Chapter 4—Warnings Against Deceptive Claims of
the Spirit’s Guidance
[
On November 12, 1908, there came to St. Helena, California, a
zealous man, with his wife. They sought an interview with Mrs. White,
and related to her remarkable experiences dating back for about three
years. These experiences began to come to them after several days of
fasting and praying for the Holy Spirit until, as they said, “great drops
of sweat stood on our brow.” They believed that they had received the
Holy Spirit as did the early apostles. They claimed to have spoken in
tongues, and to have labored zealously for others that they might enter
into a similar experience
.
They had been arrested in the east on a charge of exercising mes-
meric influence on a child. After hearing the case the attorney and the
mayor had said that if they were not on the border of insanity, they
were perilously close to it. They claimed that while in the jail they
were told “through the Spirit” to act as though they were insane, with
the result that God “put the fear on these men, so they were fearful to
come inside” the cell
.
They believed that the child whom they were charged with mes-
merizing was gifted with the Spirit of Prophecy, and directed them
where to go. They claimed that through prayer they had healed the
sick, cast out devils, and had done many other wonderful works. Of
this wife, the husband said, “The Spirit operates through her, and we
believe that this is the gift of prophecy that is to be poured out on all
flesh.”
The following statements were made by Mrs. White in reference
to this and similar movements.—Compilers
.]
[41]
God’s Work Characterized by Calmness and Dignity
Two weeks ago today, while I was writing, my son W. C. White
came into my room and stated that there were two persons below who
wished to speak with me. I went downstairs into our sitting room and
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