Reprintings, Revisions, and Additions

Reprintings, Revisions, and Additions--2

Our continued look at the writings of Ellen G. White.

By W. C. WHITE

D. E. ROBINSON

A. L. WHITE

Testimony for the Church," Number Ten, came from the press early in 1864. By this time the small editions of the earlier pamphlets were out of print. As requests for these be­came urgent, it was decided that the earlier numbers of the "Testimonies" should be re­printed. Just at this time Volumes III and IV of "Spiritual Gifts" were being prepared, and the reprinted "Testimonies" formed part of Volume IV of this series.

Principles Governing Selection

It is of interest to note in this connection, that in this first reprinting of the "Testimo­nies," not all of that which constituted the first ten numbers was included. This fact, with the reason therefor, was stated by Mrs. White in her "Remarks" which formed a foreword to the "Testimony" section of "Spiritual Gifts," Volume IV:

"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. Most of 'Testi­mony' No. 4 may be found in the second volume of `Spiritual Gifts,' hence, it is omitted in this volume" [italics ours].

The significance of the action that was taken in this first reprinting of the "Testimonies," and of this statement written by Ellen White, is at once apparent. While she recognized that these testimonies were a presentation of mes­sages from heaven, yet she pointed out that certain of these articles were, by their very nature, not necessary to all church members for all time. So in reprinting the "Testi­monies," only those were selected which seemed to be "of practical and general interest and importance."

Three classes of matter were mentioned as being omitted.

First, matters of local nature. Even within nine years after the first "Testimonies" were published, it was recognized that there were certain local matters that need not be perpetu­ated for general reading.

Second, matters of a personal nature. With the passage of time, Ellen White felt that specific messages regarding persons whose actions and influence affected the general in­terests. of the work only temporarily, might be omitted in future editions, designed for general circulation.

Third, that which was repeated in other vol­umes: Mrs. White also felt that the volume of matter contained in "Testimonies for the Church," might be lessened by omitting such subject matter as was included in previous volumes that were available.

First Ten Reprinted

The first ten numbers of the "Testimonies" totaled about 450 pages. After Mrs. White had selected from these ten numbers that which she considered to be "of practical and general interest and importance," "omitting local and personal matters," and that which was found in other publications, the reprinted series was reduced to 160 pages, or a little more than one third its original content. The question might very properly be asked whether she, as the Lord's messenger, was working within her rights and prerogatives when she omitted in reprints a part of that which had previously been published as "Testimony for the Church."

In considering this matter, we may well bear in mind that not all the writings of the Bible prophets were preserved for general reading for all time in the Bible. And we may reasonably conclude that the books mentioned but not included in the Bible, and the mes­sages of prophets who were named, but who did not contribute to the Scripture canon, were of immediate importance to the people living at the time that they were written. However, being local in character, they were not needed for all time, and were with good reason not included in the Scriptures.

It would seem that Mrs. White exercised good judgment in omitting from a book for general circulation, matter that had already served its purpose in meeting certain specific issues. Although the messages were given to her by the Lord, she carried very largely, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with the counsel of her brethren, the responsibility of deciding how to deliver those messages to individuals or to the church at the proper time and place.

First Reprints Supplemented in 1871

Another nine numbers of the "Testimonies" appeared in pamphlet form between the years 1865 and 1870. By the year 1871, although many of the later numbers were available at the office of publication, the earlier numbers were again out of print. To meet this increas­ing demand, Numbers 1-16 were printed and bound in two books of about five hundred pages each. In speaking of this reprint, Elder James White makes the following statement which explains the appearance of all of the "Testimonies" in their completeness in this new series. In the Preface he wrote:

"During the period of sixteen years Mrs. White has published her 'Testimonies to the Church' in a series of pamphlets, which, at this date, number twenty. But as the editions of the first numbers were small, and have long since been exhausted, we are not able to furnish the series complete to the numerous friends who subsequently embrace the views of Seventh-day Adventists. The call for these 'Testimonies' being large, we republish, and offer them in this form.

"And we are happy to do this, inasmuch as the `Testimonies,' given under the trying, and ever-chang­ing circumstances of the past sixteen years, ever breathing the same high-toned spirit of Scriptural piety, contain in themselves the best evidences of their being what they profess to be.

"There are in them matters of a local and personal character, which do not have a direct bearing upon our time. But as many have desired it, we give them. corn­plete" [italics ours].—"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. 1, 1871 edition.

Omitted Portions Restored

There are two points in this statement by Elder James White which we note particularly. First, the evidence of the integrity of the Tes­timonies. James White rejoiced that the "Testimonies" could be presented in their en­tirety, because they always breathed "the same high-toned spirit of Scriptural piety," even though they were "given under . . . trying, and ever-changing circumstances." Second, the subordinate place of local and personal testimonies. In response to the desire of many, those portions of Testimonies No. 1-10 which had been omitted by Mrs. White in the first reprint were now restored. Yet in doing this, James White recognized, as did his wife when preparing the first °reprint, that these "local and personal" portions did not "have a direct bearing upon our time."

