Preface to Facsimile Edition
Volumes III and IV of Spiritual Gifts were both issued in 1864,
completing this four-volume series. Except for the last half of Volume
IV, these two small works are Devoted to a record of the history
of mankind from creation to the days of Solomon, the first detailed
writing by Mrs. White on this subject.
Following the historical account, there is in Volume IV an ex-
tended article entitled “Health”, in which Mrs. White first presents
a comprehensive statement of the momentous health reform vision
of June 6, 1863. In this the author passes rapidly from one phase of
the great health question to another, laying down the basic principles
which form the groundwork of Spirit of prophecy health teaching.
Volume IV is closed by a grouping of “Testimony” articles selected
by Mrs. White from the originally printed pamphlet Testimonies for
the Church, Nos. 1 to 10. Her reasons for reprinting the articles in this
form she stated at the opening of this last section following page 156.
Being here reproduced photographically, the pages carry with
them, of course, such typographical errors as occurred in the first
printing. One outstanding case of this kind will be noted in Volume III,
page 301, in line 4 of the last paragraph, where, through inadvertently
omitted, creating a seeming historical discrepancy in an incidental
reference, which has given some careless readers, who wholly ignored
the plain teaching of the earlier chapters, an opportunity to declare
that the book teaches that the tower of Babel antedated the flood. This
typographical error was soon discovered and was corrected in the next
printing of the matter in 1870 in Spirit of Prophecy, Volume I. As
corrected in this second printing, the sentence in question, referring
to the sacrificial system established at the gate of Eden, reads: “This
system was corrupted before the flood, and by those who separated
themselves from the faithful followers of God and engaged in the
building of the tower of Babel.”
Mention should also be made of the relationship of Spiritual Gifts,
Volumes III and IV, to the current editions of the E. G. White books.
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