“JEHOSHAPHAT stood and
said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; believe in the
Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall
ye prosper.”1
Years ago a testimony was
given through the gift of prophecy that before the end the printed pages
of this truth would be “scattered like the autumn leaves.” How this could
be accomplished unless the people believing the truth were in some way
organized or marshaled to do the work, was the question that arose in the
minds of many. In God’s providence great results are frequently achieved
from most humble beginnings; so it was in the development of a system of
working that arose among us.
The
Tract and Missionary Society
About the year 1870 the
idea of a tract and missionary society was first suggested by the course
of a few devoted sisters at South Lancaster, Mass. These sisters tried,
for a time, the plan of mailing our denominational papers and tracts to
different persons outside of our faith, afterward writing them letters.
This resulted in several individuals accepting the truth, which brought to
the mind of Elder S. N. Haskell the question, “Why may not all our people
engage in doing what a few sisters have done?” During the year 1871,
especially,
1 2 Chron.
20:20.
443
this subject was agitated
more or less through the columns of the Review. At the special session of
the General Conference held Dec. 29, 1871, Elder Haskell being present and
setting forth the practical utility of the movement, a resolution was
passed recommending the formation of tract societies. Elders S. N.
Haskell, W. H. Littlejohn, J. N. Andrews, J.
H. Waggoner, and I. D. Van
Horn were appointed as a committee to perfect plans for the formation of
such societies.
This movement introduced a
new era in the prosecution of the work of the message. Hitherto the
teaching of the truth had been confined almost exclusively to efforts put
forth by the living preacher. For several years Elder Haskell labored very
assiduously in studying up and introducing plans for making the tract and
missionary society a success. It is only doing justice to him to state
that he was really the pioneer in that line. This is not only true in the
matter of the State tract and missionary societies, but it was he who, in
1878 introduced to the General Conference assembled in Battle Creek the
plan for a general (since called International) Tract Society, whose field
of labor is the territory outside of our conferences, not only in America,
but also in foreign countries.
Efficient Secretaries-Maria Huntley
The Lord in his providence
raise up efficient secretaries, who were a great assistance to Elder
Haskell in this movement. Sister Maria Huntley was one who labored
unflinchingly, even under (in after years) great affliction of body, and
fell at her post about fourteen years ago. Through her efforts many of the
present openings in foreign fields were first found. Other secretaries
have joined in the same work, and as the field of labor has been enlarged
a necessity has arisen for secretaries in different languages.
444
The
Effect on Local Churches
But the most important
result of the establishment of the tract society work among us has been
the influence which it has exerted in the direction of creating and
increasing a missionary spirit among the local church organizations. It
has given every one an opportunity to do something by correspondence and
the distribution of reading matter, and to feel the inspiration of direct
labor for the salvation of souls.
Testimony Relating to Tract Work
To show the nature of the
instruction given, through the spirit of prophecy, on the subject of the
tract and missionary work, we quote from Testimonies Nos. 29 and 30:-
“If there is one work more
important than another, it is that of getting our publications before the
public, thus leading them to search the Scriptures. Missionary
work-introducing our publications into families, conversing, and praying
with and for them-is good work and one which will educate men and women to
do pastoral labor.
“Not every one is fitted
for this work. Those of the best talent and ability, who will take hold
of the work understandingly and systematically, and carry it forward with
persevering energy, are the ones who should be selected. There should be
a most thoroughly organized plan; and this should be faithfully carried
out. Churches in every place should feel the deepest interest in the
tract and missionary work.”
“The tract and missionary
work is a good work. It is God’s work. It should be in no way belittled;
but there is continual danger of perverting it from its true object.
Canvassers are wanted to labor in the missionary field. Persons of
uncouth manners are not fitted for this work. Men and women who possess
tact, good address, keen foresight, and discriminating minds and who feel
the value of souls, are the ones who can be successful.”
445
The disposal of over
$8,000,000 worth of books, pamphlets, and tracts, during twelve years, by
our churches and canvassers, goes far as proof of the practical value of
the work of the Tract and Missionary Society.
Prophecy versus Worldly Wisdom
There was a word of
prophecy given in connection with the work in the European field, which is
being so literally fulfilled that it merits notice at this point. It was
affirmed by laborers and people that the work could not be carried on
there, especially in Scandinavia, as it is in America. Mrs. White, to
their surprise, said it not only could be carried on successfully, but
could be sustained in the same way it was in America, and that the Lord
had shown her that if they took hold to pay their tithe, even of the small
earnings they received, God would prosper them far beyond their
anticipations. She also told them that canvassers could sell books by
subscription in Scandinavia, and it would be a success. Managers of
publishing houses in those countries said, “It cannot be done;” they “
never sold books in that way.” The sequel has shown that what the angel of
the Lord presented to her in this matter was far superior to the wisdom of
the worldly booksellers and publishers. Success has attended the
canvassing work there from its very beginning. Some of those who moved out
to pay to the cause a tenth of their scanty income have become canvassers,
and not only sustain themselves, but earn more means than ever before, and
consequently are enabled to pay a much greater tithe.
More than $40,000 worth of
books were sold by the canvassers in the year 1895 of works printed in our
publishing house in Christiana, Norway. Mark this as another prophecy
fulfilled, and that, too, in the face of protestations on every hand, both
in the church and out of it, that it could not be done.
In reference to the work
of the tract societies which were instituted in 1871 and onward, it is
safe to say that almost as
446
many persons have been
brought to the truth by the efforts of such workers as through the
personal efforts of the ministry. Through this agency the message is
being published to all nations and tongues of the earth.