28 Numbers Available in 1884

During the next eight years Numbers 20-28 of the "Testimonies" series appeared. In these early days the "Testimonies" attained their widest circulation and were best known in the form of pamphlets, consecutively numbered. The plan of grouping together several of these in bound volumes was continued through the years until by 1879 there were six volumes, containing "Testimonies," Numbers 1-28, in­clusive. These volumes were not numbered and should not be confused with our present volume arrangement.

By 1883 the publishers were again unable to furnish complete sets of the "Testimonies" either in pamphlet form or in bound volumes, and to meet the constant demand for this precious instruction for the church, it was decided to republish all of Numbers 1-30, Num­bers 29 and 30 having appeared by this time. There were certain problems in connection with the proposal regarding the printing of this third edition, however, which it was felt must be duly considered. A number of the "Testimonies" had been written under very unfavorable circumstances, and in the haste to bring them before the people, numerous gram­matical imperfections had been allowed to pass uncorrected into the published works. Now that the "Testimonies" were to be reprinted, it was recognized by Mrs. White and her as­sociates that these imperfections in expression should be corrected so as to present the mes­sages in better literary form.

Vital Principles Enunciated

The question was of such vital importance that it was carried to the General Conference session of 1883. At that meeting, important decisions were reached which not only affected the reprinting of these "Testimonies," but which also placed the denomination on record as to its understanding of certain fundamental principles having to do with the utterances of the Spirit of prophecy. We quote from the minutes of the meeting:

"32. Whereas, Some of the bound volumes of the 'Testimonies to the Church' are out of print, so that full sets cannot be obtained at the office ; and,

"Whereas, There is a constant and urgent call for the reprinting of these volumes ; therefore,

"Resolved, That we recommend their republication in such a form as to make four volumes of seven or eight hundred pages each.

"33. Whereas, Many of these testimonies were written under the most unfavorable circumstances, the writer being too heavily pressed with anxiety and labor to devote critical thought to the grammatical perfection of the writings. and they were printed in such haste as to allow these imperfections to pass uncorrected ; and,

"Whereas, We believe the light given by God to His servants is by the enlightenment of the mind, thus imparting the thoughts, and not (except in rare cases) the very words in which the ideas should be expressed [italics ours] ; therefore,

'Resolved, That in the republication of these vol­umes, such verbal changes be made as to remove the above-named imperfections, as far as possible, without in any measure changing the thought : and further.

"34. Resolved, That this body appoint a committee of five to take charge of the republication of these volumes according to the above preambles and reso­lutions."—Review and Herald, Nov. 27, 1883.

Thus it was recognized that the messages which were imparted to Mrs. White came not through a mechanical, verbal inspiration, but rather through an enlightenment of the mind. Mrs. White was ever desirous that the mes­sages entrusted to her should be presented in a manner to convey most perfectly to others the thoughts imparted in the revelations. These revelations were many times presented through scenes or views which passed before her. She must then describe them to the best of her ability, and in doing this, she endeavored to use the most fitting language at her command. Thus in preparing the manuscript for publica­tion, any mechanical or editorial changes made by her or her secretaries, or any alterations or additions which she herself might make to bring out the thought more clearly or more forcefully, were fully justified. Similarly, in the published "Testimonies," mechanical, grammatical, or editorial changes in these described limits, were also in place.

Nos. 1-30 Issued as Volumes I-IV

In harmony with the action at the General Conference, a committee of five were named to examine the thirty numbers of the "Testi­monies" involved. They did conscientious work and laid all matters of importance before Mrs. White for her approval. As had been planned, the new edition came out on a larger-size page, a more appropriate type was used, and Nos. 1-30 were issued in four-Volumes—Volumes I-IV of our present nine-volume series of "Testi­monies for the Church."

Concerning the work done in the preparation of this edition, the following statement from the publishers appears in the "Preface to the Third Edition:"

"In the 'Testimonies' as first printed. blanks or initials were generally used for the names of the per­sons addressed. For these are now substituted the letters of the alphabet, beginning with A in each number.

"In the earlier visions the words 'I saw' were very frequently inserted. As the writer considers this repetition needless, and as they constitute no part of the record of what was seen, they are sometimes omitted. Some grammatical and rhetorical changes also have been made for the sake of strength and clearness. In making these changes great care has been taken to preserve every idea, and in no case have either words or sentences been omitted unless as above indicated, to avoid unnecessary repetition."—"Testimonies for the Church," Vol. I, pp. iii,

This new edition of 1884 was heartily wel­comed, and its widely circulated volumes bear a marked influence in the live's of the church members and the policies of the church at large. Later numbers were added to this set and in 1889, Volume V appeared. containing Nos. 31, 32, and 33. Volumes VI, VII, VIII, and IX appeared as complete volumes, and with Volume IX the series was brought to a close in 1909. The nine volumes contain nearly 5,000 pages of instruction and counsel to the church, and are now conveniently bound to­gether in the family set of four volumes.

(To be continued)


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By W. C. WHITE

D. E. ROBINSON

A. L. WHITE

August 1937

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