p. 154 | Untitled article by Angelia J. Edmunds

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, August 20, 1867

A HEALTHY DIET.

By Angelia J. Edmunds

WHEN man was created, God said, “Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Gen. i, 29. This was a healthy diet for man; and eternal life would have been his to enjoy, had he not transgressed. The curse was pronounced. Man must die. His manner of living being healthful, he did not then die of disease, but of old age. Immediately after the flood, God said, “Every moving thing that liveth, shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.” Gen. ix, 3. And man’s life from that day to this has been growing shorter and shorter. We now seldom hear of a person one hundred and twenty years old. Has not our kind Father been exercising tender forbearance since that time? “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. iii, 9. If we could expect this world would remain as it now is one hundred years, with what a poor dying race of beings should we find it peopled. Disease of both man and beast is fast increasing. Even now the average age of man does not exceed thirty years.

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Eze. xxxiii, 11. Yes, our Father would have us overcome every evil imagination of our hearts. It is not his pleasure that we should live in a poor, dying state. All are being faithfully warned by the third angel. The honest-hearted will heed the cry, and adopt that manner of food given the holy pair in the garden of Eden.

He gave the children of Israel “the corn of Heaven.” “Man did eat angels’ food.” Ps. lxxviii. But they lusted after flesh, “and he gave them their request but sent leanness into their souls.” Ps. cvi, 15. “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” 1 Cor. x, 6. In Num. xi, we read that “the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.” The principal evil they lusted after was flesh. The anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. Did he murmur and lust after such things? No; he was willing to give up all if he could but enter the promised land. He said, “Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.” Num. xi, 13. God caused quails to fall round about the camp. “And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.” Num. xi, 33.

To lust after flesh is an evil. Flesh food is an evil; for Paul says that when they lusted after flesh, they lusted after evil. Man’s ways were continually evil. God, because of the hardness of man’s heart, has suffered much evil in the earth; “but from the beginning it was not so.” Hear Webster define evil: “Having bad qualities of a natural kind; mischievous; having qualities which tend to injure, or to produce mischief.” How much mischief evil produced in the camp, when so many died of the plague! And still man’s life is shortened by diseases of various kinds, because of this evil, flesh. While I write I am reminded of what physicians say about the bad qualities of swine’s flesh, which always had a tendency to injure, and more especially now, because it is so much diseased. It is expressly spoken against in the Bible; yet in our land it is more extensively used as an article of food than the flesh of any other animal.

Dear brother or sister, if you still lust after this evil, I would warn you before it is too late. Soon the wrath of God will be poured out without mixture of mercy. O hasten that you may escape the seven last plagues. We are living in the tarrying time. The one hundred and forty-four thousand will be translated without seeing death. They will heed the light that has been given. They will be willing to give up that which God saw fit to give man for food, only because his ways were evil before him.

I thank my heavenly Father for the light that has been given on the health question. Praise his holy name for the testimonies. God has again put his hand to the work. If we do not obey him he will send leanness into our souls. ANGELIA J. EDMUNDS.