DEAR BRO. WHITE:—I will give you a short history of my past life from the time I first thought that God for Christ's sake forgave me my sins. If I rightly remember it was in August, 1830. I was at the house of my sister reading a hymn called the judgment hymn. While reading, my mind was thrown back upon my past life; and seeing nothing but sin and iniquity in my path, I felt that if God should cut me off in my present state of mind, I should be beyond the reach of hope. I called for my mother, and requested her to pray for me, and was told that I must pray for myself; and falling on my knees, I poured out my soul to the Giver of all good. I soon found relief, and shortly after united with the Methodists (of which denomination my mother was then a member) where I remained until 1841, when I saw that God's goodness would not permit him to punish his creatures with unending pain.
From this time I began to examine my Bible with attention; and finding that God is good unto all, and his tender mercy is over all his works, I could not resist the conviction that the doctrine of universal salvation was true. My husband being a member of that denomination, I never wavered from this faith until the Winter of 1853; though my husband had embraced the Advent faith in 1851. From this time I often persecuted him, telling him he was always changing from one thing to another; but he always pointed me to God's word and told me that he had learned that man had no immortal soul, and would cease to exist at death, and would remain so until the resurrection; and those who were found worthy to have part in the first resurrection would be made immortal through Christ, and would reign with him a thousand years, and at the expiration of that time, the wicked would be raised and array themselves under their leader, the Devil, and compass the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, and the fire of God would come down from heaven and devour them. I thought much upon the subject, and often in his absence would sit down and with a prayerful heart, read those passages to which he had directed me; and I soon found that I could not harmonize them in any other way.
Soon after this, he invited me to attend meetings with him where Brn. Hutchins and Ingraham were going to preach. I consented to go, notwithstanding my prejudice to the Advent people. Their subject was the second and seventh chapters of Daniel in connection with the thirteenth chapter of Revelation. The four kingdoms there brought to view, and Christ's everlasting kingdom immediately following, showed to my mind at once that Christ was near, even at the doors. My heart was ready to leap for joy at the thought of my being so near my long-looked-for home, and I could cry out, Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus. I then began to feel that I loved the Lord and wished to follow him into a watery grave; I therefore embraced the first opportunity to be baptized. I now rejoice in hope of Christ's soon coming. I love God's holy Sabbath-day, it gives such pleasure to meditate on the mercy of God.