Jewelry and the Tract Work
An interesting item was
reported by the Tract and Missionary Society in California in April, 1873.
It was that the jewelry which had been donated to the society by those who
had accepted the truth in that State, up to that date, had been melted,
assayed, and sold at its actual gold and silver value for the sum of $200;
that this means had all been invested in tracts, pamphlets, and
periodicals, which had been distributed, and that the society already had
definite knowledge of twenty who had been brought to the acceptance of the
truth by means of literature purchased with the proceeds of the jewelry.
Among those brought to the knowledge of the truth by reading was John I.
Tay, of Oakland, Cal.
San
Francisco a Missionary Point
In 1875 an important
testimony was given to the San Francisco church, to which attention is now
called because of its being so strikingly fulfilled. This church from the
first had been under the necessity of renting halls for services, and
that, too, at considerable expense and some inconvenience, as no series of
meetings could be held in them because much of the time they were required
for other purposes.
On the evenings of April
14 and 20, 1875, the leading members of the San Francisco church were
called together at the house of Mrs. J. L. James, Fifth Street, near
Market Street, and Mrs. White there related to us what had been shown her
in vision concerning the situation, which was that San Francisco would
ever be a missionary point, where the work could be carried on; and that
souls would, if the matter was managed judiciously, continue to accept the
truth. If
447
a house of worship was
erected where the people could be invited, and where labor could be put
forth, souls would be added to their number, who, in their turn, would
help to meet the expense and lift the debt which must be incurred in
preparing a meeting-house.
Mrs. White continued by
saying that she had seen that when she should urge upon the San Francisco
church the importance of erecting a house of worship, it would look to
that poor church like a move in the dark; but she was bidden to say that
as they moved out they would see the providence of God opening the way
before them, step by step, and that friends would be raised up all the way
along, until finally the debt would be entirely taken up.
Being one of the few who
met in the meetings already referred to, I can say that the idea of that
company, who were, nearly every one of them, of the poor of this world,
taking hold to erect a meeting-house 35 x 80 feet, and that, too, in a
city where the least expense for a lot seemed to demand an outlay of at
least $6,000, looked indeed like “a move in the dark.” They were induced
to make the move only by the full confidence they had that the testimony
borne to them by Mrs. White was from the Lord, and would surely be
accomplished.
Having been connected with
the enterprise more or less from its inception until the present, I wish
here to state that the above testimony has been fulfilled in every
particular. When we started out in quest of lots, we succeeded in
obtaining a $6,000 lot for $4,000. One sister said she would give $1,000
if she could sell her place. She immediately put the property in the
hands of a real estate agent, who told her the price was too low. Within
two weeks her place was sold for $1,000 more than she at first valued it,
and her pledge was paid. Another, a poor brother who did not see how the
church could be built, but said, “If the Lord says it must be done, he
will open the way somehow,” found, to his astonishment,
448
the estate of one of his
relatives settled up, and that he was the possessor thereby of $20,000. He
gave $1,000 toward the building and bought one third of the church lot on
which to place a residence for himself, thus in two ways bringing relief
to the society.
A
Significant Favor to San Francisco
Thus we might mention many
donations and favors which the committee met as they went on with the
erection of the building. Suffice it to say that the church edifice was
put up at an expense, with lot, of about $14,000, over one half of which
was met by donations before the house was finished. Laguna Street, on
which the building was erected, being a section of the city where there
was a lack of buildings for school purposes, the school board came to rent
the lower rooms in which to hold a school before the roof was on the
house. Seventy-five dollars rent per month, received for nearly two years,
met the interest and the running expenses, leaving the society to apply
what it could raise toward the remaining debt.
A
Hydriatic Dispensary
At the present time a
small part of the debt then incurred remains, and in the basement of the
church a full-equipped hydriatic dispensary is found, all free from
pecuniary embarrassment, of much greater value than the remaining debt,
which will soon be a matter of the past.
The part of the testimony
concerning souls accepting the truth has been most wonderfully fulfilled.
Not simply scores, but hundreds, have received the light of the truth in
that city, and are now scattered abroad in various parts of the earth.
From time to time as I visit San Francisco, I see anywhere from two to ten
persons who have accepted the truth since last I met with them; and the
end is not yet.
449
Elder White’s Death
About the year 1880 Mrs.
White was instructed through the spirit of prophecy to say to her husband,
Elder James White, that he should lay off many of the cares and
responsibilities he had borne, and let them pass into other and younger
hands, while he should “prepare for his last change” -meaning that his
earthly race was soon to close. This instruction he began to heed, and
none too soon for in the year 1881 his labors ceased, and he fell asleep
in Jesus. July 31 he was attacked with malarial fever. August 3 he was
removed from his home to the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where he received
every care and attention which it was possible to give, but to no avail.
He continued to grow worse. From the first of his illness he had a
premonition that his “last change” had come.
Elder Smith’s Statement
In speaking of this event,
Elder Uriah Smith says: “The circumstances of his death could hardly have
been more favorable. So long as he was conscious during the last three
days of his illness he testified that he suffered no pain. A large
company of sincere and tearful friends stood in and about the building
while on that pleasant Sabbath afternoon his life ebbed slowly away. Like
falling into a quiet sleep, so he went down in death; and when all was
over, a sweet peace seemed to sit embalmed on every feature. It was as if
this prayer had been answered:
“ ‘Spare me this hour to
sleep, Before thy sleepless bliss is given; Give me a day of rest on
earth, Before the work of heaven.’”
