“HATH God assayed to go
and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by
signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a
stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord
your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was showed,
that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside
him.”1
It was thus that the Lord
wrought in taking a people from the midst of a heathen nation, that he
might lead them out where he could speak his law to them, and where he
could hand it down to them graven in tables of stone. These wonders were
not performed to gratify their curiosity; but that they might know of a
certainty that he who had “done great things in Egypt; wondrous works in
the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea,”2 and had spoken to
them from amid the fire and smoke of Sinai’s burning top, was none other
than the living and true God, the Maker of all things.
Moses’ Call from the Burning Bush
Moses himself could not
have moved the Israelites to leave Egypt by simply saying to them, “As I
was tending the flocks in the desert, I had thoughts of sympathy for you
in your bondage, and I am now come down to lead you out of Egypt, as I
assayed to do when I slew the Egyptian just before I fled to the land of
Midian.”
1 Deut. 4:34,
35.
2 Ps. 106:21,
22.
199
It took the burning bush
that consumed not, and an audible voice proceeding from the midst of the
flames, to convince even Moses that he was the one to “go and lead the
people out of Egypt.” It was in this wonderful manner that he received his
commission, his high and holy calling, a revelation of which would at once
arrest the attention of his brethren, and prepare their minds for what
should follow, and thus lead them to accept Moses, under God, as their
leader.
If ever there was a time
since the Saviour’s resurrection when his sorrowing and disappointed
followers needed to be comforted by his presence and cheering words, it
was at that time when some of the sad and persecuted believers were
holding on by steadfast faith after the “midnight cry” of 1844; and if in
mercy God ever communicated directly to sorrowing souls, it would seem
that it would certainly be at such a time, and to such a people.
The
Presence of the Lord Promised
He who is not limited in
ways or means of working, and who placed the gifts of the Spirit in his
church “when he ascended up on high,”3 promised
to be with his followers in preaching the gospel, “even unto the end of
the world.”
All the way along the Lord
has been ready to show forth his power and his gifts with those who fully
sought him. Did he not say in giving the gospel commission, “These signs
shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if
they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands
on the sick and they shall recover”?4
Gifts of the Spirit During the Reformation
There were some wonderful
displays of the Lord’s power and manifestations of the gift of prophecy
during the Reformation of the sixteen century, and in the times following.
3 Eph.
4:8-15.
4 Mark
16:17,18.
200
D’Aubigne‚ speaks of the
prophecies of John Huss. Charles Buck, in his Religious Anecdotes, tells
of the prophesying of George Wishart, in 1546. John Wesley, in his works,
tells of the prophecies of Jonathan Pyrah, and their fulfillment. Elder
J. B. Finley, in his autobiography, tells of a remarkable vision and
healing in his own person, in the summer of 1842. The Christian Advocate
(Methodist) published an interesting account of a remarkable vision and
its results, as given to Doctor Bond, of that church, during his
ministry. These were tokens to those humbly seeking the Lord, that he had
not changed, and that he still would speak to his people through the
prophetic gift.
The
Remnant Church to Have the Spirit of Prophecy
There are plain and
specific statements in the Scriptures that the Lord will specially
manifest the gifts of his Spirit, and especially the gift of prophecy,
among the people who will be found waiting for his coming. The first text
that we call attention to is found in the letter to the Corinthians, and
reads: “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which
is given you by Jesus Christ; that in everything ye are enriched by him,
in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ
was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall also confirm you unto the end,
that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”5
In the revelation we read
of the “remnant”-the last gospel church: “The dragon was wroth with the
woman [church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which
keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”6
What is the “testimony of Jesus,” we inquire, which the last church is to
have, and which in its confirmation prepares the way for the manifestation
of all the gifts of the Spirit? To this question we find an answer in the
testimony of the angel to John on the isle of Patmos:
5 1 Cor.
1:4-8.
6 Rev. 12:17.
201
“I fell
at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am
thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus:
worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”7
This definition given by
the angel shows that it is the “spirit of prophecy” manifest in the church
that is waiting for Christ that prepares the way for all the gifts, and
that war is made on the “remnant” church for having that gift among them.
Paul’s Testimony on the Gifts
Paul’s letter to the
Thessalonians shows that the day of the Lord-the final day of executive
judgment -will come upon the masses “as a thief in the night;” but that it
will not thus overtake the Lord’s faithful children because they are
“children of light, and the children of the day.” Among his admonitions
to that watching people he says, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not
prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”8
Of the Greek word
propheteias, here rendered prophesyings, Greenfield, in his Greek Lexicon,
says, “The exercise of the gift of prophecy, in this sense, 1 Thess.
5:20.” With this also agree the lexicons of Parkhurst, Robinson, and
Liddell and Scott. This, then, is a plain testimony that the true gift of
prophecy will be with the church waiting for Christ’s second coming. The
admonition is not to despise the gift, but to prove it; finding the good
manifestation, to “hold fast” to it.9
A
Fulfillment of the Promise
We have noted heretofore
how the Lord began to manifest the gift of prophecy during the
proclamation of the first and second angels’ messages. This gift has been
more fully developed since the close of the twenty-three hundred days.
7 Rev. 19:10.
8 1 Thess.
5:5, 19-21.
9
For a
full canvass of the Bible testimony on the perpetuity of spiritual gifts,
see Prophetic Gift in the
Gospel Church, a pamphlet of 120 pages, to be obtained from any of our
publishing houses.
202
The Lord chose his own
instrument for this purpose, selecting as his agent one who had not only
surrendered all for him, but whose life trembled in the balance, “the
weakest of the weak.”10
Within two months after the passing of the time, Miss Ellen G. Harmon, of
Portland, Maine, then only about seventeen years of age, began to receive
revelations from the Lord.
As I have had opportunity
to converse with those living at Portland at the time of the first vision,
and was also acquainted with Mrs. Haines, at whose house Miss Harmon had
her first vision, I will relate the facts as they were given me by those
persons.
Miss Harmon was at that
time in a very critical condition of health. For a number of weeks she
had scarcely been able to speak above a whisper. One physician had
decided that her trouble was dropsical consumption. He said her right
lung was decayed, and the left one considerably diseased, and that her
heart was affected. He said he did not think she could live but a very
short time at most, and was liable to drop away at any time. It was with
great difficulty that she could breathe when lying down. At night she
obtained rest only by being bolstered up in bed in an almost sitting
posture. Frequent spells of coughing and hemorrhages from the lungs had
greatly reduced her physical strength.
Miss Harmon’s First Vision
At the time she had her
first vision she was staying at the home of Mrs. Haines. It was in the
morning, and they were engaged in family worship. There were five persons
present, all sisters in the faith. Others had prayed, and Miss Harmon was
praying in a whisper, when the power of God came down in a most wonderful
manner, manifestly affecting all who were present, and in a moment she was
lost to all that was transpiring around her-she was in vision.
In the next meeting she
related to the believers in Portland what had been shown her. They had
full confidence that
10 As shown
to Hazen Foss. See page 182.
203
it was from the Lord.
