The conference at Rocky Hill was held in the large unfinished chamber of Brother Albert Belden’s house. In a letter to Brother Stockbridge Howland, my husband wrote of the meeting as follows:
(LS 108.1)
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“April 20th Brother Belden sent his two-horse wagon to Middletown for us and the scattered brethren in that city. We arrived at this place about four in the afternoon, and in a few minutes in came Brethren Bates and Gurney. We had a meeting that evening of about fifteen. Friday morning the brethren came in until we numbered about fifty. There were not all fully in the truth. Our meeting that day was very interesting. Brother Bates presented the commandments in a clear light, and their importance was urged home by powerful testimonies. The word had effect to establish those already in the truth, and to awaken those who were not fully decided.”
(LS 108.2)
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Two years before, I had been shown that at some future time we should visit western New York. And now, shortly after the close of the conference at Rocky Hill, we were invited to attend a general meeting at Volney, N. Y., in August. Brother Hiram Edson wrote to us that the brethren were generally poor, and that he could not promise that they would do much toward defraying our expenses, but that he would do what he could. We had no means with which to travel. My husband’s health was poor, but the way opened for him to work in the hayfield, and he decided to accept the work.
(LS 108.3)
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[Following the return from Western New York in September, 1848, Elder and Mrs. White journeyed to Maine, where they held a meeting with the believers, October 20-22. This was the Topsham conference, where the brethren began praying that a way might be opened for publishing the truths connected with the Advent message. A month later they were with “a small company of brethren and sisters,” writes Elder Joseph Bates in his pamphlet on “The Sealing Message,”“assembled in meeting in Dorchester, near Boston, Mass.”“Before the meeting commenced,” he continues, “some of us were examining some of the points in the sealing message; some difference of opinion existed about the correctness of the view of the word ‘ascending’ [see Revelation 7:2], etc.”
(LS 116.1)
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Elder James White, in an unpublished letter giving his account of this meeting, writes: “We all felt like uniting to ask wisdom from God on the points in dispute; also Brother Bates's duty in writing. We had an exceedingly powerful meeting. Ellen was again taken off in vision. She then began to describe the Sabbath light, which was the sealing truth. Said she: ‘It arose from the rising of the sun. It arose back there in weakness, but light after light has shone upon it until the Sabbath truth is clear, weighty, and mighty. Like the sun when it first rises, its rays are cold, but as it comes up, its rays are warming and powerful; so the light and power has increased more and more until its rays are powerful, sanctifying the soul; but, unlike the sun, it will never set. The Sabbath light will be at its brightest when the saints are immortal; it will rise higher and higher until immortality comes.’”
(LS 116.2)
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“She saw many interesting things about this glorious sealing Sabbath, which I have not time or space to record. She told Brother Bates to write the things he had seen and heard, and the blessing of God would attend it.”
(LS 116.3)
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It was after this vision that Mrs. White informed her husband of his duty to publish, and that as he should advance by faith, success would attend his efforts. (See page 125.)]
(LS 116.4)
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At the commencement of the holy Sabbath, January 5, 1849, we engaged in prayer with Brother Belden’s family at Rocky Hill, Conn., and the Holy Ghost fell upon us. I was taken off in vision to the most holy place, where I saw Jesus still interceding for Israel. On the bottom of His garment was a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate. Then I saw that Jesus would not leave the most holy place until every case was decided either for salvation or destruction, and that the wrath of God could not come until Jesus had finished His work in the most holy place, laid off His priestly attire, and clothed Himself with the garments of vengeance. Then Jesus will step out from between the Father and men, and God will keep silence no longer, but pour out His wrath on those who have rejected His truth. I saw that the anger of the nations, the wrath of God, and the time to judge the dead, were separate and distinct, one following the other; also that Michael had not stood up, and that the time of trouble, such as never was, had not yet commenced. The nations are now getting angry, but when our High Priest has finished His work in the sanctuary, He will stand up, put on the garments of vengeance, and then the seven last plagues will be poured out.
(LS 116.5)
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Our interview with that dear family was very precious. Our hearts were knit together; especially was the heart of Sister Hastings knit with mine as were those of David and Jonathan. Our union was not marred while she lived.
(LS 123.1)
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[Note.—After the visit to the Hastings family in New Ipswich, Elder and Mrs. White returned to Maine, going by way of Boston, and arriving at Topsham March 21, 1849. The following Sabbath, while worshiping with the little company in that place, Mrs. White was given a vision in which she saw that the faith of one of the brethren in Paris, Maine, was wavering, and this led her to feel that it was her duty to visit the company there. “We went,” she wrote in a letter to Brother and Sister Hastings, “and found they needed strengthening.... We spent one week with them.... God gave me two visions while there, much to the comfort and strength of the brethren and sisters. Brother Stowell was established in all the present truth he had doubted.”
(LS 123.2)
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After returning to Topsham, they were in much perplexity as to where they should spend the summer. Invitations had come from brethren in New York and in Connecticut, and in the absence of positive light they decided to respond to the call from New York. They wrote a letter giving directions regarding their arrival at Utica, where some of the brethren might meet them. Soon, however, Mrs. White felt burdened and oppressed. Her husband, seeing her distress, burned the letter they had just written, knelt down, and prayed that the burden might be rolled away. The next day’s mail brought to them a letter from Brother Belden, of Rocky Hill, Conn., containing means sufficient to enable them to move to Connecticut, and urging them to accept the invitation. Elder and Mrs. White saw in this hearty invitation the manifest providence of God, and decided to go, believing that the Lord was opening the way before them.]
(LS 123)
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In June, 1849, Sister Clarissa M. Bonfoey proposed to live with us. Her parents had recently died, and a division of furniture at the homestead had given her everything necessary for a small family to commence housekeeping. She cheerfully gave us the use of these things, and did our work. We occupied a part of Brother Belden’s house at Rocky Hill. Sister Bonfoey was a precious child of God. She possessed a cheerful and happy disposition, never gloomy, yet not light and trifling.
(LS 123.3)
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We soon received urgent invitations to hold conferences in different States, and decided to attend general gatherings at Boston, Mass.; Rocky Hill, Conn.; Camden and West Milton, N. Y. These were all meetings of labor, but very profitable to our scattered brethren.
(LS 141.1)
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We tarried at Ballston Spa a number of weeks, until we became settled in regard to publishing at “Saratoga Springs”. Then we rented a house and sent for Brother and Sister Stephen Belden and Sister Bonfoey, who was then in Maine taking care of little Edson, and with borrowed household stuff began housekeeping. Here my husband published the second volume of the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald.
(LS 141.2)
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Sister Annie Smith, who now sleeps in Jesus, came to live with us and assist in the work. Her help was needed. My husband expressed his feelings at this time in a letter to Brother Howland, dated February 20, 1852, as follows: “We are unusually well, all but myself. I cannot long endure the labors of traveling and the care of publishing. Wednesday night we worked until two o’clock in the morning, folding and wrapping No. 12 of the Review and Herald; then I retired and coughed till daylight. Pray for me. The cause is prospering gloriously. Perhaps the Lord will not have need of me longer, and will let me rest in the grave. I hope to be free from the paper. I have stood by it in extreme adversity; and now when its friends are many, I feel free to leave it, if some one can be found who will take it. I hope my way will be made clear. May the Lord direct.”
(LS 141.3)
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