“CALL to remembrance the
former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight
of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazing-stock both by
reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of
them that were so used.”1
The period of time from
the disappointment in 1844 until the clear light respecting the sanctuary
and the third angel’s message was brought out, was one of peculiar trial.
Adventists who still persisted that they were right in the past movement,
were indeed a “gazing-stock” to those who supposed the message to be an
entire failure; and for this cause they were subjects of great reproach.
This they could cheerfully endure while they held on to the Lord by faith,
and shared the presence of his Holy Spirit.
Two
Special Points of Attack
Satan had two special
points of temptation for the Adventist people. The first was to cause
those who were firm in the belief that prophetic time was ended, to
believe that Christ’s second coming was a spiritual coming, and that in
some way he made this advent at the end of the twenty-three hundred days.
The second was to induce those who were wavering with reference to their
past experience, to give it all up. So while the truth in regard to the
sanctuary and the third angel’s message was being gradually unfolded from
the Scriptures, the messages of the Spirit of God, through the gift of
prophecy,
1 Heb. 10:32,
33.
236
confirmed the past
movement, calling it “a bright light which God set up at the head of the
pathway, to shine all the way along to the city, and pointed to the
scripture evidences that the second advent of Christ is to be literal and
personal, and could not therefore be the event at the end of the “days.”
Wonderful Manifestations
Should the Lord speak to
his people by visions in these last days, would we not expect that in the
manifestation itself there would be evident tokens of the divine? These
tokens are apparent in the visions of Mrs. E. G. White. The phenomenon of
the visions themselves, as shown in Chapter XIII, is simply miraculous;
but there are many wonderful features connected with her earlier views,
which you will notice as you further peruse this work; and could we expect
it to be otherwise in a gift of this character designed of God to attract
the attention of the people, and lead them to say, like Moses, “I will
turn aside, and see this great sight”? The simple statement of a poor,
sickly, feeble girl, apparently on the brink of the grave, that the Lord
had given her a vision, would not have been enough to do this. The
wonderful manifestations connected with the visions did create an interest
in them, and a call was made for the girl to go from place to place and
relate what the Lord had bidden her to make known to others.
Remarkable Demonstrations in the Third Vision
I will here state some
facts respecting her third vision, the one given in her father’s house,
mentioned in Chapter XIII, page 212, as related to me by Mrs. White’s
father and mother, by her sister, Mrs. Sarah Belden, and others.
In the room where the
vision was given, there was lying on the bureau a very large family
Bible. It was one of an edition printed in Boston by Joseph Teale, in the
year 1822. The book is eighteen by eleven inches, four inches in
thickness, and weighs a little over eighteen pounds. While in vision, she
arose, and took this heavy Bible on her left arm, the book
237
lying open, and held it
out at right angles with her body; and then for over half an hour, with
her right hand, turned from place to place, and pointed to different texts
of Scriptures, which she repeated while her eyes were looking upward, and
in an opposite direction from the book. Her sister Sarah (afterward the
wife of Stephen Belden), or, at times, some other person present, looked
at every text to which her finger pointed, and saw clearly that in every
instance she was repeating the scripture upon which her finger was
resting. Mother Harmon said her daughter Ellen in her natural condition
“was unable, for lack of strength, to lift that heavy Bible from the
bureau; but in the vision she held it as easily, apparently, as though it
were only a pocket Testament.”
Here, indeed, was a
wonder!-a delicate girl, weighing only seventy pounds, holding a heavy
Bible for over half an hour in a position in which a strong man could not
hold it for two minutes; again, turning from place to place to texts of
Scripture which proved in every instance to be the text she repeated,
while her eyes were turned upward and in an opposite direction from the
book; and lastly, a voice emanating from a person with no movement of the
lungs or breath in the body, and repeated correctly the designated texts
of Scripture,-this surely is above the charge of being produced by human
agency, or as being the effect of disease. Those who saw it regarded it as
most clearly a manifestation of the Spirit of Him who spake from the
burning bush. Such manifestations as these in Miss Harmon’s third vision,
where known, carried convincing proof that a power more than finite was in
the visions.
The
Topsham Vision
Very soon after this
occurrence the company of Adventists at Topsham, some thirty miles
northeast of Portland, Maine, hearing of the Lord’s dealings with Miss
Ellen G. Harmon, invited her to that place. The invitation was accepted,
and thus her first visit was made to Topsham. The
238
Adventist meetings at that
time were held in the house of Mr. Curtiss. Mrs. Frances Lunt (formerly
Miss Frances Howland), of Oakland, Cal., gave me the following statement,
dated Jan. 19, 1890:-
“I, with my father’s
family, attended the meetings of Sister Harmon in Topsham, in 1845, and
during these meetings she had a vision. It was the first time we ever saw
her in vision. One of those old-fashioned Bibles [the Teale Family Bible,
weighing eighteen pounds] was owned by Brother Curtiss. This big Bible
was taken from the bureau by Sister Harmon while in vision, and texts of
Scripture were pointed out by her as she turned from leaf to leaf, while
her eyes were looking upward, and away from the book. The texts she
repeated were either words of instruction, encouragement, or reproof.
Another peculiarity of the manifestation at that time was the position of
the book. It was held on her open hand at an angle of forty-five degrees,
and no one else was able to hold any book at a similar angle without its
slipping at once from the hands; but Sister Harmon held this Bible at that
angle for several minutes, as firmly as though it was stuck to her hand,
she passing meanwhile from one to another in the room.”
Mrs. Truesdail’s Testimony
Another statement
respecting this same vision is from Mrs. M. C. Truesdail, of Trenton, Mo.,
dated Jan. 27, 1891. She says:-
“I was fifteen years old
in 1845, and was present at the time of Sister Harmon’s first visit to
Topsham, when she had the vision at the house of Brother Curtiss, where
she took up the great family Bible and held it up in a position in which
none of the others could hold a book on the hands without its slipping off
at once.
