We have but to look about us to the broad, stable work being conducted by Seventh-day Adventists, and to a people united in doctrine and practice, to find evidence of the response to the messages which have come to the remnant church through the manifestation of the Spirit of prophecy. Through the years, as this people were led into advancing light, they accepted with gratitude the messages that God sent to instruct and guide the church. Some, of course, held back, but such were not typical of the body generally.
More dramatic, perhaps, has been the reaction of individuals to personal messages directed to them, presenting instruction, guidance, and reproof. At times these have been ignored or rejected. The apostle reminds us that "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous." But he assures us that "afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Heb. 12:11. We shall now present a few experiences illustrating various reactions of worker groups and individuals to the messages from the Lord.
The General Conference Responds
On the morning of April 2, 1901, the thirty-fourth General Conference session was opened at Battle Creek, Michigan. The president had rendered his report and surrendered his office, and Mrs. E. G. White stepped to the stand and began to speak. Nine years had passed since she had stood in the Battle Creek Tabernacle pulpit. She now addressed the audience with earnestness and power. Clearly she pointed out that the arrangements for the management of a broadening denominational work had sadly lagged behind its rapid expansion, and some men carrying responsibilities were unconsecrated and had marred the cause of God. The responsibilities carried in the past by the few should be distributed among many. She declared:
"According to the light that has been given me—and just how it is to be accomplished I cannot say —greater strength must be brought into the managing force of the Conference."—General Conference Bulletin, April 3, 1901.
Before her address closed, she urged, "There must be a renovation, a reorganization; a power and strength must be brought into the committees that are necessary."—Id. Then the assurance followed, "If we will take hold of the Master, take hold of all the power He has giveu us, the salvation of God will be revealed."—Id. Immediately the chairman acknowledged the counsel to be from God. "These are certainly very plain words," he said, "and it seems to me they come in very timely. . . . I, for one, want to accept the testimony that has been borne."—Id. A. G. Daniells then asked for the floor and declared:
"We all feel that our only safety lies in obedience, in following our great Leader. We feel that we should begin at the very beginning of this work at this meeting, and just as nearly as we know how, build on His foundation. . . .
"If we will throw away our preconceived opinions, and will step out boldly to follow the light that He gives us, whether we can see clear through to the end or not,--if we walk in the light we have, go just as far as we can today, God will give us further light; He will bring us out of bondage into glorious victory."—Id.
In response to the guiding counsel given, such a reorganization as was called for was effected, and the responsibilities carried by a few were placed on the shoulders of many. The way was opened for rapid and sound advance in the work of the denomination. A few months after the Conference Mrs. White wrote assuringly :
"During the General Conference the Lord wrought mightily for His people. Every time I think of that meeting, a sweet solemnity comes over me, and sends a glow of gratitude to my soul. We have seen the stately steppings of the Lord our Redeemer. We praise His holy name; for He has brought deliverance to His people."—Review and Herald, Nov. 26, 1901.
For other outstanding accounts of the response of leading denominational men to light received during crises, see A. G. Daniells' account, "Saved From Pantheistic Teaching" in The Abiding Gift of Prophecy, pages 330-342, and chapter 24 of The Story of Our Health Message, entitled "A Bold Venture by Faith."
Personal Testimony Heartily Received
To illustrate the hearty and appreciative reception given to personal testimonies, we might quote from hundreds of letters of acknowledgment found in the files of the office of the Ellen G. White Publications. We cite one case here, that of N. D. Faulkhead* of Australia. Holding a responsible position in our Echo Publishing House, Mr. Faulkhead had failed to sever his connection with certain secret societies of -which he was a member. With the advance of time, he became more and more involved in the lodge work, and turned a deaf ear to the warnings of his associates. Then Mrs. White, in a personal interview, presented his case as revealed to her in vision, and in so doing gave ,convincing evidence that the message she was ,delivering was of divine origin. As she finished giving the message, he declared:
"I accept every word. All of it belongs to me. I accept the light the Lord has sent me through you. I will act upon it. I am a member of five lodges, and three other lodges are under my control. I transact all of their business. Now I shall attend no more of their meetings, and shall close my business relations with them as fast as possible."—Related by Mrs. E. G. White in Letter 46, 1892.
