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Chapter 8—Seventh-day Adventists Spiritual
Leaders
Preserve Mental Vigor and Give Power of Endurance
—
There is a solemn responsibility upon all, especially upon ministers
who teach the truth, to overcome on the point of appetite. The useful-
ness of ministers of Christ would be much greater if they had control
of their appetites and passions; and their mental and moral powers
would be stronger if they should combine physical labor with mental
exertion. They could, with strictly temperate habits, with mental and
physical labor combined, accomplish a far greater amount of labor
and preserve clearness of mind. If they should pursue such a course
their thoughts and words would flow more freely, their religious
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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 the exertion of the muscles as well as the exercise 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.—
The Health Reformer, August,
1875
.
Follow Christ’s Example
—Ministers of Christ, professing to
be His representatives, should follow His example, and above all
others should form habits of strictest temperance. They should keep
the life and example of Christ before the people by their own lives of
self-denial, self-sacrifice, and active benevolence. Christ overcame
appetite in man’s behalf, and in His stead they are to set others an
example worthy of imitation. Those who do not feel the necessity of
engaging in the work of overcoming upon the point of appetite will
fail to secure precious victories which they might have gained and
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