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A PROPHET, A PREACHER AND "THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE"
SECTION TWO
Similarities between James and Ellen G. White's "Experience and Views" and "Spiritual Gifts" with Joseph Smith's "Pearl of Great Price" in "The Book of Mormon"
"Mrs. White ever sought to avoid being influenced by others. Ellen G. White, "The Spirit of Prophecy," Volume 4, page 535 |
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JOSEPH SMITH: "IMMEDIATELY SEIZED UPON BY SOME POWER OVER ME AS TO BIND MY TONGUE SO I COULD NOT SPEAK" 'At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God... "So in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my lif e that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally. "After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desire of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was se ized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction... "He (the angel) said there was a book written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent ... "After telling me these things he commenced quoting the prophecies of the Old Testament. He first quoted part of the third chapter of Malachi; and he quoted also the fourth or last chapter of the same prophecy; though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles ... He quoted many other passages of scripture... "Sleep had fled from my eyes, and I lay overwhelmed at what I had both seen and heard ..." PGP 48:14-16;51:_-36 EGW: "THE POWER OF GOD BEGAN TO REST UPON ME. IMMEDIATELY I WAS STRUCK DUMB. MY TONGUE WOULD BE LOOSED IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS" "After I came out of this VISION I was exceedingly troubled ... I lay on my face for a long time... "Soon it was reported all around that the visions were the result of mesmerism, and many Adventists were ready to believe and circulate the report. A physician who was a celebrated mesmerizer told me that my views were mesmerism, that I was a very easy subject, and that he could mesmerize me and give me a vision...I then gave him liberty to mesmerize me if he could... By faith in God I was able to resist his influence.... "In my next vision I earnestly begged of the Lord that, if I must go and relate what He had shown me, he would keep me from exaltation. "Then I would go away alone in the woods, where no eye or ear but God could see or hear, and pray to him, and sometimes give me a vision there. I then rejoiced and told them what God had revealed to me alone, where no mortal could influence me ..." "All these things weighed heavily upon my spirits, and in the confusion I was sometimes tempted to doubt my own experience. While at family prayer one morning the power of God began to rest upon me, and the thought rushed into my mind that it was mesmerism. Immediately I was struck dumb and for a few moments was lost to everything around me. I then saw my sin in doubting the power of God, and that for so doing I was struck dumb, and that my tongue be loosed in less than twenty-four hours. A card was held up before me, on which were written in letters of gold the chapter and verse of fifty texts of scripture. After I came out of vision I beckoned for the slate, and wrote upon it that I was dumb, also what I had seen, and that I wished the large Bible . I took the Bible and readily turned to all the texts that I had seen upon the card. I was unable to speak all day. Early the next morning my soul was filled with joy, and my tongue was loosened ... " EV 20-23 (See "Alma and Ellen: Section Two f or expanded and revised vision of this same experience) A RECAP OF SIMILAR THOUGHTS AND WORDS 1) JS: Had vision in woods EGW: Had vision in woods 2) JS: "I must remain...in confusion ... or ask of God" EGW: "... and in the confusion I was tempted to doubt" 3) JS: ...ask of God ..." EGW: "... pray to Him ..." 4) JS: "I retired to the woods ..." EGW: "I would go away alone in the woods" 5) JS: Prayed in "the morning" EGW: "While at family prayer one morning" 6) JS: "I retired to the woods...finding myself alone ..." EGW: "I would go to the woods alone ..." 7) JS: "... immediately I was seized by some power..-" EGW: "... immediately I was struck dumb ..." 