VISIONS AND PROPHECY by Geo. I. Butler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 2, 1874

VISIONS AND PROPHECY.

By Geo. I. Butler

HAVE THEY BEEN MANIFESTED AMONG SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS?

(Continued.)

Another distinguishing feature of this “remnant” is that they “keep the commandments of God.” In Rev. 14:6–16, we have a prophecy commencing with an announcement of the hour or period of God’s Judgment, bringing to view the “fall of Babylon,” and, finally, a terrible threatening against those who worship the beast or the Catholic power, and bringing us to the appearing of the Son of man to reap the harvest of the earth. This last event we know to be the second coming of Christ. The first message brings us to the Judgment, which must be an event that commences to take place just a short time previous to his advent. So this whole prophecy is a last-day warning, being a threefold message for the purpose of preparing a people for Christ’s coming. The distinguishing characteristics of God’s people under the third or last of this series of messages which distinguishes them from the adherents of the Catholic power is this, that they “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” While being Christians in the strictest sense, they are also careful to reverence the “commandments of God.” No one who will candidly examine the subject can come to any other conclusion but that the “remnant” who are spoken of in the twelfth chapter, and those brought to view here in the fourteenth, are identically the same. They both keep the “commandments of God.” They live in the same age. They are both opposed to the Catholic persecuting power, and both are God’s peculiar people when Christ comes.

What, then, are the “commandments of God” which are thus made a distinguishing mark of God’s true people when Christ comes? They are clearly the ten words which God spoke with his own mouth and wrote with his own finger on the two tables of stone. Ex. 20:1–17; Deut. 5:7–22; Matt. 5:17–20; 15:4; 19:16–21; Rom. 7:7–12; Eph. 6:2; James 2:8–12.

In these and many other scriptures, they are plainly referred to by that special title, “commandments of God.” And in the last quoted from James, we are told who are commandment-keepers. It is those who keep them all; while it is only necessary to break one of them to be a commandment-breaker. We boldly affirm that the greater portion of the Christian world are weekly trampling under their feet one of these commandments. This code requires men to keep the seventh-day Sabbath, set apart at the creation of the world by God himself. But a large part of the church have chosen to observe the first day of the week, for which there is no authority in the Bible. This observance came into the church through the apostasy which developed into the papacy. To all intents and purposes, Sunday is as much a Catholic institution as any festival of that church. In the end of the dispensation, the struggle is to be between the commands of the “beast,” a Catholic power, and the plain commandments of God, and people will show by their actions which they serve.

The “remnant,” then, of the seed of the woman, keep God’s holy Sabbath in distinction from those who observe another day. They live in the last days.

There is another peculiarity of this last church. They are an unpopular people. Satan is wroth with them, and makes war upon them. They are persecuted. When we search for them, therefore, we will not find them among the popular class of professors but among the opposite class. They will exist at the proper time, but will be hated.

There is still another peculiar feature which distinguishes the remnant church. They “have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Whatever this is, it is peculiar to them; for the prophet notices it as a feature which distinguishes them from others. If God had not seen fit to tell us what the “testimony of Jesus” was, we might not be able to agree in regard to it. But in Rev. 19:10, he has given us an inspired definition of the meaning of this term. The prophet there tells us that the “testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” As it is a universal law of language that the definition of a word will always give us the true sense when put in the place of the word itself, we will take the liberty of inserting this definition in the passage of scripture we are considering. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the spirit of prophecy.”

Here we learn by the very simplest and plainest statement that this last church will have the spirit of prophecy in their midst. When that church, then, does come upon the stage of action, one at least of these spiritual gifts will be in its possession. We will, then, dismiss the part of this subject which pertains to the perpetuity of spiritual gifts as positively proved. Not only do the Scriptures plainly teach that the gifts were designed for the whole gospel age, but it states in the plainest manner that they will be in the last church which exists on earth when Christ comes. However much people may dislike this conclusion, it cannot be avoided by any fair logic.

