Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

never ask for help unless driven to it by stern necessity. And now that he had done it,judge of his feelings and mine when no notice was taken of the matter only to use it towound us in our want and deep affliction.At this meeting my husband humbly confessed that he was wrong in several thingsof this nature, which he never should have done and never would have done but forfear of his brethren and a desire to be just right and in union with the church. Thisled those who were injuring him to apparently despise him. We were humbled into thevery dust and distressed beyond expression. In this state of things we started to fill anappointment at Monterey. On the journey I suffered the keenest anguish of spirit. Itried to explain to myself why it was that our brethren did not understand in regard toour work. I had felt quite sure that when we should meet them they would know whatspirit we were of, and that the Spirit of God in them would answer to the same in us,His humble servants, and there would be union of feeling and sentiment. Instead ofthis we were distrusted and suspiciously watched, which was a cause of the greatestperplexity I ever experienced. As I was thus thinking, a portion of the vision givenme at Rochester, December 25, 1865, came like a flash of lightning to my mind, and Iimmediately related it to my husband:I was shown a cluster of trees standing near together, forming a circle. Runningup over these trees was a vine which covered them at the top and rested upon them,forming an arbor. Soon I saw the trees swaying to and fro, as though moved by apowerful wind. One branch after another of the vine was shaken from its support untilthe vine was shaken loose from the trees except a few tendrils which were left clingingto the lower branches. A person then came up and severed the remaining clingingtendrils of the vine, and it lay prostrated upon the earth.The distress and anguish of my mind as I saw the vine583