Life Incidents

MODES OF OPPOSITION

“It has usually been the fact that, as soon as the doctrine of the Lord’s speedy coming has been presented in any place, the clergy, in the course of one or two weeks, would begin their attacks from the pulpit. The usual argument has been - LIFIN 141.2

“1. ‘Of that day and hour knoweth no man;’ yet these men profess to know the very time when the Lord is to come. Yes, they profess to know more than the angels, or even the Son of God himself. LIFIN 141.3

“2. The Lord cannot come until after the millennium, during which the whole world is to be righteous, and the lion eat straw like the ox, etc. LIFIN 142.1

“3. The Jews must be brought in, and restored to Palestine, before that day comes. LIFIN 142.2

“4. It is to come as a thief, as a snare, etc., on all them that dwell on the earth. But now there are so many who are looking for it, that it cannot come as a snare. LIFIN 142.3

“5. It cannot come now, because there are so many learned and holy ministers and Christians, that if it should come now, it would take them by surprise. The Lord will not come without their knowing it. LIFIN 142.4

“6. The world is yet in its infancy; the arts and sciences are just beginning to come to maturity, and fit the world to live, and it cannot be that the Lord will come now and destroy it all. LIFIN 142.5

“7. Then again there is so much waste land to be occupied in the western country, land which has never yet been cultivated at all, that it is not at all reasonable that the Lord should destroy it all before it has been improved. LIFIN 142.6

“8. But the great argument, the one which has proved the most effectual, has been, that this vision of Daniel 8 has nothing to do with the coming of Christ, or setting up of God’s everlasting kingdom. It simply refers to Antiochus Epiphanes, and his persecution of the Jews, and desecration of the temple, some 160 odd years B.C. Thus we have the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, for which the Saviour taught his people to look, about two hundred years before the instruction was given. LIFIN 142.7

“To the foregoing might be added a number more of the same class, professedly drawn from reason and Scripture, but none of them more formidable than those already recorded. Do you smile, gentle reader, at the idea of calling these arguments? Yet, you may be assured that each of them in turn has been urged by grave men, calling themselves doctors of divinity. LIFIN 143.1

“But the most wonderful and overwhelming of all arguments which have ever been presented against the doctrine, is, ‘Mr. Miller has built some stone wall on his farm!!’ But, I forgot myself; I said the most wonderful; there is another quite its equal: ‘Mr. Miller refuses to sell his farm!!’ How, oh! how can Christ come, when Mr. Miller will not sell his farm? LIFIN 143.2

“But this is not all; for the truth is, ‘Mr. Himes has published and scattered (a large part of them gratuitously) more than five millions of books and papers. He must be engaged in a speculation; and how can the Lord come? Oh! how can he come? ’ LIFIN 143.3

“But to be serious; a word on this subject is due these men, and the cause whose advocates they have been. For those who have known William Miller, and have known his personal history, it is not needful we should write. But there are those who know him not; on their account it is, that this memento is here inserted. LIFIN 143.4

“When Mr. Miller first commenced the advocacy of the Advent doctrine, he was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He had a farm of his own, was surrounded by an interesting family, and possessed all that could make life easy and agreeable. When the Lord called and thrust him out into this work, he was in the decline of life, without the advantages of an academical education, without experience as a public speaker, without ecclesiastical preferments, except as a valued and worthy lay member of the Baptist church; the prejudices of both the church and world were decidedly against all attempts to understand the prophetic scriptures, with many other discouraging circumstances. Yet, in the face of all discouragements, he went forth taking nothing; but as freely did he bestow on others the light which God had given, as he had received it. LIFIN 143.5

“For a number of years after he began this work, he traveled extensively, lectured frequently, endured privation and scoffing, and paid all the expenses of his journeys from his own funds. At the same time he had a large family dependent on him for their subsistence, besides keeping open doors for all the Lord’s servants who should choose to come under his roof; where they were always sure to find a hearty welcome. LIFIN 144.1

“After pursuing this course for some years, he arranged his domestic affairs, by giving up his farm into the hands of his sons, so as to sustain his family, and have an annuity of one hundred dollars, to clothe himself and meet his other incidental expenses. In this way he continued to travel far and near, wherever Providence opened the way, and for the most part bearing his own expenses. This he did until his journeys became so numerous, long and expensive, as to exceed his income. Then he permitted the people among whom he labored to pay his traveling expenses. But he has not received enough, since he began his work, to sustain him in it. From the sale of his books he has received no profit. It has been no part of his business to lay up treasures on earth, or accumulate wealth by the gospel of God’s grace. LIFIN 144.2

“Amidst all the vile and reproachful epithets which have been heaped upon him, all the false and scurrilous reports which have gone the rounds of both pulpit and press, as well as private circles, he has gone on, still pursuing the even tenor of his way, accomplishing the mission on which he set forth. If his remarks concerning the attacks which have been made upon him, have sometimes seemed severe, it will not be wondered at, when it is recollected that it is nothing else but the severity of truth. We will not pretend to say that he has never erred; but this we do say, while we confess, that ‘to err is human,’ few men have gone through an enterprise like this, with fewer errors or blemishes than William Miller. LIFIN 144.3

“So, likewise, in exposing and reproving the growing corruptions of the church and ministry, he has been thought by many too severe. But this, too, has consisted in the severity of truths which few, in an age of degeneracy like this, had either the independence or courage to speak out. He has spoken aloud what others have thought and repeated only in private. Yet, after all, who that knows the man, but loves him? Take him all in all, where could an instrument be found better qualified for the station he has filled? LIFIN 145.1

“A few words respecting that faithful and devoted friend of the cause of Adventism, J.V. Himes, must close this part of the present work. From the position he has occupied in the front of the battle, the most deadly shafts of the enemy have been aimed at him. The generous spirit of self-sacrifice with which he came forward and exerted every nerve for the advancement of this great work, excited at once the envy, the wrath, the anger and calumny of the whole host of foes to the doctrine. And no means which could be devised to blast his influence has been wanting from that to the present time. But through grace he has thus far triumphed. LIFIN 145.2

I believe the providence of God raised up J.V. Himes as an associate and fellow helper of Mr. Miller, in the great work of arousing the church and the world to prepare for the coming of the Lord; and that he has performed the work with fidelity to God and man, and honor to himself.” LIFIN 146.1