3. Caused the downfall of Nadab and Abihu. Lev. 10:1–10.
4. Brought “leanness of soul” and death to many in ancient Israel. Num. 11:31–34; Ps. 106:15.1335. Will land all in perdition who do not by rigid discipline of the body bring all under control. 1 Cor. 9:25–27.
“One of the strongest temptations that man has to meet is on the point of appetite. In the beginning the Lord made man upright. He was created with a perfectly balanced mind, the size and strength of all his organs being fully and harmoniously developed. But through the seductions of the wily foe, the prohibition of God was disregarded, and the laws of nature wrought out their full penalty.”—(Christian Temperance, p. 42.)
“When there has been a departure from the right path, it is difficult to return. Barriers have been broken down, safeguards removed. One step in the wrong direction prepares the way for another. The least deviation from right principles will lead to separation from God, and may end in destruction. What we do once we more readily do again; and to go forward in a certain path, be it right or wrong, is more easy than to start. To corrupt our ways before God, requires no effort; but to engraft habits of righteousness and truth upon the character takes time and patient endeavor.”—(Idem, p. 32.)
“It is not an easy matter to overcome the appetite for narcotics and stimulants. But in the name of Christ this great victory can be gained. . . . But it rests with man134whether Christ shall accomplish for him that which he is fully able to do. God cannot work against man’s will to save him from Satan’s artifices. Man must put forth his human power to resist and conquer at any cost; he must be a co-worker with Christ.”—(Idem, p. 40.)
“Christ began the work of redemption just where the ruin began. His first test was on the same point where Adam failed. It was through temptations addressed to the appetite that Satan had overcome a large proportion of the human race, and his success had made him feel that the control of this fallen planet was in his hands. But in Christ he found one who was able to resist him, and he left the field of battle a conquered foe. Jesus says, ‘He hath nothing in me.’ His victory is an assurance that we too may come off victors in our conflicts with the enemy. But it is not our heavenly Father’s purpose to save us without an effort on our part to co-operate with Christ. We must act our part, and divine power, uniting with our effort, will bring victory.”
—(Idem, p. 16.)
“Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to his original design,—that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat-eating will eventually be done away with; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily toward it. I cannot think that in the practice of flesh-eating, we are in harmony with the light which God has been pleased to give us.”—(Christian Temperance, p. 119.)
“It is not the chief end of man to gratify his appetite. There are physical wants to be supplied; but because of this, is it necessary that man shall be controlled by appetite? Will the people who are seeking to become holy, pure, refined, that they may be introduced into the society of heavenly angels, continue to take the life of God’s creatures, and enjoy their flesh as a luxury? From what the Lord has shown me, this order of things will be changed, and God’s peculiar people will exercise temperance in all things.”—(Idem, p. 48.)
“John separated himself from his friends, and from the luxuries of life, dwelling alone in the wilderness, and subsisting upon a purely vegetable diet.”—(Idem, p. 38.)
“It is impossible for those who give the reins to appetite to attain to Christian perfection. The moral sensibilities of your children cannot be easily aroused, unless you are careful in the selection of their food. Many a mother sets a table that is a snare to her family. Flesh-meats, butter, cheese, rich pastry, spiced foods, and condiments are freely partaken of by both old and young. These things do their work in deranging the stomach, exciting the nerves, and enfeebling the intellect. The blood-making organs cannot convert such things into good blood. The grease cooked in the food renders it difficult of digestion. The effect of cheese is deleterious. Fine-flour bread does not impart to the system the nourishment that is to be found in unbolted wheat bread. Its common use will not keep the system in the best condition. Spices at first irritate the tender coating of the stomach, but finally destroy the natural sensitiveness of this delicate membrane. The blood becomes fevered, the animal propensities are aroused, while the moral and intellectual powers are weakened, and become servants to the baser passions.”—(Idem, pp. 46, 47.)
“Tea, coffee, and tobacco, as well as alcoholic drinks, are different degrees in the scale of artificial stimulants.
“The effect of tea and coffee; as heretofore shown, tends in the same direction as that of wine and cider, liquor and tobacco.
“Tea is a stimulant, and to a certain extent produces intoxication. It gradually impairs the energy of body and mind... The137second effect of tea-drinking is headache, wakefulness, palpitation of the heart, indigestion, trembling, and many other evils.
“Coffee is a hurtful indulgence... In some cases it is as difficult to break up the tea and coffee habit as it is for the inebriate to discontinue the use of liquor. The money expended for tea and coffee is worse than wasted. They do the user only harm, and that continually.”—(Idem, pp. 34, 35.)
2. Quantity.
(1.) Enough for strength, not enough for drunkenness. Eccl. 10: 17.
(3.) An omer a day (about five pints) of manna for each person was deemed sufficient for Israel. Ex. 16: 16.
“As a people, with all our profession of health reform, we eat too much. Indulgence of appetite is the greatest cause of physical and mental debility, and lies at the foundation of a large share of the feebleness which is apparent everywhere.”—(Idem, p. 154.)
