"Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were made a gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used." (Heb. 10:32-33)
The period of time from the disappointment in 1844 until the clear light respecting the sanctuary and the third angel's message was brought out, was one of peculiar trial. Adventists who still persisted that they were right in the past movement, were indeed a "gazing-stock" to those who supposed the message to be an entire failure; and for this cause they were subjects of great reproach. This they could cheerfully endure while they held on to the Lord by faith, and shared the presence of his Holy Spirit.
Two Special Points of Attack
Satan had two special points of temptation for the Adventist people. The first was to cause those who were firm in the belief that prophetic time was ended, to believe that Christ's second coming was a spiritual coming, and that in some way he made this advent at the end of the twenty-three hundred days. The second was to induce those who were wavering with reference to their past experience, to give it all up. So while the truth in regard to the sanctuary and the third angel's message was being gradually unfolded from the Scriptures, the messages of the Spirit of God, through the gift of prophecy, confirmed the past movement, calling it "a bright light which God set up at the head of the pathway, to shine all the way along to the city, and pointed to the scripture evidences that the second advent of Christ is to be literal and personal, and could not therefore be the event at the end of the "days."
Wonderful Manifestations
Should the Lord speak to his people by visions in these last days, would we not expect that in the manifestation itself there would be evident tokens of the divine? These tokens are apparent in the visions of Mrs. E. G. White. The phenomenon of the visions themselves, as shown in Chapter XIII, is simply miraculous; but there are many wonderful features connected with her earlier views, which you will notice as you further peruse this work; and could we expect it to be otherwise in a gift of this character designed of God to attract the attention of the people, and lead them to say, like Moses, "I will turn aside, and see this great sight"? The simple statement of a poor, sickly, feeble girl, apparently on the brink of the grave, that the Lord had given her a vision, would not have been enough to do this. The wonderful manifestations connected with the visions did create an interest in them, and a call was made for the girl to go from place to place and relate what the Lord had bidden her to make known to others.
Remarkable Demonstrations in the Third Vision
I will here state some facts respecting her third vision, the one given in her father's house, mentioned in Chapter XIII, page 212, as related to me by Mrs. White's father and mother, by her sister, Mrs. Sarah Belden, and others.
In the room where the vision was given, there was lying on the bureau a very large family Bible. It was one of an edition printed in Boston by Joseph Teale, in the year 1822. The book is eighteen by eleven inches, four inches in thickness, and weighs a little over eighteen pounds. While in vision, she arose, and took this heavy Bible on her left arm, the book lying open, and held it out at right angles with her body; and then for over half an hour, with her right hand, turned from place to place, and pointed to different texts of Scriptures, which she repeated while her eyes were looking upward, and in an opposite direction from the book. Her sister Sarah (afterward the wife of Stephen Belden), or, at times, some other person present, looked at every text to which her finger pointed, and saw clearly that in every instance she was repeating the scripture upon which her finger was resting. Mother Harmon said her daughter Ellen in her natural condition "was unable, for lack of strength, to lift that heavy Bible from the bureau; but in the vision she held it as easily, apparently, as though it were only a pocket Testament."
Here, indeed, was a wonder!-a delicate girl, weighing only seventy pounds, holding a heavy Bible for over half an hour in a position in which a strong man could not hold it for two minutes; again, turning from place to place to texts of Scripture which proved in every instance to be the text she repeated, while her eyes were turned upward and in an opposite direction from the book; and lastly, a voice emanating from a person with no movement of the lungs or breath in the body, and repeated correctly the designated texts of Scripture,-this surely is above the charge of being produced by human agency, or as being the effect of disease. Those who saw it regarded it as most clearly a manifestation of the Spirit of Him who spake from the burning bush. Such manifestations as these in Miss Harmon's third vision, where known, carried convincing proof that a power more than finite was in the visions.
The Topsham Vision
Very soon after this occurrence the company of Adventists at Topsham, some thirty miles northeast of Portland, Maine, hearing of the Lord's dealings with Miss Ellen G. Harmon, invited her to that place. The invitation was accepted, and thus her first visit was made to Topsham. The Adventist meetings at that time were held in the house of Mr. Curtiss. Mrs. Frances Lunt (formerly Miss Frances Howland), of Oakland, Cal., gave me the following statement, dated Jan. 19, 1890:-
"I, with my father's family, attended the meetings of Sister Harmon in Topsham, in 1845, and during these meetings she had a vision. It was the first time we ever saw her in vision. One of those old-fashioned Bibles [the Teale Family Bible, weighing eighteen pounds] was owned by Brother Curtiss. This big Bible was taken from the bureau by Sister Harmon while in vision, and texts of Scripture were pointed out by her as she turned from leaf to leaf, while her eyes were looking upward, and away from the book. The texts she repeated were either words of instruction, encouragement, or reproof. Another peculiarity of the manifestation at that time was the position of the book. It was held on her open hand at an angle of forty-five degrees, and no one else was able to hold any book at a similar angle without its slipping at once from the hands; but Sister Harmon held this Bible at that angle for several minutes, as firmly as though it was stuck to her hand, she passing meanwhile from one to another in the room."
