The Paraphrasing Prophet

By Walter Rea, 2005

Warren Johns, Ellen G. White Estate Official Statement

Ellen White's Claims

"Evidence for literary borrowing can be substantiated in virtually all nine volumes of the (1) Testimonies for the Church, in her (2) Review and Herald and Signs of the Times articles, and in (3) all of the books published during her lifetime. The only exception may be Early Writings. At this time I am not aware of any significant literary borrowing in that work, but it would not be surprising if it should come to light"¹

"I have my work to do, to meet the misconceptions of those who suppose themselves able to say what is testimony from God and what is human production. . . . Those who have helped souls to feel at liberty to specify what is of God in the Testimonies and what are the uninspired words of Sister White, will find that they were helping the devil in his work of deception."²

"I am glad that you are having success in selling my books for thus you are giving to the world the light that God has given me. These books contain clear, straight, unalterable truth, and they should certainly be appreciated. The instruction they contain is not of human production."³

James's White's claim for Ellen White:

"In her published works there are many things set forth which cannot be found in the writings of others, that are new to the most intelligent readers and hearers. And if they are not found in print...from what source has she received the new and rich thoughts which are to be found in her writings... She could not have learned them from books, from the fact that they do not contain such thoughts... The Spirit of God has revealed to her..."⁴

Arthur White's claim for Ellen White:

"In this broader field of writing, from which there seemed to be no respite, she was impelled to bear testimony to what was revealed to her in scores and hundreds of visions through 70 years of her ministry. In writing these messages of instruction, counsel, encouragement, and correction, she sought no human source of information and was not influenced by those about her. In all her works, we see her moving under the bidding and guidance of the Spirit of God."⁵

Contrast the statements of James and Arthur White with this recent statement from the Ellen G. White Estate's Warren John:

"Ellen White was unusually well read in the light of the amount of formal eduction she received. The ground covered in her reading amounted to several hundred books perhaps covering several tens of thousands of pages...Ellen White incorporated a wealth of material from that which she read into what she wrote. Without saying how extensive it is, we can conclude at this time that she made an extensive use of sources in order to convey the unique truths and the pointed messages needed by God's Church..."⁶

Ellen White's claim:

"I have not been in the habit of reading any doctrinal articles in the paper, that my mind should not have any understanding of anyone's ideas and views, and that not a mold of any man's theories should have any connection with that which I write."⁷

Ellen White Borrowed for Volume 3 of Spiritual Gifts

Ellen White's description of how earthquakes were formed after the flood⁸, according to Warren Johns, was borrowed from other sources:

"In the 1915 inventory [of Ellen White's library of books] is listed an entry, 'Earthquakes, Bound collection of pamphlets on.' This particular collection, which has no author or date indicated, is the most likely source for Ellen White's statements on earthquakes and volcanic phenomena."⁹

In the preface to Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, Ellen White stated:

"In presenting this, my third little volume, to the public, I am comforted with the conviction that the Lord has made me His humble servant in shedding some rays of precious light upon the past..."¹⁰

According to Dr. Ronald Graybill, former Associate Secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate:

"Mrs. White borrowed not only the words and phrases used by these authors, but in some cases followed the outline of their expositions and drew from them facts, illustrations, thoughts, and concepts."¹¹

Dr. Graybill also noted:

"These borrowings occurred not only in the historical sections of The Great Controversy but also in its prophetic sections. They appear throughout the Conflict of the Ages and in the Testimonies for the Church as well as other Ellen White books. They occur in letters and specific testimonies to individuals. They appear in descriptions of the content of specific visions given to Mrs. White. It would be unwise at this point to assert that there is any particular book written by Mrs. White or any type of writing from her pen in which literary borrowing will not be found.
"In cases where we have Mrs. White's handwritten draft of something she borrowed, this handwritten draft is usually closer to the literary source than is the published version which followed. This difference should generally be attributed to the work of Ellen White's literary assistants in editing her material for publication--a work that she approved.
"Many of the beautifully expressed thoughts, that is, many of the literary gems found in Mrs. White’s writings were borrowed from other authors. This fact, together with the knowledge that her writings were polished by literary assistants, leads us to avoid the suggestion that the literary beauty of her writings is an evidence of her divine inspiration."¹²

In spite of the mounting evidence from the Ellen G. White Estate regarding Ellen White's literary borrowing practices, she herself warned the Church:

