Christian Temperance
53
moral powers, Satan well knows that his power to overcome with his
temptations is very small.
In our day, people talk of the dark ages and boast of progress. But
with this progress wickedness and crime do not decrease. We deplore
the absence of natural simplicity and the increase of artificial display.
Health, strength, beauty, and long life, which were common in the
so-called “dark ages,” are rare now. Nearly everything desirable is
sacrificed to meet the demands of fashionable life.
A large share of the Christian world have no right to call themselves
Christians. Their habits, their extravagance, and general treatment of
their own bodies are violations of physical law and contrary to the
Bible. They are working out for themselves, in their course of life,
physical suffering and mental and moral feebleness.
Through his devices, Satan, in many respects, has made the do-
mestic life one of care and complicated burdens in order to meet the
demands of fashion. His purpose in doing this is to keep minds oc-
[59]
cupied so fully with the things of this life that they can give but little
attention to their highest interest. Intemperance in eating and in dress-
ing has so engrossed the minds of the Christian world that they do not
take time to become intelligent in regard to the laws of their being,
that they may obey them. To profess the name of Christ is of but little
account if the life does not correspond with the will of God revealed
in His word.
In the wilderness of temptation Christ overcame appetite. His
example of self-denial and self-control, when suffering the gnawing
pangs of hunger, is a rebuke to the Christian world for their dissipation
and gluttony. There is at this time nine times as much money expended
for the gratification of appetite and the indulgence of foolish and
hurtful lusts as there is given to advance the gospel of Christ.
Were Peter upon the earth now he would exhort the professed fol-
lowers of Christ to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the
soul. And Paul would call upon the churches in general, to cleanse
themselves from “all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holi-
ness in the fear of God.” And Christ would drive from the temple those
who are defiled by the use of tobacco, polluting the sanctuary of God
by their tobacconized breaths. He would say to these worshipers, as
He did to the Jews, “My house shall be called of all nations the house
of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” We would say to such,