At the time of his death
he was sixty years and two days old. The esteem in which he was held in
Battle Creek was evinced in the fact that at least twenty-five hundred
people
450
were present at his
funeral, August 13, and he was followed to his last resting place in Oak
Hill Cemetery by a procession of ninety-five carriages and a multitude of
people on foot.
From the many testimonials
given after his death, and published in the Review, we quote the following
from the pen of Elder S. N. Haskell:-
“When I consider his sound
judgment in almost every emergency, his tenderness of heart and nobility
of soul manifested toward the erring, and even toward those who had abused
him, whenever he saw evidences of their repentance and his love for what
he believed to be right, I can truly say, A father in Israel has fallen.
And while he rests, the cause, as well as many individuals, will realize
the want of his foresight and fatherly care.”
When he died, our enemies
claimed that the message must now stop. Not so; those institutions which,
under the divine hand, had been established by him, were destined to grow
to still greater magnitude, to be as “trees of the Lord’s planting,” from
which should spread forth numerous and fruitful branches.
Religious Legislation Predicted
Fifty-eight years have
passed since those giving the third angel’s message said the time would
come, according to the prophecy of Revelation 13, when people would be
persecuted, in the United States and elsewhere, for keeping the
commandments of God. In a book written by Mrs. White, entitled, Early
Writings, we read the following concerning this teaching:-
“Said the angel, ‘Look
ye!’ My attention was turned to the wicked, or unbelievers. They were
all astir. The zeal and power with the people of God had aroused and
enraged them. Confusion, confusion was on every side. I saw measures
taken against the company who had the light and power of God. Darkness
thickened around them; yet they stood firm, approved of God, and trusting
in him. I saw them perplexed; next I heard them crying unto God earnestly.
Day and night their cry ceased not: ‘Thy will, O God, be done! If it can
glorify Thy name, make a way of escape for Thy people! Deliver us from
the heathen round about us. They have appointed us unto death; but thine
arm can bring salvation.’ “2
“Then I saw
the leading men of the earth consulting together, and Satan and his angels
busy around them. I saw a writing, copies of which were scattered in
different parts of the land, giving orders that unless the saints should
yield their peculiar faith, give up the Sabbath, and observe the first day
of the week, the people were at liberty after a certain time, to put them
to death.”3
Persecution in America
Our opponents have said
persecution can never come in this country, because the Constitution of
the United States declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
And, in addition to this, the “Bill of Rights” of most of the States
forbids religious legislation. In the face of these protestations our
people have continued to proclaim the message of warning and the needful
preparation to meet the conflict.
In 1863 an
organization was formed having for its object the change of the
Constitution of the United States and the laws of the land, so as to make
it effective for the enforcement of religion. So rapidly have these ideas
obtained adherents, and the principle of compelling men to do right,
especially in regard to Sunday-keeping, gained ground, that persecution in
good earnest has already begun in many States, even those whose Sunday
laws make provision for those who conscientiously observe another day, and
persons have been imprisoned for not keeping Sunday.
2
Early
Writings, page 272.
3
Idem.,
page 282-283.
452
One
Hundred and Sixteen Arrests
Before me is
a list of one hundred and sixteen arrests of Seventh-day Adventists in
America, from the year 1878 to March, 1896. Of these, one hundred and
nine were convicted. Many of these have been imprisoned from twenty to
sixty days, and about a dozen of them were compelled to work in the “chain
gang” with murderers, thieves, and the worst sort of criminals. In every
case they were admitted, by those imposing sentence upon them, to be the
best of citizens.
The
Religious Liberty Association
On July 21,
1889, there was organized in Battle Creek, Mich., an association called
the National Religious Liberty Association, the object of which was to
oppose religious legislation, to disseminate information to the masses on
the true relation of religion and civil government, and to render aid to
those who are persecuted for conscience’ sake. This association did a vast
amount of work in the dissemination of literature, and in enlightening
the people as to the duties and dangers of the times in our own nation. In
fact, it did a great work in extending the notes of warning contained in
the message of Rev. 14:9-12.
The
Help of Secular Journals
The persecutions that were
then raging against Seventh-day Adventists were taken up in the editorial
columns of such papers as the New York Sun, the New York World, the
Chicago Inter Ocean, etc. Articles appeared, speaking out freely
concerning the unjust course taken against a citizen of the United States
for obeying his own conscience, and for keeping the very day designated in
the commandment. By means of newspaper articles of that character, this
subject was brought before millions of readers. Within one month the
central truth of the third angel’s message was brought to the
453
attention of more people
than we had been able to reach in more than twenty years.
The
Wrath of Man Made to Praise the Lord
Thus it is seen that the
efforts of men to stay the work of God, and to obtain laws for the support
of a rival Sabbath to the one enjoined in the fourth commandment, have
served to open the way for the more rapid advancement of the truth.
In meditating upon what
has been accomplished in a few months by these means, two scriptures are
forcibly brought to mind. One reads, “We can do nothing against the truth,
but for the truth;”4 and
the other, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of
wrath shalt thou restrain.”5
Prediction Concerning Sunday Laws
In Testimony No. 32,
printed in 1885, is a statement as to how Sunday laws would be passed in
the United States. It reads: “To secure popularity and patronage
legislators will yield to the demand for a Sunday law.”6
We will for a moment consider how this has already been accomplished.
