[January 11, 1850, Oswego, New York]1 Although no date and place of writing are given, this information is deduced from the fact that these lines are appended to a letter that James White wrote to “Brother Hastings” from Oswego on January 10 and 11, 1850. See: James White to Leonard Hastings, Jan. 10, 1850.
Letter to
Leonard W. and Elvira Hastings. 1EGWLM 190.2
This letter is published in entirety in Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 19, p. 128.
Earnest spiritual encouragement to close friends in view of the urgency of the hour. 1EGWLM 190.3
Dear Brother and Sister Hastings:
I will take time to write you a few lines. I earnestly desire to see you.2 Letters from both James and Ellen White to the Hastingses express their affection for that family. When Elvira Hastings died some weeks later, in February 1850, Ellen found the news “overwhelming.” According to James, “Ellen has mourned more than to lose one of her children, I think.” See: Ellen G. White, Lt 10, 1850 (Mar. 18); James White to Leonard Hastings, Mar. 18, 1850. See: EGWEnc, s.v. “Time of Trouble.” Sabbatarian Adventism in western New York, where the Whites were located at this time, was experiencing remarkable growth. Writing some weeks earlier, James White enthusiastically reported that “in Western N.Y. the number of Sabbath keepers is increasing fast. There are more than twice the number now than six months ago.” Not only was there numerical increase, but some of it was coming from outside the ranks of Adventists. In a letter written the following month, Ellen White noted that some of those “coming out upon the truth” “have not heard the Advent doctrine.” See: James White to “Brother Bowles,” Nov. 8, 1849; Ellen G. White, Lt 4, 1850 (Feb. 18). The charge made here is that the first-day Adventist ministers (“shepherds”) had rejected the first two angels’ messages, which, prior to 1844, had been central to their very identity. As James White expressed it, these Adventists now refused “to acknowledge that the great leading movements in our past experience, such as the proclamation of 1843, the fall of the churches or Babylon, and the midnight cry in 1844, were the work of God, and a perfect fulfilment of his pure word.” Instead, they considered these movements “‘a mistake,’ the ‘work of men,’ ‘mesmerism,’ and ‘of the Devil.’” See: “The Third Angel's Message,” Present Truth, April 1850, p. 65; EGWEnc, s.v. “Three Angels’ Messages.”
My love to your dear children. Tell them for me to have their lives hid with Christ in God, to have their hearts wholly given to God that they may be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Pray for us and do write us and let us know how you get along. I am in haste or I would write more. Babe is cutting teeth6 James Edson White was 5 months old, born July 28, 1849.
Love to Sister Gorham [Elizabeth Gorham],7 Identity: See Lt 5, 1849 (Apr. 21), note 25. Most likely a variant spelling of “Gardner.” See Lt 5, 1849 (Apr. 21) and Lt 8, 1849 (May 29). This person has not been identified.
Your sister in hope. 1EGWLM 191.3