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Christian Temperance
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called to the stomach to help the digestive organs carry on their work
of disposing of an amount of food which does the system no good.
Thus the power of the brain is lessened by drawing so heavily
upon it to help the stomach get along with its heavy burden. And
after it has accomplished the task, what are the sensations experi-
enced as the result of this unnecessary expenditure of vital force?
A feeling of goneness, a faintness, as though you must eat more.
Perhaps this feeling comes just before mealtime. What is the cause
of this? Nature has worried along with her work and is so thoroughly
exhausted in consequence that you have this sensation of goneness.
And you think that the stomach says, “More food,” when, in its
faintness, it is distinctly saying, “Give me rest.”
The stomach needs rest to gather up its exhausted energies for
another work. But, instead of allowing it any period of rest, you
think it needs more food, and so heap another load upon nature, and
refuse it the needed rest. It is like a man laboring in the field all
through the early part of the day until he is weary. He comes in at
noon and says that he is weary and exhausted, but you tell him to go
to work again and he will obtain relief. This is the way you treat the
stomach. It is thoroughly exhausted. But instead of letting it rest,
you give it more food, and then call the vitality from other parts of
the system to the stomach to assist in the work of digestion.
Many of you have at times felt a numbness around the brain.
You have felt disinclined to take hold of any labor which required
either mental or physical exertion, until you have rested from the
sense of this burden imposed upon your system. Then, again, there
is this sense of goneness. But you say it is more food that is wanted,
and place a double load upon the stomach for it to care for. Even if
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you are strict in the quality of your food, do you glorify God in your
bodies and spirits, which are His, by partaking of such a quantity of
food? Those who place so much food upon the stomach, and thus
load down nature, could not appreciate the truth should they hear it
dwelt upon. They could not arouse the benumbed sensibilities of the
brain to realize the value of the atonement and the great sacrifice that
has been made for fallen man. It is impossible for such to appreciate
the great, the precious, and the exceedingly rich reward that is in
reserve for the faithful overcomers. The animal part of our nature
should never be left to govern the moral and intellectual.