The spirit of prophecy here referred to as being in the last church is evidently that spirit which causes certain persons to prophecy. This Spirit comes upon certain ones. They speak as they are moved upon by this Spirit. Future events or things necessary for the well-being of the church to know are thus revealed. From the instances referred to in a former article of this series, we learn that the usual manner of the Spirit’s manifestation, when prophecy is uttered, is through vision, the person’s mind being completely under the Spirit’s control, and lost to all sublunary things. After things are thus revealed to the person, the things shown are spoken or written out for the benefit of others. It is not the prophecies of the Bible which are in the last church that are thus referred to as the “spirit of prophecy.” All classes and churches have them in their possession. But this Spirit is something which distinguishes this last or true church from others.

This same expression, “testimony of Christ,” is used in 1 Cor. 1:6, “Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you; so that ye came behind in no gift.” This expression plainly refers to the spirit of prophecy. It was a gift exercised in the Christian church by living individuals and not the writings of those who had lived ages before.

Here we see not only that spiritual gifts were to be continued in the church till the last days, but we have a peculiar test by which to determine who the true people of God are in the last days from this last verse of Rev. 12. It is easy to demonstrate from the Bible that we have reached the last days. The prophetic periods demonstrate this. The signs which our Saviour gave show that we are near the end. There is no lack of evidence on this point. It becomes, then, an important point to determine where the remnant church—the true people of God—are. We shall be likely to find them where all the characteristics referred to in their description by the Revelator are met. He said they should be known by certain characteristics. Can those be found in any existing church or body of people in our world? Let us see, They are to be an unpopular class. There is to be a bitter hatred toward them; for Satan is wroth with them and makes war upon them. They are to be the last of the true church, and they are advent believers. They are to keep all the ten commandments, as a distinguishing feature. They are also to have the spirit of prophecy in exercise among them, and to be known as believers in it. They are not Jews, who disbelieve in Christ, for these are Christians. They are not Catholics, for these are specially distinguished from the worshippers of the “beast.” Neither can they be the orthodox popular churches of our land, for these do not, as bodies, believe in the soon coming of Christ. Satan is not specially wroth with them; they are not persecuted. It is popular to belong to them. They break the fourth commandment every week. They do not claim to have the spirit of prophecy, but tell us it was not to be manifested since the time of the apostles.

The Mormons are not the remnant church. They tell us that Joseph Smith gave them a revelation that Sunday was to be kept in place of the Sabbath of the Lord. They are not commandment-keepers. The remnant church are not spiritualists, for spiritualists reject Jesus Christ as their Saviour and the Bible altogether. Neither can first-day Adventists claim to be the “remnant” church; for although they do believe the last days have come, and while they expect the advent of the Saviour, and might thus claim on that ground to be that people, yet the other points will not be met in their case at all. There is no special persecution of them. And as for the commandments of God, they claim they were all abolished at the cross. So they are not commandment-keepers. And as for the spirit of prophecy, not only do they not claim to have it in their midst, but they ridicule everything of the kind, and deny its existence in this age.

Our Seventh-day Baptist friends may with propriety claim to be commandment-keepers, and doubtless there are many in that church who are striving to truly keep them. But they cannot be the remnant church here brought to view. They do not profess to be living in the last days. They are not specially persecuted, and as for the spirit of prophecy, they do not claim its existence among them, and have no faith at all in its exercise in this age.

Is there then no people in whom these conditions combine in these last days? We believe they truly do in Seventh-day Adventists. They have everywhere claimed to be the “remnant” church for the last twenty-five years. As their name signifies, they are believers in the soon coming of Christ and the close of earthly probation. This has ever been a leading feature of their religious views which they are everywhere teaching to the people.

Does the persecuting spirit follow them more than others? From some practical experience we can answer, Yes. There seems to be a bitter prejudice existing among many people against them, and everywhere they go they have to meet a combined opposition, such as no other church meets. Wives have been driven from their homes, children disowned by their parents, for no other reason than because they were honestly believers in the doctrines of S. D. Adventists. It cannot be shown that the reception of these views makes them worse citizens and companions, or makes them less worthy of respect, yet we see a hatred manifest on many occasions by otherwise good people which can only be accounted for on the supposition that Satan stirs people up to hate these views.