World’s Fair Legislation
In 1892 a demand was made
of Congress to prohibit the opening of the World’s Fair which was to be
held in Chicago, Illinois, from May to October of that year, from opening
on Sunday. Such a law was passed July 19, 1892, under just such a pressure
as above predicted. And be it remembered that this is the first time that
the Congress of the United States of North America ever legislated on the
Sabbath question.
The churches sent in
immense lists of names, and petitions, and telegrams, not only petitioning
Congress, but kindly (?) informing the congressmen “that we do hereby
pledge ourselves and each other, that we will, from this time
4 2 Cor.
13:8.
5 Ps. 76:10.
6
Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, No. 32, page 451.
454
henceforth, refuse to vote
for or support for any office or position of trust, any member of
Congress, either senator or representative, who shall vote for any further
aid of any kind for the World’s Fair except on conditions named in these
resolutions.” The conditions were that the Fair should be closed on
Sunday.
Talks in Congress, 1892
As a sample of the talk on
the floors of Congress, when the bill was passed, read the following: “I
should like to see the disclaimer put in white and black, and proposed by
the Congress of the United States. Write it. How would you write it? . .
. Word it, if you dare; advocate it, if you dare; how many who voted for
it would ever come back here again? None, I hope. You endanger yourselves
by opposing it.”
Boast Made by the Church
That those who have
demanded and secured of Congress the passage of this bill considered it an
important victory in their scheme of religious legislation, is clear from
the fact that one of these prominent ministers, in a sermon at Pittsburg,
Penn., just after it, said:-
“That the church has
weight with great political or governing bodies has been demonstrated most
effectually in the late World’s Fair matter, when the United States
Senate, the highest body in the country, listened to the voice of
religion, and passed the World’s Fair $5,000,000 appropriation bill with
the church-instituted proviso that the gates of the great exposition
should not be opened on Sunday. That grand good fact suggests to the
Christian’s mind that if this may be done, so may other equally needful
measures. The church is gaining power continually, and its voice will be
heard in the future much oftener than in the past.” Thus we see how that
testimony given in 1885 has been and is being fulfilled.
455
Catholic and Protestant Unity
In this connection we will
refer to another prediction made in 1885, and found also in Testimony No.
32:-
“When Protestantism shall
stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power;
when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism;
when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall
repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and
republican government, and shall make provisions for the propagation of
papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come
for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near.”7
To show how the first part
of this prediction is already fulfilling, we need only to call attention
to what is transpiring around us. See Protestants, both ministers and
people, courting the favor of the Catholics, inviting them to attend their
associations, etc. Be it remembered that hardly a vestige of what is now
seen in this line was apparent in 1885, when the above testimony was
given.
To illustrate how the
Protestants are reaching for the hand and help of papists, I quote from
the Kansas City (Mo.) Star of March 18, 1896.
Methodists and St. Patrick’s Day
A speech was delivered in
Coate’s Opera House, Kansas City, Mo., on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17,
1896, by Dr. Mitchell, pastor of the leading Methodist church of Kansas
City. The Star speaks of a portion of the speech as a “dramatic little
scene.” Dr. Mitchell was loudly applauded when he said this:-
“Bigotry is the child of
ignorance. We are bigoted because we do not know our neighbors well
enough. We Protestants have been taught to believe unutterable things of
Catholics. Catholics have been taught to believe unutterable things of
Protestants. Now we discover our mistaken notions
7
Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, No. 32, page 451.
456
of each other when we get
close enough to look into each other’s eyes and clasp each other’s hands;
if we only knew each other more we would love each other better. We have
stood apart and criticised. Shame upon the followers of the blessed
Christ. All Christians have been redeemed by the same precious blood; we
are sustained by the same divine grace, and expect to reach the same
heaven. Say, brothers, we had better be getting acquainted with each
other down here.”
The Star continues:-
“Dr. Mitchell then turned
to Father Dalton [Catholic priest] who sat just behind him, and, reaching
our his hand, said, ‘Here, Brother Dalton, is my hand.’ Father Dalton
arose and clasped the extended hand, and as Dr. Mitchell shook it, he
said, ‘It would be an awful shame if, after having lived so long in the
same city on earth, we should have to get an angel to introduce us to each
other in heaven. Let us get acquainted here on earth.’ The audience
applauded, and after Father Dalton sat down, Dr. Mitchell continued his
speech.”
Something Great and Decisive
We quote from another
communication, dated Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 18, 1892: “All heaven is
represented to me as watching the unfolding of events. A crisis is to be
revealed in the great and prolonged controversy in the government of God
on earth. Something great and decisive is to take place, and that right
early.”
Judge Brewer’s “Christian Nation”
Eleven days after this
document was written, and before it reached the United States, an event
occurred which both Protestants and Catholics refer to as decisive in this
nation’s destiny. I refer to the decision of the Supreme Court of the
United States, that “This is a Christian nation,” rendered on the
457
29th of February, by the
Chief Justice Brewer. As already shown, on the 19th of July of the same
year the Sunday Closing Bill for the World’s Fair was passed. The
ministers who plead so strongly for its passage, made earnest pleas on the
ground that as the Supreme Court had declared this to be a Christian
nation, as a matter of course the Christian Sabbath should be protected
from desecration. And so the National Reform party reasoned. As this is a
Christian nation, it should recognize God and his laws as the basis of the
government, etc. Truly something great and decisive in this closing
controversy did take place, “and that right early.”
