《启示录》所预言余民教会的两个显著特点之一就是拥有预言之灵。这项恩赐从一开始就在安息日复临信徒的经验和教会的发展中发挥重要的作用。教会藉着这项恩赐得到劝勉、指导、鼓励、责备和纠正。{1TT 5.1}
[1] 《证言》自陆续出版以来，备受信徒的热心寻求。他们虔诚地研究其内容，并听从其教导。历年来若干证言也曾译成多种文字，以供各国信徒阅读。今日教会之所以具有力量、团结和高标准，大都应归功于这些信息。{1TT 5.2}[2]
现在藉着这套普世版的《证言精选》，世界各地的安息日复临信徒都能读到这些影响如此重大的勉言。篇幅虽较原书为小，但内容紧凑、便于携带和广泛传播。{1TT 5.3}[3]
这三卷《证言精选》的内容十分平衡，所选文稿全系代表作品；而选辑工作则为由若干经验丰富之同工所组成干练的委员会，在怀夫人手创负责继续刊行其著作的“怀爱伦著作托管委员会”指导之下完成。这三卷亦列入十二本的“预言之灵入门丛书”；该丛书拟早日译成各种主要语言。{1TT 5.4}[4]
《教会证言》原书共有九卷，其中的著作，各篇独立，且有许多不相关连之信件。最初刊行为小册形式，于一八五五年末问世。在此后五十五年中，陆续刊行小册，达三十七辑之多。各项信息之内容，兼具普遍及特殊性质，且杂以若干有关私人的见证，其所涉及的各项问题，也是别人可能遇到的。?{1TT 5.5}[5]
这些著作写成的时间既长，而所应付的又是当时教会的需要，因此，不免或有材料重复之处。此外也有许多训言是特向某地，或是针对写作时之某种独特情形而发的。这些重复的训示，以及特重某时某地的信息，虽亦具有重要的价值，但对于今日北美以外的各处教会，却并无多大意义。因此，便有了应时合理之举，将全部证言训示予以整理及选择，以期适合世界各处教会之用。此项整编工作完全符合怀夫人于一八六四年重印最初十辑《证言》时所订的方针。为明了此事起见，特摘录其引言如下：{1TT 6.1}[6]
“在最近的九年间，从1855年至1864年，我写了十本题为《教会证言》的小册子，一直在安息日复临信徒中间发表和传播。这些小册子的初版大多已经告罄，而对它们的需求却在增加，所以认为最好再版，如下文的形式，省略了地方和个人问题，只提供实际而普遍关心的和重要的部分。”——《属灵的恩赐》卷四B《教会证言》一至十辑的说明。{1TT 6.2}[7]
虽然后来英文版的证言完全为早期印行之各小册合辑而成，但在编辑此统一的普世版《证言精选》时，仍以怀夫人所宣布之上述原则为指导。{1TT 6.3}[8]
英文版的《教会证言》共计4737页。而这套三卷本的《证言精选》则为1500页，约为原著九卷的三分之一。在选辑之时，尽力收集前此用他种文字印行的两种基本《证言选集》的全部材料。这两种选集一系在中欧出版，计两卷，共650页；另一系分别用数种拉丁语言印行，计三卷，共1100页。在上述选集中，有少数材料在主题上是与此精选或预言之灵入门丛书完全相同的，为避免重复，只得割爱。{1TT 7.1}[9]
大体上本辑所选材料，多为原稿全文。但因求节省篇幅，以便广收博取各方面的论题，有些过长的文稿，只好略删一部分。凡经删减之处，均已予以标明。除了所选文稿之外，有时为求发挥某项重要真理之故，也从别章选用一些特殊的段落，并注明原文出处。其中也包括少数具有证言性质的重要文稿。这些材料本来不在《证言》原书之内，但见之于怀爱伦其它英文著作之中，而尚未以他种语言出版。{1TT 7.2}[10]
书中各篇文稿均按九卷原书体例，循著作年代编排，但亦有少数例外；即在分为三辑时，为顾及每辑之间的开端，不能不稍作变更。小标题的增加，若干长段落的分成小段，新式标点及拼法的采用等，为原书所没有，然而对于原书的文字，却毫未加以修改。至于各篇问世之年代、出处及未经更改之原题等，也在各篇大题之后，予以注明。?{1TT 7.3}[11]
有极少数几处因前章删减了一部分，不易查对，故特予以注明。至于个人的证言，姓名均用字母“A,”“B,”“C”等代替。字母并非原收信人名字的缩写。{1TT 8.1}[12]
这套书不是要取代完整的九卷《教会证言》。那套标准的版本将依然十分需要。但这套《证言精选》将大为增加重要证言勉言的发行范围，以其版式的经济便利，使海内外的读者都能获得。{1TT 8.2}[13]
随着这套书迅速译成世界主要的语言，其中劝戒与勉励的重要证言信息，将传到世界各地安息日复临信徒的家庭。以各种语言发行的《证言精选》，其内容的统一，对于在志趣，目标，信仰和盼望上完全一致的上帝子民，必大有助益。总会执行委员会、出版者和本委员会盼望这套对于教会的福利至关重要的勉言能帮助“成全圣徒”和“建立基督的身体”。{1TT 8.3}[14]
怀爱伦著作托管委员会.[15]
【怀爱伦传略】
哈门爱伦与其孪生姊妹于1827年11月26日出生在美国新英格兰北部的戈勒姆，靠近缅因州的波特兰。她九岁时，被一粗心同学以石击中面部，致遭意外伤害。这次重伤几乎使她丧命，从此她身体很软弱，并且不久以后，因为体力不胜，只好中途辍学。{1TT 13.1}[16]
她十一岁时和她的父母罗伯特.哈门和尤妮斯.哈门同去赴卫理公会的帐棚大会，献心给上帝。此后不久，她就在海滩受浸，成为卫理公会的信徒。1840年，波特兰开始举行基督复临大会。她和家中别的人也去参赴那些聚会。威廉.米勒耳及其同工们在会中传扬基督快要复临。她完全接受这些观点，相信和仰望救主的迫近复临。{1TT 13.2}[17]
1844年10月22日的大失望，使年轻的爱伦十分痛苦。在大失望之后的日子里，她与别人一同切心祈求上帝施发亮光及指导。在1844年12月的一个早晨，当她与四位女士一起祷告时，上帝的能力临到她身上。她先是完全不省人事，接着就进入异象中，见到复临信徒前往上帝的圣城。她也见到忠心之人所得的赏赐。这位十七岁的女子，就战战兢兢地把这次及后来陆续见到的异象，说给波特兰的同道们听。其后，她在有机会之时，也对缅因州和附近各州的复临信徒团体重述这些异象。{1TT 13.3}[18]
1846年8月，哈门爱伦女士与复临派青年传道人怀雅各结婚。婚后三十五年中，怀夫人同她丈夫密切合作，尽心传扬福音，直至1881年8月6日怀雅各逝世。在此期间，他们广泛旅行于美国各州，从事传道、著述、耕种、建筑、组织及行政等工作。时间及试验证明了他们所奠定的根基是何等的广大而坚固，他们所建设的是多么智慧而完善。1849年至1850年，他们在守安息日的复临派信徒之中，发起了文字工作，并促进教会的组织，使教会在五十年代后期有了稳定的经济制度，终于在1863年组建了基督复临安息日会总会。在六十年代中期，我们发起了医疗布道工作。在七十年代初，又开创了伟大的教育事业。在1858年，我们有了每年举行帐棚聚会的计划，并在1874年从美国派出了第一位国外布道士。{1TT 14.1}[19]
这一切的进展，以及各部门工作的充分发展和运作，均有赖乎怀爱伦辛勤不倦的口讲笔述，多次多方施发训词，指导及鼓励。开始时是用个人通信的方法或披露在《现代真理》上，直至1851年，才有了六十四页的第一本书《怀爱伦的基督徒经历与目睹》发刊问世。并从1855年开始，连续印行小册子，通称为《教会证言》。这些小册子不时地传递教诲和纠正的信息。上帝藉此祝福、责备和引导祂的子民。1885年，为满足不断的需求，特将这些小册子重版，汇集为四卷。嗣后又加上于1889年至1901年间出版的其他各卷，组成了现在的九卷《教会证言》。?{1TT 14.2}[20]
怀长老和怀夫人虽常出门从事公共服务，但他们在1855年以前是住在东部各州的。此后他们住到密歇根州达十七年之久。从1872年至1881年怀长老逝世，他们大半住在加利福尼亚州。怀夫人虽然体质不很强壮，但她中年时代的生活，尚称健康。{1TT 15.1}[21]
