The first seed that was to grow into the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist publishing work was planted in January 1846. It came about in rather an unpremeditated manner. Soon after her eighteenth birthday Ellen had learned that Enoch Jacobs, of Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the believers who had been disappointed in 1844, had been wavering in his confidence in the fulfillment of prophecy. She wrote to him from Portland on December 20, 1845, recounting the highlights of her first vision. Although she stated that the letter was not written for publication, Jacobs printed it in the Day-Star issue of January 24, 1846.
Through the next few years it was republished in various forms until it was carried into her first little book, Christian Experience and Views, published in 1851, and from there into Early Writings.
Sometime later when Ellen was visiting in the home of Otis Nichols in Dorchester, near Boston, she discovered that the editor of The Day-Star had published her letter, including her statement that it was not written for publication. Seeing this, on February 15, 1846, she wrote a second letter to Jacobs stating that had she known he was going to publish her first letter she would have written more fully of what God had revealed to her. "As the readers of The Day-Star have seen a part of what God has revealed to me, ... I humbly request you to publish this also in your paper" (The Day-Star, March 14, 1846). She presented the vision given to her at Exeter, Maine, "one year ago this month." This was the vision in which she was shown the heavenly sanctuary and the transfer of the ministry of Christ from the holy place to the "Holy of Holies."
The Place Of The Vision In Confirming The Sanctuary Truth
Significantly, The Day-Star Extra dated February 7, 1846, had been devoted to the Bible study of Hiram Edson and O.R.L. Crosier in which they set forth from the Scriptures the evidence for the understanding that the two phases of ministry in the earthly sanctuary service were a type of Christ's ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. Consequently, according to Edson and Crosier, events that were to come to pass, beginning on October 22, 1844, were events taking place in heaven.
The investigation supporting these conclusions had taken place at the Hiram Edson home in western New York State over a period of a number of months. The existence of this Bible study was unknown to Ellen Harmon when she was given the vision in Exeter in mid-February 1845, nor had there been time for the February 7, 1846, issue of The Day-Star to reach her before she wrote of the vision for the readers of that journal. The vision, as published on March 14, gave unique confirmation to the conclusions of the Edson and Crosier Bible study. A year later, April 21, 1847, Ellen White wrote in a letter to Eli Curtis:
The Lord showed me in vision, more than one year ago, that Brother Crosier had the true light on the cleansing of the sanctuary, et cetera, and that it was His will that Brother C. should write out the view which he gave us in The Day-Star Extra, February 7, 1846. I feel fully authorized by the Lord to recommend that Extra to every saint (A Word to the Little Flock, 12).
Step by step God was leading His children. The great Second Advent Awakening, so powerful, so free from extremes and fanaticism, was to the sincere believers the work of God. The disappointment of October 22 was a bitter experience, but they were confident that God had led them and would continue to lead those who kept their eyes on Jesus. Earnest, prayerful Bible study pointed the way to an understanding of the ministry of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary. In vision Ellen Harmon witnessed Christ entering the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary to begin another phase of ministry, closing one door and opening another, thus confirming the integrity of their 1844 experience. It also confirmed the conclusions reached through earnest Bible study. It would take time to grasp fully the various aspects of unfolding truth.
The Seventh-day Sabbath
Soon after their marriage Ellen and James began keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. Scriptural evidence for this had first been given to them by Joseph Bates, a retired sea captain living in Fairhaven, near New Bedford, the Massachusetts whaling seaport center. Bates had taken his stand in 1845, having had his attention called to it through an article in The Hope of Israel, written by T. M. Preble. A man of conviction and action, Bates in turn prepared a 48-page pamphlet, which he published in August 1846 under the title The Seventh-day Sabbath a Perpetual Sign From the Beginning to the Entering Into the Gates of the Holy City According to the Commandment. James White took a copy home with him after a funeral service he conducted at Falmouth. As he and Ellen studied the biblical evidences for the sacredness of the seventh day, they took their stand and began to teach it as they met with their fellow Adventists. At this time there were about 50 Sabbathkeepers in New England and New York State (Testimonies for the Church, 1:77).
