Stephen Smith and the Unread. Testimony" by Arthur L
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N OF THE 21., H-DAY AI V Stephen Smith and the Unread. Testimony" By Arthur L. White Tins is the story of Stephen Smith. It is con- All acknowledged their faith in the visions except structed from the records of the early days as found Brother and Stephen Smith." Before the con- in the manuscript vault of the Ellen G. White ference closed, the assembled group, because of Publications. His name is used with his expressed his discordant views, withdrew the hand of fellow- permission. ship from Brother Smith. The next year, however, It was in 1850 that Stephen Smith, a man in after a seeming change of .heart and deep confession, middle life, accepted the third angel's message. Stephen Smith was back in the church again, but He loved the Sabbath truth, and he rejoiced in the not for long. Advent message. Mrs. Smith and the children too Clinging to the Sabbath truth, but in bitter loved this truth. They lived in the vicinity of opposition to the visions, poor Mr. Smith was ready Washington, New Hampshire, where the Adventists to join this little group and that offshoot party, first began to keep the Sabbath in 1844. It was not each of which claimed to have new light for God's long before Brother Smith was giving his time and people. He saw no need for the Spirit of Prophecy_ strength to heralding his new-found faith. Though His sympathies were first with the Messenger Party he travelled a good bit, the Washington, New till it came to naught. He espoused the 1854 time Hampshire, church was his home church. setting till this collapsed, and then he was off with But in those early days, as sometimes today, the Marion Party, with their no-organization, no- discordant voices were heard, as now and then some- sanctuary, and no-Spirit-of-Prophecy teachings. The one came along with so-called new light. Stephen true nature of these discordant teachings was clearly Smith was swept off his feet with some such seen by the church as the Lord opened up the true teaching concerning the spiritual advent of Christ, significance through the visions to Mrs. White, and began to push his new-found but strange views. but Mr. Smith felt no need of these warnings and Having turned from one of the fundamentals of the counsels. message, he employed his influence to undermine Now, the Lord loved Stephen Smith. During this ,confidence in the leaders of the work, and was time of wavering and alienated sympathies, a vision especially critical of Elder and Mrs. White. was given to Sister White pointing out his dangers, We find him next at a conference of the believers showing the ultimate result of his course of action, held in Washington, New Hampshire, in late but assuring him of God's love and acceptance if October, 1851. Here seventy-five of the believers he repented. Painstakingly Mrs. White wrote out assembled, some coming from other States. Elder what had been revealed to her and closed the epistle and Mrs. White were there, Stephen Smith was with an appeal to turn from his waywardness and bitter in his criticism and opposition. He was ardent walk with God's people. At this time the Whites in promulgating his discordant views. Near the close were residing at Battle Creek, Michigan, so the of the Sabbath, Mrs. White was taken off in vision, communication Was sent to Mr. Smith by post. and the state of things in Washington was revealed Calling at the post office for his letters shortly to her. In plain words she told the brethren what she thereafter, Mr. Smith was handed a long envelope, had been shown. The handwritten record of that and his eyes fell on the return address, Mrs. E. G. early day reads, "The vision had a powerful effect. White, Battle Creek, Michigan. Have you enrolled for the free Prophetic Guidance Correspondence Course yet ? IF NOT—BO SO WITHOUT DELAY See page 3. "Mrs. White has written me a testimony," he a rustle was heard in the audience and Stephen said to himself, as in anger he felt the blood rushing Smith was struggling to his feet. He wanted to to his cheeks, "and I don't want any testimony." speak, but Elder Farnsworth did not know whether In silence he held it for a time in his trembling he dared let him speak or not. He expected that if hand, uncertain as to what he should do. he did speak, it would be a tirade of ridicule and "No, I'll not read it," he said to himself Is he of criticism, but he thought perhaps he had better pushed the unopened envelope into his pocket and let the man get it out of his system. This is what hurried home. Reaching the house, he noticed the Smith said: trunk over in the corner, and immediately he knew "I don't want you to be afraid of me, brethren, what to do with the letter. In anger he raised the for I haven't come to criticize you—I've quit that lid, reached down, and lifted the contents enough kind of business." He then reviewed the past; he so that he could slip the unopened letter into the told how he had opposed church organization and bottom of the trunk. He slammed the lid down and "most everything else;" he referred to his connection locked it tight. For twenty-eight years that testimony with the Messenger Party, his sympathy with the lay on the bottom of his trunk unopened and unread. Marion Party, and his general hatred of our work Now, Stephen Smith went on his own way. I and our people. Finally, he said, he had been com- hardly need to describe the course he took. One who paring notes for a year or two, and he'd seen those knew him well said that he "had the most withering, parties, one after another, go down, and those who blighting, tongue of any man I ever, heard. He could had sympathized with them come to confusion. say the meanest things, in the meatiest, most cutting "Facts," he said, "are stubborn things. BUt the way of any man I ever met." He was particularly facts are that those who have opposed this work bitter in his criticism of Mrs. White and the Spirit have come to nought, and those who have been in of Prophecy. Mrs. Smith, who remained loyal to sympathy with it have prospered, have grown better, the message, and the children, had an unhappy time more devoted and godlike. Those who have opposed indeed. Manifesting such a spirit and such an it have only learned to fight and debate, and they've attitude, Stephen Smith spent what should have lost all their religion. No honest man can help been the best years of his life. seeing that God is with the Advent movement and Twenty-seven years rolled by. It was now 1884, against us who have opposed it. I want to be in and his hair had turned White and his back was fellowship with this people in heart and in the bent. One day he picked up from the parlour table church." a copy of The Review and Herald—and the Review After this public confession Stephen Smith began should be on the parlour table of every Adventist to review his past experience. On Thursday he home. As he turned its pages and his eye caught recalled that letter in the bottom of his trunk. It the name of Ellen G. White as the author of one had been years since he had thought of it. For the of the articles, he stopped to read it, and when first time in twenty-eight years he wanted to kn'ow he finished he said to himself, "That's the truth." what was inside that envelope. The next week he got hold of another issue of the He found the key, with trembling hand he un- Review, and there was another article from the pen locked the old trunk, lifted up the lid, and reached of Sister White, and he said again, "That's God's down to the bottom feeling for the envelope. truth." Finally he had it in his" land. He pulled it out, And that is the real test of the Spirit of Prophecy, looked at it for a minute, and then tore it open. isn't it? It is the way the Lord speaks to our hearts He slipped out the folded handwritten 'sheets, from the pages of the Spirit of Prophecy books, dropped into a chair, and read. that constitutes the strongest evidence that the There he read a picture of what his life would be work is of God. w if he followed the course he had embarked upon. From week to week Stephen Smith read. He began He read of bitterness and disappointment. There to soften in his words and his attitudes. His wife he read an accurate picture of what his life had and others noticed the change. been, for he hadn't changed his way. There he read The next summer, 1885, Eugene W. Farnsworth an appeal to turn to God. was asked to go back to his old home church at Sabbath morning he was back again at Washing- Washington, New Hampshire, to hold revival ton. He did not want to miss the meeting. Elder meetings. This he was happy to do. It was his Farnsworth, who knew nothing of this experience, father, William Farnsworth, right there in the little preached on the Spirit of Prophecy, and he no frame church, who in 1844 had taken his stand for sooner finished than old Stephen Smith was on his the Sabbath.