怀氏夫妇共育四子：长子亨利十六岁夭折，幼子赫伯特，三个月后不育。其次子及三子，埃德森和威廉，得长大成人，并在基督复临安息日会积极服务。{1TT 15.2}[22]
1885年夏天，怀夫人应总会之请赴欧洲访问，留在那里两年之久，坚固新建立的教会。她住在瑞士的巴塞尔，并周游南欧、中欧和北欧，参赴各处教会的大聚会，及在各会堂中与信徒相聚。其后返回美国住了四年，至1891年复应总会之请，前往澳大利亚，住了九年，帮助开拓和发展圣工，尤其是教育和医疗工作。她于1900年返回美国，住在加利福尼亚州的圣赫勒那，至1915年逝世。{1TT 15.3}[23]
怀夫人一生的服务，影响了所有的安息日复临信徒。她拜访各处教会，参赴总会会议，也尽可能参加各地的帐棚聚会。有时她赴完了一处的帐棚聚会，接着又去赴别处的聚会，整个季节，连续赴会，向各地大会及信徒群众宣讲真理。.{1TT 15.4}[24]
数十年来，她的文章定期发表在教会刊物上。这些每周发表的灵感信息虽静默无声，却在会众身上发生了伟大的感化力。她的书籍不时出版，会众无不切心地读了又读。她的一生工作就是把从异象中得到的上帝的指示和信息，告诉教会和世人。在她的一生经验中，不断地得见异象。她在1858年早期的异象中，看见了大斗争的概况。在六个月内，她把这异象写出来，出版了一本名为《属灵的恩赐》卷一的小册子，亦称《基督及其使者与撒但及其使者之间的大斗争》（现列为《早期著述》之第三编）。随后怀夫人连续见到许多异象，更加详细地了解大斗争的情形，因此怀夫人便重新写作，于七十年代和八十年代完成了《预言之灵》四卷，后来又写完了五卷《历代斗争丛书》：《先祖与先知》，《先知与君王》，《历代愿望》，《使徒行述》和《善恶之争》。怀夫人的其他著作，也发挥了广泛的影响力，如《服务真诠》，《基督比喻实训》，《教育论》，《登山宝训》，以及十卷特别的训言，如《传道良助》，《文字布道士》，《基督教育之研究》等。著名的《拾级就主》已译成六十种文字，销行数百万册。{1TT 16.1}[25]
1909年，怀夫人达八十一岁高龄，作了她最后一次横越美洲的长途旅行，参加总会大会。其后五年，她致力著述，或为教会报章撰稿，或为出版书籍。在将近辞世之前，她说：“不论我是否活在世上，我的著作都会不断发言，其功效要延续到世界的末了。”?（《教会证言的写作与发表》12，13页）{1TT 16.2}[26]
怀夫人虽是一生积极从事著述工作，直到一九一五年初为止，但在她辞世前之最后三年中，已稍减轻工作了。怀夫人于1915年7月16日在自己家中安眠，然当其弥留之际，她仍是勇气奋发，毫不丧志，全心信赖她的救赎主。遗体安葬于密歇根州巴特尔克里克的橡山公墓，与其夫及子墓毗邻。{1TT 17.1}[27]
安息日复临信徒从始至今，都明了怀夫人的一生服务，是作“主的使者”，应验《启示录》十二章十七节及十九章十节上的预言，显明余民教会是“守上帝诫命”并“为耶稣作见证”——“预言中的灵意”。他们从怀夫人一生的工作可以看出先知的恩赐，正是保罗在《以弗所书》四章九至十三节上所提的教会各种恩赐之一，“为要成全圣徒，各尽其职，建立基督的身体；直等到我们众人在真道上同归于一。”{1TT 17.2}[28]
她一生中所得的启示，符合上帝向以色列人所宣布的方法：“你们中间若有先知，我耶和华必在异象中向他显现，在梦中与他说话”（民12：6）。她工作的性质也与古代以色列人领袖的工作相似（何12：13）：“耶和华藉先知领以色列从埃及上来，以色列也藉先知而得保存。”{1TT 17.3}[29]
怀夫人的邻里亲友无不公认她是一位恳切、敬虔、热心的女基督徒。关于她的生平及工作，在一八七八年出版的《美国名人传》上，该书编者作过以下的表述：{1TT 17.4}[30]
“怀爱伦夫人乃心智健全发展之女性，秉性仁慈，精神伟大，衷心正直，理想崇高，其美好品德，使凡接近之人如坐春风，对其忠诚尤为心折神服。……多年为众服务，纯朴忠厚，一如当年。{1TT 17.5}[31]
“怀夫人乃卓越声誉之演说家，为过去二十年中全国最成功之少数妇女演讲家之一。由于经常演讲之故，喉部发音机能非常发达，出声雄厚有力，清朗远处可闻。措辞简明，有力而高雅。每当演讲入神之际，口若悬河，滔滔不绝，全场听众，无不醉心，虽历数小时之久，而均无不耐及疲倦之色。{1TT 18.1}[32]
“其所主讲各题，极切实际，皆属人生家常责任，儿童宗教教育，以及健康，节制等等。在奋兴会中，她是最有力之演讲员。此外，她亦常在各大城市，向广大之听众，述说其心得，极蒙赞许。有一次在马萨诸塞州，有听众二万余人之多，留心听讲达一小时以上。{1TT 18.2}[33]
“怀夫人亦是伟大的作家，著作等身，销售甚广。其文章均极简明而切合实际，一如其演辞之风采。她的著作深入各家各户，甚得各界忠厚读者之注意，并向其指示人生切实之庄严责任。”（《美国密歇根州（国会第三选区）自学成名之伟人传》第108页）{1TT 18.3}[34]
各位同工，各地教会，以及她各位家人，无不推崇怀夫人为良母，及热诚，慷慨，不倦的宗教工作者。她从没有正式担任过教会的职务，从没有利用自己的恩赐，使自己扬名或得利，也没有叫别人优待她。她的一生和她的一切，全都奉献与上帝的圣工。?{1TT 18.4}[35]
在她逝世之后，一著名周刊的编辑曾撰文评述她一生的功绩说：“怀夫人一生绝对忠实于其信仰及启示，劳苦功高，毫无志高气扬或贪财图利之举。其一生为人及工作，均显其为可贵之女先知。”（《独立》，1915年8月23日）{1TT 19.1}[36]
关于怀夫人的生平及工作，详见《怀爱伦的基督徒经验和教训》。{1TT 19.2}[37]
怀爱伦著作托管委员会.[38]
The possession of the spirit of prophecy is one of the two distinguishing features of the remnant church, as foretold in the book of the Revelation. From the very beginning days this gift has played an important role in the experience of Seventh-day Adventists and in the development of the church. Through it the church has been admonished, guided, encouraged, as well as reproved and corrected.?{1TT 5.1}[1]
As from time to time the?Testimonies?came from the press, they were eagerly secured, their contents prayerfully studied, and the instruction heeded. Through the years some of these testimonies have also been provided for believers who read languages other than English. Largely to these messages may be traced the present-day strength, unity, and high standards of the church.?{1TT 5.2}[2]
