前言
本书将现有怀爱伦文稿和信函档案里以前未出版过的材料编辑成书。其中的材料曾因不同的用途发表过，例如，用于讲道，神学院学生的研究报告，博士论文和通讯社论。现在由于它要通过本书得到更广泛的流传，读者可能会对怀爱伦著作托管委员会资源的历史背景和授权使用的方针感兴趣。
怀爱伦于1915年去世的时候，榆园储藏室里文稿和信函档案包含40000页打印的怀爱伦文献。这些档案以4 x 6卡片索引的形式，被怀爱伦和她的团队用于日常工作以及文章和书籍的预备。从她生命临终前所发表的声明和她最后的愿望及成立怀爱伦著作托管委员会的遗嘱来看，可以理解为，随着时间的延续，这些档案，尤其是对于怀爱伦著作托管委员会履行其使命，应当发挥作用。
怀爱伦著作档案于1938年搬到华盛顿以后，怀爱伦所写另外的材料，当时只有手写的形式，也打印出来，收录到了档案里。这些材料主要是带有传记性质的日记、期刊和写给家庭成员的信函。
虽然所收藏的所有文稿和信函通常被称为“文稿档案”，但这些材料可分为两个部分——“怀爱伦文稿”和“怀爱伦信函”。
“信函”部分包括怀爱伦写给总会会长，教会成员，或她孩子们的信件。这些书信的内容都是针对有关教会管理工作的指导和劝勉；所应采取的方针；教会工作中所涉及的经验（有时用纠正和责备的言语）；对从事各机构和布道工作领导人的指导；个人见证（通常是私密的性质），可能涉及只有个人和上帝知道的事情；以及各种话题的家人书信。
圣的和俗的
这些信函中的所有材料都是受灵感所写的吗？限于篇幅，我们无法作详尽的回答，但是怀爱伦和她的团队以及我们的工人一般来说都已在“圣的和俗的”之间划清界限。这个原则并不难运用，尤其是当我们想到怀爱伦尽量避免给人留下印象，以为她作品中包含的个人想法是从主而来的灵感勉言。她有一次写道：“但有时候我也要说一些普通的事情，我的思想也会被一些普通的考虑所占据，要写一些普通的信件，从一个工人传消息给另一个工人。”“把圣的和俗的混在一起就是大错”（《信息选粹》卷一38, 39页)。
发表的过程
怀爱伦去世之后，托管委员会逐渐意识到未发表文稿的潜在用途。他们制定了计划，为有序获得这些文稿提供机会，并使其可以发表。怀爱伦著作托管委员会和总会的领导参与制定政策，为怀爱伦所有新发布材料的出版做好预备。无可否认，如果一段特定的论述对一个人有价值，那么它可能对其他人也会有价值。敏感的材料，特别是个人见证，所处理的方式要保护个人和他们的后人。这些策略和方针仍在主导着研究怀爱伦文稿档案的人。
怀爱伦文档不是一个公共档案。它主要是给托管委员会和总部的教会领袖使用的。但是研究权限被授予了具有相应资格的博士生，接受训练的传道人，和由托管委员会批准的其他人。
对于具体内容的发布请求首先由怀爱伦著作托管委员会考虑，其次是全球总会指定的预言之灵委员会，一个由怀著托管委员会和教会领袖组成的联络委员会。这使托管会和教会领袖可以一同和谐地工作并且对怀爱伦迄今未出版材料的发表共同承担责任。
最初的计划是，由怀爱伦著作托管委员会发行的每一个文件，不管是怀爱伦所写还是由办公室职员所准备的，都应当通过发表程序，但是这个计划很快就被放弃了。随着工作的开始，就决定要数点有关以前未发表材料的数量。但是工作都已进行了大约十年，这一计划还没有实施。因此，当董事会的秘书开始给这些发表的文稿编号时，他估计当时大约有18篇已发表，于是他就把那一篇先标为19号。他希望回头再把所有已经出品的文献贴上编号。前18个缺失编号的文档收纳了各种不同的文件，其中一些不是怀爱伦的文稿资料。
本书的内容
从20世纪30年代初到现在，大部分已发表的文稿资料都以这种汇编的形式出版，像《布道论》，《复临信徒家庭》，《儿童教育指南》，《论饮食》，《信息选粹》卷一，卷二和卷三，十本怀爱伦晨钟课灵修书籍，七卷怀爱伦圣经注释。在某些情况下，材料最初是为特定用处而发表的，有一定局限性，后来被纳入标准出版物中。给J.L 舒勒准备的19号文稿，其材料后来用于《布道论》一书中，就说明了这一点。
目录是按发表的序号和目前可用资源的使用情况编排的，且列出了刊物的题目。这就解释了出现漏号的原因。在极少数情况下，会为正在审议的材料编制一个发表序号，但是由于某种原因而没有审核，因此那个序号就空缺了。
我们很高兴现在可以提供一大批的材料；在怀爱伦的通用著作中，这些材料曾因这样或那样的原因而被忽视了。我们真诚地希望本卷中的训勉指导和信息会给每一位读者带来鼓励和福气。
怀爱伦著作托管委员会
1981年4月2日于美国首都华盛顿
THIS VOLUME MAKES AVAILABLE MATERIAL FORMERLY UNPUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM FROM THE ELLEN G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT AND LETTER FILES. THIS MATERIAL HAS ALREADY BEEN RELEASED FOR USE IN VARIOUS WAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN SERMONS, SEMINARY STUDENT RESEARCH PAPERS, DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS AND REVIEW EDITORIALS. AS IT IS NOW GIVEN WIDER CIRCULATION IN THIS BOOK, THE READER MAY BE INTERESTED IN SOME HISTORICAL BACKGROUNDS RELATING TO THE RESOURCES OF THE WHITE ESTATE AND THE POLICIES BY WHICH ACCESS IS GIVEN TO THEM.[1]
