August 29, 1854," wrote Ellen White, "another responsibility was added to our family in the birth of Willie. He took my mind somewhat from the troubles around me."--Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 310. William Clarence was a third son.
What were some of the troubles Ellen White referred to?
On Friday, June 23, some two months before Willie's birth, she and her husband had returned from their seven-week trip to Michigan and Wisconsin (The Review and Herald, July 4, 1854). It had been a strenuous trip, and both were weary and much worn. They came to their newly rented home on Monroe Street to find the four-day Rochester conference, which James White had called months earlier, about to open. Representatives from the churches in western New York, Pennsylvania, and Canada were there for the important meeting. But, noted Ellen White: "We returned ... much worn, desiring rest ... Without rest we were obliged to engage in the meeting."--Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 309.
This was not the usual weekend conference that had become common, but a "general gathering." It had a larger attendance and had been called to consider important subjects relative to the welfare of the cause. During its business sessions special consideration was given to the Review and Herald, its welfare and its finances. Here it was decided to establish a subscription price of $1 a year, in advance. The worthy poor would continue to receive it "without charge." Liberal donations would be needed to keep the paper afloat financially. The conference ran from Friday afternoon till Monday. During the last meeting, Monday afternoon, June 26, an important vision was given to Ellen White. It was not James White who presented this information, for he was careful not to say much about the visions in print. He never hesitated, however, in recognizing their importance and giving heed to the counsel thus imparted by God. Nor did he hesitate to call the attention of those present to the phenomena observed in connection with the vision they were witnessing.
Tested by a Physician While in Vision
Three persons who were present that day later recalled the vision and gave their testimony of what they witnessed: First, listen to D. H. Lamson:
I was then 17 years old. It seems to me I can almost hear those thrilling shouts of "G-l-o-r-y!" which she uttered. Then she sank back to the floor, not falling, but sinking gently, and was supported in the arms of an attendant.
Two physicians came in, an old man and a young man. Brother White was anxious that they should examine Sister White closely, which they did. A looking glass was brought, and one of them held it over her mouth while she talked; but very soon they gave this up, and said, "She doesn't breathe." Then they closely examined her sides as she spoke, to find some evidence of deep breathing, but they did not find it.
As they closed this part of the examination, she arose to her feet, still in vision, holding a Bible high up, turning from passage to passage, quoting correctly, although the eyes were looking upward and away from the Book.
She had a view of the seven last plagues. Then she saw the triumph of the saints, and her shouts of triumph I can seem to hear even now. To these facts I freely testify.--Elder D. H. Lamson, Hillsdale, Michigan, February 8, 1893, published in GSAM, pp. 207, 208.
Another who witnessed this vision at the White home on Monroe Street in Rochester, was a young lady, Drusilla, who was later to marry D. H. Lamson's cousin. At the time of writing, she was the matron of the Clifton Springs, New York, Sanitarium. Of the experience she wrote on March 9, 1893:
I remember the meeting when the trial was made, namely, to test what Brother White had frequently said, that Sister White did not breathe while in vision, but I cannot recall the name of the doctor who was present.... It must have been Dr. Fleming, as he was the doctor called sometimes for counsel. He is, however, now dead. I can say this much, that the test was made, and no sign of breath was visible on the looking glass.--Drusilla Lamson, in GSAM, p. 208.
David Seeley, of Fayette, Iowa, was another eyewitness; he gave his testimony on August 29, 1897:
This is to certify that I have read the above testimonials of David Lamson and Mrs. Drusilla Lamson, concerning the physician's statement when examining Mrs. E. G. White while she was in vision, June 26, 1854.
I was present at that meeting, and witnessed the examination. I agree with what is stated by Brother and Sister Lamson, and would say further that it was Doctor Fleming and another younger physician who made the examination. After Mrs. White rose to her feet, as they have stated, quoting the texts of Scripture, Doctor Fleming called for a lighted candle. He held this candle as near her lips as possible without burning, and in direct line with her breath in case she breathed. There was not the slightest flicker of the blaze. The doctor then said, with emphasis, "That settles it forever; there is no breath in her body."--David Seeley, in GSAM, pp. 208, 209.
