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Charismatic Experiences In Early Seventh-day Adventist History

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    Face to Face With the Spurious

    Face to face encounters with spurious ecstatic experiences had a strong molding influence on our forefathers. Elder Loughborough recorded an incident that occurred during the Whites’ first visit to Michigan in 1853.CEESDAH 8.5

    With Elder Loughborough they were to hold meetings in four or five places such as Tyrone, Jackson, Bedford, Battle Creek, and Vergennes, where there were groups of believers. In a vision soon after arriving in Michigan, Ellen White was shown certain persons and certain companies that they would meet in connection with their itinerary. When she had written this out she asked Elder Loughborough to make a copy for her.CEESDAH 8.6

    The copying of the material made a deep impression on Elder Loughborough’s mind. He read of a woman who exerted considerable influence among the Sabbathkeeping Adventists in her community, but who was an impostor, and who, when reproved, would stand and say, “God—knows—my—heart.”CEESDAH 8.7

    Arriving at Vergennes some days later, Ellen White recognized the place as the one where she would meet the impostor. She also recognized the believers as they arrived in their wagons for the Sabbath morning services. She pointed out to those who were close to her that those in the first wagon were not in sympathy with the woman, while another group was, and another group was divided, and so forth. While James White was speaking, a woman of impressive bearing entered with two men. The two men walked up to the front, and the woman took a seat near the door. Ellen White soon followed her husband in speaking.CEESDAH 8.8

    She introduced her remarks by exhorting ministers to be careful lest they mar the work of God. She said God would not call a woman to travel about the country with a man other than her husband. Finally she said (as reported by Elder Loughborough):CEESDAH 8.9

    “‘That woman who just sat down near the door claims that God has called her to preach. She is traveling with this young man who just sat down in front of the desk, while this old man, her husband—

    God pity him!—is toiling at home to earn means which they are using to carry on their iniquity. She professes to be very holy—to be sanctified. With all her pretensions and talk about holiness, God has shown me that she and this young man have violated the seventh commandment.’”—The Review and Herald, May 6, 1884.CEESDAH 9.1

    Everyone turned toward the woman, wondering what her response would be. After about a minute she arose, and with a very sanctimonious look, said, “God—knows—my—heart.” These were the precise words the vision two weeks before had predicted her response would be.CEESDAH 9.2

    During the noon intermission at the home where the Whites and Elder Loughborough were entertained, Mrs. White was given another vision. Coming out of the vision, she related still further what the Lord had shown her regarding the woman on whom attention had been focused:CEESDAH 9.3

    “‘This woman professes to talk with tongues, [Ellen White said,] but she is deceived. She does not talk the language she claims to speak. In fact, she does not talk any language. If all the nations of the earth were together, and should hear her talk, no one of them would know what she says; for she merely goes over a lot of meaningless gibberish.’”—The Review and Herald, June 10, 1884.

    Imagine Elder Loughborough’s surprise, on returning to the place of meeting to find this woman speaking in what she claimed was the language of the nearby Garlic Indian tribe. She said the Lord was sending her to them as a missionary.CEESDAH 9.4

    Here is what Loughborough heard: “Kene keni, kene keno, kene kene,” et cetera.—Ibid.CEESDAH 9.5

    At a meeting she held the next day, this woman spoke on the subject of holiness, and during her talk broke out again in the unknown tongue. An Indian who had been invited to come in to hear her speak his language jumped to his feet, declaring: “Very bad Indian that! Very bad Indian that!” When asked what the woman said, he declared: “Nothing; she talk no Indian.”CEESDAH 9.6

    A few days later in the presence of an Indian interpreter who knew 17 of the languages, she spoke and prayed in her gibberish, and he declared that she had not uttered a single Indian word. Her influence was short-lived, not only because of this experience, but because of the disclosure that the man with whom she traveled and lived was not her husband. This in time was confessed.CEESDAH 9.7

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