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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
Satan is the originator of disease; and the physician is warring
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against his work and power. Sickness of the mind prevails every-
where. Nine tenths of the diseases from which men suffer have their
foundation here. Perhaps some living home trouble is, like a canker,
eating to the very soul and weakening the life forces. Remorse for
sin sometimes undermines the constitution and unbalances the mind.
There are erroneous doctrines also, as that of an eternally burning hell
and the endless torment of the wicked, that, by giving exaggerated
and distorted views of the character of God, have produced the same
result upon sensitive minds. Infidels have made the most of these
unfortunate cases, attributing insanity to religion; but this is a gross
libel and one which they will not be pleased to meet by and by. The
religion of Christ, so far from being the cause of insanity, is one of its
most effectual remedies; for it is a potent soother of the nerves.
The physician needs more than human wisdom and power that he
may know how to minister to the many perplexing cases of disease of
the mind and heart with which he is called to deal. If he is ignorant
of the power of divine grace he cannot help the afflicted one, but will
aggravate the difficulty; but if he has a firm hold upon God he will be
able to help the diseased, distracted mind. He will be able to point his
patients to Christ and teach them to carry all their cares and perplexities
to the great Burden Bearer.
There is a divinely appointed connection between sin and disease.
No physician can practice for a month without seeing this illustrated.
He may ignore the fact; his mind may be so occupied with other matters
that his attention will not be called to it; but if he will be observing
and honest he cannot help acknowledging that sin and disease bear to
each other the relationship of cause and effect. The physician should
be quick to see this and to act accordingly. When he has gained the
confidence of the afflicted by relieving their sufferings and bringing
them back from the verge of the grave, he may teach them that disease
is the result of sin and that it is the fallen foe who seeks to allure
them to health-and-soul-destroying practices. He may impress their
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minds with the necessity of denying self and obeying the laws of life
and health. In the minds of the young especially he may instill right
principles. God loves His creatures with a love that is both tender and
strong. He has established the laws of nature, but His laws are not
arbitrary exactions. Every “Thou shalt not,” whether in physical or