Ellen White was totally unconscious while in vision; she knew nothing of the circumstances observed by others. Later she wrote of why the visions were thus given.
Some of the instruction found in these pages [her books] was given under circumstances so remarkable as to evidence the wonder-working power of God in behalf of His truth. Sometimes while I was in vision, my friends would approach me, and exclaim, "Why, she does not breathe!" Placing a mirror before my lips, they found that no moisture gathered on the glass. It was while there was no sign of any breathing that I kept talking of the things that were being presented before me.
These messages were thus given to substantiate the faith of all, that in these last days we might have confidence in the Spirit of Prophecy.--The Review and Herald, June 14, 1906.
At the time of this vision at Rochester, the Messenger party was doing its work, and the church was just on the verge of the defection of Stephenson and Hall, of Wisconsin. All of them were denouncing the presence of the Spirit of Prophecy as an important factor in the work of the Sabbathkeeping Adventists.
Problems that Loomed Large
Ellen White, a full seven months pregnant, could not escape the conference at the White home in Rochester in late June, 1854. She had to face the realities of her situation, but her spirits were low. The problems loomed large before her:
1. Anna, James's sister, was at death's door with consumption (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 309).
2. James was far from well and facing large problems in publishing the Review and Herald and managing the office.
3. Lumen Masten, in charge of the printing office, was failing fast with tuberculosis.
Confided Ellen White:
4. "Trials thickened around us. We had much care. The office hands boarded with us, and our family numbered from fifteen to twenty. The large conferences and Sabbath meetings were held at our house. We had no quiet Sabbaths; for some of the sisters usually tarried all day with their children. Our brethren and sisters generally did not consider the inconvenience and additional care and expense brought upon us. As one after another of the office hands would come home sick, needing extra attention, I was fearful that we should sink beneath the anxiety and care. I often thought that we could endure no more; yet trials increased."--Ibid. Then she observed:
With surprise I found that we were not overwhelmed. We learned the lesson that much more suffering and trial could be borne than we had once thought possible. The watchful eye of the Lord was upon us, to see we were not destroyed.--Ibid., 309, 310.
5. One source of aggravation and trouble that gave James and Ellen White deep concern were the irresponsible activities of the group of Sabbathkeeping Adventists in Michigan who had withdrawn from the main body and had started publishing the Messenger of Truth.
The two dissident ministers in Jackson, Case and Russell, having been reproved by the visions, were now in bitter opposition. Wrote Ellen White:
They would not bear reproof, and in a secret manner at first, afterward more openly, used their influence against us. This we could have borne, but some of those who should have stood by us were influenced by these wicked persons.--Ibid., 310.
This was the first time the pioneers had been confronted with the development of a dissident movement within their ranks, and at a time when formal church organization was yet several years off. Up to this point, the movement, devoted to heralding the third angel's message, was built largely around the Review and Herald. Now this was challenged, and through it, its editor.
At the same time, White was forced to deal with the future of the Review, its ownership, its support, and its editorship. The major factors of concern here were his very poor health, suffering as he was from overwork, and the ultimate responsibility for the paper to serve a rapidly growing constituency. The two distressing elements, the dissident movement and the welfare of the Review and Herald, emerged simultaneously in the late summer of 1854.
It was all too much for James. Ellen White described the bleak situation:
He was troubled with cough and soreness of lungs, and his nervous system was prostrated. His anxiety of mind, the burdens which he bore in Rochester, his labor in the office, the sickness and repeated deaths in the family, the lack of sympathy from those who should have shared his labors, together with his traveling and preaching, were too much for his strength, and he seemed to be fast following Nathaniel and Anna to a consumptive's grave.
That was a time of gloom and darkness. A few rays of light occasionally parted these heavy clouds, giving us a little hope, or we should have sunk in despair. It seemed at times that God had forsaken us....
If the cause of God had been ours alone, we might have trembled; but it was in the hands of Him who could say, No one is able to pluck it out of My hands. Jesus lives and reigns.--Ibid., 311, 312.