There were about sixty at that time in Portland who indorsed it as the
work of the Lord. There was a power that attended the vision, as well as
the relation of it, that could emanate only from the Divine. A solemn
sense of eternal interests was constantly upon her, and she seemed to be
filled with an unspeakable awe that one so young and feeble as she should
be chosen as an instrument through whom the Lord would communicate light
to his people. She stated that while in the vision she seemed to be
surrounded by radiant angels in the glorious courts of heaven, where all
is joy and peace, and that it was a sad change to awaken to the
unsatisfying realities of this mortal life.
Synopsis of the First Vision
The following brief
synopsis of her first vision, as related by her to the believers in
Portland, will give some idea of the character of all of them:-
“While praying, the power
of God came upon me as I had never felt it before. I was surrounded with
light, and was rising higher and higher from the earth. I turned to look
for the advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice
said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my
eye, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On
this path the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the
farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at
the first end of the path, which an angel told me was the ‘midnight cry.’
This shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet, that they
might not stumble. And if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was
just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some
grew weary; they said the city was a great way off, and they expected to
have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising his
glorious right arm, and from his arm came a bright light, which waved
204
over the advent people,
and they shouted, Hallelujah! Others rashly denied the light behind them,
and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light
behind these went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they
stumbled and got their eyes off the mark, and lost sight of Jesus, and
fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below. Soon we heard
the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of
Jesus’ coming. The living saints knew and understood the voice, while the
wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spake the time,
he poured on us the Holy Spirit, and our faces began to light up and shine
with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.”11
Description of Mrs. White’s Condition While in Vision
Before we trace further
the thrilling account of this wonderful manifestation of the Spirit of
God, I will state some facts relative to the visions. The first time I
saw Mrs. E.
G. White (formerly Miss
Harmon) was in October, 1852. On that day I saw her in a vision that
lasted over one hour. Since that time I have had the privilege of seeing
her in vision about fifty times. I have been present when physicians have
examined her while in this state, and I esteem it a pleasure to bear
testimony to what I have seen and know. I trust a narration of the facts
in the case may not be carelessly cast aside for the random supposition of
those who have never seen her in this condition.
In passing into vision she
gives three enrapturing shouts of “Glory!” which echo and re-echo, the
second, and especially the third, fainter, but more thrilling than the
first, the voice resembling that of one quite a distance from you, and
just going out of hearing. For about four or five seconds she seems to
drop down like a person in a swoon, or one having lost his strength; she
then seems to be instantly filled with superhuman strength, sometimes
rising at once to her feet and walking about the room. There are frequent
11 Early
Writings, pages 14, 15.
205
movements of the hands and
arms, pointing to the right or left as her head turns. All these
movements are made in a most graceful manner. In whatever position the
hand or arm may be placed, it is impossible for any one to move it. Her
eyes are always open, but she does not wink; her head is raised, and she
is looking upward, not with a vacant stare, but with a pleasant
expression, only differing from the normal in that she appears to be
looking intently at some distant object. She does not breathe, yet her
pulse beats regularly. Her countenance is pleasant, and the color of her
face florid as in her natural state.
Compared to That of Daniel
Her condition as to
breathing, loss of strength, and being made strong as the angel of God
touches her, all agree perfectly with the description given by the prophet
Daniel of his own experience in vision when he says: “Therefore I was
left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in
me, for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no
strength.” “For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my
lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither
is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like
the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, and said, O man greatly
beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong. And when
he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my Lord speak;
for thou hast strengthened me.”12
TESTIMONIALS OF EYE-WITNESSES
M. G. Kellogg, M.D.
As to Mrs. White’s
condition while in vision, a few statements from eyewitnesses may be in
place. The first is from M. G. Kellogg, M.D., who refers to the first
vision given in Michigan, May 29, 1853, at a meeting held in Tyrone,
Livingston County. He says:-
12 Dan. 10:8,
17-19.206
206
“Sister White was in
vision about twenty minutes or half an hour. As she went into vision
every one present seemed to feel the power and presence of God, and some
of us did indeed feel the Spirit of God resting upon us mightily. We were
engaged in prayer and social meeting Sabbath morning at about nine
o’clock. Brother White, my father, and Sister White had prayed, and I was
praying at the time. There had been no excitement, no demonstrations. We
did plead earnestly with God, however, that he would bless the meeting
with his presence, and that he would bless the work in Michigan. As
Sister White gave that triumphant shout of ‘Glory! g-l-o-r-y-!
g-l-o-r-y-!’ which you have heard her give so often as she goes into
vision, Brother White arose and informed the audience that his wife was in
vision. After stating the manner of her visions, and that she did not
breathe while in vision, he invited any one who wished to do so to come
forward and examine her. Dr. Drummond, a physician, who was also a
First-day Adventist preacher, who (before he saw her in vision) had
declared her visions to be of mesmeric origin, and that he could give her
a vision, stepped forward, and after a thorough examination, turned very
pale, and remarked, ‘She doesn’t breathe!’
“I am quite certain that
she did not breathe at that time while in vision, nor in any of several
others which she has had when I was present. The coming out of the vision
was as marked as her going into it. The first indication we had that the
vision was ended, was in her again beginning to breathe. She drew her
first breath deep, long, and full, in a manner showing that her lungs had
been entirely empty of air. After drawing the first breath, several
minutes passed before she drew the second, which filled the lungs
precisely as did the first; then a pause of two minutes, and a third
inhalation, after which the breathing became natural.” Signed, “M. G.
Kellogg, M.D., Battle Creek, Mich., Dec. 28, 1890.”
207
F. C. Castle
We give the following
statement from an individual who witnessed a medical examination of Mrs.
White while in vision at Stowe, Vermont, in the summer of 1853. He says:-
“A physician was present,
and made such examination of her as his wisdom and learning dictated, to
find the cause of the manifestation. A lighted candle was held close to
her eyes, which were wide open; not a muscle of the eye moved. He then
examined her in regard to her pulse, and also in regard to her breathing,
and there was no respiration. The results was that he was satisfied that
it could not be accounted for on natural or scientific principles.”
Signed, “F. C. Castle.”
D. H. Lamson
The following testimonials
relate to an examination made while Mrs. White was in vision, in a meeting
held in the home of Elder James White, on Monroe Street, Rochester, N.Y.,
June 26, 1854:-
“I was then seventeen
years old. It seem to me I can almost hear those thrilling shouts of
‘G-l-o-r-y!’ which she uttered. Then she sank back to the floor, not
falling, but sinking gently, and was supported in the arms of an
attendant. Two physicians came in, an old man and a young man. Brother
White was anxious that they should examine Sister White closely, which
they did. A looking-glass was brought, and one of them held it over her
mouth while she talked; but soon they gave this up, and said, ‘She doesn’t
breathe.’ Then they closely examined her sides, as she spoke, to find some
evidence of deep breathing, but they did not find it. As they closed this
part of the examination, she arose to her feet, still in vision, holding a
Bible high up, turning from passage to passage, quoting correctly,
although the eyes were looking upward and away from the book.