“It is possible to eat immoderately, even of wholesome food. It does not follow that because one has discarded the use of hurtful articles of diet, he can eat just as much as he pleases. Overeating, no matter what the quality of the food, clogs the living machine, and thus hinders it in his work.”—(Idem, p. 51.)
3. Time of eating.
3. Time of Eating.
(1.) “Eat in due season,” i. e., at proper times. Eccl. 10: 17.
“Most people enjoy better health while eating two meals a day than three; others, under their existing circumstances, may require something to eat at supper-time, but this meal should be very light.”—(Idem, p. 58.)
“Many turn from light and knowledge, and sacrifice principle to taste. They eat when the system needs no food, and at irregular intervals, because they have no moral stamina to resist inclination. As the result, the abused stomach rebels, and suffering follows. Regularity in eating is very important for health of body and serenity of mind. Never should a morsel of food pass the lips between meals.”—(Idem, p. 50.)
“Regularity should be the rule in all the habits of children. Mothers make a great mistake in permitting them to eat between meals. The stomach becomes deranged by this practice, and the foundation is laid for future suffering.”—(Idem, p. 61.)
Many indulge in the pernicious habit of eating just before retiring. They may have taken their regular meals, yet because they feel a sense of faintness, they think they must have a lunch. By indulging this wrong practice it becomes a habit, and they feel as though they could not sleep without food. In many cases this faintness comes because the digestive organs have been too severely taxed through the day in disposing of the great quantities of food forced upon them.139These organs need a period of entire rest from labor, to recover their exhausted energies. A second meal should never be eaten until the stomach has had time to recover from the labor of digesting the preceding meal.”—(Idem, p. 50.)
VIII.—HEALTHFUL COOKERY.
“Do not neglect to teach your children how to prepare healthful food. In giving them these lessons in physiology and in good cooking, you are giving them the first steps in some of the most useful branches of education, and inculcating principles which are needful elements in a religious education.”—(Christian Temperance, p. 71.)
“It is a religious duty for those who cook, to learn how to prepare healthful food in a variety of ways, so that it may be both palatable and healthful. Poor cookery is wearing away the life energies of thousands. More souls are lost from this cause than many realize. . . .”
“Some do not feel that it is a religious duty to prepare food properly; hence they do not try to learn how. . . . Do not think the time wasted which is devoted to obtaining a thorough knowledge and experience in the preparation of healthful, palatable food. No matter how long an experience you have had in cooking, if you still have the responsibilities of a family, it is your duty to learn how to care for them properly. If necessary, go to some good cook, and put yourself under her instruction until you are mistress of the art.”—(Idem, pp. 48, 49.)
“One reason why many have become discouraged in practicing health reform is that they have not learned how to cook so that proper food, simply prepared, would supply the place of the diet to which they have been accustomed. . . . You profess to be health reformers, and for this very reason you should become good cooks. Those who can avail themselves of the advantages of properly conducted hygienic cooking-schools, will find it a great benefit, both in their own practice, and in teaching others.”—(Idem, p. 119.)
“Many who adopt the health reform complain that it does not agree with them; but after sitting at their tables I come to the conclusion that it is not the health reform that is at fault, but the poorly prepared food. I appeal to men and women to whom God has given intelligence: learn how to cook. I make no mistake when I say men, for they, as well as women, need to understand the simple, healthful preparation of food. . . . They may be called to remain days and even weeks in families that are entirely ignorant in this respect. Then, if they have the knowledge, they can use it to good purpose.”—(Idem, pp. 57, 58.)
IX.—DIET AND PURITY.
“The power of Satan over the youth of this age is fearful. Unless the minds of our children are firmly balanced by religious principles, their morals will become corrupted by the vicious examples with which they come in contact. The greatest danger141of the young is from a lack of self-control. Indulgent parents do not teach their children self-denial. The very food they place before them is such as to irritate the stomach. The excitement thus produced is communicated to the brain, and as a result the passions are roused. It cannot be too often repeated, that whatever is taken into the stomach, affects not only the body, but ultimately the mind as well. Gross and stimulating food fevers the blood, excites the nervous system, and too often dulls the moral perceptions, so that reason and conscience are overborne by the sensual impulses. It is difficult, and often well-nigh impossible, for one who is intemperate in diet to exercise patience and self-control. Hence the special importance of allowing children, whose characters are yet unformed, to have only such food as is healthful and unstimulating. It was in love that our heavenly Father sent the light of health reform, to guard against the evils that result from unrestrained indulgence of appetite.”—(Idem, p. 134.)
“Whoever eats too much, or of food which is not healthful, is weakening his power to resist the clamors of other appetites and passions.”—(Idem, p. 76.)
“If ever there was a time when the diet should be of the most simple kind, it is now. Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions, and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be the142food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven.”—(Testimonies, Vol. II, p. 352.)
X.—CLOTHING.
1. Why has God given us light on health reform? “God has given us light upon health reform, that we may understand it in all its bearings, and by rightly relating ourselves to life, have health that we may glorify God and be a blessing to others.”—(Testimonies, Vol. III, p. 141.)
