Ellen G. White Review & Herald Articles, Book II of IV

by Ellen Gould White

FOR NEARLY 150 years, the Review and Herald has been the official church paper of the Seventh-day Adventist people. A paper, The Present Truth, was first printed in August 1849. In 1851 the name was changed to Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Over the decades the church paper has carried a number of names, and as of 2012 it is simply Adventist Review. Our “church paper”actually preceded, by fourteen years, the official organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863. From its inception, throughout her life, the messenger of the Lord, Ellen G. White, used the Review and Herald as one of the main avenues of communicating God’s counsels to His remnant people. During that sixty-six year span nearly 2,000 messages by God of direction, reproof, and inspiration were published in the Review and Herald. This present edition has all of her articles, published through 1915, unabridged in four volumes. Ellen G. White passed away Friday, July 16, 1915. Upon hearing of her death, Arthur W. Spalding penned the following lines that appeared in The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald of July 29, 1915. And Israel Mourned “Upon the sweet Sabbatic calm The evil tidings swept; And, hushing every joyful psalm, An orphaned people wept. Alas, that human lips must tell The somber message “O Israel! O Israel! Thy godly seer is dead!” Long, long the tale of freighted years That marked the judge’s seat, From Shiloh’s mingled hopes and fears To Ramah’s counsel sweet. The chorus of their graces swell The lamentation “O Israel! O Israel! Thy prophet speaks no more!” What hand hath not that guidance felt, Or sore-pressed heart that touch, When wayward life its impulse dealt And sorrow overmuch? What tender memories compel That saddened, low “O Israel! O Israel! Thy messenger is slain!” But hush, thou Jacob, feeble, faint, Beset by traitor foe; Take thee a pean for thy plaint, A kingdom for thy blow. With seer and prophet all is well. Loud let the heavens “O Israel! O Israel! Prepare to meet thy King!” In an editorial of the same Review and Herald issue, the editor, Francis M. Wilcox, stressed the point that though dead, the messenger of the Lord still speaks through her published works. “Set as a teacher in Israel, she was true to the trust imposed upon her. With unswerving fidelity she bore her testimony as the Spirit of God directed her utterance in reproof. in exhortation, in encouragement. As a special watchman upon Zion’s walls. as the messenger of God, she never faltered in bearing the burden which this ministry imposed. How often during her long ministry has she stood in the breach to call Israel back to their allegiance to God! How often has she rebuked sin in high places in the church! She has not betrayed her trust, but has proved loyal to the position appointed her. . . . “Of the great influence exerted by her words, spoken and written, we need not speak. The judgment will reveal, we believe, a wonderful fruitage of the labors of this devout servant. Though dead. she still speaks. Her works follow her. They still live to bless the church. Her stirring appeals, her exhortations, her instructions in the divine life, are still left us. To these we can still seek for the help which personally she is powerless to give. . . . “We shall miss our beloved sister. but we trust that we shall treasure even more carefully the instruction that she has given us. If we shall do this, if we shall turn to the Lord with all our hearts, . . .

628 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2012

About the author

In brief, Ellen Gould Harmon White was a woman of remarkable spiritual gifts who lived most of her life during the nineteenth century (1827-1915), yet through her writings she is still making a revolutionary impact on millions of people around the world. During her lifetime she wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books; but today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Her writings cover a broad range of subjects, including religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 140 languages. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; they believe she was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world's attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ's second advent. From the time she was 17 years old until she died 70 years later, God gave her approximately 2,000 visions and dreams. The visions varied in length from less than a minute to nearly four hours. The knowledge and counsel received through these revelations she wrote out to be shared with others. Thus her special writings are accepted by Seventh-day Adventists as inspired, and their exceptional quality is recognized even by casual readers. As stated in Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , “The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject” (Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Washington D.C., 1988, p. 227). Yet, as Ellen White herself noted, “The fact that God has revealed His will to men through His Word, has not rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour to open the Word to His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings” (The Great Controversy, p. vii). The following is a more detailed account of the life and work of this remarkable woman who, meeting all the tests of a true prophet as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, helped found the Seventh-day Adventist church.