Ellen White’s Last Four Books

Part 3—The Story of Prophets and Kings

Originally published in Adventist Review, June 25, 1981

During the last two years of her life Ellen White gave her strength to book preparation.

A General Conference was to Ellen White a very important occasion. She had missed few sessions through the 70 years of her active ministry. As the time neared for the thirty-eighth such meeting, to be held in Washington, D. C., in May, 1913, she wished she might attend. Instead, she sent two formal messages to be read to the delegates and asked her son to present orally her words of greeting. He had an opportunity to do so, as A. G. Daniells, after a brief address at the opening meeting, gave an opportunity for words of gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving. As he arose to bear his testimony, W. C. White conveyed the message his mother had given him: EWLFB 11.1

“Tell our brethren to be of good cheer. Tell them to have faith in God and expect great things, to undertake great things, and in His strength to go forward. Tell them not to fear or to look back. My prayers will be with them.

“Tell our brethren I feel perfectly clear that it is God’s will that I shall remain at home and reserve what strength I have to help in the work of bringing my writings into book form, so that they can be published for the people.”—The General Conference Bulletin, May 16, 1913, pp. 5, 6.

Then in giving a report on her state of health and welfare, he stated: EWLFB 11.2

“Mother is eighty-five years old. She feels the infirmities of age, but she is not suffering with sickness. She is comfortably well. Almost every pleasant day she rides out for an hour or two. Usually she devotes an hour or two to reading and writing, from day to day.

“Very frequently, as I visit her in the morning, I find the Review in her hands and she says, ‘What a wonderful paper! What an interesting report of our work!’ And in connection with various reports in the Review, she often comments on the progress of the work in many lands.

“Mother’s courage is good. She has no fear of the future. She expects to rest in the grave a little while before the Lord comes, but she has no dread. Her only anxiety is to use day by day what strength God gives her in a way most acceptable to her Master.”—Ibid.

During the Conference session, W. C. White read one of the messages his mother had addressed to the delegates, and a little later A. G. Daniells read the other. The messages brought courage to the workers assembled. EWLFB 11.3

A few weeks after the Conference closed, but before W. C. White was back at Elmshaven, Sara McEnterfer, Ellen White’s private secretary, traveling companion, and nurse, informed him of Ellen White’s state of health: EWLFB 11.4

“Mother’s health has been more than we dared to hope for during your absence. She sings in the night and she sings in the day (even while in the bathtub taking her treatment). She seems to enjoy her food very much, and I believe it is doing her good. We get her out to ride twice nearly every day.”

Steady, but sometimes seemingly slow, progress was made in the tasks of preparing “Old Testament History” and Gospel Workers, and in meeting the incessant demand for E. G. White articles for the Review and Signs of the Times. EWLFB 12.1

On August 28, Ellen White herself reported concerning the progress of her literary work: EWLFB 12.2

“The past few months I have not done much letter writing; for I have wished to keep my strength for the reading of important matter in my book work. I have with me an excellent company of workers, men and women who are as true as steel to principle, and whose entire interests are bound up with this work. My faith has increased as I have tried to do my best to complete my writings.”—Letter 11, 1913.

Through December, she was still much employed in book production. She wrote of this on December 4, 1913: EWLFB 12.3

“I am fairly well health wise, not suffering much pain, but I realize that old age is reminding me that I am mortal. My book work is still taking my time, and I am trying to finish my work with joy and not with grief. I have not lost my courage.”—Letter 13, 1913.