“Sister Harmon was in
vision over two hours. It was the most wonderful manifestation of the
power of God I ever witnessed, and I have seen her in vision more than one
239
dozen times. These were
always occasions of deep solemnity and self-examination, but this exceeded
them all. O! how we trembled as the Majesty of heaven instructed us
through his feeble instrument; as she read to us passages so comforting
and appropriate in our trying position; such as Heb. 2:2, 3; James 5:7, 8;
Heb. 10:35, 39; 1 Peter 1:7; Luke 12:32-37, besides many others, holding
the large family Bible so high that I was obliged to stand on a chair to
read where she was pointing. I do not think Sister Harmon was over two
inches the taller.”
Such manifestations
convinced the candid that some power more than human was controlling the
humble instrument, and calls come from various parts of New England for
her to come and deliver her testimony.
Manual Labor a Sin
Soon after this Miss
Harmon was instructed, in vision, to visit Paris, Maine, where were
individuals who believed it a sin to follow manual labor. Elder Stephens,
of Woodstock, Maine, was the leader in this error, and exerted a strong
influence over others. He had previously been a Methodist preacher, and
was considered a humble, faithful Christian. He had won the confidence of
many by his zeal for the truth, and his apparently holy living, which
caused some to believe him specially directed of God. The Lord gave Miss
Harmon a reproof for him. She stated that he was going contrary to the
word of God in abstaining from labor, in urging his errors upon others,
and in denouncing all who did not receive them. He rejected all the
evidences which the Lord gave to convince him of his error, and refused to
acknowledge his wrongs. He followed impressions, and went weary journeys,
walking great distances, where he would only receive abuse, and considered
that in all this he was suffering for Christ’s sake. His reason and
judgment were laid aside.
Concerning the testimony
of Miss Harmon and the outcome of the case, I will quote from a letter
received from
240
Mrs. M. C. Truesdail, who
then resided in Paris, Maine. After giving some particulars in harmony
with the above, she says:-
“Confessions came from all
except their leader, Jesse Stephens. Sister Harmon warned him that unless
he humbled himself by confessing his errors, he would soon end his career.
All understood this to be a prediction that he would in some way commit
suicide.”
The following is the
sequel in his case:-
“After his little flock
left him, he became melancholy, and soon after lost his reason, refusing
to eat anything cooked by the wicked. He had not heard of my return from
Massachusetts when I carried him his dinner. He inquired, as he reached
out his skeleton hand through a small opening in a window, ‘Did God send
you with this, Sister Marion?’ Noticing my hesitating reply, he refused
to taste it. His pitiful condition, confined in a small room at his
brother’s (an unbeliever), reminded me of the warning which had been so
kindly sent him from heaven, and which he so stubbornly rejected. He was
taken to his family two days after this sad visit, where he soon ended his
life by suicide, making a rope of his bedclothes.”2
A
Prediction Fulfilled
In the summer of 1845, by
invitation of Otis Nichols, Miss Harmon visited Massachusetts, her sister
Sarah accompanying her. They made their home with the family of Mr.
Nichols. He and his wife would go with their carriage, and take them to
different places to hold meetings, where Miss Harmon delivered her
testimonies. Thus she was able to visit Boston, Roxbury, and Carver. At
the time of their second visit to Boston, Mass., a very interesting
incident occurred.
There was in Boston and
vicinity a company of fanatical persons who also held that it was a sin to
labor, their principal message being, “Sell that ye have, and give
alms.”
2
From
Mrs. M. C. Truesdail’s letter, Jan. 27, 1891.
241
They said they were in the
jubilee, that the land should rest, and that the poor must be supported
without labor. Sargent, Robbins, and some others were leaders. They
denounced the visions as being of the devil, because their own errors had
been shown. They were severe upon all who did not believe with them.
While Miss Harmon and her
sister were visiting at the house of Mr. Nichols, Sargent and Robbins came
from Boston to obtain a favor of him, and said they had come to have a
visit, and to tarry over night with him. Mr. Nichols replied that he was
glad they had come, for Misses Sarah and Ellen Harmon were in the house,
and he wished them to become acquainted with them. They changed their
minds at once, and could not be persuaded to come into the house. Mr.
Nichols asked if Ellen could relate her message in Boston, and if they
would hear, and then judge. “Yes,” said they, “come into Boston next
Sabbath [meaning Sunday, as they had not yet received the Sabbath]; we
would like the privilege of hearing her.”
Mr. Nichols related this
to me at his house, in Dorchester, in 1858. He said that he had made all
his calculations to go to Boston on Sabbath morning with his carriage to
take Miss Harmon to the proposed meeting. That evening, during family
prayers, she was taken off in vision. After coming out of it, she said,
“Brother Nichols, I am not going to Boston to-morrow; the Lord has shown
me that I must go to Randolph. He has a work for me to do there.” Mr.
Nichols had a great regard for his word. He had promised to take her to
Boston the next day, and he anxiously inquired, “What shall I do with my
word to Sargent and Robbins?” “Never mind that,” said Miss Harmon, “the
Lord has bidden me go the other way.” “Well,” said Mr. Nichols, “I do
not understand it.” “The Lord showed me that we would understand it when
we get there,” said Miss Harmon. “Well,” said Mr. Nichols, “there is no
way for you to get there unless we go and take you, but I do not know how
I will explain
242
matters to the brethren in
Boston.” Mr. Nichols further stated to me that “Sister Harmon saw their
hypocrisy in the vision, that there would be no meeting in Boston on the
Sabbath, that Sargent, Robbins, and others opposed would meet with the
large company at Randolph (thirteen miles from Boston) on the Sabbath; and
that we must meet the opposers at Randolph, at their meeting on the
Sabbath, and there she would have a message given her for them, which
would convince the honest, the unprejudiced ones, whether her vision were
of the Lord or from Satan.” Instead of going to Boston and then to
Randolph, making a distance of twenty-two miles, they went direct to
Randolph, arriving there about meeting time. There they found the very
ones who had agreed to meet them in Boston. Mr. Nichols then said, “I
understand it now.”
