My Experience With the Writings of Mrs. E. G. White

I was at one of the first General Conferences that I ever attended, in the early eighties, that I became deeply interested in the writings of Mrs. E. G. White. During that meeting Elder J. H. Waggoner, then connected with the Pacific Press, announced that this publishing house had gathered together thirty num­bers of the "Testimonies," and had bound them in four volumes. He spoke of the great value of these writings, especially to the minister.

Previous to this, while I had known of Mrs. White in a general way, I had not been particularly interested in her writings. However, after hearing Elder Waggoner's talk, I bought a set of the books, and at once began to read them. I had not read much before I realized that I knew little about gen­uine conversion. I continued to read with ever-increasing interest, realiz­ing more and more the importance of imbibing the true Christ spirit, pre­sented so strikingly in these writings, through the Bible itself.

Having then as now a plan for regu­lar reading and study, I set before my­self the pleasurable task of reading at least twenty-five pages of the "Testi­monies" each day. Soon the four vol­umes were read through, and I read "The Great Controversy" and "Patri­archs and Prophets."

In this way I became deeply im­pressed with the tremendous value of these writings as an aid to Bible study, and adopted the plan of making a careful study of the portion of the Bible covered by each one of the "Con­flict" volumes. When "The Desire of Ages" was published, I found in it a still greater treat. No commentary, no other book on the life of Christ that I have ever read, approaches it in value. When "The Acts of the Apos­tles" and "Prophets and Kings" ap­peared, I read each in the same way, giving intensive study to the portions of the Bible covered by these books.

Soon I became impressed with the importance of reaching out through other literature to obtain the back­ground of the Old Testament Scrip­tures, and eagerly sought such works as those written by Sayce, Clay, Ira M. Price, R. D. Wilson, and others. My experience with the writings of Mrs. White made me ever more and more hungry for the Bible and the books that would help me to understand it.

At the present time I am reading the "Testimonies" through from be­ginning to end for the eighth time. I have not kept track of the number of times I have read the books of the "Conflict" series, but I know that I have read the earlier of these books not fewer than twenty-five times.

And it is this consecutive reading of Mrs. White's writings that I wish to urge upon our ministry; for each such reading impresses more deeply the Source from which they came. It is one thing to study the writings by topics, with the help of the Index; it is a very different thing, and of more value, to read her writings consecu­tively, and study the Bible as we do so.

As we read and reread these volumes from beginning to end, we are more and more deeply impressed with their importance. Each reading makes us sense more profoundly the great grasp of Scripture possessed by the writer. Her comments on Scripture texts are an invaluable aid to the Bible student. As we continue to read and study, the writings seem to drop into the back­ground, while new beauty and attrac­tion, new heights and depths, bound up in the love of God and the plan of re­demption, appear in the Bible.

I have heard Mrs. White speak scores of times. Always the Bible was her theme, and her writings make it clear that it is the Bible she desires us to understand rather than what she has written. One who does not get this view of her writings fails to grasp their true value. It is very easy, if one is not willing to work hard to prepare a sermon, to fall into the habit of read­ing a few extracts from her writings rather than to delve into, and prepare to preach the word.

God's word is an infinite mine of truth. This is the great theme of Mrs. White's writings from beginning to end, and especially is this the theme of the "Conflict" series. This message will close through the mighty preach­ing of the word. Mrs. White makes that very prominent; and those who expect to give the message that God would have given in this time must be students of the word.

During my life I have had access to all the principal commentaries,—Clarke, Barnes, Jamison, Faucet and Brown, and the rest,—but none of these books nor all of them together have ever given me the inspiration to Bible study that has come from the reading of Mrs. White's writings. By reading the portion of the Bible that each volume covers, concurrently with the volume by Mrs. White, I have ob­tained help that convinces me of the value of her writings, and enables me to know the Source from which they have come.

Mountain, View, Calif.