Life Sketches of Ellen G. White

Address By Elder Daniells

A solo, “Rest for the Toiling Hand,” rendered by Professor Griggs, was followed by an address from the president of the General Conference, Elder A. G. Daniells. The speaker traced briefly yet clearly the early life and Christian experience of Mrs. White, and also her late labors. The first portion of his address served the purpose of a biographical sketch, and also formed a basis for the main line of thought running throughout; namely, that in very truth God has been bestowing upon the remnant church the precious gift of the spirit of prophecy. LS 467.3

Regarding Mrs. White's call early in life to special ministry for God, and the fruits that have characterized this ministry, Elder Daniells said: LS 468.1

“Taking the Bible as the supreme guide of her life, she became fully convinced, by its teaching, that the second coming of Christ was near at hand. On this point she never wavered, and, believing it with her whole soul, she felt that the one supreme purpose of every individual at this time should be to live a blameless life in Christ, and to devote every resource at command to the salvation of the lost. LS 468.2

“This view led her to unceasing prayer for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Her yearning for this divine presence was answered beyond all that she had conceived.... Her life of full surrender, obedience, and prayer for divine help was rewarded by the bestowal of the gift of prophecy, one of the choicest of all the gifts of the Spirit. LS 468.3

“In December, 1844, the Holy Spirit gave her a revelation of the second coming of Christ. In this vision of the future there was given a view of the glorious reward that awaits the redeemed and the terrible fate that will come to all who refuse to serve their Lord and Master. This view of the destiny of the human family made a profound impression upon her heart. Here she received her appointment as a messenger of God. She felt that God was commanding her to give this message of light and salvation to others. LS 468.4

“This was a great trial to her. She was but seventeen years old, small, frail, and retiring; but after a long, severe struggle, she surrendered to the call of her Lord, and then courage and strength were given her to enter upon her life work. LS 469.1

“Following this surrender and victory there came to her a series of remarkable spiritual experiences, unmistakably genuine, and regarded by her associate workers of that day as a manifestation of the gift of prophecy promised by Christ to the remnant church. Those who have been associated with her through all the years that have passed since that time have never had occasion to alter their conviction that the revelations which have come to her through the years have come from God. LS 469.2

“The late Uriah Smith, a lifelong associate in this work with both Elder and Mrs. White, left the following testimony to this gift as manifested in her teachings: LS 469.3

“‘Every test which can be brought to bear upon such manifestations, proves them genuine. The evidence which supports them, internal and external, is conclusive. They agree with the word of God, and with themselves. They are given, unless those best qualified to judge are invariably deceived, when the Spirit of God is especially present. Calm, dignified, impressive, they commend themselves to every beholder, as the very opposite of that which is false or fanatical. LS 469.4

“‘Their fruit is such as to show that the source from which they spring is the opposite of evil. LS 469.5

“‘1. They tend to the purest morality. They discountenance every vice, and exhort to the practice of every virtue. They point out the perils through which we are to pass to the kingdom. They reveal the devices of Satan. They warn us against his snares. They have nipped in the bud scheme after scheme of fanaticism which the enemy has tried to foist into our midst. They have exposed hidden iniquity, brought to light concealed wrongs, and laid bare the evil motives of the false-hearted. They have warded off dangers from the cause of truth upon every hand. They have aroused and re-aroused us to greater consecration to God, more zealous efforts for holiness of heart, and greater diligence in the cause and service of our Master. LS 469.6

“‘2. They lead us to Christ. Like the Bible, they set Him forth as the only hope and only Saviour of mankind. They portray before us in living characters His holy life and His godly example, and with irresistible appeals they urge us to follow in His steps. LS 470.1

“‘3. They lead us to the Bible. They set forth that book as the inspired and unalterable word of God. They exhort us to take that Word as the man of our counsel, and the rule of our faith and practice. And with a compelling power, they entreat us to study long and diligently its pages, and become familiar with its teaching, for it is to judge us in the last day. LS 470.2

“‘4. They have brought comfort and consolation to many hearts. They have strengthened the weak, encouraged the feeble, raised up the despondent. They have brought order out of confusion, made crooked places straight, and thrown light on what was dark and obscure.’ LS 470.3

“August 30, 1846, Miss Harmon was married to James White, a native of Palmyra, Somerset County, Maine. From the time of their marriage, Mrs. White's life was closely linked with that of her husband in strenuous gospel work until his death, August 6, 1881. They traveled extensively over the United States, preaching and writing, planting and building, organizing and administering. Time and test have proved how broad and firm were the foundations they laid, and how wisely and well they built. LS 470.4

“The views held and widely promulgated by Mrs. White regarding vital fundamental questions—the sovereignty of God, the divinity of Christ, the efficacy of the gospel, the inspiration of the Scriptures, the majesty of the law, the character of sin and deliverance from its power, the brotherhood of man and the relationships and responsibilities in that brotherhood—her teaching regarding these great questions, and her life of devotion to her Lord and of service to her fellow men, were made impressive through the revelations given her by the divine Spirit. They are the fruits of that Spirit—the fruits by which her life work is to be judged. They must determine the source and the character of the Spirit that has dominated her whole life. ‘By their fruits ye shall know them.’ ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ LS 471.1

“This question is not involved in any uncertainty whatever. Her teaching is clear, and the influence of her life has been positive. LS 471.2