This was demonstrated through the next fifteen months. By the time the Review office and press were moved from Rochester to Battle Creek, Michigan, in November, 1855, both were settled. In the interest of clarity, the dissident movement will be considered first.
The Messenger Party
The Messenger party was born in the weeks following the visit of James and Ellen White to the Jackson, Michigan, church in June, 1853. Case and Russell, having been reproved for their unreasonable course of action, began to sow seeds of distrust and criticism. They were soon joined by other critical believers. In time they started their paper, the Messenger of Truth, which they hoped would rival the Review and Herald. The first issue came out in the fall of 1854.
The chief burden was criticism and condemnation of the Review and its publishers. Case accused James White of speculation; he declared that White, on his trip to Wisconsin, sold Bibles for a sum greater than he had paid for them in New York. When White pointed out that the sale price in Wisconsin was below cost, Case admitted there was no ground for censure, but shortly thereafter he was repeating the charge. Another pretext was found in the fact that money was sent to James White for the advance of the cause, at a time when he alone was responsible for the finances of the Review office. Further, he kept an eye on the needs of both poorly supported ministers and the widows and orphans. Handling money in these interests gave rise to the accusation that James and Ellen White were getting rich. These charges were followed by an ever-growing roster of falsehoods and accusations.
The Messenger of Truth was sent to the readers of the Review, some of whom accepted its "disclosures" as gospel truth. The leaders of the emerging church were at a loss to know what course to take. As new accusations followed one on another, James White and loyal ministers endeavored to get the truth before the perplexed members. J. N. Loughborough, now one of the dedicated evangelists and closely associated with the Whites, wrote of the matter:
The mission of this sheet and its conductors seemed to be to tear down and defame instead of to build up. Many falsehoods were inserted in its pages, which annoyed us in our work in the message; and as it was our first experience with such an open attack, we thought it our duty to refute their slanderous statements. Doing this occupied time that should have been spent in advancing the truth committed to our trust, and suited well the purposes of Satan, who was undoubtedly the instigator of this opposition.--GSAM, p. 325.
In an editorial in the Review of September 5, 1854, which he titled "Our Position: Its Trials and Duties Considered," White pointed out that those who honor God's Sabbath may expect severe trials and declared:
It has ever been God's plan to try and prove His people; but the Scriptures warrant us to expect that the "remnant" who "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," in the midst of the perils of the last days, will be called to pass through peculiarly trying scenes. The dragon, the devil, is wroth, and even now is making war with the remnant. Revelation 12:17.--The Review and Herald, September 5, 1854.
There was little opposition and trial from the unbelieving, unchristian world. From the sectarian churches often there was bitterness and opposition. Even more bitter opposition, he wrote, came from former brethren in the Advent faith--"first-day Adventists." He then pointed out the trials most difficult to bear:
But those trials which arise among ourselves are the most severe. It is unfortunate for the cause that some men of little or no moral worth profess the truth, who appear to run well for a while, till those not the most discerning have them in great estimation, and they obtain some influence; then the dragon uses them as his chosen instruments to divide and distract the flock.--Ibid.
White added:
It is not our duty to leave the work of God to contend with unreasonable men. This Satan designs that we shall do, but God has something better for us to attend to. It is our duty to point out and warn the flock to beware of the influence of those who cause divisions, then leave the matter in the hands of God.--Ibid.
Good in theory, but this was hard to do. The letters from the field and occasional notes in the Review yield glimpses of the matter.