AT THE TIME OF ELLEN WHITE'S DEATH, IN 1915, THE MANUSCRIPT AND LETTER FILES IN THE ELMSHAVEN VAULT CONTAINED 40,000 PAGES OF E. G. WHITE DOCUMENTS IN TYPEWRITTEN FORM. THESE FILES, WITH THEIR 4 X 6 CARD INDEX, WERE USED BY ELLEN WHITE AND HER STAFF IN ROUTINE WORK AS WELL AS IN ARTICLES AND BOOK PREPARATION. FROM HER OWN STATEMENTS MADE AS SHE NEARED THE CLOSE OF HER LIFE, AND FROM HER LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT WHICH ESTABLISHED THE ELLEN G. WHITE ESTATE, IT WAS UNDERSTOOD THAT THESE FILES WOULD HAVE A PLACE OF USEFULNESS AS TIME SHOULD CONTINUE, PARTICULARLY TO THE WHITE ESTATE IN FULFILLING ITS MISSION.[2]
AFTER THE WHITE ESTATE RECORDS WERE MOVED TO WASHINGTON, D. C. IN 1938, ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FROM ELLEN WHITE'S PEN, WHICH UP TO THAT TIME HAD EXISTED ONLY IN HANDWRITTEN FORM, WERE TRANSCRIBED AND INCLUDED IN THE FILES. THESE WERE PRIMARILY BIOGRAPHICAL IN NATURE, AND WERE IN THE FORM OF DIARIES, JOURNALS, AND LETTERS TO MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY.[3]
WHILE THE TOTAL COLLECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS AND LETTERS IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS "THE MANUSCRIPT FILE," THE MATERIALS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS--ELLEN G. WHITE MANUSCRIPTS AND ELLEN G. WHITE LETTERS.[4]
THE "LETTER" SECTION HOLDS ELLEN WHITE LETTERS, WHETHER ADDRESSED TO GENERAL CONFERENCE PRESIDENTS, CHURCH MEMBERS, OR HER CHILDREN. THESE COMMUNICATIONS ARE FILLED WITH INSTRUCTION AND COUNSEL CONCERNING THE CONDUCT OF THE WORK OF THE CHURCH; POLICIES WHICH SHOULD OBTAIN; THE EXPERIENCE OF THOSE INVOLVED IN CHURCH WORK (AT TIMES WITH WORDS OF CORRECTION AND REPROOF); INSTRUCTION TO LEADERS IN INSTITUTIONAL AND EVANGELISTIC WORK; PERSONAL TESTIMONIES (OFTEN CONFIDENTIAL IN NATURE), PERHAPS DEALING WITH MATTERS KNOWN ONLY TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND GOD; AND NEWSY FAMILY LETTERS.[5]
【THE SACRED AND THE COMMON 】
