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Testimonies for the Church Volume 2
You need to exercise temperance in all things. Cultivate the
higher powers of the mind, and there will be less strength of growth
of the animal. It is impossible for you to increase in spiritual strength
while your appetite and passions are not under perfect control. Says
the inspired apostle: “I keep under my body, and bring it into sub-
jection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be a castaway.”
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My brother, arouse yourself, I pray you, and let the work of
the Spirit of God reach deeper than the external; let it reach down
to the deep springs of every action. It is principle that is wanted,
firm principle, and vigor of action in spiritual as well as temporal
things. Your efforts lack earnestness. Oh, how many are low in the
scale of spirituality because they will not deny their appetite! The
brain nerve energy is benumbed and almost paralyzed by overeating.
When such go to the house of God upon the Sabbath, they cannot
hold their eyes open. The most earnest appeals fail to arouse their
leaden, insensible intellects. The truth may be presented with deep
feeling, but it does not awaken the moral sensibilities or enlighten
the understanding. Have such studied to glorify God in all things?
It is impossible to have clear conceptions of eternal things unless
the mind is trained to dwell upon elevated themes. All the passions
must be brought under perfect subjection to the moral powers. When
men and women profess strong faith and earnest spirituality, I know
that their profession is false if they have not brought all their passions
under control. God requires this. The reason why such spiritual
darkness prevails is that the mind is content to take a low level and
is not directed upward in a pure, holy, and heavenly channel.
I saw in regard to your family, Brother M, that you were not
happy. Your wife has been disappointed, and you have been disap-
pointed. Your wife expected to find in you a person of more noble,
refined organization. She has been very unhappy. She has a large
amount of pride. Her family connections upon her mother’s side
are naturally conscientious, yet proud and aristocratic. She partakes
largely of these traits of character. She is not demonstrative. It is not
natural for her to make advances and manifest affection. She looks
upon the manifestation of affection between husband and wife as
weak and childish. She has felt that if she encouraged affection, it
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would not be answered by fine, elevated love, but by the lower order