The Lord shewed me the company in Camden [New York]. I saw that Sister Almira Preston [Almira Preston] was a child of God and that the band had been very wrong and had not stood in the light of God's countenance. I saw that the destiny of a soul should never hang on dreams or impressions, that these two things have governed the band much.1EGWLM 288.5

I saw that Sister A. Preston was in the midst of perfect darkness, none to help or encourage her. Her being in the midst of wicked influences had weakened and discouraged her. When she came among the brethren, then was the time for [them] to strengthen her, and pray for her, and call down the blessings of God upon her, and to try in every [way] that they could to encourage her. But instead of that, they had pushed her off into the jaws of the lion because she did not appear to be as strong as others. I saw that God loved her and frowned upon the course of the band; that if God bore no more with them than they had borne of some of their numbers He would long since have withdrawn His mercy from them and left them wholly to themselves.¹

Further details on the relationship between Almira Preston and the company in Camden, New York, can be found in a parallel account in Spiritual Gifts in which Ellen White tells of a certain “Sr. E. P.” of Camden. There are clear similarities in the two accounts that indicate that “E. P.” is in fact Almira Preston:

Ms 2, 1851: “I saw that Sister Almira Preston was a child of God and that the band had been very wrong and had not stood in the light of God's countenance. I saw that the destiny of a soul should never hang on dreams or impressions, that these two things have governed the band much.”

Spiritual Gifts [vol. 2], p. 150: “I … saw that some of the church had been disfellowshipped without sufficient cause, through the influence of dreams and impressions. I was shown that Sr. E. P. was a child of God, and they had no cause for rejecting her.”

The reasons Ellen White uses “E. P.” instead of “A. P.” in Spiritual Gifts can be accounted for by the fact that she uses variant spellings: “Almira” and “Elmira.” The former spelling is found in Ms 2, 1851, and the latter in Ms 2a, 1851 (June 23), a variant of Ms 2.

Assuming that the “E. P.” of Spiritual Gifts is in fact Almira Preston, we get further interesting detail there, including the information that her husband “had bound her with cords so tightly as to much bruise her” to prevent her coming to the meeting at which the Whites were present. Also included in this account is the reaction of the Camden company to Ellen White's vision of their unfair treatment of Almira Preston: “I related the vision given me for the church, and those who had acted a part in casting her off confessed to her heartily. It was an affecting time. Many wept aloud.”

See: Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts [vol. 2], pp. 150, 151; idem, Ms 2a, 1851 (June 23).

1EGWLM 288.6

I saw that if Sister A. Preston would be humble and hold this faith before God, that would keep her, and among all her trials bring her off victorious.²

The record of the Review is that Almira Preston, despite moving to an area in Illinois isolated from other believers, remained a loyal and enthusiastic member until her death in 1888.

See: Search term “Preston” in Words of the Pioneers; obituary: “Almira Preston,” Review, July 17, 1888, p. 463.

1EGWLM 289.1

Ms 1, 1851

Ms 2a, 1851