"parent, rather than a stern tyrant compelling men to a blind obedience. My heart went out toward Him in a deep and fervent love. Obedience to His will seemed a joy; it was a pleasure to be in His service. No shadow clouded the light that revealed to me the perfect will of God. I felt the assurance of an indwelling Saviour, and realized the truth of what Christ had said: “He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12 . LS 39.1"
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
Ellen White directly references John 8:12 in this passage.
"My peace and happiness were in such marked contrast with my former gloom and anguish that it seemed to me as if I had been rescued from hell and transported to heaven. I could even praise God for the misfortune that had been the trial of my life, for it had been the means of fixing my thoughts upon eternity. Naturally proud and ambitious, I might not have been inclined to give my heart to Jesus had it not been for the sore affliction that had cut me off, in a manner, from the triumphs and vanities of the world. LS 39.2"
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
The EGW passage describes a transformative experience where old gloom is replaced with new peace and happiness, mirroring the concept of becoming a new creature in Christ where old things pass away.
"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."
The EGW passage describes how affliction led to a focus on eternity and a turning to Jesus, which aligns with the sentiment in Psalm 119:71 that affliction can lead to learning God's statutes.
"For six months not a shadow clouded my mind, nor did I neglect one known duty. My whole endeavor was to do the will of God, and keep Jesus and heaven continually in mind. I was surprised and enraptured with the clear views now presented to me of the atonement and the work of Christ. I will not attempt to further explain the exercises of my mind; suffice it to say that old things had passed away, all things had become new. There was not a cloud to mar my perfect bliss. I longed to tell the story of Jesus’ love, but felt no disposition to engage in common conversation with any one. My heart was so filled with love to God and the peace that passeth understanding, that I loved to meditate and pray. LS 39.3"
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
The EGW passage explicitly states "old things had passed away, all things had become new," which is a direct allusion to 2 Corinthians 5:17.