Times of Volume Five
vii
In 1888 the enlarged Great Controversy, the book we know so well
today, was published, taking the place of the earlier, briefer volume
.
At the denominational headquarters in Battle Creek there was a
steady growth. New equipment was added in the publishing house.
The sanitarium and the college were greatly prospered and continued
to grow. These developments brought large numbers of Seventh-day
Adventists to that city. The hazards of so many Adventists gathering
in one center, with the inevitable tendency to a feeling of less respon-
sibility and toward lower standards, is pointed out in the early part of
this volume. These institutional developments were also fraught with
the danger that the work would become mechanical and lose its initial
simplicity. Such dangers appeared especially in the publishing house.
The testimonies of this volume stress economy, industry, alertness,
and furnish managers and foremen with guiding instruction for their
tasks
.
At this same time, while problems of long-established work were
being met at our headquarters, out in the Pacific Northwest new fields
were being developed, and many were accepting the message. With
the opening of these frontier regions, there were many new problems.
Ellen White herself made two visits to the Northwest and in connection
with the last trip wrote much counsel to those who were laboring
there—counsel on practical subjects vital to the welfare of the work
and the ministers who were working among the sturdy, independent-
minded men and women who had pushed westward and established
their homes in these vast, newly opened regions. These were men and
women of energy, daring, rugged individuality; and many were persons
of deep conviction who accepted the call of the Advent message. These
vigorous pioneers needed the strong, molding influence of the Spirit of
God in the development of Christian character. They needed warnings
[5]
against the love of money and worldly ambitions
.
To the ministry were sent earnest counsels pointing out the danger
that their messages might be shaped by the opinions of strong-minded
church members. Counsel was given to guard against carelessness in
the erection of church edifices, as seen in some instances. Warnings
were also given against lightly regarding pledges of gifts to God’s
cause. All these and other counsels dealing with many other problems
connected with the work in these new territories occupy a prominent
place in this volume
.