208
“She had a view of the
seven last plagues. Then she saw the triumph of the saints, and her shouts
of triumph I can seem to hear even now. To these facts I freely testify.”
Signed, “Elder D. H. Lamson, Hillsdale, Mich., Feb. 8, 1893.”
Mrs. Drusilla Lamson
Another testimonial is
given respecting the same medical examination from Mrs. Drusilla Lamson,
widow of Elder Lamson’s cousin, and matron of Clifton Springs, N.Y.,
Sanitarium. Speaking of the meeting of June 26, 1854, she says:-
“I remember the meeting
when the trial was made, namely, to test what Brother White had frequently
said, that Sister White did not breathe while in vision, but I cannot
recall the name of the doctor who was present. . . . It must have been
Doctor Fleming, as he was the doctor called sometimes for counsel. He is,
however, now dead. I can say this much, that the test was made, and no
sign of breath was visible on the looking-glass.” Signed, “Drusilla
Lamson, Clifton Springs, N.Y., March 9, 1893.”
Still another testimony
from one who was present on the above-mentioned occasion:-
David Seeley
“This is to certify that I
have read the above testimonials of David Lamson and Mrs. Drusilla Lamson,
concerning the physician’s statement when examining Mrs. E. G. White while
she was in vision, June 26, 1854. I was present at that meeting, and
witnessed the examination. I agree with what is stated by Brother and
Sister Lamson, and would say further that it was Doctor Fleming and
another younger physician who made the examination. After Mrs. White rose
to her feet, as they have stated, quoting the texts of Scriptures, Doctor
Fleming called for a lighted candle. He held this candle as near her lips
as possible without burning, and in
209
direct line with her
breath in case she breathed. There was not the slightest flicker of the
blaze. The doctor then said, with emphasis, ‘That settles it forever,
there is no breath in her body.’ “ Signed, “David Seeley, Fayette, Iowa,
Aug. 20, 1897.”
Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Fowler
The following statements
relate to an examination made while Mrs. White was in vision in Waldron’s
Hall, Hillsdale, Mich., in the month of February, 1857. Doctor Lord, a
physician of Hillsdale of fifty year’s practice, made a most careful
examination, concerning which I present the following testimonials:-
“We were present when (in
February, 1857) Sister E. G. White had a vision in Waldron’s Hall,
Hillsdale. Dr. Lord made an examination, and said, ‘Her heart beats, but
there is no breath. There is life, but no action of the lungs; I cannot
account for this condition.’ “ Signed, “A. F. Fowler, Mrs. A. F. Fowler,
Hillsdale, Mich., Jan. 1, 1891.”
C. S. Glover
Here is given another
statement concerning the same vision:-
“I was present when Sister
White had the above-named vision in Waldron’s Hall, Hillsdale. In addition
to the above statement, I heard the doctor say that Sister White’s
condition in vision was ‘beyond his knowledge.’ He also said, ‘There is
something supernatural about that.’ “ Signed, “C. S. Glover, Battle
Creek, Mich., Jan. 19, 1891.”
Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter
Here is a third statement
on the same case:-
“This is to certify that
we were present in Waldron’s Hall, Hillsdale, Mich., in February, 1857,
when Mrs. E. G. White had a vision, and while in that condition was
examined by Dr. Lord, and we heard his public statement respecting the
case, as given above by Brother and Sister Fowler.” Signed,
210
“W. R. Carpenter, Eliza
Carpenter, Noblesville, Ind., Aug. 30, 1891.”
D. T. Bourdeau
Your attention is next
called to a test applied while Mrs. White was in vision at Buck’s Bridge,
St. Lawrence County, N.Y.:-
“June 28, 1857, I saw
Sister Ellen G. White in vision for the first time. I was an unbeliever
in the visions; but one circumstance among others that I might mention
convinced me that her visions were of God. To satisfy my mind as to
whether she breathed or not, I first put my hand on her chest sufficiently
long to know that there was no more heaving of the lungs than there would
have been had she been a corpse. I then took my hand and placed it over
her mouth, pinching her nostrils between by thumb and forefinger, so that
it was impossible for her to exhale or inhale air, even if she had desired
to do so. I held her thus with my hand about ten minutes, long enough for
her to suffocate under ordinary circumstances; she was not in the least
affected by this ordeal. Since witnessing this wonderful phenomenon, I
have not once been inclined to doubt the divine origin of her visions.”
Signed, “D. T. Bourdeau, Battle Creek, Mich., Feb. 4, 1891.”
A
Spirit Medium Doctor Testing the Vision
I will mention another
medical examination that I witnessed at Parkville, St. Joseph County,
Mich., Jan. 12, 1861.
At the close of an
exhortation given by Mrs. White to a large congregation that had assembled
at the Adventist meeting-house, the blessing of God rested upon her in a
remarkable degree, and she was taken off in vision while seated in her
chair. There was present a Doctor Brown, a hale, strong man physically, a
spirit medium. He had said that her visions were the same as spirit
mediumship, and that if she had one where he was, he could bring her out
of it in
211
one minute. An invitation
was given for any who desired to do so to come forward, and by examination
satisfy themselves as to her condition while in vision. The doctor came
forward, but before he had half completed his examination, he turned
deathly pale, and shook like an aspen leaf. Elder White said, “Will the
doctor report her condition?” He replied, “She does not breathe,” and
rapidly made his way to the door. Those at the door who knew of his
boasting said, “Go back, and do as you said you would; bring that woman
out of her vision.” In great agitation he grasped the knob of the door,
but was not permitted to open it until inquiry was made by those near the
door, “Doctor, what is it?” He replied, “God only knows; let me out of
this house;” and out he went.
It was evident that the
spirit that influenced him as a medium was no more at rest in the presence
of the power that controlled Mrs. White in vision than were the demoniacs
in the days of the Saviour, who inquired, “Art thou come hither to torment
us before the time?”13
A similarity is seen in
this circumstance to that recorded in the experience of Daniel the
prophet. As he went into vision by the Spirit of the Lord, the Chaldeans
who were present-heathens who knew not that Spirit-were greatly terrified,
and “fled to hide themselves.”14
Miss Harmon Bidden to Relate Her Visions
About one week after her
first vision, at a meeting held in her father’s house, Miss Harmon had a
second vision in which she was bidden to make known to others what had
been revealed to her. She was in great perplexity to know how she could do
the Lord’s bidding. Her health was so poor that she was in actual bodily
suffering, and to all appearance had but a short time to live. She was
but seventeen years of age, small and frail, unused to society, and
naturally so timid and retiring that it was painful for her to meet
strangers. She prayed earnestly for several days,
13 Matt.
8:29.
14 Dan. 10:7.
212
and far into the night,
that this burden might be removed, and laid upon some one else more
capable of bearing it. But the light of duty never changed, and the words
of the angel sounded continually, “Make known to others what I have
revealed to you.”
While in this perplexed
state of mind, Miss Harmon attended another meeting held at her father’s
house. In this meeting the company all united in earnest prayer for her,
and once more she consecrated herself to the Lord, and felt willing to be
used to his glory. While praying, the thick darkness that had enveloped
her, scattered; and as she afterward said, a bright light, like a ball of
fire, came toward her, and as it fell upon her, her strength was taken
away, and she seemed to be in the presence of Jesus and the angels.
