The Gift of Tongues at Portland, Maine

The third experience of the early years and one that Ellen White comments on at considerable length took place in Portland, Maine, in the years 1864 and 1865. It seems that Portland, the place where the first vision was given to Ellen White, became a special target of the enemy. For years the work was weakened by the fanatical elements. One of these in the middle 1860’s was carried on by an S.C. Hancock, who was a Sabbathkeeper but deeply immersed in ecstatic experiences, particularly that of tongues. The The Review and Herald, March 14, 1865, carries a short item from a Mrs. D. A. Parker of Portland, Maine, in which she describes her experience. She goes back to 1854 and a time-setting movement. It was at that time that she heard the doctrine of the Advent, and, as she said, “gladly embraced the view that Jesus would come in the fall of 1854.” But this time movement proved to be unreliable and false. Mrs. Parker tells the story:CEESDAH 10.5

“Just at this time a class arose who claimed that they had the true light on ‘rising and trimming their lamps,’ ‘the latter rain,’ and ‘the gifts being restored in the church.’ I searched the Scriptures and found that the gifts were for the church, and believing that we were the people of God, I went fully with that movement and received in a short time what I then really believed to be the ‘gift of tongues,’ and sincerely followed in this way until about six months ago, when my mind became unsettled in regard to their genuineness, as there were some things which seemed very strange to me at times. I heard things in the ‘tongues’ which I had no confidence in, and after seeing results, was still more shaken in my position.

“At our conference in Portland, about three months ago, I became completely disgusted with our position....

“I will specify a few exercises: Talking with tongues, dancing in the Spirit, and swimming in the Spirit. With the tongues I was in full sympathy, but not with the dancing and swimming, which were exercises peculiar to Eld. Hancock.

“More I might speak of, but let this suffice. I can say now that I am thankful that my eyes have been opened to see these delusions which I have sympathized with in part since ‘54; for I partook of the same views and spirit with those with whom I was united.”—Pages 116, 117.

Now with this background we will turn to Testimonies for the Church, volume 1, and hear from Ellen White as she comments on this experience in Portland, Maine:CEESDAH 11.1

“Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by man but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here. The fruits of all this have not been good. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’

“Fanaticism and noise have been considered special evidences of faith. Some are not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work for this and get up an excitement of feeling. But the influence of such meetings is not beneficial. When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. The most profitable meetings for spiritual advancement are those which are characterized with solemnity and deep searching of heart; each seeking to know himself, and earnestly, and in deep humility, seeking to learn of Christ....

“According to the light which God has given me, there will yet be a large company raised up in the East to consistently obey the truth. Those who follow in the distracted course they have chosen will be left to embrace errors which will finally cause their overthrow; but they will for a time be stumbling blocks to those who would receive the truth. Ministers who labor in word and doctrine should be thorough workmen, and should present the truth in its purity, yet with simplicity. They should feed the flock with clean provender, thoroughly winnowed.

“There are wandering stars professing to be ministers sent of God who are preaching the Sabbath from place to place, but who have truth mixed up with error and are throwing out their mass of discordant views to the people. Satan has pushed them in to disgust intelligent and sensible unbelievers. Some of these have much to say upon the gifts and are often especially exercised. They give themselves up to wild, excitable feelings and make unintelligible sounds which they call the gift of tongues, and a certain class seem to be charmed with these strange manifestations. A strange spirit rules with this class, which would bear down and run over anyone who would reprove them.

“God’s Spirit is not in the work and does not attend such workmen. They have another spirit. Still, such preachers have success among a certain class. But this will greatly increase the labor of those servants whom God shall send, who are qualified to present before the people the Sabbath and the gifts in their proper light, and whose influence and example are worthy of imitation.”—Pages 412-414. (Emphasis supplied.)

And then Ellen White comments:CEESDAH 11.2

“Some rejoice and exult that they have the gifts, which others have not. May God deliver His people from such gifts.”—Testimonies for the Church 1:418, 419.

And she asks whether the people involved who exercise these gifts are “brought into the unity of the faith? And do they convince the unbeliever that God is with them of a truth?”CEESDAH 11.3

And her further observation is significant:CEESDAH 11.4

“When these discordant ones, holding their different views, come together and there is considerable excitement and the unknown tongue, they let their light so shine that unbelievers would say: These people are not sane; they are carried away with a false excitement, and we know that they do not have the truth. Such stand directly in the way of sinners; their influence is effectual to keep others from accepting the Sabbath. Such will be rewarded according to their works. Would to God they would be reformed or give up the Sabbath! They would not then stand in the way of unbelievers.”—Testimonies for the Church 1:419.

With this firm counsel given by Ellen White, based on the visions God gave her, the fanatical element among the Sabbathkeepers in Portland, Maine, was soon quenched. It is little wonder that as she came face to face with ecstatic experiences in the years to follow that she should approach them guardedly, cautiously, probing to discern the true elements involved.CEESDAH 11.5