Ancient Prophets
Of the visions given to
God’s servants, the prophets, there seemed to be two kinds-one called
“open vision,” or those given where the individual could be seen while in
the vision; and the other called “night visions.” Reference is made to
the former vision in 1 Sam. 3:1, where is found the experience of the
child Samuel in these words: “The word of the Lord was precious in those
days; there was no open vision.”
Open Visions
It was a vision of this
character (an open vision) in which the hand of the Lord was upon the
prophet Ezekiel. As the elders of Judah sat before him, they beheld him
in open vision.8
On another occasion the prophet Daniel was taken off in vision in the
midst of the Chaldean rulers. Had they remained, they might have seen him
in vision, but, instead, “a great quaking fell upon them, so that they
fled to hide themselves.”9
Night Vision of Mrs. White
The earlier visions of
Mrs. White were all open visions. Since 1884, the character of the
visions has changed in this
8 Eze. 8:1.
9 Dan. 10:7.
458
respect, as they are now
what are called in the Scriptures “night visions,” not simply dreams, but
the same bright angel appears, giving her instruction, as in former years
in the open visions. Many instances of “night visions” are recorded in the
Bible, as is readily seen by reading Gen. 46:2; Dan. 2:19; 7:13; Acts
16:9; 18:9; 23:11; 27:23-25.
In these night visions of
Mrs. White many important predictions have been made, which have been most
accurately fulfilled, as previously noted. Some of the views of a later
date I will now notice.
The
Removal to Washington
In 1893, Mrs. White said:
“Too many interests are now being piled up in Battle Creek. Were those
interests divided and located in other cities, where the light and
knowledge might bless other localities, it would be in God’s order. The
Lord does not want a second Jerusalem in Battle Creek. There will have to
be strong reformations and transferring of facilities and institutions if
the will of God is done.”
At the General Conference
in Oakland, Cal., in March, 1903, she said: “For years the warning has
been given to our people, Get out of Battle Creek. But because of the
many interests established there, it was convenient to remain, and men
could not see why they should move.”
“In reply to the question
that has been asked in regard to settling somewhere else, I answer, Yes.
Let the General Conference offices and the publishing work be removed from
Battle Creek. I know not where the place will be, whether on the Atlantic
Coast or elsewhere. But this I will say, Never lay a stone or a brick in
Battle Creek to rebuild the Review office there. God has a better place
for it.”
After hearing this
instruction, the conference of believers voted “that the General
Conference offices be removed from Battle Creek, Mich., to some place on
the Atlantic Coast.”
459
In the General Conference
council held in Battle Creek, following the session of the General
Conference, it was voted “that we favor locating the headquarters of the
General Conference office in the vicinity of New York City.” A large
committee was accordingly selected to search for a feasible location. The
committee communicated their plan to Mrs. White, and asked if she had
further light for them. In reply she said:-
“May the Lord help us to
move understandingly and prayerfully. I am sure that he is willing that
we should know, and that right early, where we should locate our
publishing house. I am satisfied that our only safe course is to be ready
to move just when the cloud moves. Let us pray that he will direct us.
He has signified by his providence that he would have us leave Battle
Creek. . . .
“New York needs to be
worked, but whether our publishing house should be established there I
cannot say. I should not regard the light I have received as definite
enough to favor the movement.”
After spending nearly two
weeks hunting about New York City and surrounding towns, the committee
failed to find a suitable place for the publishing house. At this point a
letter came, dated May 30, in which Mrs. White said:-
“As our brethren search
for a location for the Review and Herald publishing house, they are
earnestly to seek the Lord. They are to move with great caution,
watchfulness, and prayer, and with a constant sense of their own
weakness. We must not depend upon human judgment. We must seek for the
wisdom that God gives. . . .
“In regard to establishing
the institution in New York, I must say, Be guarded. I am not in favor of
its being near New York. I cannot now give all my reasons, but I am sure
that any place within thirty miles of that city would be too near. Study
the surroundings of other places. I am sure that
460
the advantages of
Washington, D.C., should be closely investigated.
“We should not establish
this institution in a city nor in the suburbs of a city. It should be
established in a rural district, where it can be surrounded by land.”
Prediction of Favorable Offer
With this information the
committee began prayerfully to look about Washington, when a third letter
came containing this instruction: “We have been praying for light
regarding the location of our work in the East, and light has come to us
in a very decided way. Positive light has been given me that there will be
offered to us for sale places upon which much money has been expended by
men who had money to use freely. The owners of these palaces die, or
their attention is called to some other object, and the property is
offered for sale at a very low price. . . .
“From the light given me,
I know that, for the present, the headquarters of the Review and Herald
should be near Washington.”
The
Predicted Location Found
With this communication in
hand, the committee began prospecting in the District of Columbia for a
site, but no land could be found for less than one thousand dollars per
acre. Finally their attention was called to Tacoma Park. The following is
the report of the committee:-
“We found a tract of about
fifty acres just outside the District, but within the city limits of
Tacoma Park, that we could purchase for six thousand dollars, or at the
rate of one hundred and twenty dollars an acre. We gave this place
thorough examination. We found that some years ago it was selected by a
Boston physician for a sanitarium site. He is said to have expended about
sixty thousand dollars in the purchase price and in clearing it of all the
underbrush, logs, and
461
rubbish. Financial
difficulties prevented him from carrying out his plans, and the tract
passed into the hands of a gentleman who held a mortgage on it, at a cost
to him of fifteen thousand dollars.
“The citizens of Tacoma
Park, as represented by the mayor and some of the leading men, gave us a
very hearty welcome to the place, and assurances of friendly cooperation
in carrying out our plans.
