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The Great Second Advent Movement: Its Rise and Progress - Contents
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    A Hypocritical Worker in Camden, N.Y

    Among other places visited by Elder and Mrs. White during the winter of 1849-50, was the town of Camden, N.Y., about forty miles from Oswego, where they were still living. Of this meeting, Mrs. White says: “Previous to going, I was shown the little company who professed the truth there, and among them I saw a woman who professed much piety, but who was a hypocrite, and was deceiving the people of God.” 22Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 129.GSAM 232.4

    In January, 1884, while laboring in the State of New York, I learned the following particulars from Mr. Preston, who was a resident of Camden at the time of the above-mentioned conference, and with whom Elder White and his wife tarried during the meeting:—GSAM 233.1

    “This woman taught extreme views on the subject of sanctification, saying there was a state of perfection to be attained where a person would be entirely above the law of God; and she claimed to have reached that perfect state. With this doctrine of holiness she was troubling the minds of some of our people at Camden. Sister White was shown that with all this woman’s pretended holiness, her heart was black with sin, and in life she was corrupt.GSAM 233.2

    “While in this place, Sister White was given another vision, in the presence of this woman, who appeared to have a great burden of soul for the unconverted; but Sister White told her it was not a genuine travail of soul for sinners, because her own course of life was such that she did not herself stand right in the sight of God. ‘So,’ said Mr. Preston, ‘what is called the Camden vision applied definitely and especially to the case of that woman, and not to the condition of sinners generally, and we so understood it at the time.’ “GSAM 233.3

    After Mrs. White had related her vision, the woman arose, and said, “God knows my heart, and if you could see it, you would see that it is pure and clean.” Thus the meeting closed. Not long after, however, the woman was taken seriously ill, and thought she was dying. Said she, “I must see Sister White; I have a confession to make to her. I told her I was a good woman, that I was pure. It is not so. I am a wicked woman. This man that I am living with is not my husband. I left a good husband in England, and one little child, and ran away with this man. We were never married. I have been professing to be a doctor, and have been selling medicine that I swore in court cost me $1 a bottle, but it only cost me twelve cents a bottle. I also swore that a cow we sold to a poor man cost us $30, when it only cost us $20.” 23The account given by Mr. Preston respecting the Camden meeting confirms the statement made in Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 129-130, while it also gives the above particulars mentioned there.GSAM 233.4

    To such hypocritical pretenders do the words of Mrs. White respecting “travail of soul for sinners” apply, and not to sinners in general. Taking into consideration the facts presented above, showing that the doctrine of “no more mercy” for sinners was fully condemned from the first of its being preached in spring of 1845; and that Mrs. White has labored earnestly for the conversion of sinners all the way along since that date, who can believe that in 1850, when her work entitled “Experience and Views” was published, she meant to teach that there was “no more salvation for sinners”?GSAM 234.1

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