"They [Adventist ministers] profess to be teachers of the word, but they sadly neglect to search the Scriptures for themselves. They are content to use the arguments which are prepared in pamphlets and books, and which others have labored earnestly to search out; but they are not willing to tax their minds to study them out for themselves. In order to make full proof of their ministry, those who open the word of God to others should search the Scriptures diligently. They should not be content to use other men's thoughts, but should dig for truth as for hid treasures. While it is perfectly right to gather ideas from other minds, they should not be satisfied to take those ideas and repeat them in a poll-parrot manner. Make these ideas your own, brethren; frame the arguments yourselves, from your own study and research. Do not borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens, and recite them as a lesson; but make the most of the talents, the brain power, that God has given you."¹³

In 1905, when Dr. David Paulson asked permission to publish some selections from Ellen G. White's writings for his publication "Life Boat", permission was granted; however, only on the condition Ellen G. White be given full credit. Responding to Dr. Paulson's request, Mrs. White's son, Willie C. White, Secretary of the Ellen G. White Estate, stated:

"Mother instructs me to say to you that you may be free to select from her writings short articles for the Life Boat. Or you may make extracts from these MSS and from similar writings, in your articles, in each case giving the proper credit."¹⁴

"Dear daughter [in-law] Mary: This week we shall commence to live in the new house. ... Send books, red-covered Jewish Antiquities and the Bible Dictionary. Is Night Scenes of the Bible there? If so, send it."¹⁵

Plagiarized from Daniel March

I have now finished a line-by-line comparison, page-by-page, and chapter-by-chapter, of Ellen White's five books of the Conflict of the Ages series, as well as other material she was supposed to have written. Using the books and material that have been acknowledged and are available from her library, this study will show by using only one author (Daniel March) how extensive her paraphrasing was in all of her writings.¹⁶

Daniel March Night Scenes in the Bible, 1868	Ellen G. White Books
Pages 201-220	Selected Mesages, book 1, pp. 27-28
Page 363	Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, pp. 343-344
Page 313	Desire of Ages, p. 83
Pages 459-460	Acts of the Apostles, p. 146
Pages 193-198	Prophets and Kings, pp. 119-120
Pages 200-207	Prophets and Kings, pp. 121-128
Pages 208-216	Prophets and Kings, pp. 143-165
Pages 292-299	Prophets and Kings, pp. 523-531
Page 255	Messages to Young People, p. 103
Page 336	Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 44
Pages 25-42	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 156-179
Pages 47-55	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 147-155
Pages 85-102	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 195-203
Pages 105-127	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 281-290
Pages 127-144	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 283-290
Pages 147-164	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 675-682
Pages 165-186	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 727-745
Pages 189-222	Prophets and Kings, pp. 143-176
Pages 225-244	Prophets and Kings, pp. 265-272
Pages 285-302	Prophets and Kings, pp. 522-538
Pages 343-360	Desire of Ages, pp. 377-382
Pages 363-374	Desire of Ages, pp. 447-454
Pages 377-394	Desire of Ages, pp. 673-694
Pages 397-410	Desire of Ages, pp. 685-697
Pages 413-430	Desire of Ages, pp. 795-808
Pages 433-448	Desire of Ages, pp. 809-817
Pages 451-466	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 146-148
Pages 469-488	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 214-217, 231
Pages 491-508	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 442-445

Examples¹⁷

Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, pp. 201-202, 1868

Ellen White, Selected Messages Book 1, p. 28

We must not defer our obedience till every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of mistake is removed. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith, for faith rests upon probability, not demonstration. ... We must obey the voice of duty when there are many other voices crying against it, and it requires earnest heed to distinguish the one which speaks for God.

If you refuse to believe until every shadow of uncertainty and every possibility of doubt is removed, you will never believe. The doubt that demands perfect knowledge will never yield to faith. Faith rests upon evidence, not demonstration. The Lord requires us to obey the voice of duty, when there are other voices all around us urging us to pursue an opposite course. It requires earnest attention from us to distinguish the voice which speaks from God.

