James White
Some of our fri!'uds bave seen Ihill last vision and bl'Olber Bates remarks," pablished 00. a lillie ,heel; but as that sheet cannot be cir culated witbout eon!idllrnble expense, I have put the vision witb Scrip Inre references and Ihe remarks, jow ,hil; lillie work, so tbat Iblly ma.y be widely cireulaled among the aillis Thoe who have received the little sheet " 'ill see by referring to E:t 26: 35, thtl! there is a mistake in the 10lh and lIth Iins from the lop of Ihe firsl column. This mistak'e is DO! in the origin!!.l copy now in my possession, W"riuen by the author. I have therefore, corled this mIstake, tbat I made in hUIII, copying the visioD to send to brotber Bates It would be gratifying DO doubt, to some of tbe readers of this lillie work, to know something orlbe experienC(! and calling of the author of tbelle virions. I have nOI room to say but very little now, but will make a slI!.tement ofa few fll(:lS well known by the friends In the Ea..st. I will first give an extract of a letter from a beloved brother, who has stated I douht not, his honest "ie"'! in relation to the "isioM 1 cannot endol"!;e sister Ellen's visions:lS hoeing of divine inspira ti on, as you aod she think them to be; yet I do not suspect the least hade ufdishonesty in either of you in this mauer. I may perhaps expres.:! to you my belief in the maller, "'ithout harm-it will, doubt les.t, result either in your good or minco At the same time, I admit the possibility of my being mitali:en. I thinK that what she and you regard u ruions from the Lord, are only religious reveries, in wbich her imagination runs without control upon themes in which she is most deeply interested. While so absorbed in these reveries, sbe is lost to every thing around her. Reveries are oftwo kinds,sinful and religious Hers is the latter, Rosseau's, "a celebrated. French infidel," were thtl former. Iufidelity Wa..!J hiS theme, and his reveries were infidel. Re ligion. K ber theme, and her re ... eries ure religiou. In either COst, the Illitillltllfl, in the main, are obtained from previous teaching, or sludy I do not by any means think her visions are like some from the devil! H owe\'er true Ihis extTllCI m!lr be in relation 10 reveries, it is 1101 tntel in regard. to the "\'iions: for the antbor dDt! Not "oblain the senlimenlS of her visions ',from previous teaching or study." When she received her first vision, Dec, 1844, he nnd all the bnnd in Portland, !\toine whe re her parents then resided) had given up the midnigbl·cry, !lnd Ihut door, as being in the past. It was then that the Lord shew her in vi ion, the error into which she and the band in Ponland bll.ll falhm Sbe then relnted her vision to the band. and about silty confessed their error, and acknowledged their 7th month experience to be the work ol God It is 'l\'ell known that man)' were expecting the Lord 10 come a t the 71h month, 184, That Chnst would then come we firmly believed A few da),s before tbe time paned, I ,,'as at Fairhaven, and Dartmouth 1I[ass., wuh a messa on Ihis point of time, AI this timr, Ellen WIlS with the hand at Cflrver, Mass., where she 5aw in viion, that we 5hould be di!mppoioted, and that the saints must pass through the time of Jacoh's trouble," which was future. H er view of Ja"Cob's trouble was entirely new 10 us, as well as herself. AI our canrerenel in TorsMm, Maine, last Nov., Ellen had Il \'iion of the handy worlc.s of God. Sbe was guided to the planet Jupiter, Saturn, and [ think one mOTe. After she came out ol vision, $he could give a elear des cription oftbeir Moons, etc. It is welllmown, that he knew nothing ofllsU'onomy, and could not Ilnswer one question in rehlliOll to the planets, befoHi she had th is vision digitized by InspiredBooks.de