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Preface
xxi
the word. Again and again these brethren came together to study the
Bible, in order that they might know its meaning, and be prepared
to teach it with power. When they came to the point in their study
where they said, “we can do nothing more,’ the Spirit of the Lord
would come upon me, I would be taken off in vision, and a clear
explanation of the passages we had been studying would be given
me, with instruction as to how we were to labor and teach effectively.
Thus light was given that helped us to understand the scriptures in
regard to Christ, His mission, and His priesthood. A line of truth
extending from that time to the time when we shall enter the city of
God, was made plain to me, and I gave to others the instruction that
the Lord had given me
.
“During this whole time I could not understand the reasoning
of the brethren. My mind was locked, as it were, and I could not
comprehend the meaning of the scriptures we were studying. This
was one of the greatest sorrows of my life. I was in this condition
of mind until all the principal points of our faith were made clear to
our minds, in harmony with the Word of God. The brethren knew
that when not in vision, I could not understand these matters, and
they accepted as light direct from heaven the revelations given.”—
Selected Messages 1:206, 207
.
Thus the doctrinal foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist
Church was laid in the faithful study of the word of God, and when
the pioneers could not make headway, Ellen White was given light
that helped to explain their difficulty and opened the way for the
study to continue. The visions also placed the stamp of God’s ap-
proval upon correct conclusions. Thus the prophetic gift acted as
[xxiv]
a corrector of error and a confirmer of truth. (See
Gospel Workers,
302
.)
The Pioneers Begin to Publish
It was shortly after the fifth of these Sabbath conferences held in
1848 that another meeting was called at the home of Otis Nichols
in Dorchester (near Boston), Massachusetts. The brethren were
studying and praying concerning their responsibility to herald the
light that the Lord had caused to shine upon their pathway. As they
studied, Ellen White was taken off in vision, and in this revelation