Daniel March, Night Scenes in the Bible, 1870	Ellen White, Patriarchs and Prophets, 1890
The plains surrounding the city are like the garden of the Lord in fertility. The most indolent culture secures an abundance for the supply of every want. The distant hills are covered with flocks. The merchants of the East bring their treasures from afar. The camels and dromedaries of the desert lay down their burdens at her gates. And the fair city in the vale of Siddim revels in the profusion of everything that nature and art can produce. The chief men display the luxury and the pride of princes. The common people make a holiday of the whole year. The multitude look as if they were strangers equally to want and to work. (pp. 29-30)	Fairest among the cities of the Jordan Valley was Sodom, set in a plain which was "as the garden of the Lord" in its fertility and beauty. ... Rich harvests clothed the fields, and flocks and herds covered the encircling hills. Art and commerce contributed to enrich the proud city of the plain. The treasures of the East adorned her palaces, and the caravans of the desert brought their stores of precious things to supply her marts of trade. With little thought or labor, every want of life could be supplied, and the whole year seemed one round of festivity The profusion reigning everywhere gave birth to luxury and pride. (p. 156)
Idleness and riches stimulate the appetite for pleasure, and they go to every excess in indulgence. They have everything that the sensual can desire, and their only study is to find new ways of gratifying the coarsest and basest passion. According to the testimony of One who knew all history, they eat and drink, they buy and sell, they plant and build, and their whole thought and effort and desire is given to a life of the senses, denying God and debasing the soul. (p. 30)	Idleness and riches make the heart hard that has never been oppressed by want or burdened by sorrow. The love of pleasure was fostered by wealth and leisure, and the people gave themselves up to sensual indulgence. ... Their useless, idle life made them a prey to Satan's temptations, and they defaced the image of God, and became satanic rather than divine. Idleness is the greatest curse that can fall upon man, for vice and crime follow in its train. It enfeebles the mind, perverts the understanding, and debases the soul. (p. 156)
The idle multitude are coming and going to gather the gossip of the day and enjoy the cool wind that comes up from the lake outside of the walls. The sun has gone down behind the western hills, and the brief twilight lingers as if loth to go, like a purple fringe on the dusky garments of the coming night. (pp. 29-30)	Evening fell upon a scene of loveliness and security. A landscape of unrivaled beauty was bathed in the rays of the declining sun. The coolness of eventide had called forth the inhabitants of the city, and the pleasure-seeking throngs were passing to and fro, intent upon the enjoyment of the hour. (pp. 157-158)
Two strangers are seen approaching the city. The softened radiance of the evening light shows nothing unusual in their appearance. They seem to be only common travelers coming down from the hill-country, and turning in for shelter by night, that they may rise up early in the morning and go on their journey. God's mightiest messengers of mercy and of wrath often come in a very common garb. We must give earnest heed and keep ourselves upon the watch, or the angels of the blessing and of deliverance will come and pass by us unawares, and we shall not receive their help. There was but one man at the gate of Sodom sufficiently attentive to notice the strangers and invite them to his own house. He did not know who they were, nor did he suspect the awful errand upon which they came. (p. 31)	In the twilight two strangers drew near to the city gate. They were apparently travelers coming in to tarry for the night. None could discern in those humble wayfarers the mighty heralds of divine judgment, and little dreamed the gay, careless multitude that in their treatment of these heavenly messengers that very night they would reach the climax of the guilt which doomed their proud city. But there was one man who manifested kindly attention toward the strangers and invited them to his home. Lot did not know their true character, but politeness and hospitality were habitual with him; they were a part of his religion--lessons that he had learned from the example of Abraham. Had he not cultivated a spirit of courtesy, he might have been left to perish with the rest of Sodom. Many a household, in closing its doors against a stranger, has shut out God's messenger, who would have brought blessing and hope and peace. (p. 158)
Fidelity in the most common and homely duties of life opens the door of the house for the greatest of heaven's blessings to come. (p. 31)	Faithfulness or neglect in what are apparently the smallest duties may open the door for life's richest blessings or its greatest calamities. (p. 158)
They hoot and jeer at the venerable patriarch when he rises up from his seat in the gate to meet the travelers, and bows himself with his face to the ground, and says with Eastern courtesy, "Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night." (p. 31)	He was sitting at the gate as the travelers approached, and upon observing them, he rose from his place to meet them, and bowing courteously, said, "Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night." (p. 158)
They hoot and jeer... The hour of rest has not come before a crowd gathers in the streets and besets the house where the strangers have gone to repose. They become more clamorous, with infamous outcries and rude assaults, as night wears on. ... For when the angels of mercy go back to Him that sent them, it may be that they will kindle them the fires of wrath. ... They were no more riotous or dissolute on the last night than they had been many nights before. But there is a point beyond which the Divine forbearance cannot go. And they had reached that point when they clamoured against Lot, and would have beaten him down in the streets for protecting his angel-guests. When blindness fell upon them, and they wearied themselves to find the door, they had already passed "The hidden boundary between God's patience and his wrath." (pp. 32-33)	...before they had retired for the night, a lawless crowd gathered about the house. It was an immense company, youth and aged men alike inflamed by the vilest passions. The strangers had been making inquiry in regard to the character of the city, and Lot had warned them not to venture out of his door that night, when the hooting and jeers of the mob were heard, demanding that the men be brought out to them. ... That last night was marked by no greater sins than many others before it; but mercy, so long slighted, had at last ceased its pleading. The inhabitants of Sodom had passed the limits of divine forbearance--"the hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath." The fires of His vengeance were about to be kindled in the vale of Siddim. (p. 159)