James and Ellen White had accepted the Sabbath solely on the evidence of Scripture called to their attention by the Joseph Bates tract. On Sabbath, April 3, 1847, while visiting with the Howlands in their well-constructed home in Topsham, Maine, Ellen was given a significant vision confirming the Sabbath. She wrote of it in a letter to Joseph Bates:
In the city I saw a temple, which I entered. I passed through a door before I came to the first veil. This veil was raised, and I passed into the holy place. I saw the altar of incense, the candlestick with seven lamps, and the table on which was the shewbread, et cetera. After viewing the glory of the holy, Jesus raised the second veil, and I passed into the Holy of Holies.
In the Holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub, with their wings spread over it. Their faces were turned towards each other, and they looked downwards. Between the angels was a golden censer. Above the ark, where the angels stood, was an exceeding bright glory, that appeared like a throne where God dwelt. Jesus stood by the ark (A Word to the Little Flock, 18 [see also Early Writings, 32-35]).
In the vision Ellen saw Jesus ministering in the Most Holy Place in behalf of the saints, and then the ark was opened to enable her to see its contents. She describes what she saw:
In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the Ten Commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table was four, and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabbath was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name. The holy Sabbath looked glorious--a halo of glory was all around it (Ibid.).
In successive scenes she was carried through a review of the factors that give validity to the Sabbath and its observance. She was shown that the Sabbath is the point at which all humanity must make a decision to serve God or an apostate power. The vision was climaxed with a view of the second coming of Christ and the ascension of the redeemed to the Holy City, where Jesus opens the gates to welcome those who have "kept the 'commandments of God,'" and have a "'right to the tree of life'" (Ibid., 20).
A letter containing this message was sent to Joseph Bates. James White suggested to Bates that he have 1,000 copies printed on a broadside and send him the bill. This Bates did. When James received the bill of $7.50 he borrowed the money to pay it. Writing to Elvira Hastings, of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, he stated that he would "trust in the Lord for the money to be sent in" (JW to Elvira Hastings, May 21, 1847).
The intense urgency that had motivated both Ellen and James to spread the news of Christ's second coming before the disappointment in 1844 now was intensified by the impact of the visions and the assurance that came with the revelation of God's gentle guiding of His faithful believers. But how could they get this wonderful news across to the widely separated, somewhat bewildered people? Without funds, backing from any source, or experience, James White plunged ahead.
April 1847 marked James White's first major publishing accomplishment--the issuance of a 24-page pamphlet that he titled A Word to the "Little Flock". The type was small and the margins narrow, yielding a page with twice the normal content of a book page of today.
Just a year earlier, on April 6, 1846, he had arranged for the broadside publication of Ellen's first vision--a single large sheet printed on one side only. Two hundred fifty copies were struck off in Portland, Maine. H. S. Gurney, blacksmith of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, shared the printing costs. It carried the significant title "To the Little Remnant Scattered Abroad." A little more than two of the three columns were given to Ellen's first vision. Half of the third column was devoted to the vision of mid-February 1845 concerning the heavenly sanctuary and the events at the end of the 2300 days (Ibid., 54-56).
Very clearly A Word to the "Little Flock" represented the joint ministry of both James and Ellen White. James had written several articles for publication in Crosier's short-lived Day-Dawn, but by the time they were ready, that paper had ceased publication. So after talking with the Howlands and some others, he decided to present the materials in pamphlet form. In his opening paragraph he explained: "I wish to call the attention of the 'little flock' to those things which will very soon take place on this earth" (A Word to the Little Flock, 1).
The pamphlet was Bible-based with copious Scripture references and quotations. It seems clear that the visions given to Ellen helped James sort things out and clarify the order of events. It will be remembered that in 1845 a move toward time setting had been averted when Ellen was shown that before Christ would come, "the saints must pass through the 'time of Jacob's trouble,' which was future" (Ibid., 22).
The Whites were in Topsham through much of April and May while James was getting his pamphlet published in nearby Brunswick. They then returned to Gorham, where, through the summer, awaiting the birth of their first child. James engaged in such labor as he could find, determined not to be dependent on others for their livelihood.
In August 1847 their first son, Henry Nichols, was born.
New Responsibilities
From this point on, James and Ellen White had to take into account the fact that they were a family. The Howlands soon invited the couple to set up housekeeping in the upstairs rooms of their home in Topsham. Of this Ellen White wrote:
In October, Brother and Sister Howland kindly offered us a part of their dwelling, which we gladly accepted, and commenced housekeeping with borrowed furniture. We were poor and saw close times (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 241, 242).