Now, through this world edition of?Testimony Treasures, these counsels which have wielded so large an influence are being made available to Seventh-day Adventists the world around. It is, however, only by presenting a selection of articles that it is possible to publish them in this compact, easily handled, and widely distributed form.?{1TT 5.3}[3]
These three volumes present a well-balanced and fully representative selection of articles, chosen by able committees of experienced workers, under the direction of, and in collaboration with the Board of Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications, the agency established by Mrs. E. G. White to carry the responsibility of the continuing publication of her writings. They constitute an integral part of the Introductory Spirit of Prophecy Library—twelve spirit of prophecy volumes designated for early publication in the principal languages of the world.?{1TT 5.4}[4]
The full nine volumes of the?Testimonies for the Church?are composed of a series of independently written articles and letters often on unrelated topics. The first collection, in?pamphlet form, was published late in 1855. Others soon followed, until there were thirty-seven consecutively numbered pamphlets and books issued over a period of fifty-five years. The messages were both general and specific in character, interspersed with personal testimonies dealing with problems others might face.?{1TT 5.5}[5]
Written as they were over a long period of time, to meet the current needs of the church, there was naturally considerable repetition of subject matter. Moreover, much of the counsel applied especially to local and sometimes isolated conditions that existed at the time of writing. Such repetition of counsel, and messages of local import, while of great value, are not of present-day service to the church outside North America. A selection of articles of general and universal application is therefore feasible and advisable as the testimony counsel is made available to the church throughout the world. The making of such a selection is in full harmony with a policy outlined by Mrs. White herself in 1864 in reprinting the first ten numbers of the?Testimonies. To make this clear we quote her introductory statement:?{1TT 6.1}[6]
“During the last nine years, from 1855 to 1864, I have written ten small pamphlets, entitled?Testimony for the Church, which have been published and circulated among Seventh-day Adventists. The first edition of most of these pamphlets being exhausted, and there being an increasing demand for them, it has been thought best to reprint them, as given in the following pages, omitting local and personal matters, and giving those portions only which are of practical and general interest and importance.”—Testimony for the Church, Nos. 1-10, as Republished in Spiritual Gifts, volume 4.?{1TT 6.2}[7]
Although later English editions embodied the full presentation of the earlier pamphlets, these principles enunciated by Mrs. White have guided in preparing this uniform world edition of?Testimony Treasures.?{1TT 6.3}[8]
