Joseph Bates
21 ReldloRl(s.-I do not publish the above vision thinking 10 add or diminish from the" sure word Gr .prOrhecy,,, Tlilll will etand the test of men nnd wreck ofworluli "It is wrinen that man shall not live by bread alon6, but by every word of God Amen It is now about two years since I first saw tho author, nnd heard her relate the substance ofhcr visiona as, she has since published them in Portbnd (April 6, 1946). Although I could sce nothing in them tht militated u;:-uinst tho word, yet I felt a1:mnotl nnd tried oxct!cdingly, and lor 0. long time unwilling to believe Ihat it wos any thing more thun what \VIIS produce,j by II protr:\clcd debiliulled state of her hody I therefore sought 0fPortuoities in presenco of others, when her mind scerned frOCt from excitement, (out of meeting) to question, nnd cross question her, nnd hl)r fnend which aeeom· pa.nied her, espcr.ially her elder siter, to get if possihle at the trulh. During the number of visits ahe bRa mRdtl to New Bed· ford and Fairh(l.ven siuce, while at our meeling, I have seen her in vision n number oftirne.'f, nnd also in Tc>p:;hllnl, Me., allr! those wbo wero p1'eent during sarno of these exciting ,cenes knolv woll with what interest and intensity I listened to every wDrd, and watched overy move to detect deception, or mes· meric inftuence. And I thank GDd for the 01,poTtunity I have had with others to wiureS3 thOilo things. I can now confidently speak for myself. I believe the work is of God, find i given to comfort end strengthen his ""cattered,"" torn," and" pealed peal/Ie," "ince the closing u:r of our work for Ihe world in Oc lOber, 1944. Tho o.lislmcte SUIte or 10, heres ! IIml 10, th eres I since that lime hn:; exceedingly perplexed God's hOliest, willing peol,le, and made it exceedingly ;lifficull for such lIS were not able to oxro und the mrtny con me ring texts that have ooen pre· BCllIed to their view. I conress tbat.J havo received light aod intru ction on mRny passage that I could not bt:fore cleRrly distin.t:uish. I helievc her to be a 6elf-saerificing, hooest, wil· ling child or God, and aaved, if at all, through her emire obedi· cnce to His will At a meeting in Fllirhaven, 61h of the 18st month, I S81" her bavo n similar viion, which 1 then wrote down . It mfty be aid Ihllt I selld this out to strengthen the nrgument of my late work on tho SlIbbath. I do in the Benseaoove staled. Uespeel ing thai work I entertain no fC8r. There is DO scriptural ar· gumeot to mOI·C it fhe lloove vision cao be bad by application, post paid, to James White. Gorham, Mo., or to the editor JOSEPH BA'fES FairhGvm. i\fG digitized by InspiredBooks.de