“No Christian teacher in this generation, no religious reformer in any preceding age, has placed a higher value upon the Bible. In all her writings it is represented as the book of all books, the supreme and all-sufficient guide for the whole human family. Not a trace of ‘higher criticism,’ ‘new thought,’ nor skeptical, destructive philosophy can be found in any of her writings. Those who still believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible word of the living God will value most highly the positive, uncompromising support given this view in the writings of Mrs. White. LS 471.3

“In her teaching, Christ is recognized and exalted as the only Saviour of sinners. Emphasis is placed upon the bold and unqualified announcement of the disciples that ‘there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ The power to redeem from sin and its effect is in Him alone, and to Him all men are directed. LS 472.1

“Her writings hold firmly to the doctrine that the gospel, as revealed in the sacred Scriptures, presents the only means of salvation. No recognition whatever is given to any of the philosophies of India or the ethical codes of Burma and China as compared with the gospel of the Son of God. This alone is the hope of a lost world. LS 472.2

“The Holy Spirit, Christ's representative on earth, is set forth and exalted as the heavenly teacher and guide sent to this world by our Lord at His ascension, to make real in the hearts and lives of men all that He had made possible by His death on the cross. The gifts of this divine Spirit, as enumerated in the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament, are acknowledged, prayed for, and received as fully as the Spirit sees fit to impart them. LS 472.3

“The church instituted by our Lord and built up by His disciples in the first century is set forth as the divine model. Its prerogatives and authority are fully acknowledged, and all its ordinances and memorials are observed. Strong emphasis is placed upon the value of gospel order and organization, as revealed in the Scriptures, for the efficiency of the church in all its world-wide operations. LS 472.4

“Through the light and counsel given her, Mrs. White held and advocated broad, progressive views regarding vital questions that affect the betterment and uplift of the human family, from the moral, intellectual, physical, and social standpoint as well as the spiritual. Her writings are full of instruction, clear and positive, in behalf of a broad, practical, Christian education for every young man and young woman. In response to her earnest counsels, the denomination with which she was associated now maintains a system of education for all its children and young people. LS 473.1

“Her writings present most comprehensive views regarding temperance reform, the laws of life and health, and the use of rational, effective remedies for the treatment of disease. The adoption of these principles has placed the people with whom she worked, in the front ranks with others who are advocating sane temperance reforms and working for the physical improvement of mankind. LS 473.2

“Nor is the social status of the human family lost sight of. Slavery, the caste system, unjust racial prejudices, the oppression of the poor, the neglect of the unfortunate,—these all are set forth as unchristian and a serious menace to the well-being of the human race, and as evils which the church of Christ is appointed by her Lord to overthrow. LS 473.3

“In the writings of Mrs. White prominence is given to the responsibilities of the church in both home and foreign mission service. Every member of the body is admonished to be a light in the world, a blessing to those with whom he may associate. All must live the unselfish life of the Master for others. And the church in Christian lands must put forth their highest endeavors to evangelize those who are groping in the darkness and superstition of heathen lands. Go to all the world, give to all the world, work for all the world, is the exhortation running through all the writings of Mrs. White, as the following quotation will illustrate: LS 473.4

“‘Let the members of the church have increased faith, gaining zeal from their unseen, heavenly allies, from a knowledge of their exhaustless resources, from the greatness of the enterprise in which they are engaged, and from the power of their Leader. Those who place themselves under God's control, to be led and guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place. Inspired by the Spirit of Him who gave His life for the life of the world, they will no longer stand still in impotency, pointing to what they cannot do. Putting on the armor of heaven, they will go forth to the warfare, willing to do and dare for God, knowing that His omnipotence will supply their need.’ LS 474.1

“Thus for fully seventy years she gave her life in active service to the cause of God in behalf of sinful, suffering, sorrowing humanity. After traveling extensively through the United States from 1846 to 1885, she visited Europe, where she devoted two years to the work there, which was then in a formative period. In 1891 she went to Australia, where she remained nine years, traveling about the colonies, and devoting all her energies to the upbuilding of the work. LS 474.2

“On returning to the United States in 1900, at the age of seventy-three, she seemed to feel that her duty to travel was about done, and that she should devote the rest of her life to writing. Thus she toiled on until within a short time of her death, at the ripe age of almost eighty-eight years. LS 474.3

“Perhaps we are not wise enough to say definitely just what part of Mrs. White's life work has been of the greatest value to the world, but it would seem that the large volume of Biblical literature she has left would prove to be of the greatest service to mankind. Her books number upwards of twenty volumes. Some of these have been translated into many languages in different parts of the world. They have now reached a circulation of more than two million copies, and are still going to the public by thousands. LS 475.1

“As we survey the whole field of gospel truth—of man's relation to his Lord and his fellow men—it must be seen that Mrs. White, in all her teaching, has given these great fundamentals positive, constructive support. She has touched humanity at every vital point of need, and lifted it to a higher level. LS 475.2

“Now she is at rest. Her voice is silent; her pen is laid aside. But the mighty influence of that active, forceful, Spirit-filled life will continue. That life was linked with the Eternal; it was wrought in God. The message proclaimed and the work done constitute a monument that will never crumble nor perish. The many volumes she has left, dealing with every phase of human life, urging every reform necessary to the betterment of society as represented by the family, city, state, and nation, will continue to mould public sentiment and individual character. Their messages will be cherished more than they have been in the past. The cause to which her life was devoted, and which that life influenced and advanced to so great a degree, will press forward with increasing force and rapidity as the years go by. We who are connected with it need entertain no fear except the fear of our own failure to do our part as faithfully and loyally as we should.” LS 475.3