Many incidents might be cited illustrating their poverty. The young people were determined to be independent financially, so James engaged in daily labor. He secured work hauling stone as a railroad cut was thrust through close to Brunswick. He wore the skin on his hands to the bleeding point in many places, and then had difficulty in collecting his wages. Freely the Howlands divided what they had with the young couple in the economically depressed times. James then cut cordwood in a nearby forest, working from early till late, to earn 50 cents a day. Severe pain in his side made for sleepless nights. But the young couple resolved to live within their means--and to suffer want rather than to run into debt. On their very limited budget Ellen could afford only one pint of milk a day for her child and herself. Then came a day when she had to cut out the nine-cent allowance for the milk supply for three days to have enough money to buy some cloth for a simple garment for the baby. "I gave up the milk," she wrote, "and purchased the cloth for an apron to cover the bare arms of my child" (Ibid., 243). She wrote of their experience:
We endeavored to keep up good courage and trust in the Lord. I did not murmur.... One day when our provisions were gone, husband went to his employer to get money or provisions. It was a stormy day, and he walked three miles and back in the rain, passing through the village of Brunswick, where he had often lectured, carrying a bag of provisions on his back, tied in different apartments.
As he entered the house very weary my heart sank within me. My first feelings were that God had forsaken us. I said to my husband, "Have we come to this? Has the Lord left us?" I could not restrain my tears, and wept aloud for hours until I fainted (Ibid., 242).
The young mother had reached an all-time low. Why, oh, why were their lives so hard when they had been dedicated to the cause of God? Regaining consciousness, she felt the cheering influence of the Spirit of God.
For six months they maintained their home in the Howland residence, but it was indeed a trying time. According to James, he suffered more in mind and body than he could show with pen and paper (JW to Leonard and Elvira Hastings, April 27, 1848).
Then James and Ellen discovered a true understanding of what their difficult time was all about. She had thought that now that they had a child it would be impossible for her to travel and a change must come about in their program. A vision from God revealed the purpose of the trials they were facing:
I was shown that the Lord had been trying us for our good, and to prepare us to labor for others; that He had been stirring up our nest, lest we should settle down in ease, and that our work was to labor for souls; that if we had been prospered, home would be so pleasant that we would be unwilling to leave it to travel, and that we had been suffering trial to prepare us for still greater conflicts that we would suffer in our travels (Ibid., 243).
A heart-rending experience enforced the message of the vision. Henry was taken very ill and soon lapsed into unconsciousness. Nothing they or their friends could do brought relief. Recognizing that they had made their little Henry "an excuse for not traveling and laboring for the good of others," they feared that God was about to remove the basis for their excuses. Agonizing in prayer, they pledged God that if the child's life were spared they would go forth trusting in Him wherever He might send them. By faith they claimed the promises of God. From the hour of this resolution and consecration the fever turned, and Henry began to recover. Wrote Ellen White: "Light from heaven was breaking through the clouds, and shining upon us again. Hope revived. Our prayers were graciously answered" (Ibid., 244).
Careers Changed
James and Ellen White could now see that regardless of home comforts, pleasures, and responsibilities, their life was to be a life of dedicated service involving travel, suffering, and earnest labor for others.
Establishing The Pillars Of Faith
After the disappointment of 1844 little companies of believers throughout New England met together from time to time to study the prophecies and compare views. As news of the visions and the significance of the Sabbath truth, being publicized and promoted by Joseph Bates, became more widely known, the need to draw together accelerated.
In April 1848 Ellen and James White received an invitation to attend a conference of Sabbathkeeping Adventists in Connecticut. They went, taking their 7-month-old Henry with them in their arms. James had received $10 for his work cutting wood. They used half of the money in preparation for the trip, and kept the other half for transportation. With all their earthly possessions only partially filling a trunk, they went to Boston, where they stayed with the Nichols family. They did not make known their penniless plight to the family, but, as they left, Mrs. Nichols handed James $5. With all but 50 cents of this they purchased tickets to Middletown, Connecticut, the closest rail point to Rocky Hill and the Albert Belden home, where the conference was to begin on Thursday night, April 20. When the meeting opened, 15 people had come together. Ellen White described what took place as the conference got under way:
Friday morning the brethren came in until we numbered about fifty. These were not all fully in the truth. Our meeting that day was very interesting. Brother Bates presented the commandments in a clear light, and their importance was urged home by powerful testimonies. The word had effect to establish those already in the truth and to awaken those who were not fully decided (Ibid., 245).
