52
Selected Messages Book 1
knew the visions ought to say what he had published, and that if I had
written them as the Lord gave them to me, they would have said these
things. He asserted that if the visions have been given for the benefit
of the church, he had a right to use them as he pleased.
Some of these sheets may still be in existence, and may be brought
forward as coming from me, but I am not responsible for them. The
articles given in Early Writings did pass under my eye; and as the
edition of Experience and Views published in 1851 was the earliest
which we possessed, and as we had no knowledge of anything addi-
tional in papers or pamphlets of earlier date, I am not responsible for
the omissions which are said to exist.
The First Omission
The first quotation mentioned by C is from a pamphlet of twenty-
four pages published in 1847, entitled A Word to the Little Flock. Here
are the lines omitted in Experience and Views:
“It was just as impossible for them [those that gave up their faith
in the ‘44 movement] to get on the path again and go to the city, as all
the wicked world which God had rejected. They fell all the way along
the path one after another.”
I will give the context, that the full force of the expressions may
be clearly seen:
[62]
“While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and
I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I
turned to look for the advent people in the world, but could not find
them—when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’
At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up
high above the world. On this path the advent people were traveling to
the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright
light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which an angel told
me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave
light for their feet so they might not stumble. And if they kept their
eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the
city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and they said the city
was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then
Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and
from His arm came a glorious light which waved over the advent band,