8) JS: "... power ... had influence over me... EGW: "... able to resist influence ... no mortal could influence me" 9) JS: "... bind my tongue so that I could not speak ..." EGW: "Struck dumb... tongue would be loosened ... unable to speak" 10) JS: "... written upon gold plates" (on plate) EGW: "... written in letters of gold ..." (on slate) 11) JS: "He quoted many other passages of scripture" EGW: Read a "card ... with fifty texts of scripture" 12) JS: "He quoted the prophecies ... with variation from the Bible ..." EGW: "I wished the large Bible. I took the Bible and readily turned to all the texts that I had seen on the card" (Note: This vision took place near Boston in the presence of Robbins, Thayer and French - all names of associated with Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, at Nauvoo) 13) JS: "I lay overwhelmed at what I had seen and heard ..." EGW: "After I came out of vision I lay on my face for a long time" 14) JS: "I lay overwhelmed at what I had seen and heard ..." (in vision) EGW: Overwhelmed at "what I had seen" (in vision) JOSEPH SMITH: "I HAD NEVER MADE AN ATTEMPT TO PRAY VOCALLY" "So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt as I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally ..." PGP 48;14 EGW: "I HAD NEVER PRAYED VOCALLY" "As I was bowing before God praying for this blessing, the duty to go and pray in a public prayer meeting was presented before me. I had never prayed vocally ..." EV 11 JOSEPH SMITH: "READY TO SINK INTO DESPAIR" "But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me ... I was ready to sink into despair ..." PGP 48:16 EGW: "SETTLED DOWN IN DEEP DESPAIR" "... I had never prayed vocally in meeting and drew back from the duty, fearing that if I should attempt to pray I would be confounded. Every time I went before the Lord in secret prayer this unfulfilled duty presented itself, until I ceased to pray and settled down in a melancholy state, and finally in deep despair ..." EV 11 JOSEPH SMITH: "I SAW LIGHT ABOVE BRIGHTNESS OF SUN" "I SAW a pillar of light exactly over my head, the brightness of the sun ..." PGP 48:16 EGW: "I SAW AN EXCEEDING BRIGHT LIGHT" "Then I SAW an exceedingly bright light... EV 38 JOSEPH SMITH: VISION REGARDING THE "CORRUPT PROFESSORS" Joseph Smith Warns Against Evils in the Church "When the light rested upon me, I SAW two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air ...My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of the sects was right, that I might know which to join... "I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that these professors were all corrupt; that they drew near me with their lips but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a from of godliness, but they deny the power thereof ..." PGP 48:17-20 EGW: VISION REGARDING THE "CARNAL PROFESSORS"' AND "'CORRUPT CHURCH" EGW Warns Against Evils in the Church "THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD UNITED - I SAW a large company professing the name of Christ but God does not recognize them as his. He has no pleasure in them... they merely assume the Christian name; while their hearts are still carnal.... "The ministers preach smooth things to suit carnal professors. This is just as Satan would have it. They dare not preach Jesus and the cutting truths of the Bible; for if they should these carnal professors would not hear them. Many of them are wealthy, and must be retained in the church ... The religion of Jesus is made to appear popular and honorable in the eyes of the world. The people are told that those who profess religion will be more honored by the world. These smooth things originated with Satan and his angels. They formed the plan, and nominal professors have carried it out. Hypocrites and sinners united with the Church. Pleasing fables are taught and readily received. I SAW that if the false covering could be torn off from the members of the church, there would be revealed such iniquity, vileness and corruption, that the diffident child of God would have no hesitancy in calling them by their right name, *children of their father, the Devil; for his works they do ..." SG 227-228 (*JS calls other churches the church of the devil 1 Nephi. 14:10) "THE SINS OF BABYLON - I SAW that since the second angel proclaimed the fall of the churches, they have been growing more and more corrupt. They bear the name of being Christ's followers; yet it is impossible to distinguish them from the world. The ministers take their texts from the Word of God, but preach smooth things. To this the natural heart feels no objection. It is only the spirit and power of the truth and the salvation of Christ that are hateful to the carnal heart. There is nothing in the popular ministry that stirs the wrath of Satan, makes the sinner tremble, or applies to the heart and conscience the fearful realities of a judgment soon to come. Wicked men are generally pleased with a form of piety, and they will aid