It was this meeting in the unfinished chamber of Albert Belden's home at Rocky Hill that Ellen White later referred to as "the first conference that was ever held among Seventh-day Adventists" (Manuscript 76, 1886). James White spoke of it as "the first under the message" (The Review and Herald, September 29, 1863).
Soon after this the Whites were invited to attend a conference at Volney, New York, in August 1848. They had no money for travel, so James was glad to find an opportunity to earn means by cutting hay on nearby farms. To his friend Stockbridge Howland at Topsham he wrote on July 2:
I mow five days for unbelievers and Sunday for believers and rest on the seventh day, therefore I have but very little time to write. My health is good, God gives me strength to labor hard all day. I have mowed eight days right off and felt hardly a pain. Brother Holt, Brother John Belden, and I have taken 100 acres [41 hectares] of grass to mow at 8712 cents per acre [.41 hectare] and board ourselves. Praise the Lord. I hope to get a few dollars here to use in the cause of God (JW to S. Howland, July 2, 1848).
That summer James White earned $40 in the hayfield. He used part of the money for needed clothing for the family and part for travel to western New York State. Reluctantly James and Ellen left Baby Henry in Middletown in the care of Clarissa Bonfoey. With E.L.H. Chamberlain accompanying them, they took the steamboat for New York City en route to Volney, where the conference was to be held in David Arnold's barn.
The Volney Conference
On Friday, August 18, about 35 people gathered in the Arnold barn to hear the leading workers, including Joseph Bates, Chamberlain, and James and Ellen White. Hardly two agreed on doctrines. Each was strenuous for his or her views, declaring that they were according to the Bible.
Some of these points of view were in conflict with what had been shown to Ellen White in vision. She wrote of her reactions and of subsequent happenings:
These strange differences of opinion rolled a heavy weight upon me, especially as Brother A. spoke of the thousand years being in the past. I knew that he was in error, and great grief pressed my spirits, for it seemed to me that God was dishonored. I fainted under the burden. Brethren Bates, Chamberlain, Gurney, Edson, and my husband prayed for me....The light of Heaven rested upon me. I was soon lost to earthly things.
My accompanying angel presented before me some of the errors of those present, and also the truth in contrast with their errors. That these discordant views, which they claimed to be according to the Bible, were only according to their opinion of the Bible, and that their errors must be yielded, and they unite upon the third angel's message (Spiritual Gifts, 2:98, 99).
Ellen White summed up the outcome in two sentences: "Our meeting ended victoriously. Truth gained the victory" (Ibid., 2:99).
But there was more to it than that. To these people with divergent views--people who had not seen Ellen White before--the Lord gave very convincing evidences beyond the fact that she was shown by the angel "the truth in contrast with their errors." Just a few years later J. N. Loughborough visited with David Arnold and some others who were present at the conference in 1848, and some interesting sidelights emerged. Loughborough wrote:
As the circumstance was related to me, Sister White, while in vision, arose to her feet and took the family Bible upon her left arm, the book being an ordinary-sized one. While holding it thus, her eyes looking upward and in an opposite direction from the Bible, with her right hand she would turn from text to text, placing her finger on the text, and would repeat the same.
Brother Ross looked at many of the texts to see if she was repeating the one to which she pointed. He or some of the company looked at them all. In every case she not only repeated the texts to which she pointed, but she did so while her eyes were fastened upward and in an opposite direction from the Bible. It was these scriptures quoted in this wonderful manner which overthrew the false theories of the Sabbathkeepers assembled at Volney, in August, 1848, and caused them to unite upon the truth (JNL, in The Review and Herald, March 3, 1885).
More conferences followed in this year of development, clarifying and binding together the basic doctrines held by Seventh-day Adventists. The early records speak of meetings at Rocky Hill; Topsham, Maine; and Dorchester, Massachusetts, in November. The basic team of workers from conference to conference was much the same: James and Ellen White, Joseph Bates, H. S. Gurney. At times, Hiram Edson, E.L.H. Chamberlain, and Otis Nichols joined forces with the basic group.