Mrs. Truesdail's Testimony
Another statement respecting this same vision is from Mrs. M. C. Truesdail, of Trenton, Mo., dated Jan. 27, 1891. She says:-
"I was fifteen years old in 1845, and was present at the time of Sister Harmon's first visit to Topsham, when she had the vision at the house of Brother Curtiss, where she took up the great family Bible and held it up in a position in which none of the others could hold a book on the hands without its slipping off at once.
"Sister Harmon was in vision over two hours. It was the most wonderful manifestation of the power of God I ever witnessed, and I have seen her in vision more than one dozen times. These were always occasions of deep solemnity and self-examination, but this exceeded them all. O! how we trembled as the Majesty of heaven instructed us through his feeble instrument; as she read to us passages so comforting and appropriate in our trying position; such as Heb. 2:2, 3; James 5:7, 8; Heb. 10:35, 39; 1 Peter 1:7; Luke 12:32-37, besides many others, holding the large family Bible so high that I was obliged to stand on a chair to read where she was pointing. I do not think Sister Harmon was over two inches the taller."
Such manifestations convinced the candid that some power more than human was controlling the humble instrument, and calls come from various parts of New England for her to come and deliver her testimony.
Manual Labor a Sin
Soon after this Miss Harmon was instructed, in vision, to visit Paris, Maine, where were individuals who believed it a sin to follow manual labor. Elder Stephens, of Woodstock, Maine, was the leader in this error, and exerted a strong influence over others. He had previously been a Methodist preacher, and was considered a humble, faithful Christian. He had won the confidence of many by his zeal for the truth, and his apparently holy living, which caused some to believe him specially directed of God. The Lord gave Miss Harmon a reproof for him. She stated that he was going contrary to the word of God in abstaining from labor, in urging his errors upon others, and in denouncing all who did not receive them. He rejected all the evidences which the Lord gave to convince him of his error, and refused to acknowledge his wrongs. He followed impressions, and went weary journeys, walking great distances, where he would only receive abuse, and considered that in all this he was suffering for Christ's sake. His reason and judgment were laid aside.
Concerning the testimony of Miss Harmon and the outcome of the case, I will quote from a letter received from Mrs. M. C. Truesdail, who then resided in Paris, Maine. After giving some particulars in harmony with the above, she says:-
"Confessions came from all except their leader, Jesse Stephens. Sister Harmon warned him that unless he humbled himself by confessing his errors, he would soon end his career. All understood this to be a prediction that he would in some way commit suicide."
The following is the sequel in his case:-
"After his little flock left him, he became melancholy, and soon after lost his reason, refusing to eat anything cooked by the wicked. He had not heard of my return from Massachusetts when I carried him his dinner. He inquired, as he reached out his skeleton hand through a small opening in a window, 'Did God send you with this, Sister Marion?' Noticing my hesitating reply, he refused to taste it. His pitiful condition, confined in a small room at his brother's (an unbeliever), reminded me of the warning which had been so kindly sent him from heaven, and which he so stubbornly rejected. He was taken to his family two days after this sad visit, where he soon ended his life by suicide, making a rope of his bedclothes." [1]
A Prediction Fulfilled
In the summer of 1845, by invitation of Otis Nichols, Miss Harmon visited Massachusetts, her sister Sarah accompanying her. They made their home with the family of Mr. Nichols. He and his wife would go with their carriage, and take them to different places to hold meetings, where Miss Harmon delivered her testimonies. Thus she was able to visit Boston, Roxbury, and Carver. At the time of their second visit to Boston, Mass., a very interesting incident occurred.
There was in Boston and vicinity a company of fanatical persons who also held that it was a sin to labor, their principal message being, "Sell that ye have, and give alms." They said they were in the jubilee, that the land should rest, and that the poor must be supported without labor. Sargent, Robbins, and some others were leaders. They denounced the visions as being of the devil, because their own errors had been shown. They were severe upon all who did not believe with them.
