“Calculated to Lead Astray”

This is the third article in a series of three telling the story of Ralph Mackin and his wife. who believed that the Holy Spirit had been bestowed upon them in special power, leading them to speak in tongues and to prophesy. The first two reported an interview that the Mackins had with Ellen White, which was stenographically recorded. In this third article Ellen White tells what was shown her in vision concerning the Mackin case.

The visit of Ralph Mackin and his wife with Ellen G. White occupied the last half of Thursday morning, November 12, 1908. Plans were that Ellen White with three members of her home and office family should drive on Friday by team the 35 miles to Healdsburg for services on Sabbath and Sunday. The interview over, her mind turned to the work of the weekend. Then there was a trip the next week to Berkeley with several meetings over that weekend.CEESDAH 24.15

To Elder A. G. Daniells, president of the General Conference, W. C. White wrote on that Thursday afternoon after the interview:CEESDAH 24.16

“This forenoon Mother and I and Brother Crisler spent a couple of hours in an interview with Brother and Sister Mackin of Findlay, Ohio. They came across the continent, they say, to see Mother. I had an interview with them in my office yesterday morning and advised them to come down this morning to see Mother. They seem to be very nice-spirited people, but their experience is somewhat peculiar.

“They had been hoping and praying that Mother would have a message of encouragement for them. In this they were somewhat disappointed. She told them that their case had never been presented to her in vision, and then she talked to them for half an hour, pointing out the necessity of caution, lest they be led astray by their feelings, believing it to be the guidance of the Lord. They have just returned to the Sanitarium, saying that they can not tell what they will do next, but that they will follow the guidance of the Lord.”—November 12, 1908.

On that Friday the Mackins went to San Jose, and seemingly quite unmindful of the counsel given and cautions sounded by Ellen White began holding meetings there. They reported to the Clyde, Ohio, church that they had had an interview with Sister White and had something good to report on their return home.CEESDAH 24.17

Perhaps the Lord was giving the Mackins an opportunity to show their response to Ellen White’s earnest counsel and also to permit the development of circumstances that would show everyone the real fruitage of their work. Trouble soon began to brew in San Jose. Inquiries regarding the interview began to come to the staff at Elmshaven.CEESDAH 25.1

On November 26, two weeks after the interview, Ellen White wrote to S. N. Haskell, president of the California Conference:CEESDAH 25.2

“Dear Brother: Two weeks ago today, while I was writing, my son W. C. White came into my room and stated that there were two persons below who wished to speak with me. I went downstairs into our sitting room and there met a man and his wife who claim to follow the Word of God and to believe the Testimonies. They have had an unusual experience during the past two or three years. They seemed to be honest-hearted people.

“I listened while they related some of their experiences, and then I told them something of the work we had to do in meeting and opposing fanaticism soon after the passing of the time when we expected to see our Lord. During those trying days some of our most precious believers were led into fanaticism. I said further that before the end we would see strange manifestations by those who professed to be led by the Holy Spirit. There are those who will treat as something of great importance these peculiar manifestations, which are not of God, but which are calculated to divert the minds of many away from the teachings of the Word.

“In this stage of our history we must be very careful to guard against everything that savors of fanaticism and disorder. We must guard against all peculiar exercises that would be likely to stir up the minds of unbelievers, and lead them to think that as a people we are led by impulse, and delight in noise and confusion accompanied by eccentricities of action. In the last days the enemy of present truth will bring in manifestations that are not in harmony with the workings of the Spirit, but are calculated to lead astray those who stand ready to take up with something new and strange.

“I told this brother and his wife that the experience through which I passed in my youth, shortly after the passing of the time in 1844, had led me to be very, very cautious about accepting anything similar to that which we then met and rebuked in the name of the Lord.

“No greater harm could be done to the work of God at this time than for us to allow a spirit of fanaticism to come into our churches, accompanied by strange workings which are incorrectly supposed to be operations of the Spirit of God.

“As this brother and his wife outlined their experiences, which they claim have come to them as the result of receiving the Holy Ghost with apostolic power, it seemed to be a facsimile of that which we were called to meet and correct in our early experience.

“Toward the close of our interview Brother Mackin proposed that we unite in prayer, with the thought that possibly while in prayer his wife would be exercised as they had described to me, and that then I might be able to discern whether this was of the Lord or not. To this I could not consent, because I have been instructed that when one offers to exhibit these peculiar manifestations, this is a decided evidence that it is not the work of God.

“We must not permit these experiences to lead us to feel discouraged. Such experiences will come to us from time to time. Let us give no place to strange exercisings, which really take the mind away from the deep movings of the Holy Spirit. God’s work is ever characterized by calmness and dignity. We cannot afford to sanction anything that would bring in confusion and weaken our zeal in regard to the great work that God has given us to do in the world to prepare for the second coming of Christ.”—Letter 338, 1908. (Published in Selected Messages 2:41, 42.)

The next week Elder W. C. White reported to Elder Haskell concerning the Mackins’ visit. He told how they were confident that the Lord had sent them there, and that some message had been given to Sister White regarding them and their work.CEESDAH 25.3

When Ellen White met the Mackins on that Thursday morning, in answer to inquiry as to whether Sister White had ever seen in vision or had any message for them regarding their special work, she said she had not seen them in vision nor had she any revelation from the Lord regarding their work.CEESDAH 25.4

W. C. White continues:CEESDAH 25.5

“In this visit I could not discern anything to encourage them regarding their views that they were divinely called to a specific work. Here are the facts:CEESDAH 25.6

“(1) They were confident that the Lord had called them to do a very special work, and that a message would be given to Sister White vindicating and establishing that work. In this, they were wrong. No such message has been given.

“(2) They were confident that they had been shown to Sister White in vision, and that when they came into her presence she would recognize them.

“(3) They expected words of encouragement. But what they received were words of caution.

“In view of these facts, they can not with justice refer to their visit with Mrs. Ellen G. White and her son, W. C. White, as an encouragement in their claims to a special mission and work.”—W. C. White letter, Dec. 2, 1908.

And then God spoke through vision giving specific light. Possibly there were two visions, one on the night of December 10 and the other a few days before. What was revealed to Ellen White led her to write two letters on Friday, December 11—one to the Mackins and one to “Our Brethren in California.” We present them in this order. The second letter was published in the Pacific Union Recorder.CEESDAH 25.7