Bible Study Aided By Special Revelation
How were these conferences conducted and what was accomplished? Looking back at them in later years, Ellen White described their activities:
We would come together burdened in soul, praying that we might be one in faith and doctrine; for we knew that Christ is not divided. One point at a time was made the subject of investigation. The Scriptures were opened with a sense of awe. Often we fasted, that we might be better fitted to understand the truth. After earnest prayer, if any point was not understood it was discussed, and each one expressed his opinion freely; then we would again bow in prayer, and earnest supplications went up to heaven that God would help us to see eye to eye, that we might be one as Christ and the Father are one. Many tears were shed.
We spent many hours in this way. Sometimes the entire night was spent in solemn investigation of the Scriptures, that we might understand the truth for our time. On some occasions the Spirit of God would come upon me, and difficult portions were made clear through God's appointed way, and then there was perfect harmony. We were all of one mind and one spirit.
We sought most earnestly that the Scriptures should not be wrested to suit any man's opinions. We tried to make our differences as slight as possible by not dwelling on points that were of minor importance, upon which there were varying opinions. But the burden of every soul was to bring about a condition among the brethren which would answer the prayer of Christ that His disciples might be one as He and the Father are one (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 24, 25).
The Lord manifested Himself in a manner that made it forever clear that what took place was beyond human manipulation. Ellen White explained:
During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning of the brethren. My mind was locked, as it were, and I could not comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were studying. This was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition of mind until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to our minds, in harmony with the Word of God. The brethren knew that when not in vision, I could not understand these matters, and they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given (Manuscript 46, 1904 [see also Selected Messages 1:207]).
For two or three years my mind continued to be locked to the Scriptures.... It was some time after my second son was born [July 1849]that we were in great perplexity regarding certain points of doctrine. I was asking the Lord to unlock my mind, that I might understand His Word. Suddenly I seemed to be enshrouded in clear, beautiful light, and ever since, the Scriptures have been an open book to me (Manuscript 135, 1903).
She explained, "Many theories were advanced, bearing a semblance of truth, but so mingled with misinterpreted and misapplied scriptures, that they led to dangerous errors. Very well do we know how every point of truth was established" (Manuscript 31, 1896 [see also Ibid., 2:103, 104]).
In the experience of Seventh-day Adventists the visions were not given to take the place of Bible study. They were, however, a definite aid in Bible study, correcting erroneous interpretations and pointing to what was truth. "He [God] wants us to go to the Bible," she wrote in 1888, "and get the Scripture evidence" (Manuscript 9, 1888). In 1903 she wrote:
The leading points of our faith as we hold them today were firmly established. Point after point was clearly defined, and all the brethren came into harmony. The whole company of believers were united in the truth. There were those who came in with strange doctrines, but we were never afraid to meet them. Our experience was wonderfully established by the revelation of the Holy Spirit (Manuscript 135, 1903).
Streams of Light (Story of the Publishing Work: Present Truth and the Review and Herald)
The Eight-Page Present Truth
Joseph Bates was among the small company gathered for a conference in the home of Otis Nichols in Dorchester, Massachusetts, November 18, 1848. Here Ellen White was given a vision in which God made it clear that the time had come to publish. Coming out of the vision, she turned to her husband and said:
I have a message for you. You must begin to print a little paper and send it out to the people. Let it be small at first; but as the people read, they will send you means with which to print, and it will be a success from the first. From this small beginning it was shown to me to be like streams of light that went clear round the world (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 125).
But how could he? Where would he get financial and moral support? Nonetheless, James White pondered the words spoken in the commission. He was in great doubt and perplexity. He was penniless. He had no steady income. According to him, "there were those who had means, but they chose to keep it" (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 259).
Not long after this, when the Whites were in a quandary to know how to plan for their summer work, and Ellen was within two months of giving birth to their second child, they received a generous invitation from friends. Albert Belden in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, urged them to come and live with his family.
"We will consider it a privilege to administer to all your wants," he said. Enclosed with the letter was money to buy tickets. Accepting this as the leading of God, James and Ellen left little Henry with the Howlands at Topsham, and were soon on their way to Connecticut. Rocky Hill was not far from Middletown, where little Henry had spent some time with Clarissa Bonfoey. Of God's providence Ellen White wrote:
Sister Clarissa M. Bonfoey proposed to live with us. Her parents had recently died, and a division of furniture at the homestead had given her everything necessary for a small family to commence housekeeping. She cheerfully gave us the use of these things, and did our work. We occupied a part of Brother Belden's house at Rocky Hill. Sister Bonfoey was a precious child of God. She possessed a cheerful and happy disposition, never gloomy, yet not light and trifling (Ibid., 258).
