in their great joy at the
prospect of glorious deliverance, so soon to be consummated, many would
receive the doctrine without sufficiently examining the Scriptures in
demonstration of its truth. He therefore hesitated to present it, lest he
should be in error, and be the means of misleading others. He was thus led
to review the evidences in support of the conclusions at which he had
arrived, and to consider carefully every difficulty which presented itself
to his mind. He found that objections vanished before the light of God's
word, as mist before the rays of the sun. Five years spent thus, left him
fully convinced of the correctness of his position.

And now the duty of making known to others what he believed to be so
clearly taught in the Scriptures, urged itself with new force upon him.
"When I was about my business," he said, "it was continually ringing in my
ears, 'Go and tell the world of their danger.' This text was constantly
occurring to me: 'When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt
surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that
wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at
thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from
it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou
hast delivered thy soul.'(550) I felt that if the wicked could be
effectually warned, multitudes of them would repent; and that if they were
not warned, their blood might be required at my hand."(551)

He began to present his views in private as he had opportunity, praying
that some minister might feel their force and devote himself to their
promulgation. But he could not banish the conviction that he had a
personal duty to perform in giving the warning. The words were ever
recurring to his mind, "Go and tell it to the world; their blood will I
require at thy hand." For nine years he waited, the burden still pressing
upon his soul, until in 1831 he for the first time publicly gave the
reasons of his faith.

As Elisha was called from following his oxen in the field, to receive the
mantle of consecration to the prophetic office, so was William Miller
called to leave his plow, and open to the people the mysteries of the
kingdom of God. With trembling he entered upon his work, leading his
hearers down, step by step, through the prophetic periods to the second
appearing of Christ. With every effort he gained strength and courage as
he