He makes his way to their houses through the blinded rabble in the streets and gives the warning. But he seems to them as one that mocked. (pp. 33-34)	Lot went out to warn his children. He repeated the words of the angels, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city." But he seemed to them as one that mocked. (p. 160)
ABRAHAM was an hundred and twenty years old when he received the strange and startling command... He already passed for an aged man, even upon the longer average of human life in his time. His heart had lost much of the fervid and hopeful feeling of youth. ... It is easy to face the storm while the heart is fresh and full of hope, and we can rise up from every disappointment strong in the purpose and promise to reap the fruits of success and repose in after years. But it is very hard for an old man to find that the sorest trial is reserved for the last, when the burden of age is heavy upon his shoulders and the fire of youth is dim in his eye. (pp. 45-46)	At the time of receiving this command, Abraham had reached the age of a hundred and twenty years. He was regarded as an old man, even in his generation. In his earlier years he had been strong to endure hardship and to brave danger, but now the ardor of his youth had passed away. One in the vigor of manhood may with courage meet difficulties and afflictions that would cause his heart to fail later in life, when his feet are faltering toward the grave. But God had reserved His last, most trying test for Abraham until the burden of years was heavy upon him, and he longed for rest from anxiety and toil. (p. 147)
His quiet home in Beersheba had been sought as a place of rest. ... There he had gathered around him a great household, even hundreds of servants and herdsmen, and thousands of camels, and sheep, and goats and cattle. His flocks and tents covered all the grassy plains between the deserts of Arabia and the hills and mountains of Judea. There Abraham had become very rich in silver and gold, and he was already greatest among all the men of the East. And there was fulfilled unto him the Divine promise in the gift of Isaac, the son of his hopes and heart. (pp. 46-47)	The patriarch was dwelling at Beersheba, surrounded by prosperity and honor. He was very rich, and was honored as a mighty prince by the rulers of the land. Thousands of sheep and cattle covered the plains that spread out beyond his encampment. On every side were the tents of his retainers, the home of hundreds of faithful servants. The son of promise had grown up to manhood by his side. (p. 147)
He had left father and mother, kindred and country, at the Divine command He had lived a pilgrim and a stranger in a land not his own. He had clung to the Divine promise, when, to all human judgement its fulfilment seemed a contradiction and an impossibility. He had borne all the bitterness of a father's grief in sending forth Ishmael to wander in the wilderness. And, after all these trials of faith and submission, could there be in store yet another and greater to wring his aged heart when he was least able to bear it? (pp. 46-47)	In the obedience of faith, Abraham had forsaken his native country--had turned away from the graves of his fathers and the home of his kindred. He had wandered as a stranger in the land of his inheritance. He had waited long for the birth of the promised heir. At the command of God he had sent away his son Ishmael. And now, when the child so long desired was entering upon manhood, and the patriarch seemed able to discern the fruition of his hopes, a trial greater than all others was before him. (p. 148)
It would have been enough to break an old man's heart to lose such a son by the ordinary course of sickness and death. (p. 47)	The loss of such a son by accident or disease would have been heart rending to the fond father... (p. 148)
Strange, terrible and unaccountable it must have seemed to him at first, as if he had dreamed, or as if some tempting or tormenting demon had assumed to speak in the name of the Lord. ... As he passes silently from the inner to the outer apartment of the tent, and looks upon the calm face of the sleeping son, he feels for the moment as if the blood of the dreadful sacrifice were already upon his hands. He shudders... He steps forth silently into the open air and looks up. ... Above him the clear blue dome of Arabian skies is all ablaze with the fiery hosts of the stars. He remembers that his fathers worshiped those peaceful orbs "beyond the flood", and that no such message ever came to them from the silent depths of the firmament. He remembers that the Divine voice which called him out of Chaldea fifty years before, had once said to him, "Look now toward the heaven and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; so shall thy seed be." ... And now has that same voice commanded him to slay his only son? (pp. 49-51)	Satan was at hand to suggest that he must be deceived, for the divine law commands, "Thou shalt not kill," and God would not require what He had once forbidden. Going outside his tent, Abraham looked up to the calm brightness of the unclouded heavens, and recalled the promise made nearly fifty years before, that his seed should be innumerable as the stars. If this promise was to be fulfilled through Isaac, how could he be put to death? ... Returning to his tent, he went to the place where Isaac lay sleeping the deep, untroubled sleep of youth and innocence. For a moment the father looked upon the dear face of his son, then turned tremblingly away. (pp. 150-151)
All night long he waits, if peradventure that voice which gave the terrible command will speak again and tell him that his faith has been sufficiently tried - his son may live. But no such message comes. (p. 56)	While his son and the young men were sleeping, he spent the night in prayer, still hoping that some heavenly messenger might come to say that the trial was enough, that the youth might return unharmed to his mother. But no relief came to his tortured soul. (p. 151)