Do they keep the commandments of God? Every one knowing anything about this people can answer that this is the most important part of their faith. They profess to be agents of a very important reform, designed to vindicate before the world the claims of God’s holy law of ten commandments and rescue the Sabbath of the Lord from desecration. They make this a principal issue everywhere. They claim that God’s true church when Christ comes to gather his people home will not be trampling under their feet some of the Father’s commandments. They believe that the papacy at the close of its twelve hundred and sixty years’ reign will not be able longer to make true Christians believe that he is able to change the “times and laws” of God. Dan. 7:25. They feel that the closing contest with this blasphemous power is to be over the law of God, and they mean to be loyal to their Creator.

In regard to the spirit of prophecy, it is a remarkable fact that from the first of their existence as a people, S. D. Adventists have claimed that it has been in active exercise among them. It is a fact further to be noticed that they have had to bear more scorn and derision from this cause, perhaps, than any other. Where they are not known, opponents generally endeavor to prejudice the public mind by circulating the report that there is a woman among S. D. Adventists who has visions, and that this people generally believe in them. This is a fact for which this people are very grateful; and that which to others serves as a reproach is to them an honor and a mark of God’s special favor. It is a fact that for nearly thirty years, Mrs. Ellen G. White, the wife of Eld. James White, both of them pioneers in this movement, has had visions which are generally regarded by those in sympathy with this church as being from the Lord; and it is freely admitted that they have exerted a large influence in making Seventh-day Adventism what it now is.

But while this fact is so objectionable to many, we regard it as one of the signs of the times which shows that we have not made a mistake in our application of this prophecy. Whenever the last end of the true church of Christ appears, it will have in its midst the spirit of prophecy. The Bible says so, and so it must be. The other churches noticed have nothing of the kind; therefore they are not that church. We must look elsewhere for it. S. D. Adventists are prepared to give the best of proof that this gift has been in their midst from the very first of their existence. This, then, becomes to them an important sign of the times to show that their application of the prophecy is right.

We are well aware that in claiming the existence of true visions and prophecy in this age of the world we meet the strongest prejudices. We are also aware that such claims have been put forth by Swedenborg, Ann Lee, Joseph Smith, and a host of spiritualist mediums, and that some at least of the very arguments used in this article to prove the perpetuity of spiritual gifts have been advanced to uphold their claims. We have no question but the fact of these cases just referred to, connected as they are with doctrines contrary to the Bible, and in many of them with practices abhorrent to true religion, has done much to prejudice the minds of candid people against everything of the kind. This, doubtless, was the design of Satan in having these instruments appear on the stage in this particular period. The Bible plainly informs us that such counterfeits would come up in the last days. Matt. 24:11–24. But does the presence of counterfeits prove that there is no true work of this kind in existence? When so cunning a manager as Satan floods the world with counterfeits, it is pretty good evidence that there are some genuine gifts in existence, and we have positively proved that they will exist in the last true church.

The apostle Paul seems to have this very time in view when speaking upon this subject in 1 Thess. 5. In this and the preceding chapter, he speaks very explicitly of the Lord’s second coming. “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are

alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” He says, “Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” “Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” He continues in this strain at considerable length, finally giving some practical instruction just calculated to help the people in such a period. In verse 19 and onward we read, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

If there ever was an age when this instruction was necessary it is the present. We quench fire with water. The Spirit is quenched by unbelief. Even Christ himself did not do many mighty works on a certain occasion because of their unbelief. Mark 6:5. It is contrary to the design of God to gratify such a spirit. This age is full of unbelief. Men pride themselves because they possess it. It has reached that point where anything claiming to come by supernatural agency is scoffed at. The apostle cautions those living in the age when the Saviour is soon to come on this very point. “Despise not prophesyings,” he says. He does not speak of the prophecies here, but of prophesyings, which are defined to be the “exercise of the gift of prophecy;” in other words, having visions. According to Paul, then, there would be in the last days just such things, and a great danger on the part of the people of despising them. There is nothing perhaps in the world at the present time which will excite more scorn and derision in the public mind than to know that a man believes in visions. The apostle has not thrown in this admonition for nothing. It is greatly needed. And we advise all to heed it.