A few days later, in a second interview, Mr. Faulkhead told Mrs. White:
"I wish you to know how I look upon this matter. I regard myself as greatly honored of the Lord. He has seen fit to mention me, and I am not discouraged but encouraged. I shall follow out the light given me of the Lord."—Related by Mrs. E. G. White in Letter sib, 1892.
It took Mr. Faulkhead a few months to terminate his connection with the lodges which he managed, but with the final separation he wrote to Mrs. White expressing his appreciation for what God had done for him. His letter is typical of many in our files :
"It gives me much pleasure to tell you that my term of office as Master of the Masonic Lodge, expired last month. And I feel to thank God for it. How thankful I am to Him for sending me a warning that I was traveling on the wrong road, I do praise Him for His goodness and His love shown toward me, in calling me from among that people. I can see now very clearly that to continue with them would have been my downfall, as I must confess that my interest for the truth was growing cold. But thanks be to God, He did not let me go on with them without giving me warning through His servant. I cannot express my gratitude to Him for it."
Hidden Dangers Revealed
Not always was it easy for individuals to see the dangers or wrongs pointed out in their experience by the testimonies. But prayerful meditation and self-examination in time revealed hidden traits and characteristics. One worker of years gone by, Willard A. Saxby, recounted his experience for the readers of the Review. In this case the testimony was given by Mrs. White to a third person to read to the man addressed. Here is his account:
"Several years ago, while attending the Ohio camp meeting as a conference laborer, I received a testimony from the servant of the Lord. It had been sent to one of our leading brethren, to be read to me. At the close of an evening meeting we retired to his tent. Elder A (for so I shall call him) said, 'You believe in the Testimonies?' I replied, 'Certainly I do.' We united in prayer, after which he slowly read the manuscript (it was in Sister White's own handwriting). The first five pages pertained to me personally ; the next six were counsels more general in character, applying especially to anyone in charge of a city mission, etc.
"After Elder A had read a few paragraphs, he read a personal statement to which I objected, saying with emphasis, 'That is not so!' He stopped and said, 'Brother Saxby, you say it is so, and the Lord will help you to see that it is so.' But how can I say a thing is so when I know it is not so ?' He repeated, slowly, substantially what he had said, and continued reading. After a page or more, I said again, concerning another statement, 'That is not so !' He repeated what he had said before, talked a while, and then resumed his reading.
"I objected four times in all; but it was on the first point that I was especially positive.
"At my request, Elder A lent me the testimony until the next day. I returned rather late to my room, and Mrs. Saxby was anxious to know why I was so late. When I told her my experience, she asked me to read the testimony. I said, 'No, it will take too much time tonight; but here is one paragraph I will read. I told Elder A it was not so. It was a matter between my wife and me; and I shall never forget how, after I had read this paragraph, she rose up in bed and said, with all the earnestness of her being, pointing to me with her index finger, 'Willard, that is so!'
"I began to reason very seriously, like this My wife says it is so; and Elder A, because of his confidence in the Spirit of prophecy, says it is so; and, above all, the Lord through His servant says it is so : it must be so—three against one. As I sought the Lord by fasting and prayer, I soon saw things in the true light. The testimony was a photograph of my inner life, and I could see that it was.
"It is comparatively easy to believe a testimony in reproof of someone else; but to one's own self it is altogether a different proposition, at least I found it so."—Review and Herald, May 18, 1916.
We present another response to a straight personal testimony, wherein the man addressed accepted the message given him, "sentence by sentence."