This effort of Sargent and
Robbins to evade Miss Harmon’s testimony, and the manner in which she was
directed so as to meet them, had great influence on the minds of some who
were present. Of the meeting itself, I will quote the account as given by
Mr. Nichols:-
Remarkable Demonstrations
“Sister Ellen was taken
off in vision with extraordinary manifestations, and continued talking in
vision with a clear voice, which could be distinctly understood by all
present, until about sundown. Sargent, Robbins, and French were much
exasperated, as well as excited, to hear Sister Ellen talk in vision,
which they declared was of the devil; they exhausted all their influence
and bodily strength to destroy the effect of the vision. They would unite
in singing very loud, and then alternately would talk and read from the
Bible in a loud voice, in order that Ellen might not be heard, until their
strength was exhausted, and their hands would shake so they could not read
from the Bible, but amidst all this confusion and noise, Ellen’s clear and
shrill voice, as she talked in vision, was distinctly heard by all
present. The
243
opposition of these men
continued as long as they could talk and sing, notwithstanding some of
their own friends rebuked them, and requested them to stop. But said
Robbins, ‘You are bowed to an idol: you are worshiping a golden calf.’
“Mr. Thayer, the owner of
the house, was not fully satisfied that her vision was of the devil, as
Robbins declared it to be. He wanted it tested in some way. He had heard
that visions of Satanic power were arrested by opening the Bible and
laying it on the person in vision, and asked Sargent if he would test it
in that way, which he declined to do. Then Mr. Thayer took a heavy, large
quarto family Bible which was lying on the table, and seldom used, opened
it, and laid it open upon the breast of Ellen while in vision, as she was
then inclined backward against the wall in the corner of the room.
Immediately after the Bible was laid upon her, she arose upon her feet,
and walked into the middle of the room, with the Bible open in one hand,
and lifted up as high as she could reach, and with her eyes steadily
looking upward, declared in a solemn manner, ‘The inspired testimony from
God,’ or words of the same import. And then, while the Bible was extended
in one hand, and her eyes looking upward, and not on the Bible, she
continued for a long time to turn over the leaves with her other hand, and
place her finger upon certain passages, and correctly utter their words
with a solemn voice. Many present looked at the passages where her finger
was pointed, to see if she spoke them correctly, for her eyes at the same
time were looking upward. Some of the passages referred to were judgments
against the wicked and blasphemers; and others were admonitions and
instructions relative to our present condition.
Her
Longest Vision, over Six Hours
“In this state she
continued all the afternoon until near sunset, when she came out of
vision. When Ellen arose in vision upon her feet, with the heavy open
Bible in her hand,
244
and walked the room,
uttering the passage of Scripture, Sargent, Robbins, and French were
silenced. For the remainder of the time they were troubled, with many
others; but they shut their eyes, and braved it out without making any
acknowledgment of their feelings.”3
Miss Harmon’s Marriage
August 30, 1846, Miss E.
G. Harmon and Elder James White were united in marriage, and together they
labored for the advancement of the message. During the year 1847 their
labors were mostly confined to Maine and Massachusetts.
The first Sabbath in
April, there was given to Mrs. White a most interesting view, at the home
of Stockbridge Howland, Topsham, where the meetings were then usually
held. This vision is the one mentioned in Early Writings, where she had a
view of the sanctuary and its furniture, the time of trouble, the saints
fleeing from the cities, the wicked surrounding them, their deliverance at
the voice of God, the jubilee, the Lord’s coming in the cloudy chariot,
etc. It may be well to notice some of her movements while in this vision.
Many Bibles Used in a Vision
Mrs. Frances Lunt
(daughter of S. Howland), on the 19th of January, 1890, said to me: “There
was at the side of the room where the meetings were held, a table upon
which were a number of books of various kinds, among which were several
Bibles of ordinary size. While in vision, Mrs. White rose to her feet,
went to the table, picked up a Bible without touching another book, and
holding it open above her head with her left hand, with the index finger
of the right hand pointed to the text of Scripture she was repeating as
she stood before the person for whom it was designed, and then placed the
open book on the chest of the person before whom she repeated the
scripture. Returning to the table, she took another Bible, and in the
same manner repeated another text of Scripture and placed the open Bible
on the chest of the individual she was addressing. This act was repeated
to about half a dozen persons; after which in a graceful manner, she took
her seat in a chair, while her eyes were all the while looking upward and
away from the book.”
3 Spiritual
Gifts, Vol. 2, pages 75-79.
245
Of this Mrs. Truesdail
says: “I was present [April, 1847] when Sister White went to the table and
picked up one Bible after another from among the books that were on the
table, laying the Bible on the breast of the one for whom she had a text
of Scripture. This was done while her eyes were uplifted toward heaven.
On this occasion she held the Bible above her head while speaking to me;
and then she placed it upon my breast. The passage given me was 2 Cor.
6:17.”4
In a letter from Mrs.
Frances Lunt, she gives the names of three persons who were present on
this occasion, and on whom the Bibles were laid while Mrs. White talked to
them on the text for each, and among the names was that of Mrs. Truesdail.
First Work was among Advent Believers
The work of Miss Harmon,
under the guidance of the prophetic gift, from January, 1845, to the
spring of 1846, almost eighteen months, was with the “believers” in
Christ’s near coming, with whom she had previously associated. After the
close of the twenty-three hundred days (Oct. 22, 1844), until the cause of
their disappointment and the nature of the event that then occurred should
be understood, there would be danger of the believers’ drifting into
erroneous views, or of giving up entirely their past experience. Her
message was to such: “The past movement was of God. Hold fast your
faith. The Lord has still a work for his people. Study the Bible. Search
the word, and you will find the light.”
This instruction is in
harmony with the Lord’s plan. His purpose has ever been that his special
messages for his people should, in their time, be brought forth from his
word, and
4 Mrs. M. C. Truesdail’s
letter, Jan. 27, 1891.
246
then the gift of prophecy
comes in “secondarily,” to confirm and build up the believers.
