The Salamanca Vision and the 1890 Diary

Salamanca, New York, Monday, November 3, 1890

I had an appointment Monday afternoon and I tried to fill it. My head was suffering, my ears could scarcely hear my own voice, yet the Lord helped me, else I could not possibly have spoken. I could scarcely stand upon my feet, but I felt the sustaining power of God upon me. I dwelt again upon the necessity of faith, the necessity of loving God supremely and our neighbor as ourselves. SVD 19.4

I could not tell the words I spoke, but many said, “The power of God was upon you. The words came to us as wonderful inspiration.” SVD 19.5

I know that the words of the Lord Jesus had come to the people. Many spoke of the help they received from the words spoken. I told them to render no thanks to me. God, and He alone, should have the praise. I was only an instrument in His hands and I could not have stood upon my feet and spoken at all had not the Lord helped me in a special manner. SVD 20.1

I had a lengthy interview with a sister of Sister Bowen. She has an unbelieving husband who opposes her violently and is cruel and abusive to her and to her children. She attended this meeting without his knowledge, on her way to visit her father and mother. She knows not what is before her. Her husband found her reading the Bible. He took the large family Bible, cut out the family record, besmeared its pages with kerosene oil, and threw it into the fire. He burns all her books and papers if he can find them. His ingenuity to discover anything that is of a religious character and consume it, is satanic. The enmity of Satan against God and the truth is not abated, and we need to be imbued with the Spirit of God.—Ms. 44, 1890, pp. 4-5 (Diary 16, pp. 288-289). ¹³ SVD 20.2