In the December 26, 1854, issue, White presented an editorial in which he spoke of the prosperity of the cause and the union that existed. He then made reference to the Messenger party:
The late scourge to which some refer in this number will prove one of the greatest blessings to the cause. It will put the people of God on their guard in their future course, and free them of some who have been a burden to the cause, and whom they could not reform. In speaking of such, brethren should seek to "speak the truth in love." ... The Review must be devoted to the truth and, breathe its sweet spirit.--Ibid., December 26, 1854
Late in January or during February, James White got out an Extra of the Review devoted to the offshoot group. Little is said of it in the regular issues, but on March 20, 1855, he made reference to and quoted a few sentences of commendation for it written by J. M. Stephenson--note carefully the name--writing from Aztalan, Wisconsin, on March 1. Stephenson was a first-day Adventist minister who had recently accepted the third angel's message under the ministry of J. H. Waggoner. His testimony was very positive:
Yesterday afternoon I saw for the first time the Review and Herald Extra, also Nos. 22 and 23 of the Review. With the Extra I am well pleased. It cannot fail of doing much good in Wisconsin.... My sympathies are all with the Review. It is that paper or none for me. I cannot affiliate the spirit or doctrines of the Messenger of Error. They are rushing headlong, and I fear heedlessly, into the most egregious errors in doctrine, exposition of prophecy, et cetera. I believe the Review has the truth in the main.--Ibid., March 20, 1855
Just at this time White was planning to publish another issue of the Extra (Ibid.).
On Sabbath and Sunday, June 16 and 17, a tent meeting was held at Oswego. James and Ellen White were present and remained in the vicinity during the week following. On Wednesday, June 20, they attended a prayer meeting at the home of John Place. Loughborough, who was present, writes of it:
Mrs. White was given a vision in which she was shown that if we would keep at our work, preaching the truth, regardless of any such as the "Messenger party," they would go to war among themselves and their paper would go down, and when that should happen we would find that our ranks had doubled. Believing this testimony to be from the Lord, we began at once to act in harmony with it.--GSAM, pp. 325, 326.
Soon after the vision Ellen White wrote of it:
When at Oswego, New York, June, 1855, I was shown that God's people have been weighed down with clogs; that there have been Achans in the camp. The work of God has progressed but little, and many of His servants have been discouraged.... The Messenger party has arisen, and we shall suffer some from their lying tongues and misrepresentations, yet we should bear it all patiently; for they will not injure the cause of God, now they have left us, as much as they would have injured it by their influence had they remained with us.
God's frown has been brought upon the church on account of individuals with corrupt hearts being in it. They have wanted to be foremost, when neither God nor their brethren placed them there. Selfishness and exaltation have marked their course. A place is now open for all such where they can go and find pasture with those of their kind. And we should praise God that in mercy He has rid the church of them.... An excitement and sympathy now leads them, which will deceive some; but every honest one will be enlightened as to the true state of this company, and will remain with God's peculiar people, hold fast the truth, and follow in the humble path, unaffected by the influence of those who have been given up of God to their own ways, to be filled with their own doings.--Testimonies for the Church, 1:122.
She outlined the course of action the church should take:
I saw that the people of God must arouse and put on the armor. Christ is coming, and the great work of the last message of mercy is of too much importance for us to leave it and come down to answer such falsehoods, misrepresentations, and slanders as the Messenger party have fed upon and have scattered abroad.
Truth, present truth, we must dwell upon it. We are doing a great work, and cannot come down. Satan is in all this, to divert our minds from the present truth and the coming of Christ. Said the angel: "Jesus knows it all." In a little from this their day is coming. All will be judged according to the deeds done in the body. The lying tongue will be stopped. The sinners in Zion will be afraid, and fearfulness will surprise the hypocrites.--Ibid., 1:123.
After the vision the workers thanked God for guidance; from then on they virtually ignored the Messenger party.
Five months later, at a general conference in Battle Creek, they went on record as revealed in the minutes:
Whereas, Inquiries have been made as to what course we designed to pursue in the future, in reference to the misstatements of the enemies of present truth, therefore, for the information and satisfaction of the brethren abroad.
Resolved, That we henceforth devote ourselves exclusively to the advocacy and defense of the present truth, committing ourselves in all things to Him who judgeth righteously, after the example of our Pattern, in affliction and in patience.--The Review and Herald, December 4, 1855.