The?Testimonies for the Church?published in English aggregate 4,737 pages. There are 1,500 pages of text in these three volumes of?Testimony Treasures, or about one third of the content of the nine volumes. An endeavor has been made to include all of the articles which have appeared in the two basic?Selections From the Testimonies?which have in the past been published in languages other than English—the two-volume 650-page edition published in Central Europe and the three-volume 1,100-page edition published in some of the Latin languages. In a few cases when paralleling articles in the above-named?Selections?would result in duplication or a close repetition of subject matter in this three-volume set or within the Introductory Spirit of Prophecy Library, such articles have been omitted.?{1TT 7.1}[9]
As a rule, articles are used in their entirety. In some cases, however, in order to conserve space and thus open the way for a broad selection of subject matter, some portions of long articles are omitted. In each case, deletions in the text are indicated. Aside from the articles which are selected, some outstanding paragraphs, presenting vital points of truth, have been taken from other chapters. In each case the original source is clearly indicated. There have also been included a few important articles of a testimony character, dealing with vital topics not represented in the?Testimonies, but which appear elsewhere in the English editions of the E. G. White books not available in other languages.?{1TT 7.2}[10]
The articles will be found in their chronological order as they appear in the full nine-volume set, with the exception of a few cases where rearrangement seemed advisable to make appropriate openings for the three volumes. Subheadings have been added, and in some cases long paragraphs have been divided. Modern forms of punctuation and spelling have been employed, but there has been no editing or changing of the text. The date of first publication, together with the source of the article and the original chapter title, if a change?in title has been made, is given as a footnote in connection with each article.?{1TT 7.3}[11]
In a very few cases references which are obscure because of the deletion of preceding chapters are clarified by explanatory footnotes. It will be observed that in the personal testimonies the names of those concerned do not appear, the initials “A,” “B,” “C,” etc., being used instead. The initial used in the testimony, therefore, bears no relation to the name of the individual for whom the message was given.?{1TT 8.1}[12]
These volumes in the English are not designed to replace the full nine-volume set of?Testimonies for the Church. That standard edition will always be in large demand.?Testimony Treasures?in the English will, however, greatly broaden the distribution of important testimony counsels, making them available in convenient and less expensive form for English readers in the Americas and abroad.?{1TT 8.2}[13]
As rapidly as these volumes are made available in other leading languages, they will carry the important testimony messages of admonition and encouragement to the homes of Seventh-day Adventists throughout the world. The uniformity of content of?Testimony Treasures?as published in all languages, will bring large advantage to the people of God who are one in interest, objective, faith, and hope throughout the world. That this counsel, vital to the welfare of the church, may be effectual in “the perfecting of the saints” and “the edifying of the body of Christ,” is the earnest prayer of the General Conference Committee, the publishers, and—?{1TT 8.3}[14]
The Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications.[15]
Ellen G. White A Brief Biographical Sketch
Ellen G. Harmon and her twin sister were born November 26, 1827, at Gorham, near Portland, Maine, in northern New England. When nine years of age, Ellen was involved in an accident in which a stone was thrown by a thoughtless classmate. The severe face injury nearly cost her life and left her much weakened. Soon it was evident that she was physically unable to continue her schooling.?{1TT 13.1}[16]
At the age of eleven, while attending a Methodist camp meeting with her parents, Robert and Eunice Harmon, Ellen gave her heart to God. Shortly thereafter she was baptized by immersion in the sea and was received as a member of the Methodist Church. With other members of her family she attended the Adventist meetings in Portland, which began in 1840. She accepted fully the views of the nearness of the second advent of Christ presented by William Miller and his associates, and confidently looked for the Saviour’s imminent return.?{1TT 13.2}[17]
The keenness of the great disappointment of October 22, 1844, was not lessened by Ellen’s youth. She, with others, in the succeeding days of perplexity, sought God earnestly for light and guidance. One morning in December, 1844, while praying with four women, the power of God rested upon her. At first she was lost to earthly things; then in a figurative revelation she witnessed the travels of the Advent people to the city of God. She was also shown the reward of the faithful. With trembling, the seventeen-year-old girl related this and succeeding visions to her fellow believers in Portland. Then, as opportunity afforded, she recounted them to companies of Adventists in Maine and near-by states.?{1TT 13.3}[18]
In August, 1846, Ellen Harmon was united in marriage with James White, a youthful Adventist minister. Through the next thirty-five years Mrs. White’s life was closely linked with that of her husband in strenuous gospel work until his death, August 6, 1881. They traveled extensively in the United States, preaching and writing, planting and building, organizing and administering. Time and test have proved how broad and firm were the foundations they laid, and how wisely and well they built. They led out among Sabbathkeeping Adventists in inaugurating the publishing work in 1849 and 1850, and in developing church organization with a sound system of church finance in the late fifties. This was culminated by the organization of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1863. The middle sixties marked the beginnings of our medical work, and the great educational work of the denomination had its inception in the early seventies. The plan of holding annual camp meetings was developed in 1868, and in 1874 Seventh-day Adventists sent their first missionary abroad from the United States.?{1TT 14.1}[19]