A striking illustration of
this fact is found in the case of Cornelius as recorded in the Acts of the
Apostles. An angel of God appeared to him and gave him a vision in his
own house. That angel well knew the truths of the gospel, and could have
taught it to Cornelius, but he was sent to minister to one who was an heir
of salvation in giving Cornelius a vision. He assured him that his
devotions and consecration were accepted by the Lord. He did not preach
the gospel to him, but simply told him to call for Peter, who was lodging
with Simon the tanner, at Joppa. Peter came, and from the Scriptures
proclaimed to Cornelius the gospel of Christ.
Position of the Gift of Prophecy
At this point it may be
well to note the order of the development of the gifts, as the Lord has
marked it out in his word. Paul refers to this in his letter to the
Corinthians, where he says, “God hath set some in the church, first
apostles, secondarily prophets.”5
When looking at the
apostle’s statement respecting the relation of these gifts in the gospel
work, we see at once why this order is observed. When comparing these
gifts, Paul says: “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for
them that believe not, but for them which believe.”6
The Lord’s order is that his special messages to the world shall be
brought from his word; accordingly he moves men to search the Scriptures,
and go forth as apostles, burdened with the Lord’s messages, proclaiming
them from the Bible, which has stood the test of ages. As believers are
raised up, the gift of prophecy comes in “secondarily,” accomplishing its
part “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ.”7
5 1 Cor.
12:28.
6 1 Cor.
14:22.
7 Eph. 4:12.
247
16. THE THIRD ANGEL’S MESSAGE
“THE third angel followed
them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his
image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same
shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever:
and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the
saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of
Jesus.”1
The
Most Solemn Warning in the Bible
This is the most solemn
warning that the Bible contains, and it is certain that the record of our
world’s history presents no testimony that this message has been heard in
the past. The fact that the first and second angels of this series have
been proved to belong to the present generation, most clearly establishes
the point that this message does not belong to past ages.
Said Elder J. V. Himes in
1847:-
“The fourteenth chapter
[of Revelation] presents an astounding cry, yet to be made, as a warning
to mankind in that hour of strong temptation. Verses 9-11. A denunciation
of wrath so dreadful cannot be found in the book of
1 Rev.
14:9-12. 248
God, besides this. Does it
not imply a strong temptation, to require so terrific an admonition?”2
The
Temple Opened-the Ark Seen
J. N. Andrews said of this
message, “The opening of the holiest of all in the temple of heaven by
which the ark is seen, is an event that takes place under the sounding of
the seventh angel. And as the ministration of our great High Priest is
changed to that apartment at the termination of the twenty-three hundred
days, we understand that the opening of the temple is marked by the
termination of that period as represented by the proclamation of the first
angel. The entrance of our High Priest to the most holy place to minister
before the ark of God, calls the attention of the church to the
commandments of God contained with that ark. The commandments of God have
been shining out from the heavenly sanctuary since that time.
Change of the Sabbath
“It is a fact beyond
dispute that the fourth commandment, some ages since, was changed from the
rest-day of the Lord to the pagan festival of Sunday. This change was
made in express contradiction of the Holy Scriptures, which everywhere
recognize the seventh day as the only weekly Sabbath of the Lord. It was
accomplished by the great apostate, who Daniel predicted should ‘think to
change times and laws.’ This power is essentially the same as the beast
which was to be worshiped by all the world. And it is a fact of deep
interest that this commandment which has been so long trodden down, is now
being vindicated, and the people of God are beginning to keep it with the
other nine. Thanks be to God that he is preparing the remnant for their
final conflict with the dragon and for admittance through the gates into
the holy city. Rev. 12:17; 22:14. The vindication of the fourth
commandment in opposition to the Sabbath of the
2
Facts
on Romanism, page 112.
249
apostasy, and the
preaching of all the commandments of God is a striking testimony that the
present is the period of the saints’ patience, and of the warning of the
third angel.”3
Attention has been called
in previous chapters to the first and second of these messages, as
fulfilled in the great second advent proclamation down to Oct. 22, 1844.
The scripture at the opening of this chapter reads, “The third angel
followed them,” that is, followed the first and second angels. It will
perhaps be of interest, in this connection, to call attention to the rise
of the third message.
The
First Adventist Sabbath-Keepers
During the “midnight cry,”
in 1844, the Lord began to lead the minds of his people to the keeping of
the seventh-day Sabbath. This doctrine, among Adventists, arose on this
wise: Rachel Preston, a Seventh-day Baptist, moved to Washington, N.H.,
where there was a church of Adventists. She accepted the advent doctrine,
and that church, composed of about forty members, through her missionary
labors accepted the Sabbath of the fourth commandment.4
This led to inquiry upon that subject. In the Cry of Sept. 5, 1844, we
read, “Many persons have their minds deeply exercised respecting a
supposed obligation to observe the seventh day.” This statement was
contained in an editorial, in which a faint effort was made to establish
the claims of Sunday-keeping. The subject was continued in the number of
September 12, where we find the following significant statement, which led
to serious and close study by many:-
The
Seventh Day the Only Law-appointed Day
“Last week we found
ourselves brought to this conclusion: There is no particular portion of
time which Christians are required by laws to set aside as holy time. If
this conclusion is incorrect, then we think the seventh day is the only
day for the observance of which there is any law.”
3
The
Three Angels of Rev. 14:6-12. pages 131, 132.
4
Rachel
Preston died at Vernon, Vt., Feb. 1, 1863, aged 59 years.
250
T.
M. Preble’s Essay
The attention of the
Adventists as a body was called to the Sabbath question by an essay on the
subject from T. M. Preble, dated Feb. 13, 1845, and published in the Hope
of Israel, Portland, Maine, Feb. 28, 1845. After showing the claims of the
Bible Sabbath, and the fact that it was changed to Sunday by the great
apostasy, he remarks: “Thus we see Dan. 7:25 fulfilled, the little horn
changing ‘times and laws.’ Therefore it appears to me that all who keep
the first day for the Sabbath are the pope’s Sunday-keepers and God’s
Sabbath-breakers.”5
J.