Again it was repeated,
“Make known to others what I have revealed to you.” She said that she
earnestly begged that if she must go and relate what the Lord had shown
her, she might be kept from exaltation. Then an angel told her that her
prayer was answered, and that if she should be in danger of exaltation she
would be afflicted with sickness. The angel said to her, “If ye deliver
the message faithfully, and endure unto the end, ye shall eat of the fruit
of the tree of life, and drink of the river of the water of life.”
Miss Harmon’s Visit to Poland, Maine
Miss Harmon had been shown
that she must go to Poland, Maine, and narrate her vision. The day after
this third vision, unexpectedly to all, her brother-in-law drove up to the
door of her father’s house, and proposed to take her to Poland. While
there she held a meeting in which she related the vision. Hazen Foss,15 being
in despair, could not be induced to attend the service, but with his ear
near to the door outside, he heard her recount her vision, and said, “The
vision she related is as near like what was shown to me as two persons
could describe the same thing.” The next morning he unexpectedly met Miss
Harmon, and told her to
15 See
Chapter XI, pp. 182, 183.
213
be “faithful in bearing
the burden, and in relating the testimonies the Lord should give her, and
she would not be forsaken of God.” To others he said, “That is the
instrument on whom the Lord has laid this burden.” He surely ought to
know, as he had seen the person in the vision in which he was told that
the burden was “taken from” him.
Miss Harmon’s work from
that time was in going from place to place in the New England States,
relating what had been shown her. In some instances she was told, in
vision, where to go, and also told what difficulties she would meet. Her
messages were, especially, reproofs for those who were drifting into the
doctrine of the spiritual advent of Christ, and encouraging all to hold on
to the past experience.
She says of her
experience: “Some refrained wholly from labor, and disfellowshipped all
those who would not receive their views on this point. . . . God revealed
these errors to me in vision, and sent me to his erring children to
declare them; but many of them wholly rejected the message, and charged me
with conforming to the world. On the other hand, the nominal Adventists
charged me with fanaticism, and I was falsely, and by some wickedly,
represented as being the leader of the fanaticism that I was actually
laboring to do away.”16
Of this we shall learn more fully in the succeeding chapter.
16 Early
Writings, page 72.
214
14. THE SHUT
DOOR
“WHILE they went to buy,
the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the
marriage: and the door was shut.”1
The coming of the
Bridegroom introduced in this parable is not the coming of Christ to the
earth, but to the marriage. The marriage is an event that takes place
before the Lord’s coming. It is expressed in the Gospel recorded by Luke
thus: “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye
yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return
from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately.”2
Receiving a Kingdom Called a Marriage
The coming of the
Bridegroom to the marriage is represented in Dan. 7:13, 14, where Christ
comes to the Father to receive his kingdom. In ancient times the coming
of a king to his capital city to receive his throne and kingdom was called
a marriage. This event -the receiving of the capital city as the
bride-was celebrated with the pomp and show of a real marriage. So when
Christ receives from the Father in heaven his kingdom, he is said to be
married to his bride -the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9); and this is called in
the parable “the marriage.”
After the close of the
twenty-three hundred days, Oct. 22, 1844, the Advent people, who compared
events in their experience with the facts connected with an Eastern
marriage, said, “Christ has gone in to the marriage.” As they received
1 Matt.
25:10.
2 Luke 12:35,
36.
215
clearer light on the
nature of the event to take place at the end of the twenty-three hundred
days, their faith followed Christ in the work upon which he had entered;
so by faith, they “went in with him to the marriage.”
“I
Will Return”
In a view given Miss
Harmon, in 1845, of Christ passing from the first to the second apartment
of the heavenly sanctuary, we find these words: “ ‘Wait here; I going to
my Father to receive the kingdom; keep your garments spotless, and in a
little while I will return from the wedding and receive you unto myself.’
Then a cloudy chariot, with wheels like flaming fire, surrounded by
angels, came where Jesus was. He stepped into the chariot, and was borne
to the holiest, where the Father sat.”3
Mercy After the Door is Closed
The shut door of this
parable seems to have reference to an event that occurs before the actual
coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven; for after the door is
shut, the other virgins come and knock, and are told to “watch” because
they know not the day nor the hour of his coming. Again, this door is
shut after the wise virgins go in with the Bridegroom to the marriage.
It would seem from the
language used in this parable of the virgins that after the going in to
the marriage there is still opportunity for even the “foolish” virgins to
make an acceptable preparation to meet the Bridegroom. They are commanded
to “watch.” Watching and waiting are features connected with the true
preparation to meet the Lord. It would appear, therefore, that mercy is
not withdrawn when the door in this parable is closed.
Not
the Door of Luke 13:25-28
In the past, errors have
been made in confounding the door spoken of in this parable with the door
mentioned in
3 Early
Writings, page 55.
216
Luke 13:25-28, which
reads, “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to
the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying,
Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you
not whence ye are. . . . Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you
yourselves thrust out.” It is very evident from the above language that
when this door is shut, the fate of those shut out is decided. The
kingdom of God has then come; for they shall see the saved in the
kingdom. On the contrary, in the parable of the virgins the Lord has not
yet come into his kingdom, but has gone to his Father to receive his
kingdom.
A
Closed Door in the Typical Service
Those who by faith
followed Christ in his work, after the close of the period of twenty-three
hundred days-Oct. 22, 1844-saw that when the day of atonement came in the
typical service the high priest closed the door of the outer apartment and
opened the door into the holy of holies, there to perform his work of
blotting out the sins confessed in the sanctuary; and that even so Christ,
our high priest, had closed the door of the outer apartment of the
heavenly temple, and opened that apartment in which was seen “the ark of
his testament.”4
Who
Were in Error?
At this date there were
those among the Adventist believers who had not yet received clear light
on the sanctuary service of Christ, their attention not yet having been
called to the third angel’s message. These erred in confounding this
outer door of the sanctuary with the shut door in Luke 13:25-28. However,
these were not Seventh-day Adventists. But who they were, and how that
doctrine originated, and what circumstances led to such conclusions, we
shall endeavor to show.
4 Rev. 11:19.
217
The people who had
separated themselves from the nominal churches under the proclamation of
the advent message, as well as those from whom they had thus separated,
are addressed in the testimony to the fifth and sixth of the seven
churches of the Revelation. The admonition to the fifth, the Sardis,
church reads, “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and
hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on
thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”5 From
this language it is evident that the persons thus addressed had heard the
proclamation of the Lord’s coming. They had professedly received it, but
were now about to renounce the same.
The
Philadelphia Church
The Philadelphia church,
the sixth state of the gospel church, is next mentioned. This church
represents the people who had been brought out under the proclamation of
the first and second messages of Revelation 14. To this church the Lord
says, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown.”6 They
are still further addressed in the following words: “These things saith he
that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that
openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth: I know thy
works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut
it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not
denied my name.”7
What is the Shut Door of this Parable?
