IX. The Source of Mrs. White’s Inspiration.

D’AUBIGNE’S “HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION,” BOOK IV., CHAPTER 2.

1. The church had never witnessed such hungering and thirsting after righteousness since the primitive ages.
2. The people’s attachments to the Romish superstitions diminished day by day.
3. That great city, drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus.

“THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN,” REVISED EDITION.

1. Everywhere was such a hungering and thirsting after righteousness as had not been known for ages. (Page 133.)
2. The people were daily losing confidence in the superstitions of Romanism. (Page 133.)
3. That corrupt city, already drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Page 133.)

1. He will not go and conceal himself in the obscurity of a convent;…he will remain faithful on that stormy scene where the hand of God had placed him.
2. “I am like Jeremiah,” said Luther at the time of which we are speaking—”a man of strife and contention,” etc.
3. Serra Longa had not long quitted the doctor when the safe conduct arrived. Luther’s friends had obtained it from the imperial councilors.

1. But he would not leave the position where God had placed him. He must continue faithfully to minister the truth, notwithstanding the storms that were beating upon him. (Page 134.)
2. His language was: “I am like Jeremiah—a man of strife and contention,” etc. (Page 134.)
3. The reformer had failed to provide himself with a safe conduct. His friends urged him not to appear before the legate without one, and they themselves undertook to procure it from the emperor. (Page 135.)

WYLIE’S “HISTORY OF THE WALDENSES.”

1. The bull invited all Catholics to take up the cross against the heretics. (Page 28.)
2. It was an old law among them that all who took orders in their church should, before being eligible to a home charge, serve three years in the mission field. (Page 15.)
3. They went forth two and two, concealing their real character under the guise of a secular profession— most commonly that of merchants or peddlers. (Page 16.)
4. They took care to carry with them…portions of the word of God,…and to this they would draw the attention of the inmates. (Page 16.)

“THE GREAT CONTROVERSY.”

1. The bull invited all Catholics to take up the cross against heretics. (Old Edition, page 88; Revised, page 77.)
2. It was a law among them that all who entered the ministry should, after taking charge of a church at home, serve three years in a mission field. (Old, page 76; Revised, page 76.)
3. “…going forth two and two,…therefore they concealed their real character under the guise of some secular profession—most commonly that of merchants or peddlers. (Old, page 76; Revised, page 76.)
4. They carried about with them portions of the Holy Scriptures;…and whenever they could do so with safety, they called attention of the inmates…to these. (Old, page 76.)

“LIFE AND EPISTLES OF PAUL,” BY CONYBEARE & HOWSON.

1. Though moved with grief and indignation when he saw the idolatry all around him, we are taught that the subjects to which our attention is to be turned are connected, not with Judaism, but with paganism. (Page 312.)
2. It was a religion which ministered to art and amusement and was entirely destitute of moral power. It gave him [the possessor] no victory over himself. A religion which addresses itself only to the taste is as weak as one that appeals only to the intellect. And thus all his [the Athenian’s] life long, in the midst of everything to gratify his taste and exercise his intellect, he remained in ignorance of God. (Page 314.)

“REDEMPTION; OR, THE TEACHING OF PAUL,” BY MRS. WHITE.

1. Grieved and indignant at the idolatry everywhere visible about him, etc.,…the principal work of Paul in that city was to deal with paganism. (Page 54.)
2. The religion of the Athenian, of which they made great boast, was of no value; for it was destitute of the knowledge of the true God. It consisted, in part, of art worship.…Genuine religion gives men the victory over themselves, but a religion of dry intellect and taste is lacking in the essential qualities to raise the possessor above the evils of his nature….The great Ruler of the universe was unknown to them. (Page 54.)

1. It was a large mercantile city, in immediate connection with Rome…The gospel, once established in Corinth, would spread everywhere…Claudius drove the Jews from Rome because they were incessantly raising tumults. Among the Jews who had been banished from Rome by Claudius and had settled for a time at Corinth were two natives of Pontus, whose names were Aquila and Priscilla. (Pages 386, 387.)

1. It was a large mercantile city, closely connected with Rome. Paul saw that if the gospel could be established there it would be rapidly communicated to all parts of the world. The Jews who had been recently banished from Rome because of their continual insurrections had taken up their residence at Corinth. Among this class was Aquila and Priscilla. (Page 61.)