B. Cook on the Sabbath Question
Soon after this there
appeared in print an article from J. B. Cook, in which he showed that
there is no Scriptural evidence for keeping Sunday as the Sabbath, and he
used this terse expression: “Thus easily is all the wind taken from the
sails of those who sail, perhaps unwittingly, under the pope’s Sabbattic
flag.”
Although Sabbath-keeping
by these two men was of short duration, they had set a ball rolling that
could not easily be stopped. The catch phrases, “pope’s Sunday-keepers,”
“God’s commandment-breakers,” and “sailing under the pope’s Sabbattic
flag,” were on the lips of hundreds who were eager to know the truth of
this matter. Elder Joseph Bates, of Fairhaven, Mass., had his attention
thus arrested, and he accepted the Sabbath in 1845.
Joseph Bates Accepts the Sabbath
His experience was on this
wise: Hearing of the company in Washington, N.H., that were keeping the
Sabbath, he concluded to visit that church, and see what it meant. He
accordingly did so, and on studying the subject with them he saw they were
correct, and at once accepted the light on the Sabbath question. On
returning to New Bedford, Mass., he
5
Andrews’s History of the Sabbath, page 506, edition of 1887.
251
met, on the bridge
between New Bedford and Fair Haven, a prominent brother, who accosted him
thus, “Captain Bates, what is the news?” Elder Bates replied, “The news
is that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God.” “Well,” said
the man, “I will go home and read my Bible, and see about that.” So he
did, and when next they met, this brother had accepted the Sabbath truth
and was obeying it.
The
First Book on the Sabbath
Elder Bates at once began
to preach this truth from State to State. He soon saw that a book, or
even a tract, on the Sabbath question would be a great help to him in his
work, and his soul was moved by the Spirit of God to write and publish
something on this subject. But how it could be done without money, was the
question, as all that he had was a York shilling (twelve and a half
cents). It may be of interest to the reader to relate his experience in
this matter just as he told it to me in 1855.
Four Pounds of Flour
He said that while in
prayer before God, he decided to write the book, and felt assured that the
way would open to publish it. He therefore seated himself at his desk,
with Bible and concordance, to begin his work. In the course of an hour,
Mrs. Bates came into the room and said, “Joseph, I haven’t flour enough
to make out the baking,” and at the same time mentioned some other little
articles that she needed. “How much flour do you lack?” asked Captain
Bates. “About four pounds,” was her reply. “Very well,” replied he. After
she had left the room, he went to a store near by, purchased the four
pounds of flour and the other articles, brought them home, and again
seated himself at his writing desk. Presently Mrs. Bates came in and saw
the articles on the table and exclaimed, “Where did this flour come
from?” “Why,” said the captain, “isn’t there enough? You said
252
you wanted four pounds.”
“Yes,” said she, “but where did you get it?” “I bought it,” said he; “is
not that the amount you wanted to complete the baking?” “Yes,” continued
Mrs. Bates, “but have you, Captain Bates, a man who has sailed vessels out
of New Bedford to all parts of the world, been out and bought four pounds
of flour?” “Yes, was not that the amount you needed to complete the
baking?” “Yes,” said Mrs. Bates, “but have you bought four pounds(!) of
flour?”
Eleven Thousand Dollars Spent for the Truth
Another trial soon
followed. When Captain Bates left the sea, he sold out his interest in a
ship for $11,000, but now he had spent his all to advance the cause of
truth. Up to this date Mrs. Bates did not know his true financial
condition, but he felt that he must now acquaint her with it, so he calmly
said, “Wife, I spent for those articles the last money I have on earth.”
With bitter sobs Mrs. Bates inquired, “What are we going to do?” The
captain arose, and with all the dignity of a captain directing his vessel,
said, “I am going to write a book; I am going to circulate it, and spread
this Sabbath truth before the world.” “Well,” said Mrs. Bates, through
blinding tears, “what are we going to live on?” “The Lord is going to open
the way,” was Captain Bates’s smiling reply. “Yes,” said Mrs. Bates, “the
Lord is going to open the way! That’s what you always say,” and bursting
into tears she left the room.
An
Unexpected Supply
After Captain Bates had
continued his work for half an hour, the impression came to him to go to
the post-office, as there was a letter there for him. He went, and sure
enough there was a letter. In those days the postage on letters was five
cents and prepayment was optional. The writer of this letter had for some
reason failed to pay the postage. And here again Captain Bates was
humbled, as he was obliged
253
to tell the postmaster,
Mr. Drew, with whom he was well acquainted, that he could not pay the
postage, as he had no money; but he said, “Will you let me see where it
is from?” “Take it along,” said the postmaster, “and pay some other
time.” “No,” said the captain, “I will not take the letter out of the
office until the postage is paid.” While he had the letter in his hand,
he said, “I am of the opinion that there is money in this letter,” and
turning to the postmaster, he asked, “Will you please open it? If there
is money in it you can take the postage out; if not, I will not read it.”
The postmaster complied with his request, and lo! it contained a
ten-dollar bill. He found, by reading, that the letter was from a person
who said the Lord so impressed his mind that Elder Bates was in need of
money that he hastened it to him; and in the haste he probably forgot to
pay the postage.
After paying the postage,
he went to a provision store, bought a barrel of flour for $4, besides
potatoes, sugar, and other necessary articles. When giving orders where
they were to be delivered, he said, “Probably the woman will say they
don’t belong there, but don’t you pay any attention to what she says;
unload the goods on the front porch.”
He then went to the
printing office and made arrangements for publishing one thousand copies
of a tract of about one hundred pages, with the understanding that as the
copy was furnished the printers were to put it in type as rapidly as
possible, sending proofs to him. He was to pay for the work as fast as he
received the money, and the books were not to be taken from the office
until the bills were all paid.