What is to be understood
by the open and shut door in the scripture just quoted? We think a
satisfactory answer to the question may be found in the accompanying
explanation: While there were those among the Adventists who had received
advanced light, and were teaching that the Saviour had changed his service
from the first to the second apartment
5 Rev. 3:3.
6 Rev. 3:11.
7 Rev. 3:7,
8.
218 of the heavenly
sanctuary, and were correctly presenting the open and shut door question
to those who would hear, another class opposed this truth, and were trying
to establish faith in the doctrine that the open door was closed, and the
closed door open. In doing this they were hedging up the way, or
hindering the work, of the Lord’s servants here on earth. The doors of the
heavenly sanctuary are opened and closed by the power of Christ "He that
openeth, and no man shutteth.” In the address to the Philadelphia church,
the people who hold fast, keep the word, and do not deny his name, gain a
victory that opens a door that no man can shut. This undoubtedly refers
to the door of access to the people, which door men, seemingly (as we
shall see), had effectively shut; but as a recognition of their
steadfastness, the Lord sets before the faithful an “open door” that no
man can shut.
A
Door of Utterance
Many instances are given
in the Scriptures in which a door is used in this sense. Paul, in writing
to the Corinthians, says, “A great door and effectual is opened unto me,
and there are many adversaries.”8
Again, in his second letter to the Corinthians, he says, “When I came to
Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the
Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother.”9
He also made request of the Colossians on this wise: “Continue in prayer,
and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that
God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of
Christ, for which I am also in bonds.”10
From these scriptures it
appears that openings for the proclamation of the truth are called open
doors; and from the words spoken to the Philadelphia church it would seem
that at the time this people were called out, men were making strenuous
efforts to close the door of utterance against them. As the Philadelphia
church passed through the trial, holding fast to his “word” and “name,”
the word of the Lord to
8 1 Cor.
16:9.
9 2 Cor.
2:12, 13.
10 Col. 4:2,
3.
219
them was, that he would
place before them an open door that no man could shut.
The
Situation after Oct. 22, 1844
Having the case before us
as stated in the words of prophecy, let us take a retrospective view of
the situation as events developed. As has already been presented, down to
April, 1844, churches were opened to the proclamation of the advent
message, the calls for laborers being more numerous than could be supplied
by the living preachers. After the disappointment, in the spring of 1844,
those who had not in sincerity embraced the doctrine, turned to opposing
it. When, in the summer of 1844, as the second angel’s message of
Revelation 14 and the “midnight cry” (Matthew 25) were given, there arose
the most bitter persecution of those who still dared affirm their faith in
the near coming of the Lord. These opponents sought by various means to
suppress the subject, and in every way possible to hinder the work of
those who still proclaimed “the hour of his judgement is come.” William
Miller said of this opposition, “It is the most unnatural and
unaccountable.” So determined was the opposition near the close of the
twenty-three hundred days that Geo. Storrs said of it, “We have done with
the nominal churches and all the wicked, except so far as this cry may
affect them.”
After the close of the
period, as the opposition and scoffing from the wicked was doubly and
trebly intensified, William Miller said of the situation, “We have done
our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awake a formal church. God
in his providence has shut the door.”11
The
General Hardness of Sinners
This course of the
scoffing world not only hardened sinners against the advent doctrine, but
the testimony of those in the nominal churches was this: “When we call to
mind how ‘few and far between’ cases of true conversion are, and the
almost unparalleled impertinence and hardness of sinners,
11 Advent
Herald, Dec. 11, 1844.
220
we almost involuntarily
exclaim, ‘Has God forgotten to be gracious? or is the door of mercy
closed?’ “12
From another worker we
read still further of the situation after the close of the prophetic
period: “It was then next to impossible to obtain access to unbelievers,
the disappointment in 1844 had so confused the minds of many, and they
would not listen to any explanation of the matter.”13
All Doors of Access to
Unbelievers Closed
Such a condition seemed,
for the time being, to shut the door of access to any but those who still
held fast their faith and hope in the soon coming of Christ. As the door
of utterance appeared so completely closed, and the Adventist people saw
that there was a shut door in the parable applying to their experience, it
can be readily seen how they arrived at the conclusion that there was no
more mercy for sinners: or, as some expressed it, that “the door of mercy
was closed,” especially if they thought the shut door in this parable and
the shut door in Luke 13 were the same. If the people utterly refused to
hear, thus hardening the heart, how could they be converted?
Who
First Taught the False Shut Door?
The question now arises,
Who began the teaching of the doctrine of “no mercy for sinners”? who
believed it? and who rejected it? As an answer to the first question, we
will call attention to the report of a visit made by J. V. Himes in the
spring of 1845, to the State of Maine. He says:-
“Brother Joseph Turner and
others took the ground that we were in the great Sabbath-that the six
thousand years had ended-consequently no Adventist should perform any more
manual labor. To do so would surely, in their estimation, result in their
final destruction.
“While waiting in this
position of idleness as to worldly manual labor, a new light, as it was
thought,
12
Circleville,
Ohio, Religious Telescope, 1844. 13 Mrs. E. G. White, in Advent Review,
Nov. 20, 1883.
221
shone upon Brother
Turner’s mind, viz., that the Bridegroom HAD COME-that he came on the
tenth day of the seventh month of the Jewish year last past -that the
marriage then took place-that all the virgins then, in some sense, went in
with him to the marriage, and the door was shut!-none of these could be
lost, and none without could be saved. Thus all the spiritual affairs of
this mighty globe were finished.”14
Who
Stoutly Opposed the False Theory?
Elder Turner began
teaching his “no-more-mercy” doctrine in Paris, Maine, and for a little
time had quite a following in that section of country. As there was such
a complete shut door of access to the people outside of Adventists,
whether professor or nonprofessor, many quite naturally drifted into
Turner’s view of the subject.
Lest the term Adventists
should be misunderstood, we will hereafter speak of this people as
First-day Adventists; and it was many of this class that were accepting
Mr. Turner’s views. They had not as yet seen or heard the Sabbath truth,
neither had they heard of the third angel’s message. It is of these that
Mrs. White speaks thus in one of her publications:-
“After the passing of the
time of expectation in 1844, Adventists still believed the Saviour’s
coming to be very near; they held that they had reached an important
crisis, and that the work of Christ as man’s intercessor before God had
ceased. Having given the warning of the judgment near, they felt that
their work for the world was done, and they lost their burden of soul for
the salvation of sinners, while the bold, blasphemous scoffing of the
ungodly seemed to them another evidence that the Spirit of God had been
withdrawn from the rejecters of his mercy. All this confirmed them in the
belief that probation had ended, or, as they expressed it, ‘the door of
mercy was shut.’ As has been stated, Adventists were for a short time
united in the belief that the door of mercy was shut.”15
14
Elder
Hime’s report of labors in Maine, in the Morning Watch, New York City,
June 6, 1845.
15
“Spiritual Gifts,” Vol IV, page 271.
222
In this quotation Mrs.
