that to hire a carriage, so he threw the trunk upon a pile of boards, and we walked on in search of some one of like faith. We soon found Brother Chamberlain, who took us to his house."— Id., pp. 84, 85.

The conference was held at Rocky Hill in a large, unfinished room in the house of Stephen Belden. There were about fifty in attendance, only a part of whom had accepted the Sabbath and the advent faith. Captain Bates enjoyed much freedom in presenting the binding claims of God's law, and personal testimonies were given which cheered and encouraged many longing hearts.

Elder and Mrs. White were next invited to labor in Oswego County, New York. Hiram Edson, who sent the invitation, said that the brethren were poor, and he could not promise much toward expenses. Elder White met this need by earning $40 in the hayfield. This money paid their traveling expenses, and provided much-needed clothing.

About thirty-five persons were in attendance at this meeting, which was held in the carriage house of one of the brethren. Creat difference of opinion prevailed, and each believer was anxious to advance his own views. For instance, as the emblems of our Saviour were about to be distributed, one brother arose and said that he had no faith in what they were about to do that the Lord's supper should be observed but once a year, being a continuation of the Passover.

Mrs. White was under great burden of soul during the meeting; her spirit was oppressed, for she felt that God was dishonored by these wide differences of opinion. Prayer was offered in her behalf, she revived, and was taken off in vision, and shown the errors that were pulling Adventists apart. In the course of the vision she took in her left hand the family Bible, and while holding it aloft, turned from text to text, and placing her finger on the scripture, would repeat it, all the while looking upward. The scriptures thus read had a direct bearing on the things that were bringing divisions into the little company of believers, and they threw such light on the matters at issue that the meeting ended in triumph for the truth. Those who had been drawn aside by matters of little importance, now united with their brethren in adopting as fundamentals the Sabbath and the second coming of Christ.

Meetings were also held in Madison County, at Port Gibson and Port Byron, and in New York City. In these gatherings the labors of Elder White and his wife were in the interests of unity and harmony. To fix on fundamental truths of Holy Scripture and hold to them, was the aim set before the believers.

The year 1848 was one of great commotion and unrest among European nations. France suddenly arose against its king, Louis Philippe, and Russia, Sardinia, Naples, and Rome caught the same spirit of unrest. Revolutions seemed brewing in many countries, and not a few crowned heads were uneasy. In the midst of this time of confusion, those Adventists who had not embraced the third angel's message quite naturally believed the nations were rallying for "the battle of the great day of God Almighty." To the Seventh-day Adventists, who were beginning to teach that the Sabbath is the sign, or seal, of the living God, and were laying plans to give the sealing message of Revelation 10: 1-4 to the world, they were saying: "You are too late with your sealing message, for the battle of the great day is just upon us."

But the European situation quieted down again almost as suddenly as it had been stirred up. Horace Greeley, writing of it in the New York Tribune, said:

"It was a wonder to us all what started so suddenly that confusion among the nations; but it is a greater wonder still what stopped it."

The little struggling company of Seventh-day Adventists felt that it was their opportunity to work, and they took hold with a will.

A MAIL CARRIER MAKING HISTORY

Elder James White, editor and publisher, carrying the first edition of Present Truth in a carpetbag from Middletown, Conn., to Rocky Hill and back, a distance of sixteen miles.

CHAPTER VIII

Beginning to Publish

THE circumstances under which Joseph Bates' tract on the Sabbath came out, have been related in the previous chapter. In point of time that important publication had been preceded by two others. The first of these was a leaflet containing Mrs. White's first vision. The printed matter occupied the front page and half of the back page of a sheet of foolscap paper, and appended to the narrative was a note inviting the reader to write out his impressions in the blank space, and return the sheet to the author, Ellen G. Harmon. The leaflet was addressed "To the Remnant Scattered Abroad," and the expense of printing the edition of two hundred fifty copies was borne by H. S. Gurney and James White.

Another publication of 1846 was a tract of forty pages, entitled, "The Opening Heavens." It was written by Joseph Bates, and is indicative of his enthusiastic interest in matters astronomical. Its chief purpose, however, was to emphasize the fact of the literal, personal coming of Christ as opposed to the view that He had already come spiritually, which some were adopting.

TO THE REMNANT SCATTERED ABROAD.

As God has shown me in holy vision the travels of the Advent peo ple to the Holy City, and the rich reward to be given those who wait the return of their Lord from the wedding, it may be my duty to give you a short sketch of what God has revealed to me. The dear samis have got many trials to pass through. But our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory-while we look not at the things which are seen, for the things which are scen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. I have tried to bring back a good report, and a few grapes from the heavenly Canaan, for which many would stone me, as the congregation bade stone Caleb and Joshua for their report, (Num. 14: 10.) But I declare to you, my brethren and sisters in the Lord, it is a goodly land, and we are well able to go up and possess it. 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, (a) cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were travelling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. They bad a bright light set up behind them at the first end of the path, which angel told me was the Midnight Cry. (0) This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so they might not stumble, Ahd if they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, lead. ing 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 g rious right arm, and from his arm came a glorious light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted Hallelujah! Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and got their eyes off the mark and Lost sight of Jesus, and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. It was just as impossible for them 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, until we heard the voice of Gol like many waters, (c) which gave us the day and hour of Jesus' coming. (d) The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. (e) When God spake the time, he poured on us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God as Moses' did when he came down from Mount Sinai. (ƒ) By this time the 144,000 were all sealed and perfectly united. On their foreheads was written, God, New Jerusalein, and a glorious Star containing Jesus' new name. (g) At our happy, holy state the wicked a Mat, 7: 14. b Mat. 25: 6. c Eze. 48: 2. Joel, S: 16. Rev. 16: 17. d Eze. 12: 25. Mark, 13: 32. e Jolm; 12: 29. fIsa. 1027

& Rev. 3: 12.

So far as known, there is no copy preserved of that first leaflet, "To the Remnant Scattered Abroad." mentioned in the first paragraph of this chapter. The above is a facsimile of the first page of the reprint of that vision in "A Word to the Little Flock," published by James White in 1847.