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the end of all things was at hand; but it soon became evident that
they were losing, to some extent, their zeal and devotion, and were
falling into the state denoted in the parable by the slumbering of the
virgins during the tarrying time.
About this time, fanaticism began to appear. Some who pro-
fessed to be zealous believers in the message rejected the word of
God as the one infallible guide, and, claiming to be led by the Spirit,
gave themselves up to the control of their own feelings, impressions,
and imaginations. There were some who manifested a blind and
bigoted zeal, denouncing all who would not sanction their course.
Their fanatical ideas and exercises met with no sympathy from the
great body of Adventists; yet they served to bring reproach upon the
cause of truth.
Satan was seeking by this means to oppose and destroy the work
of God. The people had been greatly stirred by the Advent move-
ment, thousands of si
were giving themselves to the work of proclaiming the truth, even
in the tarrying time. The prince of evil was losing his subjects;
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and in order to bring reproach upon the cause of God, he sought to
deceive those who professed the faith, and to drive them to extremes.
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Then his agents stood ready to seize upon every error, every failure,
every unbecoming act, and hold it up before the people in the most
exaggerated light, to render Adventists and their faith odious. Thus
the greater the number whom he could crowd in to make a pro-
fession of the Advent faith while his power controlled their hearts,
the greater advantage would he gain by calling attention to them as
representatives of the whole body of believers.
Satan is an accuser of the brethren, and it is his spirit which
inspires men to watch for the errors and defects of the Lord’s people,
and to hold them up to notice, while their good deeds are passed
by without a mention. He is always active when God is at work
for the salvation of souls. When the sons of God come to present
themselves before the Lord, Satan comes also among them. In every
revival he is ready to bring in those who are unsanctified in heart
and unbalanced in mind. When they have accepted some points of
truth, and gained a place with believers, he works through them to
introduce theories that will deceive the unwary. No man is proved to
be a true Christian because he is found in company with the children
of God, even in the house of worship and around the table of the
Lord. Satan is frequently there upon the most solemn occasions, in
the form of those whom he can use as his agents.
The great deceiver will profess anything, in order to gain ad-
herents. But should he claim to be converted, should he, if it were
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possible, enter Heaven and associate with the angels, he would
not be changed in character. While the true worshipers would be
bowed in adoration before their Maker, he would be plotting mis-
chief against God’s cause and people, devising means to ensnare
souls, considering the most successful method of sowing tares.
Satan contests every inch of ground over which God’s people
advance in their journey toward the heavenly city. In all the history
of the church, no reformation has been carried forward without
encountering serious obstacles. Thus it was in Paul’s day. Wherever
the apostle would raise up a church, there were some who professed
to receive the faith, but who brought in heresies, that, if received,
would eventually crowd out the love of the truth. Luther suffered
great perplexity and distress from the course of fanatical persons
who claimed that God had spoken directly through them, and who
therefore set their own ideas and opinions above the testimony of
Tarrying Time
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the Scriptures. Many who were lacking in faith and experience, but
who had considerable self-sufficiency, and who loved to hear and
tell some new thing, were beguiled by the pretensions of the new
teachers, and they joined the agents of Satan in their work of tearing
down what God had moved Luther to build up. The Wesleys also,
and others who blessed the world by their influence and their faith,
encountered at every step the wiles of Satan in pushing over-zealous,
unbalanced, and unsanctified ones into fanaticism of every grade.
Wm. Miller had no sympathy with those influences that led to
fanaticism. He declared, with Martin Luther, that every spirit should
be tested by the word of God: “The devil has great power over the
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minds of some at the present day. And how shall we know what
ma
ye shall know them.’” “There are many spirits gone out into the
world; and we are commanded to try the spirits. The spirit that does
not cause us to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world, is not the spirit of Christ. I am more and more convinced that
Satan has much to do in these wild movements.” “Many among us,
who pretend to be wholly sanctified, are following the traditions of
men, and apparently are as ignorant of truth as others who make no
such pretensions, and are not half so modest.” “The spirit of error
will lead us from the truth; and the Spirit of God will lead us into
truth. But, say you, a man may be in error, and think he has the
truth. What then? We answer, The Spirit and word agree. If a man
judges himself by the word of God, and finds a perfect harmony
through the whole word, then he must believe he has the truth; but if
he finds the spirit by which he is led does not harmonize with the
whole tenor of God’s law or book, then let him walk carefully, lest
he be caught in the snare of the devil.” “I have often obtained more
evidence of inward piety from a kindling eye, a wet cheek, and a
choked utterance, than from all the noise in Christendom.”
The enemies of the Reformation charged all the evils of fanati-
cism upon the very ones who were laboring most earnestly against
it. A similar course was pursued by the opposers of the Advent
movement. And not content with misrepresenting and exaggerating
the errors of extremists and fanatics, they circulated unfavorable
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reports that had not the slightest semblance of truth. These persons
were actuated by prejudice and hatred. Their peace was disturbed
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by the proclamation of Christ at the door. They feared it might be
true, yet hoped it was not, and this was the secret of their warfare
against Adventists and their faith.
The fact that a few fanatics worked their way into the ranks of
Adventists is no more a reason to decide that the movement was