But he continues in the same connection: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” He has just been speaking of prophesyings; so when he tells us to prove all things, he refers to what he was speaking about. When the false and genuine are both in the world, as we have proved they will be in the last days, the direction of the apostle is very much to the point. How applicable to the present time. How can we prove such things? says one. We answer, By going to the great detector, which is able to thoroughly furnish the man of God for every good work. It contains a storehouse of wisdom for every emergency. It gives us plainly the points of difference between true and spurious manifestations. Just as the merchant goes to his counterfeit note detector to ascertain the kind of money in his possession, so the child of God should go to the Bible to “prove all” these things. This is his only safety.

As there are two great sources of spiritual manifestations in the world, one of them good and the other evil, it is reasonable that God should give us rules to determine in which class any manifestation belongs. We have in the Holy Scriptures many such rules. But as space forbids us to notice all of them, we will introduce only a few of the plainest of them, and try various classes of manifestations by them, those through Mrs. White among the rest. These all must be judged by their own utterances and teachings, and not by the voice of public opinion. And it is not the verdict of our rule alone that must decide this question, but the concurrent testimony of all the rules given. It would be manifestly impossible to frame any one rule that would apply in every case. The true coin will stand every test, while the false will fail in some one or more.

We will first notice a testimony in Isaiah 8:16–20: “Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion. And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter; should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” These words certainly apply in the gospel dispensation, and evidently in the last days. The prophet here speaks of “disciples” who are looking for the Lord. Among these the “testimony” is to be bound up, and the law to be sealed. Here a reform connected with God’s law is brought plainly to view. This is in exact harmony with the scriptures we have noticed in Rev. 12 and 14.

The work of spiritualism is also plainly referred to, going to the dead for knowledge, and consulting familiar spirits. A familiar spirit is one which “comes at a call.” It is an exact description of the work of spiritualist mediums in our time. It matters not how vile the character of the medium is, the “spirits” are ready to attend. It is remarkable that this work of modern spiritualism has originated since the Advent movement commenced. In 1848 the first manifestation was seen, and now the world is full of them. And as Satan is to manifest himself with special power in the last days, so as to deceive if possible the very elect, how shall the true child of God be able to distinguish true manifestations from false ones? The prophet here gives us a rule: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

The law of God written on the tables of testimony is the standard of reform for the last generation and the test by which manifestations are to be decided. Do Mormons speak according to the law of God? They do not. Joseph Smith has had a revelation that the first day of the week is to be observed as the Sabbath. Do spiritualists speak according to the law of God? We know they do not. They do not believe the Bible. They teach that every one is to be a law unto himself. One of their principal writers teaches that a man receives greater benefit from breaking the law than from keeping it. It is notorious everywhere that they despise the law of God, the Bible, and the name of Jehovah himself. We are therefore authorized to conclude there is no light in them. They are from the regions of darkness. The prophet’s rule shows where they belong.

We apply the same rule to the writings of Mrs. White, and what is the result? She has been prominently before the world for nearly thirty years. She has spoken in nearly every northern State from Maine to California, and that before the largest audiences. Her writings number thousands of pages of what has been shown her in vision, and in not one page or one statement which she has made during this long period can there be found a sentence contrary “to the law or the testimony.” But every one knows, who knows anything about the matter, that one great burden of her labor is to exalt the holiness of that law and to persuade people to live in harmony with it, always teaching that they will be judged in the last day by it, and urging them to seek Christ for the forgiveness of their transgressions of it. Are we not justified then by the rule of the prophet to conclude there is “light” in her visions?

We will next notice the rule given in 1 John 4:1–3, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.” This is a very important and emphatic rule. In it is contained a strong argument to show the perpetuity of spiritual gifts. The apostle wrote in the year A.D. 90. He was the last of the apostles and was soon to pass away. His words were evidently written for the gospel age. Had spiritual gifts been about to cease with him, the last of the apostles, he would not have given a rule by which to test spiritual manifestations, and told the people to “try the spirits.” He would have told them to reject such things altogether, for there would soon be none genuine in the world. The fact that he tells them “to try the spirits” proves that there were to be two kinds in the world as long as his words were to apply; viz., through the gospel age. The “spirits” here brought to view evidently refer to prophesying, for he calls on us to try the spirits, because “false prophets have gone out into the world.” The other class of course would be true prophets, or those who had genuine visions. We are commanded to try these, showing that it would not be safe to reject everything of the kind.

