"Ralph Mackin and his wife were a Seventh-day Adventist couple from Ohio, United States. They claimed to experience gifts of the Holy Spirit such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and even casting out demons. They caused a stir at a local Adventist camp meeting, which was reported in the local newspaper. ...Ellen G. White,...was initially cautious regarding their experiences, and later came out opposed to them. After leading some meetings at an Adventist church for a time, they pass from prominence in the church.
On November 12, 1908 Ralph Mackin and his wife from Ohio visited Ellen White... Nearly three years earlier their Findlay, Ohio church sought "the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.".....in the form of speaking in tongues.A "little girl ten or eleven years old" told them "through the Spirit of prophecy", "You go to Toledo". They were also told imprisonment would ensue there. In Toledo a Polish Catholic heard Mrs. Mackin in his own tongue. When the Mackins returned to Clyde they were arrested for mesmerism.
They caused a stir at the Adventist camp meeting in Mansfield, Ohio, which resulted in the arrests of the Mackins, plus their daughter, Ralph's mother, and "Sister Edwards". They believed the Spirit had told Mrs. Mackin to go to the campground and sing, "only as she prays in the Spirit and special power comes upon her." However they were arrested for disturbance. In court, one witness testified, "I never heard such singing in my life. It just thrilled me through and through." Supporters had stated, "It is when the singing is extemporaneous – dictated by the Spirit – that it is the most wonderful." (They also claimed the gift of tongues, with Ralph speaking Chinese and his wife Yiddish as the result of a vision;)
Mackins went to San Jose. Ralph was invited to preach at the church there, and meetings continued for several days until the pastor returned and stopped them, following which Ralph continued to hold meetings in supporters' homes." Wikipedia
"THE CONVERSATION WITH THE MACKINS WAS TAKEN DOWN STENOGRAPHICALLY AT THE TIME OF THE INTERVIEW BY CLARENCE C. CRISLER, ELLEN G. WHITE'S LEADING SECRETARY.-- COMPILERS.
RALPH MACKIN: IN THE WEEK OF PRAYER READING FOR THAT YEAR, EVERY ARTICLE WAS DIRECTED TO THE PEOPLE TO SEEK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. WE SET ASIDE IN OUR LITTLE CHURCH THREE DAYS FOR FASTING AND PRAYER, AND WE FASTED AND PRAYED FOR THREE DAYS-- WE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS RECORDED HERE IN ACTS 2 IN REGARD TO THE APOSTLES. WHEN THAT PROMISED POWER CAME UPON US WE SPAKE IN OTHER TONGUES AS THE SPIRIT GAVE US UTTERANCE.
MRS. MACKIN: THE LORD PUT THIS BURDEN UPON ME. I COULD NOT STAND IT. I WANTED TO TELL IT SO BAD, AND SING THAT SONG SO BAD. AND I COULD NOT GET RID OF IT TILL I WOULD DO IT. "OH, PRAY," SAYS I TO SISTER EDWARDS; AND SO I STOOD ON THE CAMPGROUND, AND I SANG JUST WHAT THE LORD GAVE ME. THE LORD--THIS IS WHAT I SANG:--
CASTING OUT DEMONS.--R. MACKIN: THE LORD HAS GIVEN US POWER, SISTER WHITE, TO CAST OUT DEMONS. MANY PEOPLE ARE POSSESSED WITH DEMONS.
WHEN WE BEGIN TO REBUKE THESE DEMONS THEY OFTENTIMES CLOSE THE EYES OF THESE PEOPLE, AND WILL SOMETIMES CAUSE THEM TO BARK LIKE A DOG, AND STICK OUT THEIR TONGUE; BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO REBUKE THEM, WHY, THE EYES OPEN AND THEY BECOME CALM,...
ELLEN WHITE RECOUNTS EARLY EXPERIENCES.--SISTER WHITE THEN BEGAN TALKING, AND CONTINUED FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. SHE TOLD ....OF .....HER EXPERIENCES WITH UNUSUAL FORMS OF ERROR IN THOSE DAYS IN LATER YEARS LED HER TO BE FEARFUL OF ANYTHING SAVORING OF A SPIRIT OF FANATICISM. SHE TOLD OF SOME WHO HAD STRANGE EXERCISINGS OF THE BODY AND OF OTHERS WHO WERE GOVERNED LARGELY BY THEIR OWN IMPRESSIONS. SOME THOUGHT IT WRONG TO WORK. STILL OTHERS BELIEVED THAT THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD HAD BEEN RAISED TO ETERNAL LIFE. A FEW SOUGHT TO CULTIVATE A SPIRIT OF HUMILITY BY CREEPING ON THE FLOOR, LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN. SOME WOULD DANCE, AND SING "GLORY, GLORY, GLORY, GLORY, GLORY, GLORY," OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SOMETIMES A PERSON WOULD JUMP UP AND DOWN ON THE FLOOR, WITH HANDS UPLIFTED, PRAISING GOD; AND THIS WOULD BE KEPT UP FOR AS LONG AS HALF AN HOUR AT A TIME.
R. MACKIN: BUT YOU DO NOT SAY THAT THAT APPLIES TO OUR CASE NOW, UNTIL YOU HAVE FURTHER LIGHT ON IT?
Ellen G. White: I could not say; but it appears to be along that line, as I am afraid of it. It appears to be along that line that I have met again and again.
