twenty-five years Christ would appear for the redemption of His people . " I need not speak ," says Miller , " of the joy that filled my heart in view of the delightful prospect , nor of the ardent longings of my soul for a participation in the joys of the redeemed . The Bible was now to me a new book . It was indeed a feast of reason ; all that was dark , mystical , or obscure to me in its teachings , had been dissipated from my mind before the clear light that now dawned from its sacred pages ; and , oh , how bright and glorious the truth appeared ! All the contradictions and inconsistencies I had before found in the word were gone ; and although there were many portions of which I was not satisfied I had a full understanding , yet so much light had emanated from it to the illumination of my before darkened mind , that I felt a delight in studying the Scripture which I had not before supposed could be derived from its teachings ." --Bliss , pages 76 , 77 .
" With the solemn conviction that such momentous events were predicted in the Scriptures to be fulfilled in so short a space of time , the question came home to me with mighty power regarding my duty to the world , in view of the evidence that had affected my own mind ." -- Ibid ., page 81 . He could not but feel that it was his duty to impart to others the light which he had received . He expected to encounter opposition from the ungodly , but was confident that all Christians would rejoice in the hope of meeting the Saviour whom they professed to love . His only fear was that 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 ." Ezekiel 33:8 , 9 . 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 ." --Bliss , page 92 .
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
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