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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
“What has it done for you, Ellen? Would you be what you are now
if you had never heard the doctrine of Christ’s soon coming? What
hope has it inspired in your heart; what peace, joy, and love has it
given you? And for me it has done everything. I love Jesus, and all
Christians. I love the prayer meeting. I find great joy in reading my
Bible and in prayer.”
We both felt strengthened by this conversation, and resolved that
we would not be turned from our honest convictions of truth, and the
blessed hope of Christ’s soon coming in the clouds of heaven. We
were thankful that we could discern the precious light, and rejoice in
looking for the coming of the Lord.
Last Testimony in Class Meeting
Not long after this, we again attended the class meeting. We wanted
an opportunity to speak of the precious love of God that animated our
souls. I particularly wished to tell of the Lord’s goodness and mercy to
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me. So great a change had been wrought in me that it seemed my duty
to improve every opportunity of testifying to the love of my Saviour.
When my turn came to speak, I stated the evidences I enjoyed of
Jesus’ love, and that I looked forward with the glad expectation of
meeting my Redeemer soon. The belief that Christ’s coming was near
had stirred my soul to seek more earnestly for the sanctification of the
Spirit of God.
Here the class leader interrupted me, saying, “You received sancti-
fication through Methodism, through Methodism, sister, not through
an erroneous theory.”
I felt compelled to confess the truth, that it was not through Method-
ism that my heart had received its new blessing, but by the stirring
truths concerning the personal appearing of Jesus. Through them I had
found peace, joy, and perfect love. Thus my testimony closed, the last
that I was to bear in class with my Methodist brethren.
Robert then spoke in his meek way, yet in so clear and touching
a manner that some wept and were much moved; but others coughed
dissentingly, and seemed quite uneasy.
After leaving the classroom, we again talked over our faith, and
marveled that our Christian brethren and sisters could so ill endure to
have a word spoken in reference to our Saviour’s coming. We were