Introduction
Early in her sojourn in Australia (1891-1900) Ellen White was
called upon to give counsel to a prominent worker in our publishing
house who had become deeply involved in the activities of the Masonic
Lodge. The counsel she presented to this brother led him to sever his
connections with the lodge in spite of the fact that he had attained the
highest degree of honor in the organization
.
Without condemning, Mrs. White pointed out that the Christian
cannot serve two masters, or render allegiance to two authorities. Our
brother, who had become so involved in lodge activities that his work
for the church had been sadly neglected, recognized the simple truth
in the Ellen G. White counsels, and his confidence in the message was
confirmed as Mrs. White—unbeknown to herself—gave the secret
sign used only by members of the lodge. He promptly surrendered
his membership in the lodge, although he had stoutly affirmed on a
number of occasions that nothing would shake his confidence in the
fraternal organization or lead him to break with it. Looking back to
this experience in later years, he testified that the Spirit of Prophecy
message completely changed his life
.
At this time and in this connection, Mrs. White wrote quite fully
concerning the relationship of Seventh-day Adventists to such orga-
nizations. This was published under the title “Should Christians Be
Members of Secret Societies?” In pamphlet form, it had wide circula-
tion in Australia and in the United States, but it has long been out of
print. This pamphlet is reprinted here in its entirety
.
The second chapter is composed of counsels from the pen of Mrs.
White relating to the attitude that Seventh-day Adventists should take
toward labor organizations. This material was published in 1946 as
Section II in the pamphlet Country Living. It appears here in this
permanent form for continued and prayerful study
.
White Trustees
.
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