Captain Bates knew well
there was no money due him, but he felt it his duty to write this book,
believing that the Lord would move on the hearts to send the money when it
was needed. After purchasing paper, pens, etc., thus giving time for the
household supplies to go in advance of him, he went to the head of the
street leading to his house. On seeing that the articles were there, he
went into the house by the back entrance, and seated himself again at his
desk. Mrs.
254
Bates came in and said
excitedly, “Joseph, just look out on the front porch! Where did that
stuff come from? A drayman came here and would unload it. I told him it
didn’t belong here, but he would unload it.” “Well,” said Captain Bates,
“I guess it’s all right.” “But,” said Mrs. Bates, “where did it come
from?” “Well,” said the Captain, “the Lord sent it.” “Yes,” said Mrs.
Bates, “the Lord sent it; that’s what you always say.” He then handed the
letter to his wife, saying, “Read this, and you will know where it came
from.” She read it, and again retired for another cry, but it was of a
different character from the first; and on returning she humbly asked his
pardon for her lack of faith.
Money Coming for the Book
As the work of writing and
printing progressed, Captain Bates received money from time to time
through the mail and otherwise, sometimes from persons he had never met.
As he received the money, it was passed over to the printers, and applied
on the book account. Finally the day come when the books were all
printed, and from a source unexpected by Brother Bates the balance of the
account was met; thus the books were not delayed even a day in their
circulation.
Last Bill Paid
H. S. Gurney, of Memphis,
Mich., told me in March 1884, that he, on the very morning Elder Bates’s
book was completed, received $100 on an outlawed note from a man who
declared he would never pay him. Having received this money, he esteemed
it a pleasure to spend a portion of it in paying the last bill on the
Sabbath tract of Elder Bates. “But,” said Mr. Gurney, “Brother Bates never
knew to the day of his death who paid the balance of the book bill.” This
experience of Elder Bates in printing the Sabbath truth seemed to say to
our people from the very beginning of publishing the truth on the Sabbath
question, “Go forward
255
in this line of work, and
expect God’s providence to open the way as you advance.”
Elder Bates Skeptical of the Visions
The following statement,
abridged from Life Sketches, will show how the gift of prophecy and the
Sabbath reform were united:-
While on a visit to New
Bedford, Mass., in 1846, Miss Harmon became acquainted with Elder Joseph
Bates. He had early embraced the advent faith, and was an active laborer
in the cause. He was a true Christian gentleman, courteous and kind. He
treated Miss Harmon as tenderly as though she were his own child. The
first time he heard her speak, he manifested deep interest, and after she
had ceased, he arose and said, “I am a doubting Thomas. I do not believe
in visions. But if I could believe that the testimony the sister has
related to-night was indeed the voice of God to us, I should be the
happiest man alive. My heart is deeply moved. I believe the speaker to be
sincere, but I cannot explain in regard to her being shown the wonderful
things she has related to us.”
Miss Harmon Accepts the Sabbath
Elder Bates was keeping
the Sabbath, and urged its importance. Miss Harmon did not at that time
feel its importance, and thought Elder Bates erred in dwelling upon the
fourth commandment more than upon the other nine. But the Lord gave her a
view of the heavenly sanctuary. The temple of God was opened in heaven,
and she was shown the ark of God with the mercy-seat covering it. Two
angels stood, one at either end of the ark, with their wings spread over
the mercy-seat, and their faces turned toward it. This, her accompanying
angel informed her, represented all the heavenly host looking with
reverential awe toward the law of God which had been written by the finger
of God. Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and she beheld the tables of
stone
256
on which the ten
commandments were written. She was amazed as she saw the fourth
commandment in the very center of the ten precepts, with a soft halo of
light encircling it. The angel said, “It is the only one of the ten which
defines the living God who created the heavens and the earth and all
things that are therein. When the foundations of the earth were laid,
then was also laid the foundation of the Sabbath.” She was shown that if
the true Sabbath had been kept, there would never have been an infidel or
an atheist. The observance of the Sabbath would have preserved the world
from idolatry.
The fourth commandment had
been trampled upon, therefore we are called to repair the breach in the
law, and to plead for the down trodden Sabbath. The man of sin, who
exalted himself above God, and thought to change times and laws, brought
about the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the
week. In doing this he made a breach in the law of God.
Just prior to the great
day of God a message is sent forth to warn the people to come back to
their allegiance to the law of God which anti-Christ has broken down.
Attention must be called to the breach in the law by teaching and
example. She was also shown that the third angel of Revelation 14,
proclaiming the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, represents the
people who receive this message, and raised the voice of warning to the
world to keep the commandments of God and his law as the apple of the eye,
and that in response to this warning many would embrace the Sabbath of the
Lord.6
This experience of Miss
Harmon and Elder Bates was in harmony with the Lord’s method of working.
The attention of both Miss Harmon and Elder White was called to the
Sabbath question by Elder Bates, who presented to them from the Scriptures
the claims of the unchangeable law of God. Although Miss Harmon had been
blessed with special manifestations from the Lord for about eighteen
months, nothing
6
Life
Sketches, pages 95, 96.
257
on this subject had been
previously shown her. Now the Lord’s time had come, as believers were
being raised up to keep his law, to impart light to them through the gift
of prophecy, and thus, by his own way of working, the third angel’s
message, “the commandments of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ,”
were brought together.
Beginning of the Third Angel’s Message
From that time the third
angel’s message, as connected with the other two, began to be proclaimed.
The Sabbath truth, as connected with the ark of God and the light
developing with reference to the sanctuary, confirmed what had been
previously shown,that the past advent movement was right, and in the
order of the Lord. They could now understand more fully than ever before
the meaning of the “three steps up on to the pathway to the city of God.”
Elder Bates Accepts the Visions as from God
In the month of November,
1846, a conference was held in Topsham, Maine, at which Elder Bates was
present. At that meeting Mrs. White (Miss Harmon’s marriage to Elder
James White has been previously noticed) had a vision which was the cause
of Elder Bates’s becoming fully satisfied as to their divine origin. He
was a man who had followed the sea for fifty years, filling all positions
from cabin-boy up to master and owner of vessels. His understanding of
astronomy was such that, as he told me, he could tell very nearly where he
was upon the sea, as to latitude and longitude, by his observation of the
celestial bodies. Such a one would naturally be interested in talking
about astronomy.