While Miss Harmon and her sister were visiting at the house of Mr. Nichols, Sargent and Robbins came from Boston to obtain a favor of him, and said they had come to have a visit, and to tarry over night with him. Mr. Nichols replied that he was glad they had come, for Misses Sarah and Ellen Harmon were in the house, and he wished them to become acquainted with them. They changed their minds at once, and could not be persuaded to come into the house. Mr. Nichols asked if Ellen could relate her message in Boston, and if they would hear, and then judge. "Yes," said they, "come into Boston next Sabbath [meaning Sunday, as they had not yet received the Sabbath]; we would like the privilege of hearing her."
Mr. Nichols related this to me at his house, in Dorchester, in 1858. He said that he had made all his calculations to go to Boston on Sabbath morning with his carriage to take Miss Harmon to the proposed meeting. That evening, during family prayers, she was taken off in vision. After coming out of it, she said, "Brother Nichols, I am not going to Boston to-morrow; the Lord has shown me that I must go to Randolph. He has a work for me to do there." Mr. Nichols had a great regard for his word. He had promised to take her to Boston the next day, and he anxiously inquired, "What shall I do with my word to Sargent and Robbins?" "Never mind that," said Miss Harmon, "the Lord has bidden me go the other way." "Well," said Mr. Nichols, "I do not understand it." "The Lord showed me that we would understand it when we get there," said Miss Harmon. "Well," said Mr. Nichols, "there is no way for you to get there unless we go and take you, but I do not know how I will explain matters to the brethren in Boston." Mr. Nichols further stated to me that "Sister Harmon saw their hypocrisy in the vision, that there would be no meeting in Boston on the Sabbath, that Sargent, Robbins, and others opposed would meet with the large company at Randolph (thirteen miles from Boston) on the Sabbath; and that we must meet the opposers at Randolph, at their meeting on the Sabbath, and there she would have a message given her for them, which would convince the honest, the unprejudiced ones, whether her vision were of the Lord or from Satan." Instead of going to Boston and then to Randolph, making a distance of twenty-two miles, they went direct to Randolph, arriving there about meeting time. There they found the very ones who had agreed to meet them in Boston. Mr. Nichols then said, "I understand it now."
This effort of Sargent and Robbins to evade Miss Harmon's testimony, and the manner in which she was directed so as to meet them, had great influence on the minds of some who were present. Of the meeting itself, I will quote the account as given by Mr. Nichols:-
Remarkable Demonstrations
"Sister Ellen was taken off in vision with extraordinary manifestations, and continued talking in vision with a clear voice, which could be distinctly understood by all present, until about sundown. Sargent, Robbins, and French were much exasperated, as well as excited, to hear Sister Ellen talk in vision, which they declared was of the devil; they exhausted all their influence and bodily strength to destroy the effect of the vision. They would unite in singing very loud, and then alternately would talk and read from the Bible in a loud voice, in order that Ellen might not be heard, until their strength was exhausted, and their hands would shake so they could not read from the Bible, but amidst all this confusion and noise, Ellen's clear and shrill voice, as she talked in vision, was distinctly heard by all present.
The opposition of these men continued as long as they could talk and sing, notwithstanding some of their own friends rebuked them, and requested them to stop. But said Robbins, 'You are bowed to an idol: you are worshiping a golden calf.'
"Mr. Thayer, the owner of the house, was not fully satisfied that her vision was of the devil, as Robbins declared it to be. He wanted it tested in some way. He had heard that visions of Satanic power were arrested by opening the Bible and laying it on the person in vision, and asked Sargent if he would test it in that way, which he declined to do. Then Mr. Thayer took a heavy, large quarto family Bible which was lying on the table, and seldom used, opened it, and laid it open upon the breast of Ellen while in vision, as she was then inclined backward against the wall in the corner of the room. Immediately after the Bible was laid upon her, she arose upon her feet, and walked into the middle of the room, with the Bible open in one hand, and lifted up as high as she could reach, and with her eyes steadily looking upward, declared in a solemn manner, 'The inspired testimony from God,' or words of the same import. And then, while the Bible was extended in one hand, and her eyes looking upward, and not on the Bible, she continued for a long time to turn over the leaves with her other hand, and place her finger upon certain passages, and correctly utter their words with a solemn voice. Many present looked at the passages where her finger was pointed, to see if she spoke them correctly, for her eyes at the same time were looking upward. Some of the passages referred to were judgments against the wicked and blasphemers; and others were admonitions and instructions relative to our present condition.