“In all our travels and
searching, we found no other spot that filled so fully the specifications
of the testimonies as this one. We believe the providence of God has led
us to the place he would have us occupy.”
In view of the many
fulfillments of testimonies presented in this and former chapter, let us
“believe in the Lord our God, and so be established; and believe his
prophet, and so prosper,” that we may be prepared for the events yet in
the future, and not be taken by them unawares.
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“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.”1
Such is the language
addressed to those in the Philadelphia state of the gospel church. This
church was the one which had been developed by the proclamation of the
near advent of Christ, or those who had held fast to what they heard upon
that subject; for he says of the Sardis church (the one immediately
preceding the Philadelphia), “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.”2
The Sardis church, then,
heard the doctrine of the Lord’s soon coming. Those who held fast to what
they had heard, moved on in the truth as the “candlestick” was removed,
and constituted the Philadelphia church, to whom he said, “Because thou
hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of
temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell
upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown.”3
It is to this Philadelphia church, then, that he says, “I have set before
thee an open door, and no man can shut it.”
Here, then, is the
emphatic declaration of Holy Writ that those who, in God’s providence, are
moved out to warn the
1 Rev. 3:8.
2 Rev. 3:3.
3 Rev. 3:10,
11.
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world of the Lord’s
coming, and to entreat the people to prepare to meet God, have the special
favor of God in their work. Men may try to hinder, to defeat their
movements, to close the “door of utterance,” but still the voice of God
sounds out above all clamor, “I have set before thee an open door.”
Seventy-Four Years’ Progress
In the foregoing pages of
this book we have gone briefly over the space of seventy-four years, from
1831 to 1905, tracing the rise and progress of the advent messages, and
especially the third angel’s message. We have shown how, from obscurity
and poverty, this message has advanced with accelerated force and power
from year to year, until it has missions encircling the earth. It surely
is not because the message is one that is pleasing to carnal hearts, that
it has thus prospered; for it carries in its forefront the Sabbath of the
Lord, the observance of which brings a heavy cross, requiring a separation
from business with the world on the busiest secular day of the week.
Neither has it advanced because of no opposition; for this it has
encountered from the first, and that of the fiercest kind from without, as
well as perplexities caused by unconsecrated persons who for a time have
found their way into the ranks. As to the situation occasioned by the
designs and efforts of outside foes, we may well say in the words of David
the Psalmist, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may
Israel say: if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose
up against us: then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was
kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had
gone over our soul: then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed
be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is
escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken,
and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven
and earth.”4
4 Ps.
124:1-8.
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Help in the Lord
The Lord declares that he
has set before his people “an open door, and no man can shut it.” No
marvel, then, that the message has gone steadily forward. It is God’s
message to the people, and it must succeed. In Rev. 7:2 the work of
preparing a people to stand when the great day of God’s wrath shall come
is symbolized by an angel “ascending from the east,” or, as some
translate, “like the rising of the sun.” Behold the dawning of the
day-first appear the rays of light in the east; these blend into greater
clearness until the sun’s broad, distinct disk is seen. As the “King of
Day” ascends to the zenith, its light, heat, and power become more and
more vivid.
Such indeed has been the
progress of the third angel’s message since 1848, when its component
truths were brought into distinct form, and from which point we have shown
a marked and steady growth that is wonderful. This we can explain upon no
other ground than that the Lord is verifying his word to those who in this
time, when his salvation is about to come, “keep the Sabbath from
polluting it,”5 and
turn away their foot from doing their own pleasure on God’s holy day,
thus, through the “faith of Jesus,” as declared in the third angel’s
message of Revelation 14, keeping all “the commandments of God.” Of such
the Lord said by the prophet Isaiah, “Then shall thy light break forth as
the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy
righteousness [“the Lord our righteousness” Jer. 23:6] shall go before
thee; and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.”6
With such assurances how could we expect aught else but that the work
would be a success? “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
How
Can These Prosper?
Looking at the situation
when, in 1846, Elder Joseph Bates began to write that first book, the
first ever issued on the
5 Isa.
56:1, 2. 6 Isa.
58:8, 13 465
Sabbath
question by Seventh-day Adventists, with twelve and one-half cents as the
only available means he had in the world, and being called upon to spend
that before his first day of writing had expired; and looking again at
Elder James White printing his first little sheet, Present Truth, with
money earned by mowing in the hay field, and sending out the paper free to
all who would read, and talking of that as a message that was to go to the
ends of the earth, -looking at these small beginnings, one might, in the
language of the people in the days of Amos, inquire, “By whom shall Jacob
arise? For he is small.”7
Contrasting
that with the situation in 1905, when the publication of the truths of the
message is being accomplished in twenty publishing houses, located in
various parts of the world, often pressed to their utmost capacity to
supply the demand for reading matter, we can indeed say, Behold, “an open
door” that no man as yet has shut.
Of those in earlier times
who supposed the work could never succeed, we may say, in the words with
which the prophet Zechariah reproved those who thought to hinder the work
of God in the rebuilding of Jerusalem, “Who hath despised the day of small
things?”8
Of the things which appeared like mountains of difficulties in their way,
the Lord said by the prophet,-
The
Mountain Made a Plain
“Who art thou, O great
mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring
forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.”9
So it has been in the work of the third angel’s message, and so it will be
until “the headstone” is brought, or in other words, until the work is
completed.