Leading in all of these advancements, as well as in the full development and operation of these lines of endeavor, were the messages of counsel, instruction, and encouragement which came to the church in oral discourse and from the tireless pen of Ellen G. White. At first the communications to the church reached the members by individual letters, or through articles in?Present Truth. Then in 1851 Mrs. White issued her first book, a sixty-four-page work entitled,?A Sketch of the Christian Experience and Views of Ellen G. White. Beginning with 1855 a series of numbered pamphlets was published, each bearing the title of?Testimony for the Church. These made available messages of instruction and correction which, from time to time, God chose to send to bless, reprove, and guide His people. To meet the continued demand for this instruction, it was republished in 1885 in four bound books, and with the addition of other volumes, which appeared from?1889 to 1909, constitutes a set of nine volumes of?Testimonies for the Church.?{1TT 14.2}[20]
Though much of their time was spent in travel and public labor, Elder and Mrs. White resided in the Eastern states until 1855. For the next seventeen years they made their home in the State of Michigan. From 1872 to the time of Elder White’s death in 1881, they resided largely in California. Although never too strong, Mrs. White through middle life enjoyed good health.?{1TT 15.1}[21]
Four children were born to the Whites. The eldest boy, Henry, lived to the age of sixteen, the youngest boy, Herbert, died at the age of three months. The two middle boys, Edson and William, lived to maturity and each engaged actively in the work of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.?{1TT 15.2}[22]
In response to the request of the General Conference, Mrs. White went to Europe in the summer of 1885. There she spent two years in strengthening the newly developed work on the Continent. Making her home at Basel, Swizerland, she traveled extensively through Southern, Central, and Northern Europe, attending the general gatherings of the church and meeting with believers in their congregations. Four years were then spent in the United States. In 1891, in response to the call of the General Conference, she sailed to Australia. There she resided for nine years and aided in pioneering and developing the work, especially in educational and medical lines, in the great Australasian field. Mrs. White returned to the United States in 1900 and made her home on the West Coast at St. Helena, California, until her death in 1915.?{1TT 15.3}[23]
During her entire lifetime of service Mrs. White’s influence was felt throughout the ranks of Seventh-day Adventists. She visited churches, took part in the General Conference sessions, and, when possible, the camp meetings. Often such labor took her from one camp meeting to another through an entire season, when she addressed the church members and large gatherings of the general public.?{1TT 15.4}[24]
For several decades articles from her pen appeared regularly in the journals of the denomination. These weekly, inspired messages exerted a quiet but large molding influence. From time to time her books came from the press to be eagerly read and reread. The task of setting before the church and the world the instruction and the information which had been imparted to her through vision was a lifetime work. The visions continued all through her life’s experience. Early among these, in 1858, was the comprehensive basic vision of?The Great Controversy. Within six months of the revelation, the matter was ready for the public in the form of the little book?Spiritual Gifts, volume 1, “The Great Controversy Between Christ and His Angels and Satan and His Angels”?