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Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene
use all the power they have. I saw that it does not glorify God in the
least for any of his people to make a time of trouble for themselves.
There is a time of trouble just before us, but he will prepare us for that
fearful conflict.
The indulgence of lustful appetite wars against the soul; it is a
constant hindrance to spiritual advancement. Those who yield to these
lower impulses, bear an accusing conscience; and when strait truths
are presented, they are ready to take offense. They are self-condemned,
and think that these subjects have been purposely selected in order to
reprove them. They feel grieved and injured, and withdraw themselves
from the assemblies of the church. Then the conscience is not so
disturbed. Thus they soon lose their interest in the meetings, and their
love for the truth. If these will crucify fleshly lusts, the arrows of truth
will pass harmlessly by them. But while they indulge lustful appetite,
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and thus cherish their idols, they make themselves a mark for the shafts
of truth; if the truth is spoken at all, it must wound them.
Some think they cannot reform, that it would ruin their health to
leave off the use of tea, tobacco, and flesh-meats. This is a suggestion
of Satan. These hurtful stimulants will surely undermine the constitu-
tion, and prepare the system for acute disease; for they impair nature’s
delicate machinery, and batter down the fortifications she has erected
against disease and premature decay.
Some feel as though they would like to have somebody tell them
how much to eat. This is not as it should be. We are to act from a
moral and religious standpoint. We are to be temperate in all things,
because an incorruptible crown, a heavenly treasure, is before us.
I wish to say to my brethren and sisters, I would have moral courage
to take my position, and govern myself. I would not want to put that
on some one else. You eat too much, and then you are sorry; and so
you keep thinking of what you eat and drink. Just eat that which is for
the best, and go right away, feeling clear in the sight of Heaven, and
you need not suffer from remorse of conscience.
We do not believe in removing temptation entirely away from
either children or grown persons. We all have a warfare before us, and
must stand in a position to resist the temptations of Satan.
Some have sneered at health reform, and have said it was all un-
necessary, that it was an excitement which tended to divert minds from
present truth. They have said that matters were carried to extremes.