The rule the apostle gives is a decisive one. “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God.” Let us apply it to spiritualism. Do their spirits confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? We never knew one to do it. Ask them if they believe in Jesus Christ. Perhaps they will say, Yes. But ask them what they believe about him, and they will often say that he was a good man, a powerful medium, far in advance of his age, &c. But ask them if he was the divine Son of God, the agent by which the world was created, who became incarnated in the flesh to come to the world to die for sinners, the one by whom we must have salvation if we have it at all, and they will universally deny every such proposition. But this is the Christ the Bible teaches. They do not believe in such a Christ. Therefore they come from the wrong source. “They are not of God.”

Apply this rule to the visions of Mrs. White. Do they teach that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? On almost every page the plainest declarations of this great fact are made. To any one who has ever read her writings this statement is unnecessary. It is safe to say that no public speaker or writer has more to say of Christ’s coming in the flesh than she. It is the great central idea of all her speaking and writing. The sufferings, ministry, and death of Christ, are her special themes, and have been for nearly thirty years. She everywhere teaches that the divine Son of God was with the Father before the world was created, and that he was the agent by which that stupendous act was consummated, and being touched by man’s lost condition, because of his fall, offered himself as his substitute to receive the penalty of God’s broken law in man’s stead; that in the fullness of time he was incarnated, taking upon himself man’s nature that he might be man’s Saviour, and through him alone can man be saved. He thus honors the law of his Father and saves all who will come to God through him. “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.” So says the word of the Lord, and so we believe.

We next notice the words of our divine Lord himself, Matt. 7:15–20: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

The Saviour is not speaking here merely of a person who is teaching erroneous doctrines, but of one who claims supernatural powers or assistance. The original word proves this. Doubtless there may be some who teach erroneous views, honestly, to whom these words would not apply. The Saviour is speaking of those who are either under the influence of wicked spirits, or who falsely claim to be under the special direction of the Spirit of God. He says of such, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” We may be just as certain in their cases as we can be of the character of the tree when we behold the fruit it bears, and nothing is a more certain test than this. By the fruits, in the case of the class he refers to, we are to understand their words and actions. By carefully inspecting their own words and acts under a variety of circumstances we may judge with absolute certainty of their true character. This is certainly a fair rule to apply to any work.

In the latter part of the last century Emanuel Swedenborg professed to have revelations of great importance from the spiritual world to communicate. He taught that the Bible, as written, could not be understood in its true sense; that the key which unlocked it was lost for many ages; and that at last it was revealed to him. He professes to give us the real meaning of scripture in which he denies the literal sense. He claims that Christ will never come again personally, that the last judgment took place not far from one hundred years since; that there is to be no resurrection of the body, and many doctrines of a similar character. He really lays the foundation in his teachings for modern spiritualism. His system of explaining the Bible away by his spiritual key virtually makes another book of it; for his system is contrary to its most plain teachings, and any of his followers admit it to be contrary to the Bible in its literal sense. Such fruits are not good, and we therefore reject the tree upon which they grow.

Ann Lee came with her pretended revelation, claiming to be herself the second

manifestation of Jesus Christ, thus denying the plainest teachings of Scripture which tell us he will come personally in the clouds, and thus be seen by all. Those fruits are not good.

In our own time, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and many more among the Mormons, come claiming to be true prophets. Are their fruits good? We think not. Let polygamy answer. Let thousands of poor, honest souls, deluded away to Utah and robbed of everything, answer. Let the early history of that people in Nauvoo and Missouri, where battles were fought and raids made upon others’ property, answer. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of simple women were seduced away from their homes to become the wives of Mormon elders. Peaceful emigrants have been robbed and slain upon the trail in several instances by Mormons, disguised as Indians, and the property found in their possession. And one of the most terrible despotisms ever organized in any land has grown up among the mountains of Utah in the support of these pretended revelations. Surely these fruits are not good. They are not in harmony with the peaceable principles of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are authorized therefore to reject them.