In conversation with him,
he told me how he became convinced of the divine origin of the visions. He
said he tried to talk with Mrs. White one day about the stars, but he soon
found she knew nothing about astronomy; in fact, as she told him, she did
not know as she had ever looked into a
258
book treating on that
subject. She had no inclination to converse upon that topic, and turned
the conversation by talking about the new earth, and what had been shown
her in vision respecting it.
The
“Opening Heavens”
In the previous year,
April 19, 1845, the Illustrated London News had published something of
great interest to astronomers from Lord Rosse, respected the wonderful
discoveries he had made through his monster telescope, especially a view
of what astronomers call “the gap in the sky.” One evening, at the
conference above mentioned, at the house of Mr. Curtiss and in the
presence of Elder Bates, who was yet undecided in regard to these
manifestations, Mrs. White, while in vision, began to talk about the
stars, giving a glowing description of rosy-tinted belts which she saw
across the surface of some planet, and added, “I see four moons.” “Oh,”
said Elder Bates, “she is viewing Jupiter!” Then having made motions as
though traveling through space, she began giving a description of belts
and rings in their ever-varying beauty, and said, “I see seven moons.”7
Elder Bates exclaimed, “She is describing Saturn.” Next she said, “I see
six moons,” and at once began a description of the “opening heavens,” with
its glory, calling it an opening into a region more enlightened. Elder
Bates said that her description far surpassed any account of the opening
heavens he had ever read from any author.
While she was talking and
still in vision, he arose to his feet, and exclaimed, “O how I wish Lord
John Rosse was here to-night!” Elder White inquired, “Who is Lord John
Rosse?” “Oh,” said Elder Bates, “he is the great English astronomer. I
wish he was here to hear that woman talk astronomy, and to hear that
description of the ‘opening heavens.’ It is ahead of anything I ever read
on the subject.” From that
7
In Rise
and Progress, it says she saw eight moons to Saturn. This change was made
after the proofs went out of my hands. More moons to both Jupiter and
Saturn have since been discovered.
259
evening Elder Bates became
fully satisfied that the visions of Mrs. White were outside of her
knowledge and control. This and the character of the reproof and
instruction given, satisfied him that they were from God.
This phenomenon in the
heavens thus described by Mrs. White in that vision, is a matter rarely
mentioned by astronomical writers. Hugins, the first discoverer of it,
gives the following description:-
A
Glorious Light in the Sword of Orion
“Astronomers place three
stars close together in the sword of Orion; when I viewed the middlemost
with a telescope, in the year 1656, there appeared in the place of that
one twelve other stars; among these, three that almost touch each other,
and four more besides appeared, twinkling as through a cloud, so that the
space about them seemed much brighter than the rest of the heaven, which,
appearing wholly blackish, by reason of the fair weather, was seen as
through a curtain opening through which one had a free view into another
region which was more enlightened.”
William Herschel says of
this opening in the sky:-
“If its diameter at this
distance subtend an angle of 10ø, which it nearly does, its magnitude must
be utterly inconceivable. It has been calculated that is must be two
trillions of times the dimensions of the sun.”
Lighter than the Sun
Thomas Dick, the
philosopher, thus speaks of this luminous nebulae:-
“Were we placed as near it
as one half the distance of the nearest star, great as that distance is,
from such a point it would exhibit an effulgence approximating to that of
the sun; and to beings at much nearer distance it would fill a large
portion of the sky, and appear with a splendor inexpressible. But the
ultimate design of such an object, in all its bearings and relations, may
perhaps remain to be evolved
260
during the future ages of
an interminable existence; and, like many other objects in the distant
spaces of creation, it excites in the mind a longing desire to behold the
splendid and mysterious scenes of the universe a little more unfolded.”8
Elder Bates, in concluding
an article upon the subject, said:-
“Thus we see from all the
testimony adduced (and we could give much more, were it necessary), that
here is a most wonderful and unexplainable phenomenon in the heavens; a
gap in the sky more than eleven billion and three hundred and fourteen
[11,000,000,314] miles in circumference. Says the celebrated Hugins, ‘I
never saw anything like it among the rest of the fixed stars-a free view
into another region more enlightened.’ “
Another Testimony on the Planet Vision
Again we quote from Mrs.
Truesdail, who was present on the occasion of the giving of the vision
referred to. She says:-
“Sister White was in very
feeble health, and while prayers were offered in her behalf, the Spirit of
God rested upon us. We soon noticed that she was insensible to earthly
things. This was her first view of the planetary world. After counting
aloud the moons of Jupiter, and soon after those of Saturn, she gave a
beautiful description of the rings of the latter. She then said, ‘The
inhabitants are a tall, majestic people, so unlike the inhabitants of
earth. Sin has never entered here.’ It was evident from Brother Bates’s
smiling face that his past doubts in regard to the source of her visions
were fast leaving him. We all knew that Captain Bates was a great lover
of astronomy, as he would often locate many of the heavenly bodies for our
instruction. When Sister White replied to his questions, after the
vision, saying that she had never studied or otherwise received knowledge
in this direction, he was filled with joy and happiness.
8 Dick’s
Sidereal Heavens, page 96.
261
He praised God, and
expressed his belief that this vision concerning the planets was given
that he might never again doubt.”9
A
Vicious Horse Suddenly Tamed
Shortly after this meeting
in Topsham, another striking incident occurred in connection with the
visions, which I will relate as told me by Elder Bates:-
Elder White had the use of
a partly broken colt and a two-seated market wagon, which was constructed
without a dash-board, but had a step across the front of the wagon, and an
iron step from the shafts. It was necessary that extreme care be taken in
driving the colt, as in case the lines or anything touched his flanks he
would instantly kick furiously, and he had to be held in continually with
a taut rein to keep him from running. This colt belonged to a party to
whose place they wished to go, and as Elder White had been used to
managing unbroken colts, he thought he would have no serious trouble with
this one. Had they known, however, that during its frantic demonstrations
it had previously killed two men, one by crushing him against the rocks by
the roadside, he might have been less confident.