A Bitter Lesson on Compromising on Doctrinal Truth
This was a period of learning on the part of the leaders of the emerging church. On their first visit to Wisconsin in late May, 1854, James and Ellen White met J. M. Stephenson and D. P. Hall, former ministers among the first-day Adventists who, under J. H. Waggoner's ministry, had accepted the third angel's message. The acquisition of the two men doubled the ministerial force in Wisconsin. During the preceding months both had been in communication with White. On meeting them, he was favorably impressed and asked both of them to write for the Review. There was just one catch in the matter. Both Stephenson and Hall held the "age to come" doctrine, which presented the prospect of a second probation following the millennium. Months later White told the story of his contacts with these men:
When we were in Eldorado, Wisconsin, June, 1854, Elders Stephenson and Hall stated to us that they were firm believers in the "age to come." We asked them if they had ever known one sinner converted, or a backslider reclaimed, as the fruits of preaching "age to come."
The answer was "No."
We then asked if that, in their opinion, much harm had not been the result of preaching "age to come," in dividing the Advent people.
The answer was, "Yes."
We inquired, "Then why preach it?"
The reply was "We are willing to waive the subject, and unite on the third angel's message, if those who oppose the 'age to come' will do the same."
We then stated that we could speak in behalf of Brethren East, that they would be willing to waive the subject.
At this point in the conversation, said Elder Stephenson, "The 'age to come' is premature. It is future truth, it is not the present truth, and if the third angel's message had been presented to us at the time the 'age to come' was, we would not have taken hold of the 'age to come.'"--Ibid.
White wrote that up to the time of the conference at Mill Grove, New York, in April, 1855, nothing appeared in the Review on the "age to come." In the meantime White had invited Stephenson and Hall to come to the East. At the commencement of the year 1855, D. P. Hall was in Pennsylvania and New York holding meetings (Ibid.February 20, 1855). A little later a notice appeared in the Review.
It is now expected that Brethren Hall and Stephenson, of Wisconsin, will visit this State the first of April, when it will be proper to have two or three conferences in the State. Those churches wishing conferences will please send in requests in season to give notice in the next Review.--Ibid., March 20, 1855
The Review of April 3 carried an appeal for funds to provide a tent in Wisconsin for the use of the two ministers. A conference was called for Jackson, Michigan, which they would attend. White reported that at this conference "Brethren Stephenson and Hall, of Wisconsin, were present, ... and improved most of the time in preaching the Word."--Ibid., May 1, 1855. The visiting ministers attended other weekend conferences as they made their way east. They were at the Mill Grove meeting in western New York the weekend of April 7 and 8 and here again met Elder White.
Quite sure that a discussion of the "age to come" could not be avoided, White proposed to Stephenson that they discuss the doctrine in tracts, each meeting the expense of publication. This was rejected, and at that point "Stephenson pronounced the covenant, made at Eldorado, June, 1854, to use his own words, 'null and void.'"--Ibid., December 4, 1855. When he urged that he be given access to present his views to the church through the Review, White referred him to the publishing committee, promising that he would abide by the committee decision. While in Michigan and New York the two men attended several conferences, including the one at Rochester, May 26 and 27 (Ibid., June 12, 1855). Some seventy-five were present on Sabbath, mostly Sabbathkeepers, and on Sunday about eight hundred came out to "hear the word of the Lord" (Ibid.).
While in Rochester, James White took the visiting ministers into his confidence, opening up to them the conditions and work of the office. What he did not at the time discern was opened up a few months later to Ellen White in vision:
While my husband was openhearted and unsuspecting, seeking ways to remove their jealousy, and frankly opening to them the affairs of the office, and trying to help them, they were watching for evil, and observing everything with a jealous eye.--Testimonies for the Church, 1:117.
A few days after the visit of Stephenson and Hall, James and Ellen White started on a tour through New England. The visiting ministers returned to Wisconsin to carry on evangelistic meetings in the new tent secured for their use. At this time the Messenger party, roundly denounced by Stephenson (The Review and Herald, March 20, 1855), was breaking up. But more of this later.
On their return to Wisconsin, Stephenson and Hall prepared for tent meetings, which they called for October 5 and 6, urging good attendance as "topics of vital interest will be investigated."--Ibid., September 4, 1855. At the conference they openly denounced the Review and decided to withdraw their support from it (Ibid., December 4, 1855). They now turned to the Messenger of Truth. This was a severe blow to James White, who a year before had compromised on the matter of freedom to discuss a point of error in doctrine.