(Early Writings, part 3). In many succeeding visions the great controversy account was opened up in greater detail, and Mrs. White rewrote it, first in the seventies and eighties in the four volumes of the?Spirit of Prophecy?and later in the volumes of the Conflict of the Ages Series—Patriarchs and Prophets, Prophets and Kings, The Desire of Ages, Acts of the Apostles, and?The Great Controversy. Other works from Mrs. White’s pen which have exerted a wide, molding influence are?The Ministry of Healing, Christ’s Object Lessons, Education, Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, and half a score of volumes devoted to special lines of counsel, as?Gospel Workers, Colporteur Evangelist, Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, etc. The well-known work?Steps to Christ?has been read by millions in sixty languages.?{1TT 16.1}[25]
In 1909 Mrs. White, at the age of eighty-one, attended the General Conference session held in Washington, D. C. This was her last transcontinental journey. The succeeding five years were devoted to the preparing of articles for the denominational journals and to the publication of her books. Near the close of her life she declared: “Whether or not my life is spared, my writings will constantly speak, and their work will go forward as long as time shalllast.”—Writing and Sending Out of the Testimonies for the Church, pages 12, 13.?{1TT 16.2}[26]
Although Mrs. White remained active in literary work until early 1915, she did not, during the last three years of her life, labor under the great burden of writing which had characterized her work through the long years of her life. With undaunted courage and in full confidence in her Redeemer, she fell asleep at her own home, July 16, 1915, and was laid to rest by the side of her husband and children at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Battle Creek, Michigan.?{1TT 17.1}[27]
Seventh-day Adventists understood, and today understand, Mrs. White’s ministry as the “messenger of the Lord” to be in fulfillment of the prophecy of (Revelation 12:17?and?19:10), that the remnant church “which keep the commandments of God” was to “have the testimony of Jesus”—“the spirit of prophecy.” They see in her work the gift of prophecy of which Paul speaks in (Ephesians 4:9-13) placed with other gifts in the church “for the perfecting of the saints” and “the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith.”?{1TT 17.2}[28]
The revelations given to her through her long life were in harmony with God’s appointed means declared to Israel: “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.”?Numbers 12:6. In character her work was much like that of the leader of Israel of old, of whom it is recorded in (Hosea 12:13): “By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.”?{1TT 17.3}[29]
Mrs. White was known by her neighbors and friends as an earnest, godly, Christian woman. For an appraisal of her life and work as it was known by those about her, we turn to the?American Biographical History?and find its editor in 1878 stating:?{1TT 17.4}[30]