For he is a full-grown man, twenty-five years of age, and he can easily resist or escape the hand of his father, who has a hundred more years upon his shoulders. (p. 58)	He could have escaped his doom, had he chosen to do so; the grief-stricken old man, exhausted with the struggle of those three terrible days, could not have opposed the will of the vigorous youth. (p. 152)
All the sorrows that wrung the heart of Abraham during the three days of his dark and dreadful trial were imposed on him to help us understand how real, how deep, how unutterable was the self-denial of the infinite God in giving His own Son to death for our salvation. No trial, no mental torture could possibly have been greater to Abraham than that which he bore in obeying the command to sacrifice his son. God actually surrendered His well-beloved Son to the slow and dreadful agony of crucifixion. ... Legions of angels were in waiting, but they were not permitted to interpose for His relief. (p. 61)	The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man's redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac. (p. 154)
Jacob had left Padan-aram and started upon his return to his native country in obedience to a Divine command. ...he had received a strange and startling assurance of the Divine protection. While his flocks were moving slowly, like fleecy clouds, along the grassy hill-sides and over the wild pasture-lands, Jacob lifted up his eyes and saw in open day, as if encamped in the air, two hosts of angels encompassing him behind and before and moving with him for his protection. He remembered the vision of Bethel, and he rejoiced that the heavenly guardians who cheered him on his departure twenty years before were ready to welcome him on his return. (pp. 87-88)	Though Jacob had left Padan-aram in obedience to the divine direction... Again the Lord granted Jacob a token of the divine care. As he traveled southward from Mount Gilead, two hosts of heavenly angels seemed to encompass him behind and before, advancing with his company, as if for their protection. Jacob remembered the vision at Bethel so long before, and his burdened heart grew lighter at this evidence that the divine messengers who had brought him hope and courage at his flight from Canaan were to be the guardians of his return. (p. 195)
As the sun goes down, we find them encamping for the night on the second plain, walled in by ranges of mountains right and left, and with the sea in front. ...they see the flashing armor and the tossing plumes of the terrible chariots of Pharaoh. The advancing host is commanded by the proud and impious king himself...against an unarmed and panic-stricken mob (pp. 129, 131)	The Hebrews were encamped beside the sea, whose waters presented a seemingly impassable barrier before them, while on the south a rugged mountain obstructed their further progress. Suddenly they beheld in the distance the flashing armor and moving chariots betokening the advance guard of a great army. As the force drew nearer, the hosts of Egypt were seen in full pursuit. Terror filled the hearts of Israel. (pp. 283-284)
...the wail of distracted myriads rises louder than the roar of the sea, this awful cloud lifts majestically into the air, passes over the heads of the Hebrew host, and settles down upon the earth between them and their pursuers, so as to hide the one from the other. There it stands, as darkness comes on, unmoved by the strong wind blowing from the sea, black as midnight to the Egyptians, and yet sending forth a cheering and glorious light over all the host of the Hebrews... (p. 135)	...their wailings and lamentations were loud and deep...the cloudy column rose majestically into the heavens, passed over the Israelites, and descended between them and the armies of Egypt. A wall of darkness interposed between the pursued and their pursuers. The Egyptians could no longer discern the camp of the Hebrews, and were forced to halt. But as the darkness of night deepened, the wall of cloud became a great light to the Hebrews, flooding the entire encampment with the radiance of day. (pp. 286-287)
...the awful cloud is suddenly changed to the Egyptians. It becomes a column of fire as high as heaven, shooting forth lightnings and shaking the earth with mighty thunders. (p. 137)	The mysterious cloud changed to a pillar of fire before their astonished eyes. The thunders pealed and the lightnings flashed. (p. 287)
Go forward is the watchword of progress for the world and of salvation for the soul. Obedience to that command makes all the differences between success and failure, triumph and defeat, salvation and perdition. (pp. 142)	Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, "Go forward." We should obey this command, even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold waves about our feet. (p. 290)
On the same bare, bleak and jagged ridge where Saul was encamped, Gideon had hidden his three hundred men... With three; hundred thousand warriors entrenched around him upon heights that the chariots and horses of the Philistines could not climb, Saul felt himself to be defenceless and alone, because God had forsaken him. (pp. 150,152)	It was on this plain that Gideon, with three hundred men, had put to flight the hosts of Midian. But the spirit that inspired Israel's deliverer was widely different from that which now stirred the heart of the king. Gideon went forth strong in faith in the mighty God of Jacob; but Saul felt himself to be alone and defenseless, because God had forsaken him. (p. 675)
Her suspicions are doubtless awakened as to the character of the intruders, both by the value of the present offered, and by the fact, generally known, that there was but one man in all the land of such gigantic and kingly stature as now stands before her.	Disguised as he was, Saul's lofty stature and kingly port declared that he was no common soldier. The woman suspected that her visitor was Saul, and his rich gifts strengthened her suspicions. (p. 679)
Hungry, weary, terrified, conscience-smitten, he lay like one dead, with the full length of his giant frame prostrate upon the ground. (p. 158)	Saul was faint with weariness and fasting; he was terrified and conscience-stricken. As the fearful prediction fell upon his ear, his form swayed like an oak before the tempest, and he fell prostrate to the earth. ... The king of Israel lay before her like one dead. (p. 681)