2. If we injure the body by improper clothing, how will God regard us? “If we enfeeble the body by self-gratification, by indulging the appetite, and by dressing in accordance with health-destroying fashions, in order to be in harmony with the world, we become enemies of God.”—(Idem, p. 63.)
3. What are we in duty bound to do? “Our bodies belong to Him who made them, and we are in duty bound to become intelligent in regard to the best means of preserving them from decay.”—(Idem.)
4. When we disregard moral obligations regarding eating, dressing, etc., for what do we prepare the way? “Whoever violates moral obligations in the matter of eating and dressing, prepares the way to violate the claims of God in regard to eternal interests.”—(Idem.)
5. What may be said regarding clothing the extremities of the body? “Special attention should be given to the extremities, that they may be as thoroughly clothed as the chest and the region over the heart,143where is the greatest amount of heat.”—(Vol. II, p. 531.)
6. What is often done in dressing children? “In order to follow the fashions, mothers dress their children with limbs nearly naked.”—(Idem.)
7. What follows this exposure of the limbs? “The blood is chilled back from its natural course, and thrown upon the internal organs, breaking up the circulation and producing disease.”—(Idem.)
8. What are the parents thus unwittingly doing? “Parents who dress their children with the extremities naked, or nearly so, are sacrificing the health and lives of their children to fashion.”—(Idem.)
9. How is circulation affected by such modes of dressing? “When the extremities, which are remote from the vital organs, are not properly clad, the blood is driven to the head, causing headache or nosebleed; or there is a sense of fullness about the chest, producing cough or palpitation of the heart, on account of too much blood in that locality; or the stomach has too much blood, causing indigestion.”—(Idem.)
10. What is the result of the common unhealthful style of dress? “Disease of every type is brought upon the body through the unhealthful fashionable style of dress.”—(Vol. IV, p. 582.)
11. What must take place before a cure can be effected? “The fact should be made prominent that a reform must take place before treatment will effect a cure.”—(Idem.)
12. What is the result of the common144compression of the waist? “The fashionable compression of the waist lessens the natural capacity for respiration, and induces the pernicious habit of breathing only with the upper part of the lungs. The circulation is impeded, and the internal organs, cramped and crowded out of place, cannot perform their work properly.”—(Christian Temperance, p. 40.)
13. How loosely should the dress be worn? “The dress should be perfectly easy, that the lungs and heart may have healthy action.” “The form should not be compressed in the least with corsets and whalebones.”—(Testimonies, Vol. I, p. 460.)
14. To what is the present enfeebled condition of woman chiefly due? “The way in which women clothe themselves, together with their indulgence of appetite, is the greatest cause of their present feeble, diseased condition.”—(Idem, p. 461.)
15. What diseases result from the many improper styles of dress? “The amount of physical suffering created by unnatural and unhealthful dress cannot be estimated. Many have become life-long invalids through their compliance with the demands of fashion. Displacements and deformities, cancers and other terrible diseases, are among the evils resulting from fashionable dress.”—(Vol. IV, p. 635.)
16. What may be said of heavy skirts worn suspended from the hips? “The heavy skirts worn by some, and allowed to drag down upon the hips, have been the cause of various diseases which are not easily cured.”—(Vol. I, p. 461.)
17. Who is the real inventor of these health-destroying fashions? “Satan is constantly devising some new style of dress that shall prove an injury to physical and moral health; and he exults when he sees professed Christians eagerly accepting the fashions that he has invented.”—(Vol. IV, p. 634.)
18 Why was dress reform introduced among us? “To protect the people of God from the corrupting influence of the world, as well as to promote physical and moral health, the dress reform was introduced among us”—(Idem.)
19 What will true dress reform do for us if we walk in its light? It will lift “the weights from the hips by suspending the skirts from the shoulders.” It will remove the “tight corsets, which compress the lungs, the stomach, and other internal organs, and induce curvature of the spine and an almost countless train of diseases.” It will clothe equally every part of the body. In short, “dress reform proper provides for the protection and development of every part of the body.”—(See p. 635.)
XI.—MISCELLANEOUS.
“There is work for us to do—stern, earnest work. All our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the good.—(Christian Temperance, p. 25.)
Every power—physical, mental, and moral—needs to be trained, disciplined, and developed, that it may render its highest service; for unless all are equally developed, one faculty cannot do its work thoroughly, without overtaxing some part of the human machinery... Natural powers must be governed by natural laws, and the faculties must be educated to work harmoniously, and in accord with these laws.”—(Testimony, No. 33, p. 50.)
“Many expect that God will keep them from sickness merely because they ask him to do so. But the prayers of those who do not regard the laws of life, God cannot answer, because their faith is not made perfect by works. When we do all on our part to insure health, then we may expect that good results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts, and he will answer our prayer, if his name can be glorified thereby. But let all understand that they have a work to do. God will not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of persons who are, by their careless inattention to the laws of health, taking a sure course to make themselves sick.”—(Christian Temperance, p. 108.)
“Nature’s God will not interfere to preserve men from the consequences of violating nature’s laws. There is much sterling truth in the adage, ‘Every man is the architect of his own fortune.’”—(Idem, p. 28.)