“Mrs. White is a woman of singularly well-balanced mental organization. Benevolence, spirituality, conscientiousness, and ideality are the predominating traits. Her personal qualities?are such as to win for her the warmest friendship of all with whom she comes in contact, and to inspire them with the utmost confidence in her sincerity. ... Notwithstanding her many years of public labor, she has retained all the simplicity and honesty which characterized her early life.?{1TT 17.5}[31]
“As a speaker, Mrs. White is one of the most successful of the few ladies who have become noteworthy as lecturers, in this country, during the last twenty years. Constant use has so strengthened her vocal organs as to give her voice rare depth and power. Her clearness and strength of articulation are so great that, when speaking in the open air, she has frequently been distinctly heard at the distance of a mile. Her language, though simple, is always forcible and elegant. When inspired with her subject, she is often marvelously eloquent, holding the largest audiences spellbound for hours without a sign of impatience or weariness.?{1TT 18.1}[32]
“The subject matter of her discourses is always of a practical character, bearing chiefly on fireside duties, the religious education of children, temperance, and kindred topics. On revival occasions she is always the most effective speaker. She has frequently spoken to immense audiences, in the large cities, on her favorite themes, and has always been received with great favor. On one occasion, in Massachusetts, twenty thousand persons listened to her, with close attention, for more than an hour.?{1TT 18.2}[33]
“Mrs. White is the author of numerous works which have had a wide circulation. Her writings are characterized by the same simplicity and practical nature which are conspicuous in her speaking. They enter into the home life of the family circle in a manner which rivets the attention of the candid reader, and cannot fail to instruct in the solemn duties of practical life.”—American Biographical History of Eminent and Self-Made Men of the State of Michigan (Third Congressional District), page 108.?{1TT 18.3}[34]
By her fellow workers, the church, and the members of?her family, Mrs. White was esteemed and honored as a devoted mother and as an earnest, generous, tireless religious worker. She never held official church office. Never did she ask others to look to her, nor did she ever use her gift to build herself financially or in popularity. Her life and all that she had was dedicated to the cause of God.?{1TT 18.4}[35]
On her death the editor of a popular weekly magazine closed his comments on her fruitful life with these words: “She was absolutely honest in her belief in her revelations. Her life was worthy of them. She showed no spiritual pride, and she sought no filthy lucre. She lived the life and did the work of a worthy prophetess.”—The Independent, August 23, 1915.?{1TT 19.1}[36]
For a more detailed account of Mrs. White’s life and work the reader is directed to?The Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White.?{1TT 19.2}[37]
The Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications.[38]
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