THE CASE OF H. T. NELSON.
At the time of the late General Conference held in this city there came up for consideration, at a special meeting composed of the General Conference brethren and of Sister White, the case of H. T. Nelson, who claims to have succeeded Sister White in her work among this people, and who repeatedly tried to monopolize the meetings of the General Conference delegates, against their entire vote. H. T. Nelson was present at this meeting, and was given the opportunity to make a few remarks. From a verbatim report of this meeting the following extracts have just been handed us for publication, by W. A. Spicer, in behalf of the General Conference Committee:— EXTRACTS FROM H. T. NELSON’S REMARKS.
Sister White has stood in the place where Moses stood in the typical history of God’s people. I am to stand where Joshua stood. That is what I have to tell you this morning. I have endeavored time and time again to get an audience among my own people, my own brethren and sisters in my native State. They have mistreated me in the way the Saviour declared they would do, when He declared, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?” I say, with Stephen, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” My message, in brief, is, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” I think it is about ten years ago since the Lord told us through His servant, Sister White, that we were living in the time of the latter rain. I have never for a single moment thought that Sister White was not a true prophet. I accepted her work nine years ago, when I was baptized. The word of prophecy was brought before me, and I accepted it without quibbling over it. In the early years of my life I studied the Bible, and I knew that there were to be prophets in these last days. The first time I read any of Sister White’s writings, I believed that she was inspired, and I have believed it ever since. A good many false prophets have arisen among our people, and at the first glance at their writings I knew that they were false. I will further say that at ————, Mich., six years ago, the Lord gave us what He said was a dropping of the latter rain. He told us we were living right in that time. When the leading men of our Conference heard of this, they made light of it, asking if the Lord would pour out His Spirit on “ignorant coal-diggers”? Brother Barrett placed his hand on my head, and said, “Brother H. T. Nelson, the Lord wants to work with you.” He did not make this statement concerning any of the rest. He merely pointed to them, saying, “The Lord has a work for you.” I understood from that time that the Lord desired to use me as a prophet, but I did not have any suspicion that it meant for me to take the leadership of this people. . . . As I have said, I have been abused and mistreated since the Lord gave me this burden. I have been made to suffer because I loved my brethren too well to allow them to continue in sin. The first one to whom I presented the message was N. W. Kauble; and instead of allowing me to speak, as I requested, he caused me to be put in jail. He said that I was insane, and wanted to have me put in the insane asylum. I had a vision the last night I spent in jail in Lancaster, Neb. N. W. Kauble was placed before me, and I had a conversation with him. I asked him if he did not know he was doing wrong in abusing me, and keeping this light from the people. He nodded his head. From time to time the Lord has opened up cases to me, which I shall not have time to state this morning. But I am under obligation to state this: When I came to Battle Creek last year, I met the president of the General Conference. The Lord revealed his case to me. He showed me that that man had committed the unpardonable sin, and that he is lost. This was also presented to me regarding A. J. Breed and A. T. Jones. There are a great many of our leaders in the same condition, but none except those I have mentioned have been specially pointed out. I am responsible for the light I have received. I would like to state before I sit down that I must have an audience in this Conference; because the word to me is, Give the message. Mrs. E. G. White’s Reply to H. T. Nelson.
When Brother Nelson came to my home in California with his message, I gave him all the time I could. I think he spoke for an hour face to face with me. I listened to what he had to say, but I told him that God has not given him his message.496He brought the message that God had appointed me to act as Moses, and that he was to connect with me in the work as Joshua. But if God had made this appointment, I should have known something about it. God himself would have given me instruction. God has not given Brother Nelson the work of acting as Joshua in connection with His people. From the light that I have had, this could not be. It is an impossibility. Brother Nelson bore me the message also that I had not treated my workers well; that I had been hard with them. But this is the last thing any one who knows me would say against me. This message is false, every word of it. The position I occupy in regard to my workers is a position of tenderness and care. My family know that Brother Nelson’s testimony regarding my treatment of them is entirely false. I am willing that they should bear their testimony concerning this. Sometimes I have to call them up at five o’clock in the morning to prepare matter to be sent out in the mail. They take hold cheerfully and willingly, and then when the mail has gone, I say to them, “You have been hurried with this work. You may spend the rest of the day as you please.” I believe in guarding the health of my workers. Those in my household will bear witness that I watch them as a careful guardian. That I have been hard upon my workers I utterly deny. It is true that at times the work has been hard upon them as they have helped me in getting the light before the people. When the Lord gives a man a message, He gives with it something whereby His people may know that the message is from Him. God does not ask His people to believe every one who comes to them with a message. The Lord sends warnings to His people, not to destroy them, but to correct their errors. I have never been given the testimony to bear to any one, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” God never told any one to say to a fellow being, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” He has not given Brother Nelson this message to bear to Elder Breed, Elder Irwin, or Elder A. T. Jones. I know that God never gave mortal man such a message as that which Brother Nelson has borne concerning his brethren. It is not like our God. After the disappointment of 1844 there were those who would say to others, “You are lost; you have gone too far to be saved.” Then I was brought to my feet to bid them in the name of the Lord to cease their condemnation. God has never empowered one mortal to say to another mortal, “You are lost.” We are all human beings. We are on this earth to form characters which will fit us to inherit eternal life. If we heed the word of the Lord, He will correct us and guide us. Since I have been here, I have had messages to bear to different persons, but words like those uttered by Mr. Nelson have never escaped my lips. Brethren, we are to hold together. The satanic agencies are working to destroy, and God calls upon His servants to stand together, and to be meek and lowly in heart. We are to be kind and gentle in our treatment of one another. We are living in perilous times. From the light I have, I know that Satan is trying to bring in that which will make people think they have a wonderful work to do. But when God gives a man a message, that man, by his meekness and lowliness, will give evidence that God is working through him. God lives and reigns, and He desires us to walk before Him in humility. He does not wish this man Nelson to force himself before a congregation. He does not want this element to come into our meetings to create disturbance. God has not given Brother Nelson this work to do. It is the means whereby the enemy is trying to divert the minds of the people from the work which God has said must be done. Mistakes have been made. There must be reorganization. God desires to carry forward the work of perfecting a people who will shine in the kingdom of glory. He is opening doors which His people can enter to work for the salvation of souls. It is that we may co-operate with Him in His work that we are here. We are not going to be interrupted in meeting after meeting by those who claim they have a message to deliver. He who presses himself forward into a place where he is not wanted is not doing the work of God. We are to work like soldiers in an army. We are not to step out of the ranks, and begin to work on our own account. We have a very solemn, important work to do in this Conference, and we need to pray and search our hearts. We are to work in perfect harmony and order. As we obey the commands of Christ, moving forward in unity, we shall see the salvation of God. We have come here at great expense to set things in order. There are those who have been working in one place for too long a time. They should have a change. They must go where they can see what God is doing outside of Battle Creek. We do not say to them, because they have made mistakes, “You have committed the unpardonable sin.” We say, “Brethren, let us take hold together. Let us counsel together. Let us stand in our lot and in our place, and work for the whole field.” We love our brother. We want him to be saved, but we cannot allow him to take the time of this Conference. It is not his time. God has given us a work to do, and we intend to do it, under His supervision, that souls may be brought to a knowledge of present truth.