Daniel March, Walks and Homes of Jesus, 1867

Ellen White

Nevertheless it will do us all good, frequently and solemnly to review the closing scenes in the Saviour's earthly life. Amid all the material and worldly passions, by which we are beset and tempted, we shall learn many salutary lessons, by going back in memory, and spending a thoughtful hour, in the endeavor to strengthen our faith and quicken our love at the foot of the cross. What then are the lessons which the divine passion, the infinite sacrifice... (p. 313)

It will do you good, and our ministers generally, to frequently review the closing scenes in the life of our Redeemer. Here, beset with temptations as He was, we may all learn lessons of the utmost importance to us. It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life. By thus contemplating His teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice...
(Testimonies, Vol. 4, p. 374)

We must consider more earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy that so meet and harmonize in the cross. (p. 318)

With our finite comprehension we may consider most earnestly the shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy, that meet in the cross...
(Great Controversy, p. 651)

Daniel March, Our Father's House, 1871, p. 254

Ellen White, Youth Instructor, May 12, 1898

The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the narrow defiles of the mountains. The clouds in black and angry masses sweep between the mighty bird and the sunny heights where she builds her nests and basks in the full day. For a while she dashes to and fro, buffeting the storm with her strong wings and waking the echoes of the mountains with her wild cry, vainly endeavoring to find some way out of her dark and high-walled prison. At length she dashes upward with a scream of triumph into the midst of the black clouds, and in a moment she is above them in the calm sunshine, with the darkness and the tempest all beneath, the light of heaven shining in full blaze upon her conquering pinions, and her loved home on the lofty crag in full sight waiting to receive her. It is through the darkness that she rushes into the light. It is by a mighty effort to ascend that she leaves the clouds and the storms of earth beneath.