Ellen G. White (rising, and shaking hands): I want the Spirit of the Lord to be with you, and you, and me. We are to be just like God's little children. The power of His grace must not be misunderstood. We must have it in all meekness and humility and lowliness of mind, that God may make the impression Himself upon the minds of the people. I hope the Lord will bless you and give you a solid foundation, which foundation is the Word of the living God.--
The Lord Did Give Light
Your wife, in speech, in song, and in strange exhibitions that are not in accordance with the genuine work of the Holy Spirit, is helping to bring in a phase of fanaticism that would do great injury to the cause of God, if allowed any place in our churches.On Casting Out Demons.--You have even supposed that power is given you to cast out devils. Through your influence over the human mind men and women are led to believe that they are possessed of devils, and that the Lord has appointed you as His agents for casting out these evil spirits.....Call a Halt.--My brother and sister, I have a message for you: you are starting on a false supposition. There is much of self woven into your exhibitions. Satan will come in with bewitching power, through these exhibitions. It is high time that you call a halt. If God had given you a special message for His people, you would walk and work in all humility--not as if you were on the stage of a theater, but in the meekness of a follower of the lowly Jesus of Nazareth.
I was shown that it was not the Spirit of the Lord that was inspiring Brother and Sister Mackin, but the same spirit of fanaticism that is ever seeking entrance into the remnant church. Their application of Scripture to their peculiar exercises is Scripture misapplied. The work of declaring persons possessed of the devil, and then praying with them and pretending to cast out the evil spirits, is fanaticism which will bring into disrepute any church which sanctions such work.
I was shown that we must give no encouragement to these demonstrations, but must guard the people with a decided testimony against that which would bring a stain upon the name of Seventh-day Adventists, and destroy the confidence of the people in the message of truth which they must bear to the world." Selected Messages vol. 3, ch.54 p.362-380 E.G.W.
"THE visit of Ralph Mackin and his wife with Ellen G. White occupied the last half of Thursday morning, November 12, 1908. Plans were that Ellen White with three members of her home and office family should drive on Friday by team the 35 miles to Healdsburg for services on Sabbath and Sunday. The interview over, her mind turned to the work of the weekend. Then there was a trip the next week to Berkeley with several meetings over that weekend.
To Elder A. G. Daniells, president of the General Conference, W. C. White wrote on that Thursday afternoon after the interview:
"This forenoon Mother and I and Brother Crisler spent a couple of hours in an interview with Brother and Sister Mackin of Findlay, Ohio. They came across the continent, they say, to see Mother. I had an interview with them in my office yesterday morning and advised them to come down this morning to see Mother. They seem to be very nice-spirited people, but their experience is somewhat peculiar." - November 12, 1908.On that Friday the Mackins went to San Jose,...Trouble soon began to brew in San Jose. Inquiries regarding the interview began to come to the staff at Elmshaven.
November 26, two weeks after the interview, Ellen White wrote to S. N. Haskell, president of the California Conference:
"Dear Brother: Two weeks ago today, while I was writing, my son W. C. White came into my room and stated that there were two persons below who wished to speak with me. I went downstairs into our sitting room and there met a man and his wife who claim to follow the Word of God and to believe the Testimonies. They have had an unusual experience during the past two or three years. They seemed to be honest-hearted people. "In this stage of our history we must be very careful to guard against everything that savors of fanaticism and disorder. We must guard against all peculiar exercises that would be likely to stir up the minds of unbelievers, and lead them to think that as a people we are led by impulse, and delight in noise and confusion accompanied by eccentricities of action. In the last days the enemy of present truth will bring in manifestations that are not in harmony with the workings of the Spirit, but are calculated to lead astray those who stand ready to take up with something new and strange."
White Estate has received information from Mrs. Irene Moon-Winn, who resided in San Jose at the time, as to how Ralph Mackin gained access to the San Jose church.
Elder D. T. Fero, the pastor, had to be away on Sabbath, November 14, and he arranged for one of the members to take the service. On Sabbath morning as our brother who was to speak entered the church he met a gentleman who had a Bible, a Christ in Song and a volume of the Testimonies and gave his name as Ralph Mackin.
"Are you a preacher?" he was asked.
"Oh yes," was the reply." I have just come from Battle Creek." How fortunate, it seemed, that a minister from the East was in their midst and he was invited to preach.
In his sermon Mackin told the congregation that he had just visited Sister White at St. Helena and that his wife had had a vision there. He reported that Sister White was in full harmony with them, told them that theirs was a good work, and wished them God's blessing. During the sermon he suggested that if any of the congregation would like to have a special prayer meeting after church he would be glad to join them. Some people stayed, and they had a little prayer meeting.
When members who had gone home returned at three o'clock for the young people's meeting, they were surprised to find the meeting under Mr. Mackin's leadership still in progress. Some of the people were singing, some were praying, some were crying. Mackin announced there would be a prayer meeting at the church that night. Quite a crowd turned out, and he continued every night until Wednesday when Elder Fero returned, discovered the situation, and terminated Mackin's meetings in the church.
Mrs. Winn reports that the people "seemed to think that this was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit." For a period of time Mackin conducted meetings in the homes of sympathizers." Charismatic Experiences in Early SDA History A.L.WhiteO foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you,
Galatians 3:1
For another attempt at the charismatic poison attempting to enter the SDA Church see:
http://master1844-dc.blogspot.com/2012/11/holy-flesh-movement-that-swept-sdas-in.html