"Your letter written the 20th of January, 1893. was received by me Tuesday evening, February 21. . . . This communication by your hand to me I heartily accept as a testimony from the Lord. It reveals to me the sad condition I have been in since the Minneapolis meeting, and this reproof from the Lord is just and true. . . . Late in the evening I went to my room where all alone I read it three times over with much weeping, accepting it sentence by sentence, as I read. I bowed before the Lord in prayer, and confessed it all to Him...
"The next morning I went into the ministers' meeting, and made a more earnest and extended confession of my wrong before my brethren who knew of my course, and it brought great light and blessing into my soul. I am now a free man again, thank the Lord, having found pardon and peace. I will walk softly before the Lord, and will cherish His presence in my heart, that I may have power from Him. . . . I shall need counsel and instruction. If you have anything further that would give me more light, showing me more clearly my true condition, I shall be very glad to receive it."—Letter to Mrs. E. G. White, March 9, 1893.
"God Is Right—I Am Wrong"
At the General Conference of 1901 Mrs. White went into the pulpit and forcefully met dangerous teachings which had arisen in one local conference and threatened to involve our work in fanatical experiences. The leader of this movement was present when the issues were clearly set forth as they had been opened to Mrs. White before she left Australia. The day following her pointed address, in which she laid open all the dangers of the misleading teachings, the one who had led out in their presentation asked for the privilege of addressing the Conference. Permission was granted. His statement, which follows, indicates his hearty response to the message which cut directly across his work and views:
"I feel unworthy to stand before this large assembly of my brethren this morning. Very early in life I was taught to reverence and to love the Word of God; and when reading in it how God used to talk to His people, correcting their wrongs, and guiding them in all their ways, when a mere boy I used to say : 'Why don't we have a prophet? Why doesn't God talk to us now as He used to do?'
"When I found this people, I was more than glad to know that there was a prophet among them, and from the first I have been a firm believer in, and a warm advocate of, the Testimonies and the Spirit of prophecy. It has been suggested to me at times in the past that the test on this point of faith comes when the testimony comes directly to us.
"As nearly all of you know, in the testimony of yesterday morning the test came to me. But, brethren, I can thank God this morning that my faith in the Spirit of prophecy remains unshaken. God has spoken. He says I was wrong, and I answer, God is right, and I am wrong. Yea, let God be true, and every man a liar.
"I am very, very sorry that I have done that which would mar the cause of God, and lead anyone in the wrong way. I have asked God to forgive me, and I know that He has done it. As delegates and representatives of the cause of God in the earth, I now ask you to forgive me my sins, and I ask your prayers for strength and wisdom to walk aright in the future. It is my determination, by the help of God, to join glad hands with you in the kingdom of God." —General Conference Bulletin, April 23, 1901.
Some Messages Destroyed or Ignored
As Jehoiakim of old burned the recorded words of the prophet Jeremiah in the "fire on the hearth," so, at times, in defiance of the message, some have destroyed the E. G. White testimonies. Of this she wrote :
"Many now despise the faithful reproof given of God in testimony.. I have been shown that some in these days have even gone so far as to burn the written words of rebuke and warning, as did the wicked king of Israel. But opposition to God's threatenings will not hinder their execution. To defy the words of the Lord, spoken through His chosen instruments, will only provoke His anger, and eventually bring certain ruin upon the offender."—Testimonies. Vol. V, p. 678.
We have knowledge also of cases where the messages were not read by those to whom they were directed. In one such case the testimony remained in the unopened envelope for twenty-eight years. Here is the story. In the records of the earlier days of our history, we find occasional mention of the name of Brother S, who lived near Washington, New Hampshire.
He was a promising man who at times labored to build up the cause of God, but from time to time was misled by current offshoot teachings, and was periodically in and out of the church. Finally he drew apart from the body of believers and manifested a very bitter attitude.
There came a time when this man's danger was revealed to Mrs. White, and a personal testimony was written out and directed to him.
