Testimony Treasures, Vol. 1

Foreword

The possession of the spirit of prophecy is one of the two distinguishing features of the remnant church, as foretold in the book of the Revelation. From the very beginning days this gift has played an important role in the experience of Seventh-day Adventists and in the development of the church. Through it the church has been admonished, guided, encouraged, as well as reproved and corrected. 1TT 5.1

As from time to time the Testimonies came from the press, they were eagerly secured, their contents prayerfully studied, and the instruction heeded. Through the years some of these testimonies have also been provided for believers who read languages other than English. Largely to these messages may be traced the present-day strength, unity, and high standards of the church. 1TT 5.2

Now, through this world edition of Testimony Treasures, these counsels which have wielded so large an influence are being made available to Seventh-day Adventists the world around. It is, however, only by presenting a selection of articles that it is possible to publish them in this compact, easily handled, and widely distributed form. 1TT 5.3

These three volumes present a well-balanced and fully representative selection of articles, chosen by able committees of experienced workers, under the direction of, and in collaboration with the Board of Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications, the agency established by Mrs. E. G. White to carry the responsibility of the continuing publication of her writings. They constitute an integral part of the Introductory Spirit of Prophecy Library—twelve spirit of prophecy volumes designated for early publication in the principal languages of the world. 1TT 5.4

The full nine volumes of the Testimonies for the Church are composed of a series of independently written articles and letters often on unrelated topics. The first collection, in pamphlet form, was published late in 1855. Others soon followed, until there were thirty-seven consecutively numbered pamphlets and books issued over a period of fifty-five years. The messages were both general and specific in character, interspersed with personal testimonies dealing with problems others might face. 1TT 5.5

Written as they were over a long period of time, to meet the current needs of the church, there was naturally considerable repetition of subject matter. Moreover, much of the counsel applied especially to local and sometimes isolated conditions that existed at the time of writing. Such repetition of counsel, and messages of local import, while of great value, are not of present-day service to the church outside North America. A selection of articles of general and universal application is therefore feasible and advisable as the testimony counsel is made available to the church throughout the world. The making of such a selection is in full harmony with a policy outlined by Mrs. White herself in 1864 in reprinting the first ten numbers of the Testimonies. To make this clear we quote her introductory statement: 1TT 6.1

“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.”—Testimony for the Church, Nos. 1-10, as Republished in Spiritual Gifts, volume 4. 1TT 6.2

Although later English editions embodied the full presentation of the earlier pamphlets, these principles enunciated by Mrs. White have guided in preparing this uniform world edition of Testimony Treasures. 1TT 6.3

The Testimonies for the Church published in English aggregate 4,737 pages. There are 1,500 pages of text in these three volumes of Testimony Treasures, or about one third of the content of the nine volumes. An endeavor has been made to include all of the articles which have appeared in the two basic Selections From the Testimonies which have in the past been published in languages other than English—the two-volume 650-page edition published in Central Europe and the three-volume 1,100-page edition published in some of the Latin languages. In a few cases when paralleling articles in the above-named Selections would result in duplication or a close repetition of subject matter in this three-volume set or within the Introductory Spirit of Prophecy Library, such articles have been omitted. 1TT 7.1

As a rule, articles are used in their entirety. In some cases, however, in order to conserve space and thus open the way for a broad selection of subject matter, some portions of long articles are omitted. In each case, deletions in the text are indicated. Aside from the articles which are selected, some outstanding paragraphs, presenting vital points of truth, have been taken from other chapters. In each case the original source is clearly indicated. There have also been included a few important articles of a testimony character, dealing with vital topics not represented in the Testimonies, but which appear elsewhere in the English editions of the E. G. White books not available in other languages. 1TT 7.2

The articles will be found in their chronological order as they appear in the full nine-volume set, with the exception of a few cases where rearrangement seemed advisable to make appropriate openings for the three volumes. Subheadings have been added, and in some cases long paragraphs have been divided. Modern forms of punctuation and spelling have been employed, but there has been no editing or changing of the text. The date of first publication, together with the source of the article and the original chapter title, if a change in title has been made, is given as a footnote in connection with each article. 1TT 7.3

In a very few cases references which are obscure because of the deletion of preceding chapters are clarified by explanatory footnotes. It will be observed that in the personal testimonies the names of those concerned do not appear, the initials “A,” “B,” “C,” etc., being used instead. The initial used in the testimony, therefore, bears no relation to the name of the individual for whom the message was given. 1TT 8.1

These volumes in the English are not designed to replace the full nine-volume set of Testimonies for the Church. That standard edition will always be in large demand. Testimony Treasures in the English will, however, greatly broaden the distribution of important testimony counsels, making them available in convenient and less expensive form for English readers in the Americas and abroad. 1TT 8.2

As rapidly as these volumes are made available in other leading languages, they will carry the important testimony messages of admonition and encouragement to the homes of Seventh-day Adventists throughout the world. The uniformity of content of Testimony Treasures as published in all languages, will bring large advantage to the people of God who are one in interest, objective, faith, and hope throughout the world. That this counsel, vital to the welfare of the church, may be effectual in “the perfecting of the saints” and “the edifying of the body of Christ,” is the earnest prayer of the General Conference Committee, the publishers, and— 1TT 8.3

The Trustees of the Ellen G. White Publications.