In a vision given to Ellen White at the close of the conference held in Battle Creek in November, the whole matter was opened up to her. She wrote:
I was shown the case of Stephenson and Hall of Wisconsin. I saw that while we were in Wisconsin, in June, 1854, they were convicted that the visions were of God; but they examined them and compared them with their views of the "age to come," and because the visions did not agree with these, they sacrificed the visions for the "age to come." And while on their journey east last spring, they both were wrong and designing.
They have stumbled over the "age to come," and they are ready to take any course to injure the Review; its friends must be awake and do what they can to save the children of God from deception. These men are uniting with a lying and corrupt people. They have evidence of this. And while they were professing sympathy and union with my husband, they (especially Stephenson) were biting like an adder behind his back. While their words were smooth with him, they were inflaming Wisconsin against the Review and its conductors. Their object has been to have the Review publish the "age to come" theory, or to destroy its influence.--Testimonies for the Church, 1:116, 117.
Ellen White was shown the shortness of the life of the opposition:
Said the angel as I beheld them: "Think ye, feeble man, that you can stay the work of God? Feeble man, one touch of His finger can lay thee prostrate. He will suffer thee but a little while."--Ibid., 1:117.
Then the whole matter was put in its proper perspective:
I was pointed back to the rise of the Advent doctrine, and even before that time, and saw that there had not been a parallel to the deception, misrepresentation, and falsehood that has been practiced by the Messenger party, or such an association of corrupt hearts under a cloak of religion. Some honest hearts have been influenced by them.... I saw that such will have evidence of the truth of these matters. The church of God should move straight along, as though there were not such a people in the world.--Ibid.
Within a year or two the Messenger party and the "age to come" advocates who united with the party fell apart and lost all influence.
What Happened to the "Messengers"
Just a little more than two years after Ellen White penned the words quoted above, James White wrote concerning the leaders in the opposition movement:
Wyman, rejected by his party for crime, and a town charge. Bezzo, their editor [turned schoolteacher], fined $25 for presenting a pistol, and threatening to shoot a scholar in school. Case, run out as a preacher, and fishing on the lakes. Chapin, in a clothing store. Lillis, a spiritualist. Russell and Hicks had denounced Bezzo and the publishers of their sheet [as] hypocrites, and were standing alone.
It seems that as soon as these restless spirits went out from the body by themselves, ... they immediately went to biting and devouring one another until not one of the eighteen messengers of which they once boasted as being with them is now bearing a public testimony, and not one place of regular meeting to our knowledge among them, east or west.--The Review and Herald, January 14, 1858.
As to those advocating the "age to come," Stephenson soon adopted doctrinal views that cut him off from those who sympathized with him. He seemed to lose his ability as a speaker. He divorced his wife to marry a younger woman. Reported Loughborough:
In this forlorn condition--friendless, penniless, and with failing health--he was placed in the "poorhouse." There his mental faculties failed him--not a derangement, but a state of imbecility. The last four years of his life he had no more sense, or ability to care for himself, than a year-old child.--Pacific Union Recorder, May 12, 1910.
D. P. Hall soon gave up his preaching and engaged in the real estate business. Through impracticable business transactions he lost everything and went bankrupt. This led to melancholy and terminated in insanity.
Ellen White Portrays the Steps in Apostasy
Writing some years later concerning apostasies and the involvements of those who lost their way, Ellen White pointed out five natural steps:
"It is Satan's plan to weaken the faith of God's people in the Testimonies." "Satan knows how to make his attacks. He works upon minds to excite jealousy and dissatisfaction toward those at the head of the work. The gifts are next questioned; then, of course, they have but little weight, and instruction given through vision is disregarded." "Next follows skepticism in regard to the vital points of our faith, the pillars of our position, then doubt as to the Holy Scriptures, and then the downward march to perdition.
"When the Testimonies, which were once believed, are doubted and given up, Satan knows the deceived ones will not stop at this; and he redoubles his efforts till he launches them into open rebellion, which becomes incurable, and ends in destruction."--Testimonies for the Church, 5:672.