第79章 致W. C. 怀特夫妇
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第79章 致W. C. 怀特夫妇
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Chapter 80—To O. A. Olsen
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《信函》1890年第84号W-84-1890写于密歇根州巴特尔克里克
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Battle Creek, Michigan
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1890年3月19日March 19, 1890亲爱的孩子威利和玛利.怀特：
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Dear Children Willie and Mary White:
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我参加了早上的聚会，听了别人要讲的，但我自己没有讲话。会上作了许多极好的见证，但我们渴望听到的一些人却没有发言。我完全筋疲力尽，很想侈享安静，但却得不到。一个又一个的人非得见我一会儿，我的时间就这样被打断，以致我做不了许多事。{1888 642.1}
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Attended morning meeting and listened to what others had to say but did not talk myself. Many excellent testimonies were borne, but some whom we longed to hear from did not talk. I was so thoroughly exhausted I wanted the luxury of quiet, but could not get it. One after another must see me a few moments, and my time was so broken into I could not do much. {1888 642.1}
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A.T.琼斯在场，他讲得简短而中肯。我们认为最好在下午指定一场与上周三晚上那场同样性质的聚会。爱尔德里奇弟兄与我交谈了很长时间，论到不同的事——书籍、作者和目前的局面。他认为最好再举行一次聚会，并且哀叹没能在很久以前举行这些说明会。别人也这样说；但我解释说，他们的感想和心态具有那种使我们不能感动他们的性质，因为他们有耳，却充耳不闻；他们听是听见了，却刚硬而不受感动。{1888 642.2}
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A.T. Jones was present and spoke short and to the point. We thought best to appoint a meeting in the afternoon of the same character as the one we had held Wednesday evening, the week past. Brother Eldridge had quite a long talk with me upon various things—books and writers and the present condition of things. He thought it would be best to have a second meeting, and deplored that these meetings of explanation could not have been held long ago. The same has been stated by others; but I explained that the state of their impressions and feelings was of such a character that we could not reach them, for they had ears, but they were dull of hearing; hearts had they, but they were hard and unimpressible. {1888 642.2}
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我们举行了聚会。琼斯弟兄很清楚但很温和地讲到了他们信任传闻而没有本着弟兄之爱把问题带到当事人面前，询问他传闻是否真实。{1888 642.3}
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We had our meeting. Brother Jones talked very plainly, yet tenderly in regard to their crediting hearsay and not, in brotherly love, taking the matter to the one talked about and asking him if the report were true. {1888 642.3}
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威利，我讲了话，就像他们以前从未听我讲过一样。我再次回顾了在明尼阿波利斯和此后发生的事，并且清楚明白地对史密斯长老讲了话。我告诉他，弟兄们对于主让我去做的工作不怎么了解，要是受了试探，原不怎么奇怪，但史密斯长老是不可原谅的。他熟悉我，从他年幼的时候就了解我使命的性质，他也见过我的工作，试验和验证过我的工作许多年；他竟突然有段时间没有任何理由地如此蓄意冷淡地对待证言，要使之无效，只因他自己暗昧、反常的悟性，这实在令我感到惊讶。{1888 642.4}
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Willie, I talked as they had never heard me talk before. I went over again the transactions at Minneapolis and since that time, and I addressed plain remarks to Elder Smith. I told him that it was not so surprising that my brethren who had known but little of the work the Lord had given me to do, should have temptations, but Elder Smith was not excusable. He had 643been acquainted with me and the character of my mission from his youth up, and he had seen my work, and it had been tested and proved by him for years; and that there should suddenly come a period of time when without any reason except the imagination of his own darkened, perverted understanding, he should so deliberately and coolly treat the Testimonies in a manner to make them of no effect, was a marvel to me. {1888 642.4}
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我有理由期待弟兄们行事象明智的人，权衡证据、信任证据，而不是转身离开真理的亮光和事实，听信道听途说和推想出来的东西；对于他们毫无理由质疑的证言的内容，他们竟然表现出惊人的小心，且敞开心门去贪婪地接受并向他人传播仅仅出自偏见、猜忌和嫉妒的话。{1888 643.1}
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I had reason to expect my brethren would act like sensible men, weigh evidence, give credence to evidence, and not turn aside from light and facts of truth and give credence to tidbits of hearsay and suppositions; wonderfully cautious in regard to matters of testimony which they had not any reason to question, and open mind and heart to greedily accept and publish to others the mere words born of prejudice and envy and jealousy. {1888 643.1}
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我对他们说，史密斯弟兄本应该是站着说我正说的这些话的人，因为这些话真实、公正、明智。他的偏见一点都不理智，毫无根据。那次聚会很严肃，与我常见的一样，留下了深刻的印象。足可以说，整个气氛都改变了。如今能与丹.琼斯弟兄一同喜乐了，因为我切中了要害。他说他欺骗了自己。爱尔德里奇弟兄说觉得自己折服了，象一个受了鞭打的人，说他们这一切的运作一直在对付从未存在的障碍。但我以后会多写一些。{1888 643.2}
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I said to them that Brother Smith ought to have been the man to be standing and saying the very things I was saying, because they were truth, equity and judgment. He had not a particle of reason or foundation for his prejudice. Well, it was as solemn a meeting as I have ever seen. It made a deep impression. Suffice it to say the whole atmosphere is changed. There is now joy with Brother Dan Jones that I held to the point. He says he has made a fool of himself. Brother Eldridge says he feels subdued, like a whipped man, that all this maneuvering has been going on to meet obstacles that never had an existence. But I will write more. {1888 643.2}
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约在3月22日我会在开会期间曾住过的那个房间给你们写信。{1888 643.3}
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I am writing in Chicago about March 22 in the same room I occupied when the meetings were in session. {1888 643.3}
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丹.琼斯弟兄说，要是没有这两次特别聚会并作出明确的解释就离开巴特尔克里克，会很可悲。他改变了。主在作工。史密斯弟兄会怎样还未可知。{1888 643.4}
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Brother Dan Jones says it would have been lamentable to leave Battle Creek without these two special meetings and the definite explanations made. He is a changed man. The Lord is at work. How Brother Smith will come out remains to be seen. {1888 643.4}
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自从巴特勒姐妹患病瘫痪不省人事数日以来，已经有些日子了。昨天收到一封来信说她有意识了，可是很无力。她半身不遂了，还不能讲话。巴特勒长老必定在经历严峻的考验，我由衷地同情他。{1888 644.1}
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A few days since Sister Butler was stricken down with paralysis and was unconscious for days. Yesterday a letter came that she is conscious, yet helpless. One-half of her is helpless. She cannot yet talk. Elder Butler must be passing through severe trials, I pity him from my heart. {1888 644.1}
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我现在要与斯塔尔夫妇一起乘车出去看许多地方。 {1888 644.2}
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I now ride out with Brother Starr and wife to see lots of land. {1888 644.2}
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母亲Mother.向玛丽和孩子们及家人致以爱意。 {1888 644.3}
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Love to Mary and children and household. {1888 644.3}
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母亲。Mother.