and support such a religion. "Said the angel ... Satan has taken full possession of the churches as a body. The sayings and doings of men are dwelt upon instead of the plain, cutting truths of the Word of God ... Very man who profess to be Christians have not known God. The natural heart has not changed, and the carnal mind remains at enmity with God... "I SAW that since Jesus left the holy place of the heavenly sanctuary and entered within the second veil, the churches have been filling up with every unclean and hateful bird. I SAW great iniquity and vileness in the churches; yet their members profess to be Christians. Their professions, their prayers, and their exhortations are an abomination in the sight of God ..." SG 273, 274 A RECAP OF SIMILAR THOUGHTS AND WORDS 1) JS: "I SAW" 2) JS: "corrupt professors" EGW: "corrupt church" 3) JS: "corrupt professors" EGW: "carnal professors" 4) JS: Warned against corruption in "the sects" EGW: Warned against corruption in "the churches" 5) JS: Sects were "an abomination in his sight" EGW: Churches were "an abomination in his sight of God" 6) JS: "these professors were all corrupt" EGW: "the carnal professors" "these nominal professors" 7) JS: "their hearts are far from me" EGW: "their hearts are still carnal" 8) JS: "teach for doctrines the commandments of men" EGW: "teachings differ from the teachings of Christ" "pleasing fables are taught" 9) JS: "they teach for doctrines the commandments of men" EGW: "His doctrine and the world could not be at peace" 10) JS: "... having a form of godliness ..." EGW: "... a form of piety"
CLAIMS JOSEPH SMITH MADE FOR HIS WRITINGS Taken from "Doctrine and Covenants" and CLAIMS ELLEN WHITE MADE FOR HER WRITINGS Taken from various sources
JOSEPH SMITH: HIS "BOOK OF MORMON" CONTAINS THE TRUTH AND WORD OF GOD "... the Book of Mormon ... contains the truth and the word of God." DC 19:26 EGW: HER "BOOKS" CONTAIN THE TRUTH AND THE WORD OF GOD "... In my books, the truth is stated, barricaded by a 'Thus saith the Lord." -- EGW Letter, March 6,1906 JOSEPH SMITH: HIS WRITINGS ARE "SACRED" "And when thou deliveredst up that which God had given thee sight and power to translate, thou deliveredst up that which is sacred. . . " DC 3:1 2 EGW: WRITINGS ARE "SACRED" "Sister Fannie... you have handled the sacred things... Your discernment of sacred things is not clear ..." -- EGW letter to her literary assistant, Fannie Bolton; February 6, 1894; quoted in "The Fannie Bolton Story," pp. 20,21 (When Fannie Bolton comp lained because she had incorporated into her writings things Fannie herself had written, Ellen White then slapped Fannie in the face and fired her - ibid., p.120) JOSEPH SMITH: HIS BOOK "DOCTRINES AND COVENANTS" IS A BENEFIT TO THE WORLD A revelation to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, given at Kirtland, Ohio, November, 1831, shows "the great importance of the Book of Commandments, later called the Doctrine and Covenants" which the Prophet referred to as "the foundation of the church in these last days, and a benefit to the world ..." DC 70 Preface EGW: HER BOOKS ARE A BENEFIT TO THE WORILD "I am glad that you are having success in selling my books, for thus you are giving to the world the light God has given me." - EGW Letter 339; 1904 NEPHI: GOD "SCOURGED THE JEWS" WHO "REJECTED THE TRUE MESSIAH" - HE "SCATTERED THEM" - BUT BEFORE CHRIST RETURNS "THEY SHALL BE PERSUADED TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST" "... For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed ... And behold it shall come to pass that after the messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed again ... Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations ... The Jews shall be scattered by other nations. And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourg ed them by other nations for the space of many generations ... They shall be persuaded to believe in Christ ... They shall believe in Christ ...Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them ... for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them ..." 2 Nephi 1:3;4; 25:14-18 (2 Nephi. 