Look at the few in 1846,
poor in means, poor in every sense excepting faith in God and in the store
of truth, and see to what proportions their work has grown. Think of the
facilities now in hand, books all prepared, translated, and
7 Amos 7:2.
8 Zech. 4:10.
9 Zech. 4:7
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printed in
the various languages of the earth, and the hundreds of canvassers putting
these books into the homes of the people at the rate of $400,000 worth
annually. With a continuance of God’s blessing upon the work, we can look
forward to success. With these facilities and agencies which are being
increased from month to month, with trust in Christ, we need expect
nothing else but that which Solomon sang of the church of God as she came
forth from her wilderness state, “leaning on the arm of her Beloved,” when
he represents her as looking forth, “fair as the moon, clear as the sun,
and terrible as an army with banners.”10
.
Aided by the Gift of Prophecy
Not only have we seen that
the Lord’s providence has opened the way for the spread of the truth, and
his signal blessing has attended the efforts made to move in the ways of
his providence, but in the rise and progress of the third angel’s message
he has communicated with his people through the gift of prophecy. This
has not been in the form of a new revelation to take the place of the
Bible, not in a manner to pervert the Scripture teachings, but to show
where, in this age, there is danger of departing from the simplicity of
the gospel of Christ, where the people are in danger of falling under the
tendency of the age, being satisfied with a form of godliness without the
power.
Looking at this subject
from the example11 of
the ancient prophets, which the Lord has given us as one of the rules by
which such manifestations are to be tested, the same reasons are found why
such manifestations are needed now as then; namely, the liability in each
age of being swayed from the line of truth by the prevailing and peculiar
doctrines and practices of the age. The apostle Paul, in speaking of the
manifestation of the gifts which the Lord has placed in the church, says
they are “for the perfecting of the saints, for the
10 Solomon’s
Song 6:10. 11 James 5:10.
467
work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we henceforth
be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into
him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole
body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint
supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every
part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”12
The same objections that
are raised against manifestations of the gift of prophecy at the present
time, might have been urged with the same force in ancient times; i.e., we
have the Scriptures, and therefore have no need of such gifts. These same
Scriptures tell us, however, that Christ has placed these gifts in the
church to do their work until “that which is perfect [the perfect state]
is come,” and that the church is to “come behind in no gift, waiting for
the coming of out Lord Jesus Christ.”13
What Need Have We of Prophets?
The people anciently might
have reasoned that they had the moral law of God as written by his own
finger on tables of stone; that they had statutes, judgments, and
instructions which had been spoken to Moses from the mouth of God, and
which had been carefully written out; and what more was needed? But
notwithstanding all those excellent truths which they had in their
possession, God was pleased to speak to them “at sundry times and in
divers manners by his holy prophets.”
We find that the
testimonies borne by the various prophets, as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Daniel, Hosea, and others, in each case taught the same great principle
respecting obedience to
12 Eph.
4:12-16.
13 1 Cor.
1:6, 7.
468
God; yet each prophet had
his peculiar reproofs for the people of his time, for their tendency
toward being drawn from the sacred and holy principle of right by the
prevailing customs of the age in which the prophecy was given.
Need of Gifts
While it may be argued
that we have not only the excellent instruction of the Old Testament
Scriptures, but in addition, the words of our Saviour himself, and of the
apostles, what need have we of further light? The fact remains that these
same holy apostles have pointed forward to the last days, when “perilous
times shall come,” and when men shall “have a form of godliness, but deny
the power thereof,” telling us also that “some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.”
In view of all this, that
people of whom Paul speaks in writing to the Thessalonians, who will not
be in darkness, that the day of Christ should overtake them as a thief,
but who will be children of light, are exhorted to “prove all things” in
the way of “prophesyings,” and to “hold fast that which is good.”14 This
is equivalent to telling them that the people who will be looking for the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will at last be found in readiness
for that day, will have “good,” true manifestations of the gift of
prophecy among them.
Tokens of the End
We are in the time when
the tokens are abundant on every side that the day of the Lord is near at
hand. We are in the very period of time when a people were to arise who
would keep all the commandments, and who would also “have the testimony of
Jesus”15he
“spirit of prophecy.”16
What do we find? That during the last sixty years such a people have
arisen, bearing just such a message, among whom the gift of prophecy has
been manifested. Testing the gift as
14 1 Thess.
5:5, 20, 21.
15 Rev.
12:17.
16 Rev.
19:10.
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manifested through Mrs. E.
G. White by the Bible rules, we have seen that it stands the test in every
particular. There has not been found, from first to last, in all the
writings of Mrs. White, a single line that gives the slightest license to
sin, or that tolerates in the least degree any departure from the word of
God. These writings have never placed themselves above the Bible, but
they do constantly exhort to the most careful study of the word of God,
pointing to it as the great standard by which our cases will be examined
in the final judgment. In her writings Christ is exalted before us as the
only pattern for us to follow. He is in the most vivid manner declared to
be our only hope of victory here, our only refuge from the wrath to come,
the only name and means through whom we can be saved.
A
Personal Tribute
In regard to Mrs. White
and the nature of her work, the following is given, having been penned in
1877 by one who had known her and who had studied her work for many years;
and after about fifty-three years’ test, years of careful observation, I
give my unqualified indorsement to every sentiment therein expressed:-
“As to the Christian
character of Sister White, I beg leave to say that I think I know
something about it. I have been acquainted with her for eighteen years,
-more than half the history of our people. I have been in their family
time and again, sometimes weeks at a time. They have been in our house
and family many times. I have traveled with them almost everywhere; have
been with them in private and in public, in meeting and out of meeting,
and have the very best chances to know something of the life, character,
and spirit of Brother and Sister White. As a minister I have had to deal
with all kinds of persons, and all kinds of character, till I think I can
judge something of what a person is, at least after years of intimate
acquaintance.
