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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 4
the distant future, or make it spiritual, fulfilled at the destruction of
Jerusalem, or taking place at death.
Again and again did Wm. Miller urge that if his doctrine were
false, he should be shown his error from the Scriptures. In an address
to Christians of all denominations he wrote: “What have we believed
that we have not been commanded to believe by the word of God,
which you yourselves allow is the rule and the only rule of our
faith and practice? What have we done that should call down such
virulent denunciations against us from pulpit and press, and give
you just cause to exclude us (Adventists) from your churches and
fellowship?” “If we are wrong, pray show us wherein consists our
wrong. Show us from the word of God that we are in error; we
have had ridicule enough; that can never convince us that we are
in the wrong; the word of God alone can change our views. Our
conclusions have been formed deliberately and prayerfully, as we
have seen the evidence in the Scriptures.”
At a later date he stated: “I have candidly weighed the objections
advanced against these views; but I have seen no arguments that
were sustained by the Scriptures that, in my opinion, invalidated my
position. I cannot, therefore, conscientiously refrain from looking
for my Lord, or from exhorting my fellow-men, as I have opportunity,
to be in readiness for that event.”
In a letter to a friend and fellow-laborer, he spoke thus: “I could
not see that I should harm my fellowmen, even supposing the event
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should not take place at the time specified; for it is a command of our
Saviour to look for it, watch, expect it, and be ready. Then, if I could
by any means, in accordance with God’s word, persuade men to
believe in a crucified, risen, and coming Saviour, I felt it would have
a bearing on the everlasting welfare and happiness of such. I had
not a distant thought of disturbing our churches, ministers, religious
editors, or departing from the best biblical commentaries or rules
which had been recommended for the study of the Scriptures. And
even to this day, my opposers have not been able to show where I
have departed from any rule laid down by our old standard writers of
the Protestant faith. I have only interpreted Scripture in accordance
with their rules.”
Instead of arguments from the Scriptures, the opponents of the
Advent faith chose to employ ridicule and scoffing. The careless and