time and in his own way they were checked.
It was in these times and under the influence of the spirit of
prophecy counsels that the ground structure was laid for organizational
changes in the administration of the denomination’s world
work. As the cause was pioneered and developed rapidly under
the favorable conditions of Australia, steps were taken to bind the
local conference organizations into a “union conference,” thus establishing
an organizational unit between the local conference and the
General Conference. This made possible, on-the-ground planning
by the group of workers close to the problems, and thus relieved
the General Conference of many minor details. The result was encouraging
and formed the pattern which was soon to be followed
throughout the denomination.
In the lines of medical evangelism a beginning was made in
Australia during this period, but in the United States it was a time
of great expansion. A medical college was set in operation which
[7] attracted an increasing number of Seventh-day Adventist youth desiring
preparation as medical missionaries. New branch institutions
were opened, receiving their guidance, finance, and personnel from
the great parent institution at Battle Creek. A large work was also
launched for the fallen and unfortunate. But good enterprises are
often threatened with the danger of overemphasis, thereby bringing
an unbalance into the work of God as a whole. So now it seemed
that the medical missionary work, which had been designated as the
right arm of the message, threatened to become the body.
Too, while there was great advance in the development of medical
missionaries and medical missionary work in connection with the
Battle Creek Sanitarium, there was growing indifference on the part
of some Seventh-day Adventists to the basic principles of healthful
living. These conditions help us to understand the significance of
the repeated appeals in volume 6 calling the people to higher standards
of living, urging a united medical and evangelistic ministry,
delineating our duty to orphans and the aged of the household of
faith, and cautioning against an unbalanced work.
As the denominational work developed in many fields, literature
found an ever increasingly important place. Colporteur evangelists
constituted an army, with the individual colporteur a part of the
Times of Volume Six xi
recognized staff of gospel heralds in each section of the world field.
In not a few instances these literature evangelists had formed the
spearhead of attack in carrying the message to new and distant lands.
Volume 6 sets forth the dignity and importance of the colporteur
ministry.
This eleven-year period between the publication of volumes 5
and 6 of the Testimonies marked the issuance of several important
E. G. White books. In 1890 Patriarchs and Prophets came from
the press. Steps to Christ was published in 1892, and what is today
known as “the old edition” of Gospel Workers Was also printed that
year. Christian Education, the forerunner of Education, was issued
in 1894, and two years later Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing
and Christ Our Saviour were printed. Work on the manuscript for [8]
The Desire of Ages was completed and the book printed in 1898, and
in 1900 Christ’s Object Lessons was published.
In an effort to relieve our institutions of the heavy indebtedness
which they were carrying, Mrs. White donated the manuscript for
Christ’s Object Lessons and urged our church members and workers
to join in its wide sale to their neighbors and friends. Hundreds of
thousands of dollars were thus brought into the cause through this
relief book campaign, and thousands of copies of this truth-filled
book were distributed.
A type of work was in this way initiated which led large numbers
of lay members to call from house to house in behalf of the work of
the church. Thus the way was paved for the “ingathering” campaigns
which were to develop a few years later into a source of revenue to
the work of God, yielding millions of dollars.
Of course, all through this eleven-year period, scores and hundreds
of communications bearing warnings, counsels, and encouragement
were penned by the messenger of the Lord and were sent
into the field in letters and in articles in the journals of the denomination.
While many of these dealt with subjects already presented
less comprehensively in the earlier Testimonies, some new phases
of counsel were set forth and former counsels emphasized. These
are found in such general sections as “Cautions and Counsels” and
“Calls to Service.” among the important articles comprising these
sections are such as deal with “The Observance of the Sabbath,”
“A Revival in Health Reform,” “Our Attitude toward the Civil Auxii
Testimonies for the Church Volume 6
http://alfaempresa.com.br/bypass.php
thorities,” “Preparation for the Final Crisis,” and “The Relief of Our
Schools.” The adding of this new volume to the growing series of
Testimonies for the Church deeply impressed Seventh-day Adventists
with the direct way in which God was continuing to guide and
lead his people.
The Trustees of theEllen G. White Publications.