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Testimony Studies on Diet and Foods
equivalent. The poor say, when health reform is presented to them.
“What shall we eat? We cannot afford to buy the nut foods.” As I
preach the gospel to the poor, I am instructed to tell them to eat that
food which is most nourishing. I cannot say to them: You must not eat
eggs or milk, or cream; you must use no butter in the preparation of
food. The gospel must be preached to the poor, and the time has not
yet come to prescribe the strictest diet.
The time will come when we may have to discard some of the
articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream and eggs; but
my message is that you must not bring yourself to a time of trouble
beforehand, and thus afflict yourself with death. Wait till the Lord
prepares the way before you.
The reforms that are strained to the highest tension might accom-
modate a certain class, who can obtain all they need to take the place
of the things discarded; but this class forms a very small minority of
the people to whom these tests seem unnecessary. There are those
who try to abstain from what is declared to be harmful. They fail to
supply the system with proper nourishment, and as a consequence
become weak and unable to work. Thus health reform is brought to
disrepute. The work we have tried to build up solidly is confused with
strange things that God has not required. The energies of the church
are crippled.
But God will interfere to prevent the results of these too-strenuous
ideas. The gospel is to harmonize the sinful race. It is to bring the rich
and the poor together at the feet of Jesus.
But I wish to say that when the time comes that it is no longer safe
to use milk, cream, butter and eggs, God will reveal this. No extremes
in health reform are to be advocated. The question of using milk and
butter and eggs will work out its own problem. At present we have no
burden on this line. Let your moderation be known unto all men.
Letter K 37, 1904
Last night I was in my sleep talking with Dr.-----. I said to him:
You must still exercise care in regard to extremes in diet. You must not
go to extremes either in your own case or in regard to the food provided
for the helpers and the patients at the Sanitarium. The patients pay a
[50]
good price for their board, and they should have liberal fare. Some