Testimony for Churches in New York State by Ellen G. White (1854)

The Lord gave us labor of spirit last first day, and while we were engaged in earnest prayer, I was taken off in vision and saw the state of some of the professed Israel of God. I saw the situation of many at our meeting in Oswego. I saw that they were standing in the way of the work of God, especially those at Caughdenoy. I saw that God’s frown was upon them, also upon some in Roosevelt.Said the angel, “The axe has not been laid at the root of the tree.” Those who have indulged in the wicked passions of the heart have been fellowshipped. If God had made Brother Ross an overseer of the flock, he would have seen the evil and corruption among the people. The axe has not been laid at the root of the tree. God has not altered nor changed. He is a jealous God, and will not look upon sin now with any more allowance than He did among ancient Israel. Sin is sin. Sins have not been held forth in their sinfulness, but it has been made to appear as though sins have been lightly regarded by God.I saw that the seventh commandment has been violated by some who are now held in fellowship by the church. This has brought God’s frown upon them. This sin is awful in these last days, but the church has brought God’s frown and curse upon it by regarding the sin so lightly. I saw it was an enormous sin and there have not been as vigilant efforts made as there should have been to satisfy the displeasure of God and remove His frown by taking a strict, thorough course with the offender. It has had an awful, corrupting influence upon the young. They see how lightly the sin of breaking the seventh commandment is regarded, and the one who commits this horrid sin thinks that all he has to do is to confess that he was wrong and is sorry, and he is then to have all the privileges of the house of God and be held in embrace or fellowship of the church.They have thought it was not so great a sin, but have lightly esteemed the breaking [of] the seventh commandment. This has been sufficient to remove the ark of God from the camp, if there were no other sins to cause the ark to be taken away and weaken Israel.Those who break the seventh commandment should be suspended from the church and not have its fellowship or the privileges of the house of God.Said the angel, “This is not a sin of ignorance. It is a knowing sin and will receive the awful visitation of God, whether he who commits it be old or young.”Never was this sin regarded by God as being so exceedingly sinful as at the present time. Why? Because God is purifying unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. It is at the very time when God is purifying this peculiar people unto Himself that [unsanctified] individuals step in among us. Notwithstanding the straight truths they have heard, the terrors of the Word of God set before them, and all the blazing truth for these last days calculated to arouse Israel—they sin with a high hand, give way to all the loose passions of the carnal heart, gratify their animal propensities, disgrace the cause of God, and then confess they have sinned and are sorry! And the church receives them and says “Amen” to their prayers and exhortations, which are a stink in the nostrils of God and cause His wrath to come upon the camp. He will not dwell in their assemblies. Those who move on thus heedlessly, plastering over these sins, will be left to their own ways, to be filled with their own doings.Those who anciently committed these sins were taken without the camp and stoned to death. Temporal and eternal death was their doom; and because the penalty of stoning to death is abolished, this sin is indulged in beyond measure, and is thought to be a small offense.I saw three men. One of them was not a Sabbathkeeper, but was opposed to the law of God. I saw that he was one who had a false spirit and exercised spiritual magnetism and called it the Spirit of God. The other man seemed to me to be with him, or in his company, and somewhat united with him, and he partook of the same spirit, but he was a professed Sabbathkeeper. I saw that the truth of God had not purified his heart or he would not possess a false spirit and be using this false spirit, calling it the power of God.The men above mentioned I have never seen except in vision, except the third man, who I saw was Brother Thompson. He was exercised with the same evil spirit or spiritual magnetism, and like the other two, would impart it to others or affect others with it. I saw that Brother Thompson had formerly been affected with spiritualism and never had had it eradicated from him. The third angel’s message had not purified the man, and he would have to have a great work done for him, or he could never enter heaven.I was then pointed to a company. It seemed to be a family, with others present. I saw them bowed. Two of these men were present. I was particularly pointed by the angel who accompanies me while in vision, to Brother Thompson. I saw him walking the room and then...