While comfortably established with the Beldens, James again felt the burden to publish. The need to get the message to the people pressed upon him. He was still penniless, but he recalled the words of the promise "As the people read, they will send you means to print."
The year before, he had gone into the field to mow hay to earn money on which to live and to travel to the Sabbath and Sanctuary conferences. Perhaps, he thought, now he should again go into the field to earn money with which to print. He started out in search of work. But God had other plans. Ellen White wrote:
As he left the house, a burden was rolled upon me, and I fainted. Prayer was offered for me, and I was blessed, and taken off in vision. I saw that the Lord had blessed and strengthened my husband to labor in the field one year before; that he had made a right disposition of the means he there earned; and that he would have a hundredfold in this life, and, if faithful, a rich reward in the kingdom of God; but that the Lord would not now give him strength to labor in the field, for He had another work for him; that if he ventured into the field he would be cut down by sickness; but that he must write, write, write, and walk out by faith (Ibid., 259, 260).
Writing For The Press
In harmony with the vision, James White took up his pen. It required faith, as he later recalled:
We sat down to prepare the matter for that little sheet, and wrote every word of it, our entire library comprising a three-shilling pocket Bible, Cruden's Condensed Concordance, and Walker's old dictionary, minus one of its covers. [We were] destitute of means; our hope of success was in God (The Review and Herald, June 17, 1880).
Ellen was close by his side. She recalled: "When he came to some difficult passage we would call upon the Lord to give us the true meaning of His word" (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 260). While preparing copy for the new publication, James White sought out a printer in Middletown, one who would print an eight-page paper for a total stranger and wait for his pay until the prospective readers would send the editor donations to cover printing costs. On the third floor of a brick building in the heart of Middletown, James found the man--Charles Pelton--and walked back to Rocky Hill to finish preparing copy. Its subject matter would be the Sabbath truth. He decided to name the paper The Present Truth, and introduced his first-page editorial with words quoted from 2 Peter 1:12: "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the Present Truth."
It was the Sabbath truth that burned in James White's heart, and his writing related to various aspects of the integrity and importance of the seventh-day Sabbath. He had in mind quite a wide spectrum of articles that would be printed at first in eight-page sheets sent out semimonthly. Then he would bind them in pamphlets (The Present Truth, July 1849). The readers would be Adventists--those who had been through the first and second angels' messages--and it would carry to them the Sabbath truth of the third angel's message.
Back and forth between Rocky Hill and Middletown, James White trudged the eight miles (13 kilometers), limping at each step (from an earlier foot injury), first with copy and then with proofs. When the sheets were finally printed, he borrowed Albert Belden's buggy to transport the 1,000 copies of the precious document to the Belden home.
Ellen White described the scene:
When he brought the first number from the printing office, we all bowed around it, asking the Lord, with humble hearts and many tears, to let His blessing rest upon the feeble effort of His servant (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 260).
Together they folded the papers and prepared them for mailing. James "directed the paper to all he thought would read it," then carried the copies in a carpetbag to the post office.
The visions had given assurance that God's blessing would attend James White as he wrote; that money would come in as the papers were sent out and read. It would be a success from the first; but the most staggering prediction was that from this small beginning, it would be like "streams of light that went clear round the world."
The articles that followed James White's opening editorial explanation carried such titles as "The Weekly Sabbath Instituted at Creation, and Not at Sinai"; "The Sabbath a Perpetual Weekly Memorial"; "The Law of God, or the Ten Commandments"; "Scriptures Usually Quoted to Prove the Abolition of the Sabbath Examined." He declared that the little sheet was free to all, then added, "Those who are interested in Present Truth, and esteem it a privilege, are invited to help pay the expense." To swell the mailing list, he asked:
Will some brother or sister in each place where this sheet is received send me in plain writing the names and post office address of all who are seeking present truth. Write soon. My post office address is Middletown, Connecticut (The Present Truth, July 1849).