WAS ALL THE MATERIAL IN THESE LETTERS INSPIRED? LIMITED SPACE PRECLUDES AN EXHAUSTIVE ANSWER, BUT ELLEN WHITE, HER STAFF, AND OUR WORKERS GENERALLY HAVE DRAWN A LINE BETWEEN "THE SACRED AND THE COMMON." THIS PRINCIPLE IS NOT DIFFICULT TO APPLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS REMEMBERED THAT ELLEN WHITE TRIED TO AVOID GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT PERSONAL IDEAS INCLUDED IN HER WRITING WERE INSPIRED COUNSEL FROM THE LORD. AT ONE TIME SHE WROTE: "THERE ARE TIMES WHEN COMMON THINGS MUST BE STATED, COMMON THOUGHTS MUST OCCUPY THE MIND, COMMON LETTERS MUST BE WRITTEN AND INFORMATION GIVEN THAT HAS PASSED FROM ONE TO ANOTHER OF THE WORKERS," AND "FOR ONE TO MIX THE SACRED WITH THE COMMON IS A GREAT MISTAKE" (SELECTED MESSAGES, BOOK 1, 38, 39).[6]
【THE RELEASE PROCESS 】
AFTER ELLEN WHITE'S DEATH THE TRUSTEES GRADUALLY BECAME AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL USEFULNESS OF THE UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS. THEY FORMULATED PLANS THAT WOULD PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE MANUSCRIPTS IN AN ORDERLY WAY AND THAT WOULD MAKE THEM AVAILABLE THROUGH "RELEASES." THE WHITE ESTATE TRUSTEES AND THE LEADING OFFICERS OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE JOINED IN ESTABLISHING POLICIES THAT[7]
PROVIDED FOR THE PUBLICATION OF ALL NEWLY-RELEASED ELLEN G. WHITE MATERIALS. IT WAS RECOGNIZED THAT IF A GIVEN STATEMENT WAS VALUABLE TO ONE PERSON, IT COULD BE VALUABLE TO OTHERS ALSO. SENSITIVE MATERIALS, ESPECIALLY PERSONAL TESTIMONIES, WERE TO BE HANDLED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PROTECT INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR DESCENDANTS AS WELL. THESE POLICIES AND GUIDELINES STILL GOVERN THOSE WHO DO RESEARCH IN THE ELLEN G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT FILES.[8]
THE ELLEN G. WHITE COLLECTION IS NOT A PUBLIC ARCHIVE. IT IS PRIMARILY FOR THE USE OF THE TRUSTEES AND DENOMINATIONAL LEADERS AT HEADQUARTERS. BUT RESEARCH PRIVILEGES ARE GRANTED TO DOCTORAL CANDIDATES WITH PROPER CREDENTIALS, TO MINISTERS IN TRAINING, AND OTHERS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.[9]
REQUESTS FOR RELEASE OF SPECIFIC ITEMS ARE CONSIDERED FIRST BY THE WHITE ESTATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND THEN BY THE GENERAL CONFERENCE-APPOINTED SPIRIT OF PROPHECY COMMITTEE, A LIAISON COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF WHITE TRUSTEES AND CHURCH LEADERS. THIS ENABLES THE TRUSTEES AND CHURCH LEADERS TO WORK TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY AND TO TAKE MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE RELEASE OF HITHERTO-UNPUBLISHED ELLEN G. WHITE MATERIALS.[10]