Noting the return address, the recipient determined not to read what he conjectured was a testimony, and yet he did not destroy it. He took the letter home, dug down deep into an old trunk, placed it still unopened at the bottom, and left it there for twenty-eight years. During this time he continued the same bitter, combative attitude, especially toward the testimonies. We gain an insight into his attitude by E. W. Farnsworth's account that "he has had the most withering, blighting tongue of any man I ever heard. He could say the meanest things, in the meanest, most cutting way of any man I ever met."
Finally, in 1884, Mr. S began to read the E. G. White articles in the Review and Herald. These he enjoyed and found helpful, and there commenced a gradual change in his feelings. The next summer Elder Farnsworth was sent to his old home church to hold a series of meetings. Mr. S attended the first service on Sabbath morning. The subject was "The Rise and Development of Our Work." As soon as the sermon was over he was on his feet and wished to speak. Elder Farnsworth, in writing of the experience to Mrs. White, says, "We all expected a perfect blast." But both the minister and the audience were very much surprised when Mr. S began, "I don't want you to be afraid of me, brethren, for I have not come to criticize you. I have quit that kind of business." We continue the account in Elder Farnsworth's words :
"He went back and reviewed the past, and told how he opposed 'church organization' and most everything else. He referred to his connection with the 'Messenger party,' his sympathy with the 'Marion party,' and his general hatred of our work and people. Finally he said he had 'been comparing notes for a year or two.' He had seen those parties, one after another, go down till they were virtually all gone and those who sympathized have come to confusion.
"'Facts,' said he, 'are stubborn things, but the facts are that those who have opposed this workhave come to nought, while those who have been in sympathy with it have prospered,—have grown better, more devoted, and godlike. Those who have opposed it have only learned to fight and debate, they have lost all their religion.'
"At last he said, 'No honest man can help but see that God is with them and against us. I want to be in fellowship with this people in heart and in the church.' "—Letter from E. W. Farnsworth to E. G. White, July 15, 1885.
During the week Mr. S began to get curious as to the content of the testimony he had received many years earlier and had placed, unopened, in the bottom of his trunk. With trembling hand he took the letter from the trunk, tore the envelope open, and eagerly read it. The next Sabbath, after Elder Farnsworth had finished speaking on the Spirit of prophecy, he was on his feet again and said, as we read in this same letter to Mrs. White:
"I received a testimony myself twenty-eight years ago. I took it home and locked it up in my trunk, and I never read it till last Thursday.' "
"He said he did not believe his testimony, although he did not know a word there was in it. He said he was afraid to read it for fear it would make him mad, but, said he, 'I was mad all the time nearly.' But finally he said, 'Brethren, 'every word of the testimony for me is true, and I accept it, and I have come to that place where I firmly believe they are all of God, and if I had heeded the one God sent to me, as well as the rest, it would have changed the whole course of my life, and I should have been a very different man.
"'Any man that is honest must say that they lead a man toward God and the Bible always. If he is honest he will say that; if he won't say that he is not honest.
"'If I had heeded them it would have saved me a world of trouble. The testimonies said there was to be no more definite time preached after the '44 movement, but I thought that I knew as much as an old woman's visions, as I used to term it, May God forgive me! But to my sorrow, I found the visions were right, and the man who thought he knew it all was all wrong, for I preached the time in 1854, and spent all I had, when if I had heeded them I should have saved 'myself all that and much more. The Testimonies are right and I am wrong.' "—Id.
Then the aging man said in conclusion, "'Brethren, I am too old to undo what I have done, I am too feeble to get out to our large meetings, but I want you to tell our people everywhere that another rebel has surrendered.' "—Id.
For twenty-eight years the counsels and cautions which would have saved Brother S from a bitter course in life were in his home, unopened and unread. How much our experience may be like his. Although we are not named individually, yet in the Spirit of prophecy books there are invaluable counsels, instruction, and information presented there for our personal benefit; yet the books may remain on the shelf unopened, the messages unread, and the counsels unheeded. If so, are we any less responsible than was old Brother S?
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