Ellen's Experience in Delivering the Message

At the time she first went out to deliver her message [February, 1845] she was scarcely able to walk across the room and could not speak with an audible voice, but she had perfect faith in God and was carried in this state a few miles to deliver her message, and when she came to speak, her voice was nearly gone, but God fulfilled His word, gave her strength of body and a clear, loud, audible voice to talk nearly two hours with tremendous power and effect on the people and without fatigue of body, and from that time for many weeks she continued to travel day and night, talking almost every day until she had visited most of the Advent bands in Maine and the easterly parts of New Hampshire.1BIO 75.3

Her message was always attended with the Holy Ghost, and wherever it was received as from the Lord it broke down and melted their hearts like little children, fed, comforted, strengthened the weak, and encouraged them to hold on to the faith, and the seventh month movement; and that our work was done for the nominal church and the world, [This expression gives a knowledge of the concept of the “shut door” as nichols understood it on April 20, 1846. See chapter 16, “the shut and the open doors.”] and what remained to be done was for the household of faith.1BIO 75.4

Those that rejected her message very soon fell into the world and a nominal faith, and those that did receive her testimony as from the Lord and afterward denied it, calling it mesmerism or an unholy thing, are many of them like those that are given over to strong delusion and the working of Satan—a ship without a helm or anchor and driven by every wind, thus causing the way of truth to be evil spoken of. This class of persons are her greatest enemies, and have done what they could by calumny, and lies, to destroy her influence and character. But God has hitherto protected her in a remarkable manner from all harm; raised up benefactors for her wherever she goes, notwithstanding the malice of wicked spirits and fallen Adventists.1BIO 76.1

Through their influence there have been a number of warrants for her arrest, but God has signally protected her. At one time a sheriff and a number of men with him had no power over her person for an hour and an half, although they exerted all their bodily strength to move her, while she or no one else made any resistance. [It seems nichols has here confused Ellen Harmon's experience with that of Israel Damman, an experience Ellen had witnessed and reported to nichols. See the summary of her work in Eastern Maine on page 77.] What I have written I have a knowledge of and think I can judge correctly.—DF 105, Otis Nichols to William Miller, April 20, 1846.1BIO 76.2