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The Fruitage of Spiritual Gifts

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    Chapter 26 — Observations along the Way

    IN ADVENTIST HISTORY there have been many experiences, lessons, traditions, problems, and rumors in connection with the prophetic gift in our midst. On the whole these have been most encouraging and uplifting. The only disappointments that came were in the few who departed from the faith because like Demas they loved this present world, and even these taught the faithful children of the Lord many a precious lesson. Because of lack of space only a few of these things seen along the road can now be told. That such rumors or traditions Arise is in itself an evidence of the divine endowment.FSG 393.1

    Traditions may have many different roots, but in one respect they have a similar origin. They do not grow up about some unimportant person who accomplishes nothing or whose mind is never molded or steeled by any definite conviction. History seems to ignore such people, and rumor forgets them even before they are dead.FSG 393.2

    Whenever we meet with a person about whom many reports are told, we meet someone who made a definite impression on his age, or at least, his friends. These traditions told may be all good or all bad or a mixture of right and wrong. Whichever it is the person involved had strength to put his or her stamp on the thinking of others. Many traditions begin as rumors, or one might say that traditions are rumors come of age. Concerning the sayings or work of Mrs. White, many things have been told, most of them good, some of them less favorable and designed only to weaken confidence in the messenger of God.FSG 393.3

    Those who have opposed or rejected the Spirit of prophecy writings have scattered many fanciful rumors against them, every one of which when run down has been proved false.FSG 394.1

    Some months after the book The Desire of Ages was first printed, Dr. E. J. W., a London editor, was reported to have stated that he had written a large share of that book. He said that Mrs. White had copied articles he had written in Present Truth, changed them a trifle and used them in her book as her own writing. Some of our leaders in Northern Europe were much stirred up by this false report, and wrote to Australia. where Mrs. White was at the time, to inquire. But they soon learned that Mrs. White had never seen the articles by Dr. W., and that not one word of his had been copied. It was proved again that Mrs. White’s writings are wholly her own—most of them even written in longhand by herself.FSG 394.2

    I think of another case where a good brother in an overseas visit about 1890 reported that Mrs. White had been shown in vision that the end of the world would come within three years. He created quite a stir by this statement, and soon letters began to come in about it. When he was taken to task by some of our leaders and by Mrs. White herself, he replied that he had interpreted one of her statements at the last session of the General Conference to mean what he had stated. She had made no statement at all that even in the remotest sense indicated that the end of the world was to come within three years. in fact, she earnestly cautioned against setting any time for the return of Jesus. The messenger of the Lord again and again gave pointed warnings against all kinds of time setting. In the The Review and Herald, March 22, 1892, we find a long article on this topic, which I wish all might read. I can quote only a few sentences.FSG 394.3

    “We are not to live upon time excitement.” “We are not to know the definite time either for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ.... You will not be able to say that He will come in one, two, or five years, neither are you to put off His coming by stating that it may not be for ten or twenty years.”—The Review and Herald, 178.FSG 395.1

    Aside from these more or less fanciful rumors, there were, especially in the earlier years, certain traditions as to what Mrs. White had been shown in vision, though the matters thus revealed had never been written out by her or published. One of the early pioneers in this message tells us that after Captain Bates’ death, there was found among his papers an account of what Mrs. White had said in a vision in 1852. In that report are these words:FSG 395.2

    “I saw in Europe, just as things were moving to accomplish their designs, there would be a slacking up once or twice. Thus the hearts of the wicked would be hardened. But the work will not settle down (only seem to), for the minds of their kings and rulers were intent on overthrowing each other, and the minds of the people to get the ascendency. I saw all minds intently looking and stretching their thoughts on the impending crisis before them.”—As reported by J. N. Loughborough. See also The General Conference Bulletin, March 26, 1893, p. 518.FSG 395.3

    We have every confidence in these godly servants of old. But we have never regarded their reports of what they thought they had heard as testimony from the Lord. Just now, naturally, after two world wars, some may think of this again, but we dare not build our hope on this statement. Years ago we often heard that there would be two great world wars. We, however, have no right to teach that this was a prediction given the messenger of the Lord. There is no prophecy in the Bible and no statement in the Testimonies that indicates how many wars there may yet be before the great battle of the day of God.FSG 395.4

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