About this time I was subjected to a severe trial. If the Spirit of God rested upon anyone in meeting, and he glorified God by praising Him, some raised the cry of mesmerism; and if it pleased the Lord to give me a vision in meeting, some would say that it was the effect of excitement and mesmerism. Grieved and desponding, I often went alone to some retired place to pour out my soul before Him who invites the weary and heavy-laden to come and find rest. As my faith claimed the promises, Jesus would seem very near. The sweet light of heaven would shine around me, and I would seem to be encircled by the arms of my Saviour, and would there be taken off in vision. But when I would relate what God had revealed to me alone, where no earthly influence could affect me, I was grieved and astonished to hear some intimate that those who lived nearest to God were most liable to be deceived by Satan. {1T 71.1}

Omkring dette tidspunkt blev jeg udsat for en hård prøve. Hvis Guds Ånd hvilede på nogen ved møderne, og vedkommende forherligede Gud ved at prise ham, var der andre, der påstod, at det var hypnose. Og hvis det behagede Herren at give mig et syn ved et møde, var der nogle, der sagde, at det var resultatet af sindsbevægelse og hypnose. Bedrøvet og fortvivlet gik jeg ofte alene ud til et tilbagetrukket sted for at udtømme min sjæl for ham, som indbyder de trætte og byrdebetyngede til at komme og finde hvile. Idet min tro gjorde krav på løfterne, forekom Jesus at være mig meget nær. Himlens dejlige lys skinnede omkring mig, og jeg syntes at være omsluttet af min Frelsers arme, og der fik jeg et syn. Men når jeg fortalte, hvad Gud havde åbenbaret for mig, da jeg var alene, hvor ingen jordisk indflydelse kunne påvirke mig, blev jeg bedrøvet og forbavset over at høre nogen tilkendegive, at de, der levede nærmest Gud, var mest tilbøjelige til at blive bedraget af Satan.