Her Longest Vision, over Six Hours
"In this state she continued all the afternoon until near sunset, when she came out of vision. When Ellen arose in vision upon her feet, with the heavy open Bible in her hand, and walked the room, uttering the passage of Scripture, Sargent, Robbins, and French were silenced. For the remainder of the time they were troubled, with many others; but they shut their eyes, and braved it out without making any acknowledgment of their feelings."
Miss Harmon's Marriage
August 30, 1846, Miss E. G. Harmon and Elder James White were united in marriage, and together they labored for the advancement of the message. During the year 1847 their labors were mostly confined to Maine and Massachusetts.
The first Sabbath in April, there was given to Mrs. White a most interesting view, at the home of Stockbridge Howland, Topsham, where the meetings were then usually held. This vision is the one mentioned in Early Writings, where she had a view of the sanctuary and its furniture, the time of trouble, the saints fleeing from the cities, the wicked surrounding them, their deliverance at the voice of God, the jubilee, the Lord's coming in the cloudy chariot, etc. It may be well to notice some of her movements while in this vision.
Many Bibles Used in a Vision
Mrs. Frances Lunt (daughter of S. Howland), on the 19th of January, 1890, said to me: "There was at the side of the room where the meetings were held, a table upon which were a number of books of various kinds, among which were several Bibles of ordinary size. While in vision, Mrs. White rose to her feet, went to the table, picked up a Bible without touching another book, and holding it open above her head with her left hand, with the index finger of the right hand pointed to the text of Scripture she was repeating as she stood before the person for whom it was designed, and then placed the open book on the chest of the person before whom she repeated the scripture. Returning to the table, she took another Bible, and in the same manner repeated another text of Scripture and placed the open Bible on the chest of the individual she was addressing. This act was repeated to about half a dozen persons; after which in a graceful manner, she took her seat in a chair, while her eyes were all the while looking upward and away from the book."
Of this Mrs. Truesdail says: "I was present [April, 1847] when Sister White went to the table and picked up one Bible after another from among the books that were on the table, laying the Bible on the breast of the one for whom she had a text of Scripture. This was done while her eyes were uplifted toward heaven. On this occasion she held the Bible above her head while speaking to me; and then she placed it upon my breast. The passage given me was 2 Cor. 6:17." [2]
In a letter from Mrs. Frances Lunt, she gives the names of three persons who were present on this occasion, and on whom the Bibles were laid while Mrs. White talked to them on the text for each, and among the names was that of Mrs. Truesdail.
First Work was among Advent Believers
The work of Miss Harmon, under the guidance of the prophetic gift, from January, 1845, to the spring of 1846, almost eighteen months, was with the "believers" in Christ's near coming, with whom she had previously associated. After the close of the twenty-three hundred days (Oct. 22, 1844), until the cause of their disappointment and the nature of the event that then occurred should be understood, there would be danger of the believers' drifting into erroneous views, or of giving up entirely their past experience. Her message was to such: "The past movement was of God. Hold fast your faith. The Lord has still a work for his people. Study the Bible. Search the word, and you will find the light."
This instruction is in harmony with the Lord's plan. His purpose has ever been that his special messages for his people should, in their time, be brought forth from his word, and then the gift of prophecy comes in "secondarily," to confirm and build up the believers.
A striking illustration of this fact is found in the case of Cornelius as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. An angel of God appeared to him and gave him a vision in his own house. That angel well knew the truths of the gospel, and could have taught it to Cornelius, but he was sent to minister to one who was an heir of salvation in giving Cornelius a vision. He assured him that his devotions and consecration were accepted by the Lord. He did not preach the gospel to him, but simply told him to call for Peter, who was lodging with Simon the tanner, at Joppa. Peter came, and from the Scriptures proclaimed to Cornelius the gospel of Christ.
Position of the Gift of Prophecy
At this point it may be well to note the order of the development of the gifts, as the Lord has marked it out in his word. Paul refers to this in his letter to the Corinthians, where he says, "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets." (1 Cor. 12:28)
When looking at the apostle's statement respecting the relation of these gifts in the gospel work, we see at once why this order is observed. When comparing these gifts, Paul says: "Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe." (1 Cor. 14:22) The Lord's order is that his special messages to the world shall be brought from his word; accordingly he moves men to search the Scriptures, and go forth as apostles, burdened with the Lord's messages, proclaiming them from the Bible, which has stood the test of ages. As believers are raised up, the gift of prophecy comes in "secondarily," accomplishing its part "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." (Eph. 4:12)
Notes: