卷四的写作时代
§1
卷四的写作时代
§2
THE TIMES OF VOLUME FOUR
§3
《教会证言》卷四由五本小册子组成，贯穿了从1875年到1881年的七年时间。这是怀雅各在世的最后七年。教会工作进入了一个快速发展的阶段。怀雅各夫妇四处旅行，不知疲倦地从事公众布道，个人探访和写作，并努力解决在机构扩大的过程中所出现的问题。[1]
§4
A SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD OF 1875 TO 1881 WAS SPANNED BY THE FIVE PAMPHLETS WHICH NOW MAKE VOLUME 4 OF TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH. THESE WERE THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF JAMES WHITES LIFE. THE WORK OF THE DENOMINATION HAD ENTERED A PERIOD OF RAPID EXPANSION. ELDER AND MRS. WHITE WERE TRAVELING EXTENSIVELY AND LABORING TIRELESSLY IN PUBLIC MINISTRY, IN PERSONAL INTERVIEWS, AND IN WRITING. THEY WERE WRESTLING WITH THE PROBLEMS OF AN EXPANDING INSTITUTIONAL WORK.[1]
§5
欧洲的布道取得了良好的进展。1876年派出了其他工人去协助安德烈长老。怀爱伦1875年1月3日在巴特尔克里克所见的综合性异象，构成了《教会证言》卷四前半部分许多文章的基础，使人们更好地了解我们工作的普世性质。[2]
§6
THE MISSION IN EUROPE WAS MAKING GOOD PROGRESS, OTHER WORKERS BEING SENT TO JOIN ELDER ANDREWS IN 1876. THE COMPREHENSIVE VISION OF JANUARY 3, 1875, GIVEN AT BATTLE CREEK, WHICH FORMED THE BASIS OF MUCH OF THE FIRST HALF OF VOLUME 4, LED TO A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD-WIDE NATURE OF OUR WORK.[2]
§7
我们教会在太平洋沿岸的工作迅速发展。新创刊的《时兆》奠定了坚实的基础。第二家基督复临安息日会的出版社——太平洋出版社，于1875年在奥克兰成立，很快成为太平洋沿岸规模最大，装备最好的出版社。1878年，我们教会的第二家疗养院在加利福尼亚州北部的圣赫勒那附近开业。[3]
§8
ON THE PACIFIC COAST THE WORK OF THE DENOMINATION WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY. THE NEWLY STARTED SIGNS OF THE TIMES WAS PUT ON A FIRM BASIS, AND IN 1875 THE PACIFIC PRESS, OUR SECOND SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, WAS OPENED IN OAK LAND. THIS SOON BECAME THE LARGEST AND BEST EQUIPPED PUBLISHING ESTABLISHMENT OPERATED ON THE PACIFIC COAST. IN 1878, NEAR ST. HELENA IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE SECOND DENOMINATIONAL SANITARIUM OPENED ITS DOORS FOR SERVICE.[3]
§9
随着出版机构的增设，我们书刊的数量也在迅速增加，到《教会证言》卷四写作时期结束的时候，出版的书籍包括乌利亚·史密斯的《但以理书和启示录注释》，J. N.安德鲁斯的《安息日的历史》，以及一批次要的著作，涉及健康，宗教，节制和儿童等话题。我们开始实施更加全面的书刊发行计划；定期派遣书报员挨家挨户推销我们的真理书籍。在S. N.赫斯格长老所组织书刊布道会的领导下，平信徒免费分发真理书籍的伟大运动也正在进行之中。[4]
§10
WITH INCREASED PUBLISHING FACILITIES, WE FOUND OURSELVES WITH A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING LITERATURE, WHICH BY THE CLOSE OF THE PERIOD OF VOLUME 4 INCLUDED THOUGHTS ON DANIEL AND THE REVELATION, BY URIAH SMITH, HISTORY OF THE SABBATH, BY J. N. ANDREWS, AND A NUMBER OF WORKS OF LESSER IMPORTANCE DEALING WITH HEALTH, RELIGIOUS TOPICS, TEMPERANCE, AND THEMES OF INTEREST TO CHILDREN. PLANS FOR MORE SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION WERE INAUGURATED WITH REGULARLY EMPLOYED COLPORTEURS CALLING FROM DOOR TO DOOR IN SELLING OUR TRUTH-FILLED BOOKS. A GREAT MOVEMENT IN FREE LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION BY OUR LAYMEN WAS ALSO WELL UNDER WAY, WITH ELDER S. N. HASKELL LEADING OUT IN THE ORGANIZATION OF TRACT AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES.[4]
§11
《教会证言》卷四跨越了安息日复临信徒举办帐篷大会的时代。第一次帐篷大会于1868年举行。随后的热情不断高涨。在十年时间里，几乎每一个区会都举行夏季年度帐篷大会。举办地点经过精心挑选，并进行了很好的宣传。在举办这些帐篷大会的时候，开始在报纸上对安息日复临信徒的事工进行集中报导。人们作出了很大的努力，使帐篷大会有更多的人参加，并为大会提供了优良的饮食和感人的信息。大会延续五天，六天或七天；平日由数百名复临信徒参加，到了周末就吸引了数千名感兴趣的非复临信徒听众参加。这种关注的高潮出现在1876年。8月27日星期日，在马萨诸塞州的格罗夫兰，位于波士顿郊区帐篷大会的营地里，聚集了2万人。怀爱伦夫人在那天下午对1万5千名认真听道的人发表了演讲。[5]
