Ellen G. White and Her Critics

An Exhibit of Early Sources of “Steps to Christ” Expressions

1872—Testimonies for the Church 3:106, 107	Steps to Christ, 47
“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all	“The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a

to the will of God, and being clothed with humility, possessing that love that is pure, peaceable, and easy to be entreated, full of gentleness and good fruits, is not an easy attainment.”

struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness.”

1885—Review and Herald, February 3	Steps to Christ, 126-128
“‘Trust in the Lord.’ Each day has its burdens, its cares, and perplexities; and when we meet, how ready we are to talk of our difficulties and trials. So many borrowed troubles intrude, so many fears are indulged, such a weight of anxiety is expressed, that one might almost suppose that we had no pitying, loving Saviour, ready to hear all our requests, and to be to us a present help in every time of need.”	“The Psalmist says, ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.’ ‘Trust in the Lord.’ Each day has its burdens, its cares and perplexities; and when we meet, how ready we are to talk of our difficulties and trials. So many borrowed troubles intrude, so many fears are indulged, such a weight of anxiety is expressed, that one might suppose we had no pitying, loving Saviour, ready to hear all our requests, and to be to us a present help in every time of need.
Some are always fearing and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded by the tokens of God’s love, every day they are enjoying the bounties of his providence; but they overlook these present blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something disagreeable which they fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist, which, though small, blinds their eyes to the many things which demand gratitude. The difficulties which they encounter, instead of driving them to God, the only source of help, separate them from him, because they awaken unrest and repining.	“Some are always fearing, and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded with the tokens of God’s love; everyday they are enjoying the bounties of His providence; but they overlook these present blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something disagreeable, which they fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist, which, though small, blinds their eyes to the many things that demand gratitude. The difficulties they encounter, instead of driving them to God, the only source of their help, separate them from Him, because they awaken unrest and repining.
“Brethren and sisters, do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be ungrateful and distrustful? Jesus is our friend. All heaven is interested in our welfare; and our	“Do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be ungrateful and distrustful? Jesus is our friend;

anxiety and fear grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We should not indulge in a solicitude which only frets and wears us, but does not help us to bear trials....	all Heaven is interested in our welfare. We should not allow the perplexities and worries of every-day life to fret the mind and cloud the brow. If we do, we shall always have something to vex and annoy. We should not indulge a solicitude that only frets and wears us, but does not help us to bear trials.
“You may be perplexed in business; your prospects may grow darker and darker, and you may be threatened with loss. But do not become discouraged; cast your care upon God, and remain calm and cheerful. Begin every day with earnest prayer, not omitting to offer praise and thanksgiving. Ask for wisdom to manage your affairs with discretion, and thus prevent loss and disaster. Do all you can on your part to bring about favorable results. Jesus has promised divine aid, but not aside from human efforts. When, relying upon your tried Helper, you have done all you can, accept the result cheerfully....	“You may be perplexed in business; your prospects may grow darker and darker, and you may be threatened with loss; but do not become discouraged; cast your care upon God, and remain calm and cheerful. Pray for wisdom to manage your affairs with discretion, and thus prevent loss and disaster. Do all you can on your part to bring about favorable results. Jesus has promised His aid, but not apart from our effort. When, relying upon our Helper, you have done all you can, accept the result cheerfully.
“It is not the will of God that his people should be weighed down with care. But our Lord does not deceive us. He does not say to us, ‘Do not fear; there are no dangers in your path.’ He knows there are trials and dangers, and he deals with us plainly. He does not propose to take his people out of a world of sin and evil, but he points them to a never-failing refuge. His prayer for his disciples was, ‘I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil.’ ‘In the world,’ he says, ‘ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’”—Page 65.	“It is not the will of God that His people should be weighed down with care. But our Lord does not deceive us. He does not say to us, ‘Do not fear; there are no dangers in your path.’ He knows there are trials and dangers, and He deals with us plainly. He does not propose to take His people out of a world of sin and evil, but He points them to a never-failing refuge. His prayer for His disciples was, ‘I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.’ ‘In the world,’ He says, ‘ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’”

1885—Review and Herald, October 27	Steps to Christ, 10
“Notwithstanding the curse was pronounced upon the earth that it should bring forth thorns and thistles, there is a flower upon the thistle. This world is not all sorrow and misery. God’s great book of nature is open for us to study; and from it we are to gain more exalted ideas of his greatness and unexcelled love and glory....	“The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.
“Every spire of grass, every opening bud and blooming flower is a token of God’s love, and should teach us a lesson of faith and trust in him. Christ calls our attention to their natural loveliness.”—Page 657.	“‘God is love,’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass.”
1886—Review and Herald, September 21	Steps to Christ, 57
“Here is where thousands are failing. They do not really believe that Jesus pardons them personally, individually. They fail to take God at his word.”—Page 593.	“Here is where thousands fail: they do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally, individually. They do not take God at His word.”
1887, Feb. 6, E. G. White Letter 35	Steps to Christ, 121
I had a dream not long since. I was going through a garden and you were by my side. You kept saying, ‘Look at this unsightly shrub, this deformed tree, that poor stunted rose bush. This makes me feel bad, for they seem to represent my life and the relation I stand in before God.’ I thought a stately form walked just before us and he said, ‘Gather the roses, and the lilies, and the pinks, and leave the thistles and unsightly shrubs, and bruise not the soul that Christ has in His choice keeping.’ I awoke. I slept again, and the same dream was repeated.”	“I dreamed that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was conducting me through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their fragrance, when this sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to some unsightly briers that were impeding her way. There she was, mourning and grieving. She was not walking in the pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the briers and thorns. ‘O,’ she mourned, ‘is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns?’ Then the guide said, ‘Let the

thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks.’”

1887—Review and Herald, June 7	Steps to Christ, 85
“The only way to grow in grace is to be interestedly doing the very work Christ has enjoined upon us to do,—interestedly engaged to the very extent of our ability to be helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them.”—Page 353.	“The only way to grow in grace is to be disinterestedly doing the very work which Christ has enjoined upon us,—to engage, to the extent of our ability, in helping and blessing those who need the help we can give them.”

These parallel passages give conclusive proof that some of the material of Steps to Christ was actually written before Miss Bolton ever connected with Mrs. White’s office. This exhibit provides sufficient proof in itself of the utterly groundless nature of the present-day critic’s amazing charge that “Fannie Bolton wrote ‘Steps to Christ’ without any dictation or assistance from Mrs. White whatever. It was her product in toto, but was published as Mrs. White’s production.” EGWC 485.1

In the future, when our readers note in the writings of a critic the confident line, “the best of evidence,” as an introduction to some charge against Mrs. White, their minds will probably turn to this Steps to Christ incident, and they can quickly decide for themselves how worthless may be the critic’s “best of evidence,” and how doubly worthless the rest of his evidence. EGWC 485.2

We ask the reader to remember that the charge with regard to Steps to Christ is the only specific one that we have been able to find offered in support of the blanket declaration that literary assistants did a large part of Mrs. White’s writings! EGWC 485.3