“THE WARS OF THE JEWS,” BY FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS.

1. There was a star resembling a sword which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. (Book VI., Chapter V., Paragraph 3.)
2. A light shone round the altar and the holy house. (1b.)
3. Before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about in the clouds. (1b.)
4. As the priests were going by night into the inner temple, they heard a sound as of a multitude, saying; “Let us remove hence.” (Ib.)
5. The eastern gate of the inner court, which was of brass and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixth hour of the night. (Ib.)
6. There was one Jesus, who, four years before the war began, began on a sudden to cry aloud: “A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against the whole people.” (Ib.)
7. Certain of the most eminent among the populace had great indignation at this dire cry of his, and gave him a number of severe stripes; yet did he not say anything for himself or anything peculiar to those that chastised him. (Ib.)

“THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN,” OLD EDITION.

1. A comet, resembling a flaming sword, for a year hung over the city. (Page 31.)
2. An unnatural light was seen hovering over the temple. (Ib.)
3. Upon the clouds were pictured chariots mustering for battle. (Ib.)
   
4. Mysterious voices in the temple court uttered the • warning words: “Let us depart hence.” (Ib.)
   
5. The eastern gate of the inner court, which was of brass and so heavy that it was with difficulty shut by a score of men, and having bolts fastened deep into the firm pavement, was seen at midnight to be opened of its own accord. (Ib.)
   
6. For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: “A voice from the east, voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice from Jerusalem and the temple, a voice against the bridegroom and bride, and a voice against all the people.” (Page 32.)
7. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. (Page 32.)

“HISTORY OF THE SABBATH AND FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK,” BY J. N. ANDREWS

1. The opening of the sixth century witnessed the development of the great apostasy to such an extent that the man of sin might be plainly seen sitting in the temple of God. In the early part of this century the bishop of Rome was made head over the entire church. (Page 37.)
2. The dragon gave unto the beast his power and his seat and great authority. From this accession to supremacy by the Roman pontiff date the “times, times, and the dividing of times,” or 1,260 years, of the prophecies of Daniel and John. (Page 371.)
3. The true people of God now retired for safety into places of obscurity and seclusion, as represented by the prophecy: “The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” (Page 371.)
4. With the accession of the Roman bishop to supremacy began the Dark Ages; and as he increased n strength, the gloom of darkness settled with increasing intensity upon the world. (Page 400.)

“THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN,” OLD EDITION, BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

1. In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established, its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be head over the entire church. (Page 57.)
   
   
2. The dragon had given to the beast “his power and his seat and great authority;” and now began the 1,260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and John. (Page 57.)
   
3. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and ob-scurity. Thus says the prophet: “The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three-score days.” (Page 58.)
4. The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. (Page 68.)

“LIFE OF WILLIAM MILLER,” BY SILVESTER BLISS, REVISED BY JAMES WHITE.

1. He laid aside all commentaries and used the marginal references and his concordance as his only helps. He resolved to lay aside all preconceived opinions. (Page 47.)
2. I determined to pursue its study in a regular and methodical manner. I commenced at Genesis and read verse by verse, proceeding no faster than the meaning of the several passages should be so unfolded as to leave me free from embarrassment. (Ib.)
3. Whenever I found anything obscure, it was my practice to compare it with all collateral passages; and, by the help of Cruden, I examined all the texts of scripture in which were found any of prominent words contained in the obscure portion. (Pages 47-49.)

“THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN CHRIST AND SATAN,” BY MRS. WHITE, REVISED EDITION.

1. Endeavoring to lay aside all preconceived opinions and dispensing with commentaries, he compared scripture with scripture by the aid of the marginal references and the concordance. (Page 320.)
2. He pursued his study in a regular and methodical manner. Beginning with Genesis and reading verse by verse, he proceeded no faster than the meaning of the several passages so unfolded as to leave him free from all embarrassment. (Page 320.)
3. When he found anything obscure, it was his custom to compare it with every other text which seemed to have any reference to the matter under consideration. Every word was permitted to have its proper bearing upon the subject of the text; and if his view of it harmonized with every collateral passage, it ceased to be a difficulty. (Page 320.)