IT WAS PLANNED AT FIRST THAT EVERY DOCUMENT ISSUED BY THE WHITE ESTATE, WHETHER FROM ELLEN WHITE'S PEN OR PREPARED BY THE OFFICE STAFF, SHOULD PASS THROUGH THE RELEASE PROCESS, BUT THIS IDEA WAS SOON ABANDONED. AS THE WORK GOT UNDERWAY, IT WAS DECIDED TO NUMBER THE DOCUMENTS DEALING WITH PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIALS. BUT THIS PLAN WAS NOT IMPLEMENTED UNTIL THE WORK HAD BEEN IN PROGRESS FOR ABOUT A DECADE. THUS, WHEN THE SECRETARY OF THE BOARD BEGAN TO NUMBER THE RELEASES, HE ESTIMATED THAT BY THAT TIME SOME 18 ITEMS HAD BEEN RELEASED AND HE DESIGNATED THE ITEM FIRST NUMBERED AS 19. IT WAS HIS HOPE TO GO BACK AND ATTACH NUMBERS TO ALL THE DOCUMENTS ALREADY PRODUCED. THIS HOPE WAS NEVER REALIZED. THE FIRST 18 MISSING NUMBERS COVERED VARIOUS[11]
DOCUMENTS, SOME OF WHICH WERE NOT ELLEN G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT MATERIALS.[12]
【WHAT THIS BOOK INCLUDES 】
MOST OF THE MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL RELEASED FROM THE EARLY 1930S TO THE PRESENT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN SUCH COMPILATIONS AS EVANGELISM, THE ADVENTIST HOME, CHILD GUIDANCE, COUNSELS ON DIET AND FOODS, SELECTED MESSAGES, BOOKS 1, 2 AND 3, THE TEN ELLEN G. WHITE "MORNING WATCH" DEVOTIONAL BOOKS, AND THE ELLEN G. WHITE SUPPLEMENTS TO THE SEVEN VOLUMES OF THE S. D. A. BIBLE COMMENTARY. IN SOME CASES, MATERIAL INITIALLY RELEASED FOR A SPECIFIC USE, SOMEWHAT LIMITED IN NATURE, WAS LATER DRAWN INTO STANDARD WORKS. ILLUSTRATIVE OF THIS IS RELEASE NO. 19 TO J. L. SHULER OF MATERIALS LATER USED IN THE BOOK EVANGELISM.[13]
THE TABLE OF CONTENTS LISTS BY NUMBER EACH RELEASE AND IN THE CASE OF USE IN CURRENTLY AVAILABLE SOURCES, THE TITLES OF THE PUBLICATIONS ARE GIVEN. USUALLY, THIS WILL ACCOUNT FOR WHAT MAY APPEAR TO BE MISSING RELEASES. IN A VERY FEW CASES, MATERIALS UNDER CONSIDERATION AND ASSIGNED A RELEASE NUMBER, WERE FOR SOME REASON NOT PROCESSED, AND THE NUMBER STANDS OPEN.[14]
WE TAKE PLEASURE IN NOW MAKING AVAILABLE A LARGE SEGMENT OF THOSE MATERIALS THAT, FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, WERE BYPASSED IN THE PRODUCTION OF THE STANDARD ELLEN G. WHITE BOOKS. IT IS OUR SINCERE HOPE THAT THE COUNSELS AND INSTRUCTION AND INFORMATION IN THIS VOLUME WILL BRING ENCOURAGEMENT AND BLESSING TO EVERY READER.[15]
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