The precise date when the Present Truth was brought home, prayed over, folded, addressed, and mailed is not recorded, but it was late July 1849. Almost simultaneously there was an important event in the White family, and that does carry a date. Ellen White wrote: "July 28, 1849, my second child, James Edson White, was born" (Ibid., 260).
Beginning The Review and Herald
Present Truth, in 10 issues published over a period of 11 months, heralded the third angel's message, with the Sabbath truth as the focal point. But the eye of the Lord saw a need extending beyond this. Far beyond. Present Truth was the forerunner of the paper that would be known by a number of names until the present day: Advent Review, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Review and Herald, and Adventist Review.
God had shown Ellen White in vision the need for those now studying the prophecies to understand that the work done by the leaders in the Advent movement of 1844 was the work of God.
James said, "Now this is my first work. I expect to get out a journal called the Advent Review, sixteen pages, the size of the Present Truth". He declared his intention to republish the writings of the leaders of the Advent cause and to "show that they once boldly advocated, and published to the world, the same position ... that we now occupy."
In August 1850 the Whites moved from the Belden home in Connecticut to the Harris home at Port Byron, New York. There James began his new journal, and had it printed in nearby Auburn. He explained the object of the paper in an opening editorial statement:
Our design in this review is to cheer and refresh the true believer, by showing the fulfillment of prophecy in the past wonderful work of God, in calling out, and separating from the world and the nominal church, a people who are looking for the second advent of the dear Saviour (AR, August 1850).
As James began to publish, Ellen was given advance warning that although Satan would try to hinder, they must continue, and struggle for the victory. What took place in rather quick succession came as no surprise but showed that the great adversary would do all in his power to block the spread of truth:
1. One-year-old Edson was afflicted to the point of death.
2. Ellen was tempted to think that God had left her or the child would have been healed when they first asked God to heal him.
3. Clarissa Bonfoey was overcome by depression.
4. James was prostrated by cholera, and lay helpless on his sickbed until they sought God with special anointing.
5. James and Ellen were thrown out of a wagon in which they were traveling, but were saved from injury by angels of God.
The Whites believed that these attempts to destroy them showed how important was their work in publishing the Advent Review. Ellen was shown that "it was as necessary for the paper to be published as for messengers to go," and "that the paper would go where messengers could not go" (Letter 28, 1850).
It was soon apparent that the Advent Review was doing an effective work and fulfilling its God-appointed mission. Significant changes could be noted:
1. Greater contributions from the followers
2. New names in correspondence
3. Larger numbers attending the conferences
4. Preaching forces materially increased
5. A "brighter turn" in reporting the conferences
6. An increased spirit of unity among the brethren
Four issues of the Advent Review were published at Oswego during August and September. The type was saved, and a 48-page combined number was issued as a "Special" almost immediately. During the next few years it was given a wide distribution.
In late October 1850 the Whites took up residence in Paris, Maine, for the purpose of publishing the three angels' messages. James had suspended the publication of Present Truth while they made an itinerary to Vermont, Canada, and Maine from mid-May to mid-July, and while he was publishing the first four numbers of the Advent Review at Auburn, New York. In early November at Paris he picked up the Present Truth again and put out number 11. In this he stated, "The brethren may now expect to receive a few numbers," and he called for those who could do so to write for the paper. He also brought out number 5 of the Advent Review, the final issue. It was devoted entirely to a reprint of portions of Joseph Bates's Second Advent Way Marks and High Heaps, a significant pamphlet reviewing the 1844 experience.
Within a few days publishing plans changed. At the conference in Paris on Sabbath and Sunday, November 16 and 17, it was decided to combine Present Truth and the Advent Review. The new periodical would be called The Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald.
The page size was 9 1" x 13" (24 centimeters x 33 centimeters), as compared to the 7 3" x 10" (20 centimeters x 25 centimeters) for Present Truth and the Advent Review. The masthead carried four names as the Publishing Committee (Joseph Bates, S. W. Rhodes, J. N. Andrews, and James White), and the subscription terms were "gratis, except the reader desires to aid in its publication."
If any are not able to send means, we beseech them not to let this stop them from writing. We greatly desire to hear from such and will cheerfully pay the postage on their letters (The Review and Herald, November, 1850).
Very early in his many years of publishing James White demonstrated a selfless generosity and commitment that was not always realistic.