On this occasion there
were four persons in the wagon, Elder White and his wife upon the front
seat, and Elder Bates and Israel Damon on the back seat. While Elder
White was giving his utmost care to keep the horse under control, Mrs.
White was conversing about the truth, when the power of God came down upon
the company and she was taken off in vision, seated in the wagon. The
moment she shouted “Glory!” as she went into vision, the colt suddenly
stopped perfectly still, and dropped his head. At the same time Mrs.
White arose, while in this state, and with her eyes looking upward,
stepped over the front of the wagon, down on to the shafts, with her hands
on the colt’s haunches. Elder Bates called out to Elder White, “The colt
will kick that woman to death.” Elder White replied, “The Lord has the
colt in charge now; I do not wish to interfere.” The colt stood as
9
Mrs.
Truesdail’s letter of Jan 27, 1891.
262
gentle as an old horse. By
the roadside the bank rose up some six feet, and next to the fence was a
grassy place. Mrs. White, with her eyes still upward, not once looking
down, went up the bank on to the grassy plot, then walked back and forth
for a few minutes, talking and describing the beauties of the new earth.
Then, with her head in the same posture, she came down the bank, walked up
to the wagon, stepped up on to the steps, with her hand on the rump of the
colt, and so up on to the shafts, and into the wagon again. The moment she
sat down upon the seat she came out of vision, and that instant the horse,
without any indication from the driver, started up, and went on his way.
While Mrs. White was out
of the wagon, Elder White thought he would test the horse, and see if he
was really tame or not. At first he just touched him with the whip; at
other times the horse would have responded with a kick, but now there was
no motion. He then struck him quite a blow, then harder, and still
harder. The colt paid no attention to the blows whatever, but seemed as
harmless as the lions whose mouths the angels shut the night Daniel spent
in their den. “It was a solemn place,” said Elder Bates, “and it was
evident that the same Power that produced the visions, for the time being
subdued the wild nature of the colt.”
If this vision was simply
the result of some of her bodily infirmities, the query naturally arises,
Was the horse afflicted in like manner?
Israel Damon’s Testimony
I will give here, as
corroborating the account given me by Elder Bates, the following
statement:-
“About twenty years ago,
just after I had commenced the observance of the Sabbath, Israel Damon
related to me the circumstances of Sister White’s having the vision while
he, Elder Bates, and Elder White and his wife were riding in the light
wagon behind the refractory colt. I have to-day read the above description
of the occurrence, as written out
263
by Elder Loughborough, and
it agrees precisely with what Elder Damon told me.” Signed, “R. S. Webber,
Battle Creek, Mich., Feb. 9, 1891.”
Elder Bates’s Testimony on the Visions
Elder Bates states his own
experience thus:-
“Although I could see
nothing in them that militated against the word, yet I felt alarmed and
tried exceedingly and for a long time unwilling to believe that it was
anything more than what was produced by a protracted debilitated state of
her body.
“I therefore sought
opportunities in presence of others, when her mind seemed free from
excitement (out of meeting), to question and cross-question her, and her
friends who accompanied her, especially her elder sister, to get, if
possible, at the truth. During the number of visits she has made to New
Bedford and Fairhaven since, while at our meetings, I have seen her in
vision a number of times, and also in Topsham, Maine; and those who were
present during some of those exciting scenes know well with what interest
and intensity I listened to every word, and watched every move, to detect
deception or mesmeric influence. And I thank God for the opportunity I
have had with others to witness these things. I can now confidently speak
for myself. I believe the work is of God, and is given to comfort and
strengthen his ‘scattered,’ ‘torn,’ and ‘peeled people,’ since the closing
up of our work . . . in October, 1844. The distracted state of ‘Lo,
here’s!’ and ‘Lo, there’s!’ since that time has exceedingly perplexed
God’s honest, willing people, and made it exceedingly difficult for such
as were not able to expound the many conflicting texts that have been
presented to their view. I confess that I have received light and
instruction on many passages that I could not before clearly understand.
I believe her to be a self-sacrificing, honest, willing child of God.”10
“The author does not
‘obtain the sentiments’ of her visions ‘from previous teachings or
study.’ When she
10
A Word
to the Little Flock, page 21.
264
received her first vision,
December, 1844, she and all the band in Portland, Maine (where her parents
then resided), had given up the “midnight cry” as being in the past. It
was then that the Lord showed her in vision the error into which she and
the band in Portland had fallen. She then related her vision to the band,
and they acknowledged their seventh-month experience to be the work of
God.”11
How
the Three Messages Were Regarded in 1847
The following from Elder
James White, written in April, 1847, will show how the three messages were
then regarded:-
“All classes of second
advent believers agree that the angel brought to view in the sixth and
seventh verses of this chapter (Revelation 14), represents the advent
message to the church and world. . . . The work of the second angel was to
show to the advent host that Babylon had fallen. And as a large portion of
them did not learn this fact until the power of the ‘midnight cry’ waked
them up just in time for them to make their escape from the churches
before the tenth day came, it follows that since the seventh month, 1844,
the third angel’s message was, and still is, a warning to the saints to
‘hold fast,’ and not go back, and ‘receive’ the marks which the virgin
band got rid of during the second angel’s cry.
“And has not the true
message for God’s people, since the seventh month, 1844, been just such a
warning?-It certainly has. . . . The twelfth verse reads, ‘Here is the
patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God
and the faith of Jesus’ Where did you see them, John?-Why, ‘here,’ during
the third angel’s message. As the patient, waiting time has been since the
seventh month, 1844, and as the class that keep the Sabbath, etc., have
appeared since that time, it is plain that we live in the time of the
third angel’s message.”12
11
A Word
to the Little Flock, page 22.
12
Idem.,
pages 10, 11, Brunswick, Maine, May 1847.
265
