Charismatic Experiences In Early Seventh-day Adventist History

The Word-Not Feeling

In part one of this series we found ourselves in the living room at Elmshaven in November, 1908, before the open fireplace with Ralph Mackin and his wife interviewing Ellen G. White concerning their experience in which they felt the Holy Spirit had been bestowed upon them in special power leading to the speaking in tongues, prophesying, et cetera. They had come to the point in their interview where they were discussing Mrs. Mackin’s singing under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ellen G. White: What place was this that you speak of, where this singing was? CEESDAH 22.1

R. Mackin: Mansfield, Ohio, at the camp meeting. CEESDAH 22.2

Ellen G. White: Our people—Sabbathkeeping people? CEESDAH 22.3

R. Mackin: Yes, our own people. CEESDAH 22.4

W. C. White: Was that verse that Mrs. Mackin sang last night extemporaneous or a known hymn? [At the prayer meeting in the sanitarium chapel Brother Mackin had given his testimony in the praise service and was followed by Mrs. Mackin, who sang.] CEESDAH 22.5

Mrs. R. Mackin: Oh, that was one of our published hymns. It is in the new Christ in Song. CEESDAH 22.6

R. Mackin: From hearing that you could scarcely gain an idea of her singing when the words are given to her by the Holy Spirit. The most wonderful thing is when she sings “Glory!” She says when she sings it she seems to be in the presence of Jesus, with the angels. She repeats the word “Glory!” over and over again. She has been tested with the piano, and musicians say it is a freak—the lowness and the highness with which she does it. She cannot do it only as she prays in the Spirit and special power comes upon her. CEESDAH 22.7

Mrs. Mackin: We don’t have this power, only as we seek Jesus. CEESDAH 22.8

R. Mackin: The Lord has given us power, Sister White, to cast out demons. Many people are possessed with demons. I remember a statement you wrote a few years ago that many were possessed with demons as verily as they were in the days of Christ. When we are in a meeting, and these demons are in a meeting, they may cause people to do queer things. I noticed in the Bible when Jesus was in the Temple that demons at once came out. “Hold thy peace, and come out of him.” The Lord instructs us to lay the people down, lest the demons throw them when they come out. We found in the beginning that when we begin to rebuke these demons they oftentimes close the eyes of these people, and will sometimes cause them to bark like a dog, and stick out their tongue; but as we continue to rebuke them, why, the eyes open and they become calm, and the demons— CEESDAH 22.9

Now it is through the gift of the Spirit that the Lord tells us when the demons are gone, that they are all gone. One lady in particular had six demons, and she said she just felt them when they came out—it just seemed to pull her in every part of the body. CEESDAH 22.10

But our brethren say that they can’t be in the last days; but we find that it coincides with just what the Saviour said in the last chapter of Mark, in that great commission: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;” and so on. CEESDAH 22.11

Mrs. Mackin: We did not get this all at once, either. CEESDAH 22.12

R. Mackin: Read the remaining verses of Mark: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Our experience, so far as we are able to discern, corroborates with the Bible. Here is something that I would like to read [here Brother Mackin read extracts, including the following, from an article in the Review and Herald, by Sister White, published in the issue for April 11, 1899, and entitled, “The Newcastle Camp-Meeting”]: CEESDAH 22.13

“During the night of the first Sabbath of the Newcastle meeting, I seemed to be in meeting, presenting the necessity and importance of our receiving the Spirit. This was the burden of my labor—the opening of our hearts to the Holy Spirit.”

[No record was made by the stenographer as to the exact place where Brother Mackin began reading this article, and where he ceased reading; but at least a considerable portion was read.] CEESDAH 22.14