第94章 致乌利亚·史密斯
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第94章 致乌利亚·史密斯
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Chapter 96—To O. A. Olsen
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《信函》1890年第73号S-73-18901890年11月25日写于纽约州布鲁克林
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Brooklyn, N. Y. Nov. 25, 1890
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亲爱的史密斯弟兄：Dear Brother Smith:
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我即将过完人生的第63个年头了，深感我以往的记录已不由我掌控，并想恳切询问：那些案卷证明我怎样呢？我想要做基督恩典忠心的管家。祂丰盛的恩典在这次的旅途中与我同在，而在夜间时分，我再三蒙指示看到你的立场是危险的。主长久容忍犯错的人，然而当祂追讨他们的过犯时，祂就“再寻回已过的事”（传3:15）。{1888 732.1}
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I am about closing the sixty-third year of my life, and I am very solemnly impressed that the account or record of my past has gone out of my power and the inquiry comes with earnestness, What do the books testify of me? I want to be a faithful steward of the grace of Christ. His rich blessing has rested upon me while on this journey and during the night season again and again have I been shown your position has been a dangerous one. The Lord bears long with the erring but when He does visit for their transgressions, then “He will require the past.” {1888 732.1}
§8
我知道你的危险。我已写信说明这一点。我在委员会上对特别的人讲过，在出版社的小教堂讲过，我虽然没有提你的名字，但你知道那些责备是给你的。我讲了一般原则。然后讲了你和其他传道人曾采取的做法，以及我们的主对这一切的事多么不悦，但你无动于衷，你成了绊脚石，因为直到今天你都在鼓励别人不信并且绊跌在“好弟兄史密斯”身上。我蒙指示看到这种在黑暗中摸索而行会继续下去，直到这些在明尼阿波利斯和自从那次会议以来感到随意的人共谋采取一种反对我的证言的做法。{1888 732.2}
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I know your danger. I have presented this to you by letter, I have spoken to special ones assembled in the committee meetings, I have spoken in the chapel of the office, I have not called you by name, but you knew yourself, that the reproofs were for you. I spoke upon general principles. Then I spoke in regard to the course you and other ministers—had pursued, and how displeasing all this was to our Lord but you moved not, you stood as a stumbling block as you do to this day for others to take courage in their unbelief and stumble over “good Brother Smith”. This walking and groping in darkness I have been shown will continue until these men who have felt at liberty while at Minneapolis and since that meeting connive to pursue a course of resistance to my testimony. {1888 732.2}
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你若对证言有信心，就必行出你所拥有的信心。你满可以就主已赐给我去做的工作表明你的态度，如你已经做过的那样。你实际上却说：“我不信任怀姐妹所传的信息。”你采取这种立场远比那些不认识我的人更有罪。你从我们相识之初就了解我工作的性质，那时爱德森.怀特才三岁大。布林克胡夫和斯努克要是在上帝所赐给我的工作上曾有你所拥有的亮光和知识，原能坚持到今天，而你在证言上所采取的立场就更有罪了，过去两年那些证言就回响在你耳中，你却没有听从。你口中没有认过罪，我则被迫去对付到处都见到的你在明尼阿波利斯及那时以后的影响；现在1890年已经接近尾声。你愿意跌在磐石并且跌碎吗？难道你要象以往一样回避要点吗？两位米勒斯长老提出你的案例作为他们应该抗拒上帝之灵、拒绝信息和信使的证据。鲁伯特弟兄有认罪的行为。我两年前在波特斯维尔的时候就告诉过他，他已再三从我口中听到同样的话，但史密斯弟兄一直是他的绊脚石，也是其他许多人的绊脚石。这担子对我来说已经太重，我担不起。我决定，若没有一番完全的改变，我就不会留在巴特尔克里克，因为继续留下去我就会与那些拒绝上帝之灵纠正和警告之人的罪有分。我就会耗尽我的生命，因为弟兄们已因他们的不信不必要地使我的工作艰难了百倍。{1888 732.3}
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If you have faith in the Testimonies, you will act out all the faith you have. You might just as well voice your attitude in regard to the work which the Lord has given me to do as to do as you have done. You have virtually said, “I have not confidence in the message Sister White bears.” You are far more guilty in taking the position that you have taken than these who know me not. You have known the character of my work from the beginning of our acquaintance which has been since Edson White was three years old. Brinkerhoof and Snook, had they had the light and knowledge you have had of the work God has given me to do, 733might have stood to this day and you are far more guilty in the position you have taken with the testimonies sounding in your ears for the last two years, and unheeded. No confession has come from your lips, and I have been compelled to meet your influence in Minneapolis and since that time, everywhere I have been; and now the year 1890 is nearly closed. Will you fall on the Rock and be broken? Will you evade the point as you have done? Elders Millers both presented your case as evidence that they should resist the Spirit of God, the message and the messenger. Bro. Rupert has a work of confession. I told him two years ago when at Potterville, and he has heard the same again and again from my lips, but Brother Smith has been his stumbling block and the stumbling block of many others. The burden has been too great for me to bear. I decided without an entire change, I would not remain at Battle Creek for I would be sharing the sin of those who refused the spirit of God in correction and warnings. I would wear out my life for my brethren have made my work one-hundred fold harder than was necessary by their unbelief. {1888 732.3}
