Washington, New Hampshire had been a bedrock of Sabbatarianism in the late 1840s,
with Cyrus and William Farnsworth, Frederick Wheeler, and T. M. Preble all living nearby.
By the 1860s, though, spiritual decline had set in.
D. M. Canright and J. N. Andrews had worked in the area with limited success,
and by 1867 the church had closed.
Frederick Wheeler had now moved to New York State.
There was a spirit of judgmentalism, bitterness, and a general backsliding that had set in amongst the members.
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In 1867 Ellen and James White came to the area to conduct a revival series
and stayed in the home of Cyrus Farnsworth.
Over the course of several days they held nine meetings, but were met with little success.
It was difficult work.
Some of the success stories, though, were the reconversion of Worcester Ball.
He had become a bitter antagonist of Ellen White and was a prickly character, prone to critical comments.
But his Ellen faithfully and tenderly appealed to him, he returned to the fold.
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Another person in the community who was a pillar was William Farnsworth,
but he had recently gone back to chewing tobacco, unbeknownst to anyone.
His friends and family had no idea about this recent change, but his son Eugene did know.
He had seen his father spitting in the snow when they were out in the woods and covering it with his foot,
but he did not tell anyone and kept this to himself.
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Eugene was a teenager, and a visit about a year or so earlier
by J. N. Andrews had encouraged him to question his purpose in life.
He was, however, unconvinced of the prophetic gift of Ellen White,
but now that she was in town he had the perfect opportunity to test this out.
If Ellen White was truly a prophet, then she would know about his father's tobacco habit
which no one else except himself knew about.
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As she was speaking personally to those present, some words of rebuke, some encouragement,
she turned and looked at William Farnsworth
and gave a pointed testimony about his use of both pork and tobacco
whilst appearing to be a faithful defender of the faith.
She said he was a great hindrance to the work in New Hampshire,
and he publicly repented of his sin and turned his life around.
At those meetings eighteen young people would give their lives to Jesus,
nine of which would go on to be full-time workers for the church, one of which was Eugene Farnsworth,
making those meetings in Christmas 1867 a significant turning point
in this area and the lives of those present.
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This story also illustrates the powerful impact of the prophetic gift
and while it was often used for broad and far-reaching messages,
it was also personal in nature, speaking to people's individual needs and issues.
William Farnsworth, with his secret and private sin,
was a stumbling block to the progress of the work in the town
and a hindrance to at least one of the young men dedicating his life fully to God.
Maybe you are struggling with a secret or a private sin that no one else knows about.
Surrender it to God, dedicate your life to Him, and allow His power to rule in your life.