White states the position taken by the First-day Adventists. She does not
even intimate that she believed it. As shown above, the doctrine was
first taught by Joseph Turner, at Paris, Maine. Mrs. White (then Miss
Harmon) met Joseph Turner at the above-named place in the early spring of
1845, and heard him declare his doctrine of “no more manual labor for
Adventists, and no more mercy for sinners,” and plainly told him he was
“teaching a false doctrine; that there was still mercy for sinners, and
for those who had not understandingly rejected the truth.”
Opposed to the “No-Mercy” Theory
J. N. Andrews, who resided
in Paris, Maine, in 1844 and 1845, and who was fully conversant with the
course of the people there, as well as with that of Joseph Turner, who
taught that there was no more mercy for sinners, says of Miss Harmon’s
position on the subject at that time, “Instead of the visions’ leading
them to adopt this view, it corrected those upon it who still held to it.”16
Miss Harmon made a second
visit to Paris, Maine, in the summer of 1845. Concerning this visit I will
quote from Mrs. Truesdail, who then resided in Paris. She says:-
“During Miss Harmon’s
visit in Paris, Maine, in the summer of 1845, I stated to her the
particulars concerning a dear friend of mine whose father had deprived her
of attending our meetings, consequently she had not rejected light. She
smilingly replied, ‘God has never shown me that there is no salvation for
such persons. It is those only who have had the light of truth presented
to them and knowingly rejected it.’ “17
She also speaks respecting
a third visit of Miss Harmon to Paris, in 1846, as follows:-
Another Reproof of the False Theory
“Another occasion worthy
of mention was a vision given in 1846, in Paris, Maine. Miss Harmon was
shown that when
16 Letter of
J. N. Andrews, September, 1874. 17 Mrs. Truesdail’s Letter of Aug. 17,
1875.
223
Satan could not prevent
the honest-hearted from doing their whole duty, he would exert his skill
in pushing them beyond duty. One good sister had been telling the
churches that God had rejected them because they had rejected the message
sent from heaven to save them. Sister Harmon was shown that there was no
truth in her message, as there were many in the churches who would yet
embrace the truth; that the good angels would yet go to work for souls in
those churches, and when they did thus, they [the angels] would leave this
sister, with her message [meaning her “no-mercy” message], outside the
door.”18
No
Contradiction
As there are those who are
very zealous in trying to prove that Mrs. White once taught the theory of
“no more mercy for sinners,” but now teaches the contrary, I will present
testimonials from those acquainted with her work from 1845, respecting her
labors for the conversion of sinners. The following is a statement from
Ira Abbey, of Brookfield, Madison County, State of New York:-
“Between the years 1846
and 1850, Brother and Sister White came to our house, and were very
zealous for the children and those that had not rejected the truth. They
labored for unconverted souls, and never do I remember of hearing Sister
White say that there was no hope of the backsliders and those that had not
rejected the truth.”19
First-day Adventist Testimony
As to what the First-day
Adventists of New England know about the extreme shut door doctrine, let
the following letter testify:-
“August 5 to 9, 1891, I
held a debate with Elder Miles Grant, at Brookston, a city of about 30,000
inhabitants. The debate was in the large tent, and was presided over by
Mr. John Barbour, once president of the city council. This city
18 Mrs.
Truesdail’s letter of Jan. 27, 1891.
19
Letter
of Ira Abbey, March, 1885, quoted in Review and Herald of April 7, 1885.
224
is about twenty miles from
Boston. The debate was on the Sabbath question, but Mr. Grant tried to
drag into the debate the matter of Sister White’s experience in this work.
He charged that ‘she was shown, way back in 1844, that probation was
passed, and there was no more mercy for sinners.’ “
“In reply, I told him that
the First-day Adventists took that position, nearly all of them, at one
time, before we separated from them, and that instead of Mrs. White’s
favoring the position at all, one of the first things she was shown was
that that position was ‘false,’ and that there was still mercy for
sinners. I said, ‘This is so, and Elder Grant knows that it is so.’ As I
said this, numbers of the First-day Adventists people before me [that
class constituted quite a portion of the large tent full] nodded their
heads in emphatic and positive assent to the statement. Suffice it to say
that Elder Grant did not mention that point again in the debate.”
Signed “Geo. E. Fifield,
South Lancaster, Mass., Dec. 6, 1895.”
Mrs. White Ever Seeking the Salvation of Sinners
That Mrs. White has
labored for the conversion of sinners from 1844 to the present time, is
further proved by these facts: She and Elder White held a meeting in
Albert Belden’s house, at Rocky Hill, Conn., commencing April 20, 1848.
In this meeting labor was put forth for some from the world. Elder White
and his wife manifested special interest for such souls. On this point we
will give the testimony of one of this class who received baptism at the
hands of Elder White. John Y. Wilcox, writing from Kensington, Conn.,
Feb. 22, 1891, says:-
“I was brought into the
truth at the time meetings were held in the unfinished chamber of Brother
A. Belden’s house, Rocky Hill, Conn. My receiving the light of present
truth was under the labors of Brother and Sister White. I was baptized
soon after by Brother White. But for the encouragement and strength I
received from them I don’t know as I
225
would ever have dared to
think or feel that I was accepted of the Lord. They were deeply
interested for me, and labored to help me.”
Elder White said of that
meeting in a letter to Stockbridge Howland, Topsham, Maine, “Brother Bates
presented the commandments in a very clear light, and their importance was
urged home by very powerful testimonies. The word had effect to establish
those already in the truth, and to awaken those not fully decided.”
Labor for Sinners in Oswego, N.Y.
In 1849 Elder James White
and his wife labored in Oswego, N.Y. In those meetings Hiram Patch and a
Miss Benson, who were engaged to be married, were converted to God and the
present truth.
In March, 1850, meetings
were again held in Oswego. In the Present Truth for April, Elder White,
in speaking of those meetings, said: “A very interesting work is now
going on among the children of the remnant in this city. Their salvation
has been the principal subject in our meetings for the last two Sabbaths,
and God has wonderfully blessed us. The truth has had a good effect upon
us as well as upon our children. In the evening following the last first
day, we had a meeting for their special benefit, and the Spirit of the
Lord was poured out in our midst. The children all bowed before the Lord,
and seemed to feel the importance of keeping the commandments, especially
the fifth, and seeking salvation through Jesus Christ. This was one of the
most interesting meetings that I ever witnessed.”
In the Present Truth of
November, 1849, Elder White published an account of a number who were
converted and baptized; and in the last number of this paper in 1850 there
is an account of a meeting held at Waitsfield, Vt., and of the attendance
of Heman Churchill, who had just been converted from the world. He is
spoken of in the article as “brother.” How could that be if there was no
more mercy for sinners?
226
Testimony of Twenty-one Witnesses
In this connection we give
a testimonial signed, in 1888, by twenty-one individuals, each of whom was
in the advent movement in the year 1844, and was conversant with the rise
of the third angel’s message. All were in the message prior to 1851, most
of them having been connected with the Seventh-day Adventists almost from
the rise of the message:-
“We, the undersigned,
having been well acquainted with the advent movement in 1844 at the
passing of the time, and having also embraced the truth of the third
angel’s message as early as 1850, hereby cheerfully subscribe our names to
the following statement concerning the shut-door doctrine held by
believers in the third angel’s message from the time of its rise to the
last mentioned date, and onward.
