The world had been looking on , expecting that if the time passed and Christ did not appear , the whole system of Adventism would be given up . But while many , under strong temptation , yielded their faith , there were some who stood firm . The fruits of the advent movement , the spirit of humility and heart searching , of renouncing of the world and reformation of life , which had attended the work , testified that it was of God . They dared not deny that the power of the Holy Spirit had witnessed to the preaching of the second advent , and they could detect no error in their reckoning of the prophetic periods . The ablest of their opponents had not succeeded in overthrowing their system of prophetic interpretation . They could not consent , without Bible evidence , to renounce positions which had been reached through earnest , prayerful study of the Scriptures , by minds enlightened by the Spirit of God and hearts burning with its living power ; positions which had withstood the most searching criticisms and the most bitter opposition of popular religious teachers and worldlywise men , and which had stood firm against the combined forces of learning and eloquence , and the taunts and revilings alike of the honorable and the base .
True , there had been a failure as to the expected event , but even this could not shake their faith in the word of God . When Jonah proclaimed in the streets of Nineveh that within forty days the city would be overthrown , the Lord accepted the humiliation of the Ninevites and extended their period of probation ; yet the message of Jonah was sent of God , and Nineveh was tested according to His will . Adventists believed that in like manner God had led them to give the warning of the judgment . " It has ," they declared , " tested the hearts of all who heard it , and awakened a love for the Lord ' s appearing ; or it has called forth a hatred , more or less perceivable , but known to God , of His coming . It has drawn a line , . . . so that those who will examine their own hearts , may know on which side of it they would have been found , had the Lord then come--whether they would have exclaimed , ' Lo ! this is our God , we have waited for Him , and He will save us ;' or whether they would have called to the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne , and from the wrath of the Lamb . God thus , as we believe , has tested His people , has tried their faith , has proved them , and seen whether they would shrink , in the hour of trial , from the position in which He might see fit to place them ; and whether they would relinquish this world and rely with implicit confidence in the word of God ." -- The Advent Herald and Signs of the Times Reporter , vol . 8 , No . 14 ( Nov 13 , 1844 ).
The feelings of those who still believed that God had led them in their past experience are expressed in the words of William Miller : " Were I to live my life over again , with the same evidence that I then had , to be honest with God and man I should have to do as I have done ." " I hope that I have cleansed my garments from the blood of souls . I feel that , as far as
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