Spiritualism also comes up with its host of mediums, professing to have supernatural revelations. They do give signs and wonders of astonishing magnitude. What source are they from? Are their fruits good? We answer, No. Their words are blasphemous. They deny the Bible and the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, the law of God and the plainest principles of morality. In their practice, the most advanced have progressed so far that the most terrible corruption is unblushingly defended. Free-loveism is taught by many of the most able, and the sanctity of the marriage compact is openly disregarded. So far has this gone, that the influence of spiritualism upon the morals of the community is a matter of no small anxiety to every thoughtful mind. They are rapidly increasing all over the land. While thus “foaming out their own shame,” “speaking evil of dignities,” and turning to lasciviousness, they abundantly advertise themselves as the false prophets of whom our Saviour said, “Beware.” Their fruits inform us of the character of the tree which bears them.

It is remarkable that so many of these have come in these days, and that they so uniformly deny the second personal advent of Christ. Would Satan send them so near together if there was nothing genuine to counterfeit? We think not.

We now notice the case of Mrs. White. For nearly thirty years she has labored in public from State to State, speaking hundreds of times to public audiences, and writing much, which has been published to the world. She claims to have visions from the Lord. She should therefore be tried by the same rule. We call upon any person to show where she has in any of her writings or teachings put forth one single sentiment contrary to morality, or contradictory to the principles of the Holy Scriptures. Her labor has not been in a corner. Her writings are open to public inspection. We confidently affirm that none will undertake to meet this challenge. And as for her private life, while we would ever be very careful not to claim perfection in this world for poor humanity, yet we freely state that not even her bitterest opponents are able to fasten upon her character the slightest immoral stain. Most of them admit that she is a humble, devoted Christian, but in some unaccountable manner deceived.

The very rule we are considering, they do not dare to apply in her case. The Saviour says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” They admit her words and acts are good, but think she is deluded herself. Our Saviour says a “corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit,” while her opponents virtually say it can. Nearly thirty years’ ardent labor in public ought surely to be sufficient to test this matter. Having had full opportunity to know in regard to this point, we claim the fruits of these visions to be unmistakably good. No person can obey them without being better for it. They teach the highest principles of morality. They tell us we must render strict obedience to the law of God—that Jesus Christ has set us the perfect example we must follow in order to salvation. The life of the humble instrument herself has been in strict harmony with these teachings, her enemies themselves being judges. We have

made to the false and malicious stories set afloat by our enemies in regard to Mrs. White and the visions when prejudice had been excited, was to have her come and speak to the people herself. This rarely fails to silence every battery. There is such an evidence of sincerity going with what she says that few people are hardened enough in prejudice to still maintain that she is a corrupt person.

Many a time have we seen strong men, not of our faith, sit weeping under her appeals in behalf of humble religion, while setting forth the character of Jesus, the Man of Calvary, and picturing before the mind the glories of the better world. The trouble people have with her teachings is never that they are too lax, but they are too straight, too close, for the carnal heart. Her leading opponents have often admitted that if people would follow her teachings they would be saved.

It is surely a new thing in the world if an impostor, a deceiver for thirty years, can teach all the time doctrines of the highest morality which will save men if they will live them out, without showing a single exception in all she has taught. Our Saviour says, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit.” Matt. 12:33. We dare declare the tree good and its fruit good however unpopular this may be. We can sometimes tell a good tree by seeing how many clubs have been thrown at it. Satan does not originate so many slanders for nothing.

We have now examined three important rules and in each case with the like result. We boldly affirm that there is not a single rule in the Scriptures given to show the distinction between true and false manifestations that will not prove hers to be from a good source when fairly applied. We have noticed three of the most prominent, and the reader can judge of the result. If this be true, it is an important fact. The apostle says, “Try the spirits,” and Paul says, “Prove all things,” and hold fast that which is good. We take the very rules the Scriptures give us, and they prove the visions of Mrs. White to be genuine. If we cannot accept the conclusion, we must say the Bible has made a failure in its attempt to give us rules to test this matter with. Let those who choose that conclusion take it. We prefer to accept that which the word of the Lord teaches to be good.

GEO. I. BUTLER.

(Concluded next week.)