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Counsels on Health
A Solemn Responsibility
There is a solemn responsibility upon all, especially upon ministers
who teach the truth, to overcome upon the point of appetite. Their
usefulness would be much greater if they had control of their appetites
and passions, and their mental and moral powers would be stronger
if they combined physical labor with mental exertion. With strictly
temperate habits, and with mental and physical labor combined, they
could accomplish a far greater amount of labor and preserve clearness
of mind. If they would pursue such a course, their thoughts and
words would flow more freely, their religious exercises would be more
energized, and the impressions made upon their hearers would be more
marked.
Intemperance in eating, even of food of the right quality, will have
a prostrating influence upon the system and will blunt the keener and
holier emotions. Strict temperance in eating and drinking is highly
essential for the healthy preservation and vigorous exercise of all the
functions of the body. Strictly temperate habits, combined with exer-
cise of the muscles as well as of the mind, will preserve both mental
and physical vigor, and give power of endurance to those engaged in
the ministry, to editors, and to all others whose habits are sedentary....
[124]
The Effect of Stimulating Food
Intemperance commences at our tables, in the use of unhealthful
food. After a time, through continued indulgence, the digestive organs
become weakened and the food taken does not satisfy the appetite.
Unhealthy conditions are established, and there is a craving for more
stimulating food. Tea, coffee, and flesh meats produce an immediate
effect. Under the influence of these poisons, the nervous system is
excited, and, in some cases, for the time being, the intellect seems to
be invigorated and the imagination to be more vivid.
Because these stimulants produce for the time being such agreeable
results, many conclude that they really need them, and continue their
use. But there is always a reaction. The nervous system, having
been unduly excited, borrowed power for present use from its future
resources of strength. All this temporary invigoration of the system is
followed by depression. In proportion as these stimulants temporarily