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我对丹.琼斯感到同情。我已与他直率地谈过话。我去年在传道学院请求他为基督的缘故，不要帮助你维护你当时所居的立场，我请求他要用他的影响力帮助你出来进入明光中。我告诉过他我知道你的危险。你是一个象巴特勒长老那样的人，不愿承认走错一步，而会走错更多步以证明你走错第一步是正当的，其实你若愿意克服那种在你的生活和品格中根深蒂固的倔强，上帝的能力就会使你成为一个很有功效的人，直到世界末日。但你若不成为一个新瓶，上帝恩典的亮光和能力的酒就不能临到你。{1888 733.1}
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I pity Dan Jones. I have talked with him freely. I begged of him last year at the Ministerial Institute, for Christ’s sake, to not help you to keep the position you then occupied, I begged of him to lend his influence to help you to come out into the clear light. I told him I knew your dangers. You were a man like Elder Butler, — would not confess a wrong step but would make many more wrong steps to justify your first wrong step, when, if you would overcome that stubbornness that is ingrained into your life and character, the power of God would make you a man of efficiency to the very close of time. But unless you become a new bottle, the wine (?) of light and the power of the grace of God could not come to you. {1888 733.1}
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我为你昼夜有负担。我知道你在把持着其他许多人。莫里森弟兄引证你的话。尼古拉弟兄引证你的话。莫里森弟兄和尼古拉弟兄都将会陷于不信之中，既不信证言也不信上帝的道，而见到你成了这些不了解我和我的工作之人的绊脚石，使我感到太痛苦，难以忍受，因为你确实知道的比做的好。不信和顽梗的蛊惑力已经控制了你，以致你不愿承认自己的错误，你虽然深感后悔，却不愿认罪以帮助教会在这方面尽他们的本分。{1888 733.2}
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And I was burdened day and night for you. I knew you were holding many others. Bro. Morrison quoted you. Bro. Nicola quoted you. Bro. Morrison and Nicola will both land in infidelity, both of the testimonies and the word of God, and to see you, a stumbling stone for these men who have no knowledge of me or of my work has been too painful for me (to) endure for you certainly 734knew better than to do as you have done. The bewitching power of unbelief and stubbornness has held you that you would not confess your wrongs when you regretted them deeply, but would not confess them to help the church in this very line of their duty. {1888 733.2}
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我爱你而且无法忍受我们这种分离的状况。我没有与你站在一起。我劝告你的时候感到一点儿也不自在。其实主已藉着清楚直接的证言表明应该劝导你——你需要劝告，你本来能帮助我和我的丈夫，我们也能帮助你，而今你须知道我不会改变。你若没有盲目就一定知道我的证言没有改变，我在品格或我的工作上也没有改变，而且我藉着上帝的恩典，决不偏左或偏右去与你或巴特勒长老或守安息日的人中任何一个长老保持一致。{1888 734.1}
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I love you and I cannot bear to be thus disconnected as we are. I have not union with you. I cannot feel any freedom in counseling with you when the Lord has signified by plain, direct testimony this should be,—that you needed counsel, you could help me and my husband and we could help you and now you must know I shall not change. You must know if you are not blinded, that my testimonies have not changed, that I have not changed in character or in my work, and hope through the grace of God, never to swerve to the right or to the left to have harmony with you or Elder Butler or any elder in the ranks of Sabbathkeepers. {1888 734.1}
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我没有力量或时间写更多的话了，因为我必须保持体力好作工。我想我会再一次呼吁你。我与你谈过话，但那似乎没有什么益处。我给你写过信，但那只是使你在抵抗上帝的灵方面走得更深更远。你回复了我的呼吁函，写给我一封信，控告琼斯长老拆毁我们信仰的柱石。这是事实吗？在出版社召开的传道人会议上，当调查这些事时，表明你对他的指控是错误的。你承认这个错误了吗？你洁净了自己的心灵了吗？你为自己的脚修平道路，免得瘸子差路了吗？当我在那第一次会议上说了我能说的一切时，安息日就在出版社的小教堂召开了第二次会议，那时主的灵亲近了我们。基督敲门要进来，但没有地方给祂，门没有开，而祂那么近的荣光就收回了。你最后一次听到我的声音是在（余下缺失） {1888 734.2}
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I have not strength or time to write much more as I must preserve my strength to labor. I thought I would make one more appeal to you. I have talked with you but it seemed to do no good. I have written to you but it made you only go farther and deeper in resistance of the Spirit of God. You responded to my letter of appeal by writing me a letter accusing Elder Jones of tearing up the pillars of our faith. Was this truth? The meetings of the ministers held in the office when these matters were investigated revealed that you accused him wrongfully. Have you confessed this? Have you cleared your own soul? Have you made straight paths for your feet lest the lame be turned out of the way? When I said everything I could say in that first meeting, then the second meeting on the Sabbath in the office chapel was held when the Spirit of the Lord came nigh to us. Christ knocked for entrance but no room was made for him, the door was not opened and the light of His glory, so nigh, was withdrawn. The last time you heard my voice was in the [remainder missing] {1888 734.2}