25:14-18 is "Nephi's Comments - His Prediction of the subsequent gathering of Israel") EGW: GOD "CURSED THE JEWS" FOR "REJECTING THE SAVIOUR" - HE "SCATTERED THEM" - BUT BEFORE CHRIST RETURNS "THEY WILL RECEIVE JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR" "I also saw that old Jerusalem never would be built up ... Yet I saw that God had marvelously preserved this people and scattered them over the world that they might be looked upon as especially visited by the curse of God. I saw that God had forsaken the Jews as a nation; but that individuals among them will yet be converted ... They will receive Jesus as the Savior of the world and see the great sin of their nation in rejecting and crucifying Him ..." EV 75; SG 213 A RECAP OF SIMILAR THOUGHTS AND WORDS 1) Nephi: I have seen a vision EGW: I also saw... I saw 2) Nephi: Jerusalem is destroyed EGW: Jerusalem never would be built up 3) Nephi: Jews shall be scattered among all nations EGW: Jews were scattered over the world 4) Nephi: They shall be persuaded to believe Christ EGW: They will receive Jesus as the Saviour 5) Nephi: Jews rejected true Messiah EGW: Jews rejected true Saviour 6) Nephi: Jews shall believe in Christ EGW: Jews will yet be converted 7) Nephi.: The Lord God hath scourged the Jews EGW: The Jews visited by curse of God 8) Nephi.: God manifested himself to his people EGW: Lord had preserved this people 9) Nephi: God rejected the Jews EGW: God had forsaken the Jews who rejected him 10) Nephi: Used Jerusalem twice EGW: Used Jerusalem once 11) Nephi: Used scattered three times EGW: Used scattered once 12) Nephi: Used nation three times EGW: Used nation once 13) Nephi: Used rejected once EGW: Used rejecting once 14) Nephi: Used people once EGW: Used people once NEPHI: CHAPTER TITLE ON "SCATTERING OF THE JEWS" WAS "THE GATHERING OF ISRAEL" The chapter heading, 2 Nephi 25:4-18 is "Nephi's Comments - His Prediction of the scattering and subsequent gathering of Israel" EGW: CHAPTER TITLE ON "SCATTERING OF THE JEWS" WAS "THE GATHERING" In "Experience and Views," p.75 Ellen G. White chose for her chapter title "The Gathering Time." NEPHI: CARRIED AWAY ON "WINGS OF SPIRIT" TO HIGH MOUNTAIN "... Angels came down and ministered to me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceeding high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things ..." 2 Nephi 4:25 EGW: CARRIED AWAY ON "WINGS" TO OTHER WORLDS ON HIGH "The Lord has given me a view of other worlds. *Wings were given me, and an angel attended me from the city to a place that was bright and glorious ..." EV 39,40 (*How they attached?) A RECAP OF SIMILAR THOUGHTS AND WORDS Nephi: Carried away on wings of spirit to high mountains EGW: Carried away on wings to other worlds on high Nephi: Angels came down and ministered to him EGW: Angel came down and attended her Nephi: Body carried away EGW: Body carried away Nephi: Eyes beheld great things EGW: Lord gave her view of glorious place NEPHI: HAD "VISIONS IN THE NIGHTTIME" "Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime ..." 2 Nephi 23 EGW: HAD "VISIONS OF THE NIGHT" "Many times the scenes about which I was writing were presented to me anew in visions of the night ..." Letter 56,1911; quoted in "The Lonely Years," p.31 JOSEPH SMITH: "THE SAME SPIRIT THAT CRUCIFIED JESUS" IS THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO OPPOSE HIM AS A PROPHET The same spirit that crucified Jesus is in the breast of some who profess to be Saints in Nauvoo. I have secret enemies in the city intermingling with the Saints, etc. Said I would not prophesy any more, and proposed Hyrum to hold the office o f prophet to the Church, as it was his birthright." JSH 5:510 "... the spirit that crucified Christ; same spirit in Nauvoo ..." JSH 5:512 EGW: "THE SAME COURSE THE JEWS PURSUED TOWARD CHRIST" IS THE SPIRIT OF THOSE WHO OPPOSE HER AS A PROPHET "... The prejudices they have fostered against me are unreasonable and wicked. The very same course that the Jews pursued toward Christ, my professed Advent brethren feel it is a virtue to pursue toward me, when every argument falls against the truth. There is one bond of union between all those who oppose God's law; that bond is to use their smut and blacking against me, and present me as their unanswerable argument. They say I am possessed of a demon." EGW Estate; Manuscript Release #592 JOSEPH SMITH: THE "'SAINTS" AT NAUVOO "FORMED A SQUARE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE AND SANG A NEW SONG" "About noon, General Charles H. Rich, with twenty-five men, returned, formed a square in front of my house and sang a new song. I went out, shook hands with each individual, and blessed them in the name of the Lord. The following is a report of their expedition: ..." JSH 5:486 EGW: THE "SAINTS" AND EGW "STOOD IN A PERFECT SQUARE" WHILE THE ANGELS SANG A SONG IN FRONT OF JESUS In vision she heard "Angels singing a most lovely song" and the SDA Saints, with EGW, "stood in a perfect square" while Jesus blessed them. EV 16 |
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