§12
VOLUME 4 SPANS AN ERA OF GREAT SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CAMP MEETINGS. WITH THE FIRST OF SUCH GATHERINGS HELD IN 1868, THE PLAN HAD BEEN FOLLOWED WITH INCREASING ENTHUSIASM. WITHIN A DECADE THERE WAS SCARCELY A STATE CONFERENCE THAT DID NOT HAVE ITS ANNUAL SUMMER MEETING. SITES WERE WELL SELECTED, AND GOOD PUBLICITY WAS GIVEN. IT WAS IN CONNECTION WITH THESE LARGE CAMP MEETINGS THAT A CONCERTED EFFORT AT REPORTING THE WORK OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN THE NEWSPAPERS WAS BEGUN. GREAT PAINS WERE TAKEN TO MAKE THE CAMP REPRESENTATIVE, TO PROVIDE GOOD FOOD, AND TO PRESENT A TELLING MESSAGE. THE MEETINGS OF FIVE, SIX, OR SEVEN DAYS DURATION, WHICH ON WEEK DAYS WERE ATTENDED BY A FEW HUNDRED ADVENTISTS, WOULD OVER WEEK ENDS ATTRACT SEVERAL THOUSAND INTERESTED NON-ADVENTIST LISTENERS. THE PEAK OF SUCH INTEREST WAS IN 1876, WHEN, IN GROVELAND, MASSACHUSETTS, A SUBURB OF BOSTON, TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE CROWDED ONTO THE CAMP GROUND ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 27. MRS. WHITE ADDRESSED FIFTEEN THOUSAND ATTENTIVE LISTENERS ON THAT AFTERNOON.[5]
§13
在《教会证言》卷四的写作年代，节制的工作占有突出的地位。以怀爱伦为主要代言人之一的安息日复临信徒，显著地站在这项工作的前列，经常与已经建立的节制组织合作。怀爱伦在本书中间的《经验与劳动》一章中叙述了他们努力抵制放纵浪潮的实际方式。[6]
§14
TEMPERANCE WORK ALSO CAME PROMINENTLY TO THE FRONT IN THE TIMES OF VOLUME 4. SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, WITH MRS. WHITE AS ONE OF THEIR LEADING SPEAKERS, WERE PROMINENTLY IN THE FRONT, OFTEN IN ASSOCIATION WITH ESTABLISHED TEMPERANCE ORGANIZATIONS. THE PRACTICAL WAY IN WHICH THEY LABORED TO STEM THE TIDE OF INTEMPERANCE IS TOLD BY MRS. WHITE IN HER CHAPTER, EXPERIENCE AND LABORS, FOUND IN THE HEART OF THIS BOOK.[6]
§15
在十九世纪七十年代末的几年当中，我们教会在巴特尔克里克的总部发生了重大的事件。新建的教堂扩大了崇拜的场所。这个用来举行总会会议的新教堂被称为“十美分”教堂，因为要求全国每一个信徒为建堂至少捐献十美分。教堂建在《评论与通讯》出版社和疗养院之间，前面是一个美丽的花园。疗养院建筑大规模扩大并投入使用。大约在同时，医疗工作也更加扎实地建立起来，特为这项圣工而培训的医生，已从本国最好的医学院返回，在巴特尔克里克开始这项重要的工作。教会的卫生杂志《健康》，是“美国发行量最大的卫生杂志”。《评论与通讯》出版社办公室已成为密歇根州“规模最大，设备最好的出版社”。新开办的巴特尔克里克学院的工作也取得了稳步进展，到了1881年，已有近500名学生入学。[7]
§16
AT THE DENOMINATIONS HEADQUARTERS IN BATTLE CREEK THERE WAS GREAT ACTIVITY DURING THESE YEARS OF THE LATE SEVENTIES. THE NEW TABERNACLE SUCCEEDED THE OUTGROWN HOUSE OF WORSHIP. THIS NEW CHURCH, BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE GENERAL CONFERENCE SESSIONS, WAS KNOWN AS THE DIME TABERNACLE, BECAUSE EACH CHURCH MEMBER THROUGHOUT THE LAND WAS ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE AT LEAST TEN CENTS FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION. IT WAS ERECTED BETWEEN THE REVIEW AND HERALD OFFICE AND THE SANITARIUM, FACING A BEAUTIFUL PARK. NEW, GREATLY ENLARGED SANITARIUM BUILDINGS WERE ERECTED AND PUT INTO USE. AT ABOUT THIS SAME TIME THE MEDICAL WORK BECAME MORE SOUNDLY ESTABLISHED AS PHYSICIANS TRAINED ESPECIALLY FOR THIS LINE OF SERVICE RETURNED FROM THE BEST MEDICAL SCHOOLS OF THE LAND TO LEAD OUT IN THIS IMPORTANT WORK IN BATTLE CREEK. THE DENOMINATIONAL HEALTH JOURNAL, GOOD HEALTH, WAS ENJOYING THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY HEALTH JOURNAL IN AMERICA. THE REVIEW AND HERALD OFFICE HAD BECOME THE LARGEST AND BEST EQUIPPED PRINTING OFFICE IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. THE WORK OF THE NEWLY OPENED BATTLE CREEK COLLEGE MADE STEADY PROGRESS, AND BY THE YEAR 1881 THERE WAS AN ENROLLMENT OF NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED STUDENTS.[7]
§17
这些年里，怀长老和怀夫人要么在密歇根州要么在加利福尼亚州安家，还在得克萨斯州住过几个月。后来怀夫人又到太平洋西北岸作一次长时间的旅行。在1881年怀长老安息之时，他们已经回到密歇根州的巴特尔克里克。[8]
§18
WHILE THROUGH THESE YEARS ELDER AND MRS. WHITE MADE THEIR HOME EITHER IN MICHIGAN OR IN CALIFORNIA, WE FIND THEM FOR SOME MONTHS IN TEXAS. LATER MRS. WHITE MADE AN EXTENDED TRIP TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THEY WERE BACK AGAIN IN BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, AT THE TIME OF ELDER WHITES DEATH IN 1881.[8]
§19
以上就是《教会证言》第四卷写作年代的一些背景情况。全书充满劝勉和指导的信息，对于迅速发展的各部门圣工有重大的意义。然而本卷657页的教训所强调的是工人和教会信徒的个人经验。一个快速成长的教会在发展的工作中确实经常需要获得并且领受指导和告戒。但管理事务的重要性比不上领袖和平信徒的个人经验。如果安息日复临信徒的属灵经验降到了纯形式的水准，教会的运作就只能象机器运转。教会必须保持纯洁，提高标准，信徒必须从事服务，每天在属上帝的事上有个人的经验。[9]
§20
SUCH ARE SOME OF THE HAPPENINGS OF THE TIMES OF VOLUME 4. ALL THROUGH THE BOOK THERE ARE MESSAGES OF COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTION WHICH HAVE A BEARING ON ALL THESE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING LINES OF ENDEAVOR. BUT THE EMPHASIS OF THE INSTRUCTION IN THIS 657-PAGE VOLUME IS ON THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE WORKERS AND THE CHURCH MEMBERS. TRUE, THE EXPANDING WORK OF A RAPIDLY GROWING DENOMINATION OFTEN NEEDED AND RECEIVED GUIDANCE AND CAUTIONS. BUT THE AFFAIRS OF THE ADMINISTRATION WERE SECONDARY TO THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE LEADERS AND THE CHURCH MEMBERS. THE CONDUCT OF THE ENTERPRISES OF THE CHURCH MEANT ONLY THE RUNNING OF MACHINERY IF THE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS DECLINED TO THE LEVEL OF MERE FORMALISM. THE CHURCH MUST BE KEPT PURE, ITS STANDARDS HIGH, ITS MEMBERS ALIVE IN SERVICE AND ENJOYING DAILY A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN THE THINGS OF GOD.[9]
§21
所以《教会证言》卷四用相当大的篇幅探讨实用问题是不奇怪的：如《食欲》，《家庭纪律》，《自制》，《诚实交易》，《许愿之神圣》，《不合圣经的婚姻》，《着装简朴》，《贪爱世界》，《为基督复临作准备》，以及其他许多重要的题目。这些信息在早年曾用于改革，纠正和洁净教会。现今安息日复临信徒必须应付同样的诱惑，问题和经历，因此要认真反复阅读这些灵感的文章，注意其中的训诲和警告，使上帝发出这些指示提高和鼓励教会的宗旨能够实现。[10]
§22
IT IS NOT STRANGE, THEN, THAT THE LARGE PART OF VOLUME 4 DEALS WITH SUCH PRACTICAL TOPICS AS APPETITE, FAMILY DISCIPLINE, SELF-CONTROL, UPRIGHTNESS IN DEAL, SACREDNESS OF VOWS, UNSCRIPTURAL MARRIAGES, SIMPLICITY IN DRESS, LOVE OF THE WORLD, PREPARATION FOR CHRISTS COMING, AND A SCORE OF OTHER VITAL SUBJECTS. THESE WERE SOME OF THE MESSAGES WHICH SERVED TO REFORM, CORRECT, AND PURIFY THE CHURCH IN THESE EARLIER YEARS. BECAUSE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS MUST WRESTLE WITH THE SAME TEMPTER AND MEET THE SAME PROBLEMS AND EXPERIENCES TODAY, THESE INSPIRED ARTICLES SHOULD BE EARNESTLY READ AND REREAD, AND THEIR COUNSELS AND WARNINGS HEEDED, THAT GODS PURPOSE IN SENDING THIS INSTRUCTION TO LIFT UP AND ENCOURAGE THE CHURCH MAY REACH ITS FULFILLMENT.[10]
§23
怀爱伦著作托管委员会[11]
§24
THE TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE PUBLICATIONS.[11]