Difficult Days in Paris
James and Ellen White faced difficult times in Paris. She wrote of it: We suffered many privations.... We were willing to live cheaply that the paper might be sustained. My husband was a dyspeptic. We could not eat meat or butter, and were obliged to abstain from all greasy food. Take these from a poor farmer's table and it leaves a very spare diet. Our labors were so great that we needed nourishing food.
We had much care, and often sat up as late as midnight, and sometimes until two or three in the morning, to read proof-sheets. We could have better borne these extra exertions could we have had the sympathy of our brethren in Paris, and had they appreciated our labors and the efforts we were making to advance the cause of truth. Mental labor and privation reduced the strength of my husband very fast (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 278).
They did have with them in Paris their horse, Charlie, and the carriage. They had a very special affection for Charlie because he had come to them in a time of great distress. About a year previous when Ellen White had suffered a painful 40-mile (64-kilometer) stagecoach trip to Sutton, Vermont, the believers in Sutton realized the difficulties that attended the Whites in their journeys, and united in making up a purse of $175 with which to provide a horse and carriage. James and Ellen were given the choice of several horses brought for their inspection. The process of selecting one did not take long, for in vision the night before Ellen seemed to be at the crossroads appointed, and as horses were led before them the angel had given counsel.
The first was a high-spirited, light reddish-brown, rather nervous animal, and the angel said, "No." "Not that one" was the verdict on the second, a large gray horse. Then, as a beautiful dapple chestnut, somewhat swaybacked, horse was led before them, the angel said, "That is the one for you." His name was Charlie, and he lightened their journey to Canada and through a period of many years (WCW, "Sketches and Memories of James and Ellen G. White," The Review and Herald, April 25, 1935).
At the Waterbury conference they ran into distressing criticism. A whispering campaign had been started against James White in which many joined, even the venerable Joseph Bates. It was based on the opinion that the Whites had too good a horse, and as James had been very liberal in contributing to the conference, he must be making money. Wrote Ellen White:
This was the reward he received. We were forced to wade through a tide of oppression. It seemed that the deep waters would overflow us, and that we should sink (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1880), 280).
One discouraging episode followed another. Severe colds that took hold of him on the journey to and from Waterbury settled in James's lungs. Ellen White reported the result:
He sank beneath his trials. He was so weak he could not get to the printing office without staggering. Our faith was tried to the uttermost. We had willingly endured privation, toil, and suffering, yet but few seemed to appreciate our efforts, when it was even for their good we had suffered. We were too much troubled to sleep or rest (Ibid., 280, 281).
The situation finally came to the point where James declared, "Wife, it is no use to try to struggle on any longer. These things are crushing me, and will soon carry me to the grave. I cannot go any farther. I have written a note for the paper stating that I shall publish no more" (Ibid.). As he stepped out of the door to take the note to the printing office, Ellen fainted. He returned, and she rallied in response to earnest prayer. The next morning at family worship she was taken off in vision. She wrote of what she was shown:
I saw that my husband must not give up the paper, for such a step was just what Satan was trying to drive him to take, and he was working through agents to do this. I was shown that he must continue to publish, and that the Lord would sustain him (Ibid., 281).
So the Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald continued to come from the press one or two issues a month until number 13 was put out on June 9, 1851. This closed the first volume, and the Whites terminated their stay in Paris.
With the end of volume 1, James thought it would be well to find a more central place from which to send out the paper and other printed materials. They began looking for a place near Saratoga Springs where they would be only a few miles from the printing office. Within a few days the Whites found a house, borrowed furniture from fellow believers, and set up housekeeping. The first number of volume 2 came from the press on August 5, 1851. Ellen's sister Sarah and Stephen Belden (Sarah's husband) arrived soon to help with publishing. And Clarissa Bonfoey came, bringing 2-year-old Edson, who had been in her care. Soon 23-year-old Annie Smith, the very talented sister of Uriah Smith, joined the publishing family. She gave much-needed help in issuing the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, the newly shortened name of the paper. Writing to the Howlands on November 12, Ellen White stated:
Annie Smith is with us. She is just the help we need; she takes right hold with James and helps him much. We can leave her now to get off the papers and can go out more among the flock (Letter 8, 1851).
So through the fall and winter of 1851-1852 the Whites divided their time between publishing and field work.