Ellen G. White and Her Critics

8. The So-called Camden Vision

A further piece of evidence against Mrs. White is a vision she is said to have had “at Camden, N. Y., June 29, 1851.” She is alleged to have declared in that vision: EGWC 229.3

“Then I saw that Jesus prayed for his enemies, but that should not cause us to pray for the wicked world, whom God had rejected. When he prayed for his enemies, there was hope for them, and they could be benefited and saved by his prayers, and also after he was a mediator in the outer apartment for the whole world; but now his spirit and sympathy were withdrawn from the world; and our sympathy must be with Jesus, and must be withdrawn from the ungodly.... I saw that the wicked could not be benefited by our prayers now.” EGWC 229.4

We are not quoting from a work published by Seventh-day Adventists, but from the writings of the critics, and why? Because they are the only ones to whom we can go for the text of this alleged vision “at Camden, N. Y., June 29, 1851.” EGWC 229.5

The “vision” consists of about 400 words. We have quoted that part of it which the critics quote. EGWC 229.6

Even if these words were spoken by Mrs. White they could hardly be said to teach differently from John, who says: “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” 1 John 5:16. In order to make this alleged vision conform both to Scripture and to the position taken by Mrs. White, that some had sinned away their day of grace, we need only to understand by the phrase, “I saw that the wicked could not be benefited by our prayers now,” to mean the willfully wicked who had rejected light. But to keep the whole record straight, we challenge the authenticity of this alleged Camden vision. (See Appendix I, p. 615, for a discussion on this point.) EGWC 230.1