In her endeavors to reach her home, the eagle is often beaten down by the tempest to the narrow defiles of the mountains. The clouds, in black, angry masses sweep between her and the sunny heights where she secures her nest. For a while she seems bewildered, and dashes this way and that, beating her strong wings as if to sweep back the dense clouds. She awakens the doves of the mountains with her wild cry in her vain endeavors to find a way out of her prison. At last she dashes upward into the blackness, and gives a shrill scream of triumph as she emerges, a moment later, in the calm sunshine above. The darkness and tempest are all below her, and the light of heaven is shining about her. She reaches her loved home in the lofty crag, and is satisfied. It was through darkness that she reached the light. It cost her an effort to do this, but she is rewarded in gaining the object which she sought.

Citations

1. Warren Johns, Ellen G. White Estate, Ellen G. White, Literary Dependence, and Science, p. 2.

2. Ellen White, Selected Messages Book 3, p. 70.

3. Ellen White, letter 339, 1904. Editor's Note: This letter has not (as of September 10, 2005) been released to the public by the Ellen G. White Estate.

4. James White, Life Sketches, pp. 328-329, 1880 edition. Written one year prior to James White's death, but borrowed from Joseph Smith's apostle, John Taylor, who used nearly identical phrasing one year before, in 1879, to describe the Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith's work.

5. Arthur White, "Inspiration and the EGW Writings", Review and Herald, 1978, p. 39.

6. Warren Johns, pp. 12,13.

7. Ellen White, letter 37, 1887.

8. Passage on earthquakes is found in Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, pp. 79-83.

9. Warren Johns, page not given.

10. Ellen White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, page v.

11. Dr. Ronald Graybill, "Ellen G. White's Work - An Update," taken from an edited and annotated transcript of a tape recording of presentations made in the morning worship services at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Nov. 15-19, 1981. Emphasis supplied.

12. Ibid.

13. Ellen White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 6, 1886.

14. Willie C. White, letter to Dr. David Paulson, Feb. 15, 1905.

15. Ellen G. White, Letter 60, 1878, p. 1.

16. Editorial note by Brother Anderson: On May 18, 2009, SDA Pastor Kevin Morgan sent us the following list via e-mail. It is his contention that that list below is more accurate than the one supplied by Elder Rea.

March, Night Scenes in the Bible (1868)	Ellen G. White Books
Pages 201-202	Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 27-28
Page 363	Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 2, pp. 343-344
Page 313 (Nicodemus)	Desire of Ages, p. 168-173
Pages 459-460	Acts of the Apostles, p. 146
Pages 193-198	Prophets and Kings, pp. 119-120
Pages 200-207 (Story of Elijah)	Prophets and Kings, pp. 121-128
Pages 208-216	Prophets and Kings, pp. 143-165
Pages 292-299	Prophets and Kings, pp. 523-531
Our Father's House, Page 255	Messages to Young People, p. 103
Page 336	Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 44
Pages 25-42 (Destruction of Sodom)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 156-170
Pages 45-62 (Abraham)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 147-155
Pages 85-102 (Jacob)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 195-203
Pages 105-124 (Exodus)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 281-290
Pages 127-144 (Red Sea)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 291-302
Pages 147-162 (Saul)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 675-682
Pages 165-186 (David in exile)	Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 727-745
Pages 189-222 (Story of Elijah)	Prophets and Kings, pp. 143-176
Pages 225-244 (Story of Jonah)	Prophets and Kings, pp. 265-272
Pages 285-302 (Story of Belshazzar)	Prophets and Kings, pp. 522-538
Pages 343-360 (Jesus walking on water)	Desire of Ages, pp. 377-382
Pages 363-374 (Feast of Tabernacles)	Desire of Ages, pp. 447-454
Pages 377-394	Desire of Ages, pp. 673-694
Pages 397-410	Desire of Ages, pp. 685-697
Pages 413-430	Desire of Ages, pp. 795-808
Pages 433-448	Desire of Ages, pp. 809-817
Pages 451-466	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 146-148
Pages 469-488	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 214-217
Pages 491-508	Acts of the Apostles, pp. 442-445

17. Editorial note by Brother Anderson: Because of claims made by some SDAs that the plagiarism charges made by Elder Rea in this article were false and unsubstantiated, I have provided a number of examples from Patriarchs and Prophets and other writings which clearly show that Ellen White followed Daniel March in the development of some of her thoughts and plagiarized his ideas and sometimes even the exact same words into her own writings.