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The Laws of Nature are the Laws of God, May 3
Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.... For they are life
unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:20-22
.
Since the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both mental and
spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity;
whatever promotes physical health promotes the development of a strong mind
and a well-balanced character. Without health, no one can as distinctly understand
or as completely fulfill his obligations to himself, to his fellow beings, or to his
Creator. Therefore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character.
A knowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all educational
effort....
The youth, in the freshness and vigor of life, little realize the value of their
abounding energy. A treasure more precious than gold, more essential to ad-
vancement than learning or rank or riches—how lightly it is held! how rashly
squandered! How many a man, sacrificing health in the struggle for riches or
power, has almost reached the object of his desire, only to fall helpless, while
another, possessing superior physical endurance, grasped the longed-for prize!
Through morbid conditions, the result of neglecting the laws of health, how many
have been led into evil practices, to the sacrifice of every hope for this world and
the next! ...
The youth should be taught that the laws of nature are the laws of God—
as truly divine as are the precepts of the Decalogue. The laws that govern our
physical organism, God has written upon every nerve, muscle, and fiber of the
body. Every careless or willful violation of these laws is a sin against our Creator.
How necessary, then, that a thorough knowledge of these laws should be imparted!
...
The influence of the mind on the body, as well as of the body on the mind,
should be emphasized. The electric power of the brain, promoted by mental
activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable aid in resisting
disease.... The power of the will and the importance of self-control, both in
the preservation and in the recovery of health, the depressing and even ruinous
effect of anger, discontent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, the
marvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerfulness, unselfishness, gratitude,
should also be shown. There is a physiological truth—truth that we need to
consider—in the scripture, “A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine”
(
Proverbs 17:22
).—
Education, 195-197
.
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