Firmly Believed She Had Visions

She was firmly persuaded that she had not experienced an hallucination, but had truly received a vision from God. And so she proceeded, as she had been instructed in the vision, to go out and tell to others what God had revealed to her. We earlier made reference to this point in her life, noting how difficult it was for a girl, poor in health and timid in nature, to go about speaking before others. Her hesitancy was only heightened when she faced certain unstable, even fanatical people, at times—the kind of people, so religious history reveals, who are always on the fringes of any new religious awakening, ready to confuse and deceive those whom God has sought to lift to higher spiritual levels.WBEGW 74.3

In August, 1846, she was married to James White, a young man twenty-five years old, who had preached during the Millerite awakening. His religious ardor was exceeded only by his poverty.WBEGW 75.1

Almost immediately after their marriage they read a tract published by Joseph Bates, which presented scriptural evidence that the seventh day of the week is the true Sabbath of God. They soon accepted this and thus were quickly added to that little, but steadily increasing, company of Sabbathkeeping Adventists.WBEGW 75.2

James White, though a minister, had no church, and thus no regular source of income. He had to find whatever jobs he could, such as mowing hay, cutting wood, or working on the railroad. But because Ellen White felt compelled of God to preach to the post-Millerite groups what God had revealed to her in vision, James White naturally traveled with her. Their pilgrimages were made most difficult by their deep poverty. Whatever anyone might imagine in criticism of this young Adventist couple, no one could conceivably think that they preached for the love of money.WBEGW 75.3

Their first child, Henry, was born on August 26, 1847. Three other sons were to be born over the next thirteen years. However, the youngest died after only a few months, and her first-born three years later. She had to travel, leaving the children with others. Many of her letters to her children are preserved. Those letters reveal a mother’s love as normal and healthy and tender as any mother could ever display. One of the great crosses she had to bear—and she made reference to it betimes—was having to leave her children so many times when she went to visit conferences, camp meetings, and the like.WBEGW 75.4

It was in November, 1848, that she had the vision of the beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist publishing work. Because of what has grown out of that vision, it may truly be described as one of the most important in a long series of visions.WBEGW 76.1