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“I know Sister White to be
an unassuming, modest, kindhearted, noble woman. These traits in her
character are not simply put on and cultivated, but they spring gracefully
and easily from her natural disposition. She is not self-conceited,
self-righteous, and self-important, as fanatics always are. I have always
found them to be full of pretensions, full of pride, ready to give their
opinion, boastful of their holiness, etc., but I have ever found Sister
White the reverse of all this.
A
Friend of the Poor
“Any one, the poorest and
the humblest, can go to her freely for advice and comfort without being
repulsed. She is ever looking after the needy, the destitute, and the
suffering, providing for them, and pleading their cause.
“I have never formed an
acquaintance with any person who so constantly has the fear of God before
him. Nothing is undertaken without earnest prayer to God. She studies
God’s word carefully and constantly. I have heard Sister White speak
hundreds of times, have read all her testimonies through and through, most
of them many times, and I have never been able to find one immoral
sentence in the whole of them, or anything that is not strictly pure and
Christian; nothing that leads away from the Bible and from Christ; but
there I find the most earnest appeals to obey God, to love Jesus, to
believe the Scriptures, and to search them constantly. I have received
great spiritual benefit, times without number, from the testimonies.
Indeed, I have never read them without feeling reproved for my lack of
faith in God, lack of devotion, and lack of earnestness in saving souls.
If I have any judgement, and spiritual discernment, I pronounce the
testimonies to be of the same spirit and of the same tenor as the
Scriptures.
“For thirty years [we may
now say sixty years] these testimonies have been believed and read among
our people.
471
How has it affected them?
Has it led them away from the law of God? Has it led them to give up
faith in Christ? Has it led them to throw aside the Bible? Has it led
them to be a corrupt, immoral people? I know that they will compare
favorably with any other Christian denomination.
“One thing I have
remarked, and that is, that the most bitter opponents of the visions of
Sister White admit that she is a Christian. How they can make this
admission is more than I know. They try to fix it up by saying that she
is deceived. They are not able to put their finger upon a single stain in
all her life, nor an immoral sentence in all her writings. They have to
admit that much of her writings are excellent, and that whoever would live
out all she says would be a good Christian, sure of heaven. This is
passing strange, if she is a tool of the devil, inspired by Satan, or if
her writings are immoral or the vagaries of her own mind.”
Strangers Testify of the Writings
As our periodicals
containing Mrs. White’s writings are sent out, they are sought by the most
humble, God-fearing, and devoted. Reporting on what they read, they say,
“We are especially interested in Mrs. White’s writings. They are so
practical, so full of instruction calculated to lead one nearer to the
Lord, and make him more humble, God-fearing, and devoted. These writings
are so much in the strain of Scripture that it seems as we read that Mrs.
White must be inspired to write in the manner she does.” Such is the
testimony in scores of cases of those who are in correspondence with our
missionary workers, those, too, who have not the slightest intimation that
Mrs. White’s ideas are received in holy vision.
Source of Opposition
Having before us the
impression made by this gift, the question arises, Whence and why has
opposition arisen to the manifestation of this gift? and what has been the
outcome
472
of those opposing? Having
watched this matter carefully since 1852, I have found that for the most
part the opposition to this manifestation has arisen from those who have
been reproved for defects in character, for wrong habits, or for some
wrong course in their manner of life. Many of the reproved would protest
that they were not as bad as the testimony represented them, and they
would show that they could hold on to the truth even though they should go
contrary to the reproof given them. Time has shown the great majority of
such renouncing their faith and leaving the ranks entirely. Some have
seen their error, and have grasped the truth more firmly. The query
arises, If those opposing this gift are led by the Lord, why should they
lose their spirituality, and backslide from God? Our Saviour’s rule is
that a tree should be known by its fruit. He most emphatically asserts
that “a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit.”
Failure of the Opposition
We recall instances where
organized opposition has been raised against the testimonies of Mrs.
White, with the declaration that great success was going to attend their
work as soon as they should get rid of the testimonies. There has been,
however, an utter failure in realizing the accomplishment of their hopes.
After years of battling they have given no more evidence of spreading the
Sabbath truth before the world than those of their kind did forty-nine
years ago. If theirs was the special work of the Lord, why has no more
prosperity attended their message?
Where is the Success?
On the other hand, as we
look at that message by which the commandments of God and the faith of
Jesus are being proclaimed to the world,-a message with which is connected
this manifestation of the gift of prophecy, with its counsels,
instructions, and reproofs,-we see it has made sure and
473
steady advance from its
very beginning to the present time. Heeding the Lord’s counsels through
that gift, moving forward in the Lord’s strength, the message, as we have
shown, has encircled the earth, and is fast making its way to “every
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”
Of its progress in the
past we can say, God’s word has been verified in that he said, “No weapon
formed against thee shall prosper.” Truly, the hand of God has been
manifest in the success attending the rise and progress of this great
advent movement thus far, and for the future we rely upon the certain
fulfillment of his word, “I have set before thee an open door, and no man
can shut it.” In this confidence we may sing with all assurance:-
“For he has
been with us,
And he still is with us,
And he’s promised to be with us
To the end.”
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