“They believed, in harmony
with Rev. 3:7, 8 and other scriptures, that at the close of the
twenty-three hundred days of Dan. 8:14, Christ closed his work in the
first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, and changed his ministration to
the most holy, and entered upon the work of the judgment, changing his
relation in this respect to the plan of salvation. Here was a door opened
and a door shut.
“They believed that those
who had the clear light upon the first angel’s message, and turned against
it, bitterly opposing it, were rejected of God. But they did not believe
that those who had not had the light or those who had not come to years of
accountability previous to 1844, if they should seek God with honest
hearts, would be rejected.
“While they believed with
William Miller and the great mass of Adventists immediately after the
passing of the time, that their work for the world was done, and that the
Lord would come very soon, yet after the light upon the sanctuary and the
third message explained their disappointment, they did not believe that
mercy was past save for those who had rejected the light.”
227
Signed, “J. B. Sweet,
South Saginaw, Mich.; Samuel Martin, Westrindge, N.H.; Ira Abbey, North
Brookfield, N.Y.; Mrs. R. B. Abbey, North Brookfield, N.Y.; Mrs. Diana
Abbey, North Brookfield, N.Y.; Mrs. L. B. Abbey, North Brookfield, N.Y.;
Heman S. Guerney, Memphis, Mich.; Ann E. Guerney, Memphis, Mich.;
William Gifford, Memphis, Mich.; Mrs. Mary S. Chase, Battle Creek, Mich.;
S. M. Howland, Battle Creek, Mich.; Mrs. F. H. Lunt, Battle Creek,
Mich.; Mrs. Melora A. Ashley, Battle Creek, Mich.; Mrs. Caroline A.
Dodge, Battle Creek, Mich.; Mrs. Sarah B. Whipple, Battle Creek, Mich.;
Mrs. Uriah Smith, Battle Creek, Mich.; Mrs. Paulina R. Heligass, Moline,
Kan.; R. G. Lockwood, St. Helena, Cal.; Mrs. R. G. Lockwood, St. Helena,
Cal.; Reuben Loveland, North Hyde Park, Vt.; Mrs. Belinda Loveland, North
Hyde Park, Vt.”
A
Vision Misconstrued
An effort has been made to
construe a vision given to Mrs. White, at Topsham, Maine, March 24, 1849,
as teaching this erroneous doctrine-no more mercy for sinners. This view
was given just as the “Rochester knockings” (Spiritualism) was being
introduced. Mrs. White saw that the mysterious signs and wonders and false
reformations would increase and spread. These reformations were not
reformations from error to truth (she did not say there would never be
such reformations, but that the kind shown her where they were using human
influence were such), but from bad to worse; for those who professed a
change of heart had only wrapped about them a religious garb which covered
up the iniquity of a wicked heart. Some appeared to be really converted,
thus being enabled to deceive God’s people; but if their hearts could have
been seen, they would have appeared as black as ever.
She then said: “My
accompanying angel bade me look for the travail of soul for sinners as
used to be. I looked,
228
but could not see it; for
the time of their salvation is past.”20
The claim has been made
that this vision taught that there was no more mercy for sinners, but we
ask, How could that be when she had opposed that doctrine from the very
time Joseph Turner first taught it in the spring of 1845, and had all the
way along been laboring earnestly for the conversion and salvation of
sinners?
In Supplement to
Experience and Views, published in 1853, Mrs. White says, “The ‘false
reformations’ referred to are yet to be more fully seen. This view
relates more particularly to those who have heard and rejected the light
of the advent doctrine. They are given over to strong delusions. Such
will not have the ‘travail of soul for sinners’ as formerly.”21
Opponents claim to know
more about what Mrs. White was viewing in this vision than she herself
did. Let us examine it a moment in connection with their version of it;
viz., that she was viewing the condition of sinners instead of the
revivalists. So she looked at the sinners to find a “travail of soul for
sinners, but could not see it.” Who ever found a travail of soul for
sinners by simply looking at the sinner? But, we inquire, what about the
persons mentioned in the above testimony who were simply using human
influence and mesmerism to gain converts, and calling it the work of the
Spirit of God? Are these opponents, who were so anxious to show that Mrs.
White taught the extreme “shut door” theory, ready to admit that these
revivalists were holy people, and gaining genuine converts?
It is evident to every
candid mind that the class of persons addressed in this connection were
those who professed to have this travail of soul, while they had rejected
light and truth, and were using mesmerism to gain converts. Such could
not have a genuine travail of soul for sinners when they
20
Early
Writings, page 45.
21 Early
Writings, page 45, see footnote Number 1.
229
themselves were subjects
of damnation; for “the time of their [their own] salvation is passed.”
From Mrs. White’s vision
of March 24, 1849, some persons have tried to draw the conclusion that it
taught that there was no more mercy for sinners; but we have already shown
that in 1845, in Paris, Maine, she taught that there was mercy for all who
had not knowingly and understandingly rejected light and truth. In a
vision given in the same place in 1846, it was shown that the Lord had a
“people in the churches who had not rejected the truth.” To those
individuals who thought differently, a reproof was given, saying that
angels of God would yet work for such, and when they did work, those who
were denouncing them would be left outside.
Again, in April, 1848,
Elder White and his wife were laboring at Rocky Hill, Conn., for the
conversion of sinners. All of which goes to prove that the vision of March
24, 1849, harmonizes with the one given in Paris, Maine, in 1846, and with
the course pursued by these servants of God in April, 1848.
A
False Revivalist Defeated
This vision was first
published in Connecticut, in the year 1849. A minister was working very
earnestly there to secure converts, even professing to have the gift of
tongues. He was striving to gain an influence over the little company of
Sabbath-keepers at Rocky Hill. One of these he called a “dear saint of the
Lord,” In his presence Mrs. White had a vision showing the deceptive
nature of his work, and that his “dear saint” was taking a course not in
harmony with the seventh commandment. This lady “saint” denied the
charge, and the minister made a strong plea, seeking to gain sympathy for
the “poor saint of the Lord,” as he called her. In the night following,
this young woman had an attack of cholera morbus, and thought she was
going to die. She sent
230
for Mrs. White, and
confessed that what had been shown concerning her was true; that she was
guilty of just what Mrs. White had stated. So this false worker failed in
deceiving that company, and the nature of his work was exposed, which
suddenly closed his efforts in that place.
Another False Revivalist in Oswego, N.Y.
As a further illustration
of the principle set forth in the above testimony, and to show how Elder
White and his wife still labored in 1849-50 for the conversion of sinners,
we give the following facts, which were related to me by Elias Goodwin and
others of the early members of the church in Oswego, State of New York:-
There was then (1849)
residing in the place a young man by the name of Hiram Patch. He was
betrothed to a young lady to whom he was soon afterward married. They
were unconverted persons, but were attending the meeting held by Elder
White and his wife, and were almost persuaded to become Christians. At
this time a revival was started in one of the churches in Oswego, not by
the ministry, but by a prominent lay member, a treasurer of the county
funds. This man appeared very zealous, and professed to have a great
burden for sinners. He would wring his hands as he prayed for the
unconverted, being apparently in the greatest distress because of their
lost condition.
