The Salamanca Vision and the 1890 Diary

The Salamanca Vision

The Testimony of Six Witnesses ⁶

In the night of November 3, 1890, Mrs. E. G. White had a vision at Salamanca, New York, in which she was shown many things relating to the progress of the cause in different parts of the world. Some of the things then shown Mrs. White were not related till the time of the General Conference held in Battle Creek, Michigan, March 5-25, 1891. Much of what was shown her in this vision related to matters considered at this General Conference. SVD 85.1

At the time of this conference a special meeting was held after the Sabbath evening services, March 7, in the Review office, by the officers of the National Religious Liberty Association and the representative of the American Sentinel, for the purpose of considering the nature of the articles to be published in the Sentinel, and the policy to be carried out by the Religious Liberty Association. This meeting continued till after one o’clock in the night. SVD 85.2

At three o’clock that same (Sunday) morning, Mrs. White was awakened by the angel of the Lord, and instructed to write out what the Lord had revealed to her at Salamanca four months before. She got up and wrote out a message, and came to the early ministers’ meeting and read what the Lord had previously shown her concerning this meeting held in the early part of that same night in the Review office. SVD 85.3

She related how the angel guide had said to her in the vision already mentioned, “Follow me,” and she had been ushered into a council meeting where men were advocating their views and plans with great zeal and earnestness, but not according to knowledge. One brother stood before the council with a paper in his hand and criticized the character of its contents. The paper was the American Sentinel. Pointing to certain articles he said, “This must come out, and this must be changed. If the Sentinel did not contain such articles as these, we could use it.” The articles pointed out as objectionable were upon the Sabbath and second coming of Christ. SVD 85.4

After Mrs. White had finished her testimony, A. F. Ballenger arose, weeping, and said, “I was in the meeting last night, and I am the man who made the remarks about the articles in the paper.” He confessed his error, and said, “I am sorry to say that I was on the wrong side, but I take this opportunity to place myself on the right side.” SVD 85.5

The president of the National Religious Liberty Association remarked that he was at the meeting but said that he would not undertake to describe the meeting. That was unnecessary, because the description as given by Mrs. White was correct, and more exact than he could give it. SVD 86.1

The relation of this vision made a profound and solemn impression upon that large congregation of Seventh-day Adventist ministers present at that early morning meeting. When they heard those who had been reproved for the wrong course taken in that council confess that all Mrs. White had said about them was true in every particular, they saw that the seal of divine inspiration had been set upon that vision and testimony. The power and solemnity of that meeting made an impression upon the minds of those present not soon to be forgotten. SVD 86.2

We the undersigned were present at this morning meeting and hereby bear testimony to the correctness of the facts stated above. SVD 86.3

(Signed)O. A. Johnson, College Place, Washington
H. W. Cottrell, Portland, Oregon
A. J. Breed, College Place, Washington
W. H. Thurston, College Place, Washington F. D. Starr, Forest, Idaho
C. W. Flaiz, College Place, Washington SVD 86.4

—White Estate Document File 107b.