Mr. Patch and his
affianced went to these revival meetings, and were in doubt how to decide.
They were present on one occasion when Mrs. White had a vision in which
she was pointed to Hosea 5:6, 7, which reads, “They shall go with their
flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him;
he hath withdrawn himself from them. They have dealt treacherously
against the Lord; for they have begotten strange children: now shall a
month devour them with their portions.” She was shown that those who were
conducting this revival were not right with God, and that they had no real
burden of soul for sinners.
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A
Prediction of Failure
Then she said to Mr.
Patch, “I was told to say to you that in this case the statement of the
text will be literally fulfilled. Wait a month, and you will know for
yourself the character of the persons who are engaged in the revival, and
who profess to have such a great burden for sinners.” Mr. Patch said, “I
will wait.”
Within a fortnight from
the time this vision was given, the said treasurer, who claimed such
anguish of soul for sinners, in his affected agony burst a blood-vessel in
his stomach, and had to be taken to his bed through loss of blood. The
affairs of the treasurer’s office had to be taken hold of by the sheriff
of the county, who with one of the constables looked at the balance called
for on the treasurer’s book, and then counted up the money preparatory to
taking charge of the business, when, lo, there was a shortage in the money
to the amount of an even $1,000.
To the sheriff and
constable it seemed impossible that a man so earnest in a revival could be
guilty of having taken the money. They thought he must have paid it out,
and forgotten to make the proper entry on the book; or perhaps he had
deposited it in the bank, and it did not appear in the account in the
safe. At all events, they must seek of him a satisfactory explanation,
but it must be done with caution; for if he had the money, he would
undoubtedly make an effort to conceal it. It was therefore arranged that
one of them should go on before and secrete himself in the shed back of
the house, so as to watch the back door in case any demonstrations were
made, while the sheriff should enter the front door. When the sheriff
approached the house and entered the front door, he discovered the dress
of a woman just leaving the back door. The man in the shed saw the woman
go quickly to a snow-bank, dig a hole in the snow, and deposit something
there, which she covered with the snow, and returned to the house.
232
The sheriff came to the
bedside of the treasurer, and after making inquiries as to his condition
of health, hinted at their perplexities in the office, suggesting that he
could probably explain the difficulty. The man, greatly agitated, raised
his hand toward heaven, and calling God to witness, said he knew nothing
about the money. Just then the wife stepped in, and wanted to know what
was the matter, and why her husband was so much excited. The man replied,
“They think we have their money.” The woman then lifted her hands in like
manner, and called God to witness that they had not the money, and,
furthermore, knew nothing about it. Just as she finished this sentence,
the constable, who had hastened from his hiding-place to the snow-bank as
she went into the house interfered, with these words, “Madam, what is
this? I saw you rush from the house, and deposit this in the snow-bank,
and here it is, the missing sack of money, marked upon it $1,000.”
As might be expected, that
revival suddenly collapsed. Mr. Patch and his intended, after learning
the character of the one conducting the revival, took their position for
the truth, and united with the Seventh-day Adventists, of which church
they remained worthy members to the day of their death.
This vision, as is clearly
seen, was given in the interest and for the special benefit of the
unconverted, and resulted in the conversion of sinners, while its
immediate bearing was upon those who were themselves sinners and rejected
of the Lord because of their hypocrisy. They had “dealt treacherously
against the Lord;” professing to have great travail of soul for sinners,
they only begat “strange children.”
A
Hypocritical Worker in Camden, N.Y.
Among other places visited
by Elder and Mrs. White during the winter of 1849-50, was the town of
Camden, N.Y., about forty miles from Oswego, where they were still living.
Of this meeting, Mrs. White says: “Previous
233
to going, I was shown the
little company who professed the truth there, and among them I saw a woman
who professed much piety, but who was a hypocrite, and was deceiving the
people of God.”22
In January, 1884, while
laboring in the State of New York, I learned the following particulars
from Mr. Preston, who was a resident of Camden at the time of the
above-mentioned conference, and with whom Elder White and his wife tarried
during the meeting:-
“This woman taught extreme
views on the subject of sanctification, saying there was a state of
perfection to be attained where a person would be entirely above the law
of God; and she claimed to have reached that perfect state. With this
doctrine of holiness she was troubling the minds of some of our people at
Camden. Sister White was shown that with all this woman’s pretended
holiness, her heart was black with sin, and in life she was corrupt.
“While in this place,
Sister White was given another vision, in the presence of this woman, who
appeared to have a great burden of soul for the unconverted; but Sister
White told her it was not a genuine travail of soul for sinners, because
her own course of life was such that she did not herself stand right in
the sight of God. ‘So,’ said Mr. Preston, ‘what is called the Camden
vision applied definitely and especially to the case of that woman, and
not to the condition of sinners generally, and we so understood it at the
time.’ “
After Mrs. White had
related her vision, the woman arose, and said, “God knows my heart, and if
you could see it, you would see that it is pure and clean.” Thus the
meeting closed. Not long after, however, the woman was taken seriously
ill, and thought she was dying. Said she, “I must see Sister White; I have
a confession to make to her. I told her I was a good woman, that I was
pure. It is not so. I am a wicked woman. This man that I am living with
is not my husband. I left a good husband in England, and one little
child, and ran away with this man. We were never
22
Life
Sketches, page 129.
234 married. I have been
professing to be a doctor, and have been selling medicine that I swore in
court cost me $1 a bottle, but it only cost me twelve cents a bottle. I
also swore that a cow we sold to a poor man cost us $30, when it only cost
us $20.”23
To such hypocritical
pretenders do the words of Mrs. White respecting “travail of soul for
sinners” apply, and not to sinners in general. Taking into consideration
the facts presented above, showing that the doctrine of “no more mercy”
for sinners was fully condemned from the first of its being preached in
spring of 1845; and that Mrs. White has labored earnestly for the
conversion of sinners all the way along since that date, who can believe
that in 1850, when her work entitled “Experience and Views” was published,
she meant to teach that there was “no more salvation for sinners”?
A
No-Mercy Man
Even as late as the year
1848, there remained here and there an individual who held that there was
no more mercy for sinners. These, however, were not Seventh-day
Adventists. One of this class, by the name of Sweet, resided in the city
of Rochester, N.Y. Just after I had made a public profession of religion,
and had been baptized among the First-day Adventists, I was attending a
tent meeting in Canandaigua, N.Y., conducted by Elders J. C. Bywater and
Geo. W. Burnham. This man Sweet was present, and expressed very serious
doubts as to the genuineness of my religious experience, because he
“thought it not possible now for sinners to be converted.”
23
The
account given by Mr. Preston respecting the Camden meeting confirms the
statement made in Life Sketches, pages 129-130, while it also gives the
above particulars mentioned there.
235
