CD -
Counsels on Diet and Foods (1938)
YOU SHOULD READ THIS
HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE
DECADES BEFORE MANY PHYSIOLOGISTS WERE CONCERNED WITH THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIET AND HEALTH, ELLEN G. WHITE IN HER WRITINGS CLEARLY POINTED OUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE FOOD WE EAT AND OUR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELFARE. IN HER DISCOURSES AND WRITINGS FROM 1863 ONWARD, SHE DISCUSSED FREQUENTLY THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET AND ADEQUATE NUTRITION. HER COUNSELS, AS PRESERVED IN PAMPHLETS AND BOOKS, IN THE JOURNALS OF THE DENOMINATION, AND IN PERSONAL TESTIMONIES, HAVE EXERTED A STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE DIETETIC HABITS OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS, AND INDIRECTLY HAVE LEFT THEIR IMPRESS UPON THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
MRS. WHITE'S
WRITINGS REGARDING FOODS AND A HEALTHFUL DIET WERE DRAWN TOGETHER IN 1926 IN A
TOPICALLY ARRANGED WORK DESIGNED TO SERVE PRIMARILY AS A TEXTBOOK FOR STUDENTS
OF DIETETICS AT THE
A NEW AND
ENLARGED VOLUME, TITLED COUNSELS ON DIET AND FOODS, APPEARED IN 1938. IT WAS
REFERRED TO AS A "SECOND EDITION," AND WAS PREPARED UNDER THE
DIRECTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE ESTATE. A THIRD
EDITION, PRINTED IN A SMALLER PAGE SIZE TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
THIS IS A UNIQUE COMPILATION
IN ASSEMBLING THE
MATERIALS COMPRISING COUNSELS ON DIET AND FOODS, AN EFFORT WAS MADE TO INCLUDE
THE
4
FOR IT PRESENTS THE COUNSELS CLUSTERED TOPICALLY UNDER A
GENERAL HEADING, WITH NO ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE A CONTINUITY IN
EACH SECTION CONTAINS THE E. G. WHITE MATERIALS THAT, ASSEMBLED, MAKE A REPRESENTATIVE PRESENTATION OF THE TOPIC DEALT WITH. NOTHING THAT WOULD MAKE A SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION HAS BEEN IGNORED. OFTEN IN THE ORIGINAL SOURCES MANY PHASES OF HEALTH INSTRUCTION ARE TREATED TOGETHER IN ONE PARAGRAPH. TO GIVE ALL THE CONTEXT IN SUCH CASES WOULD HAVE INVOLVED CONSIDERABLE REPETITION. THROUGH THE USE OF CROSS REFERENCES SUCH REPETITION IS MINIMIZED.
WHILE THE LIMITATIONS OF SPACE AND THE EFFORT TO AVOID REPETITION HAVE MADE IT INADVISABLE TO INCLUDE EVERY STATEMENT ON THE MORE GENERAL PHASES OF THE DIET QUESTION, A COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE E. G. WHITE TEACHINGS HAS BEEN GIVEN.
PERIL OF TAKING A PART FOR THE WHOLE
THE FACT THAT THIS VOLUME IS CONSTRUCTED SOMEWHAT LIKE AN ENCYCLOPEDIA, ISOLATING THE MAJOR PRESENTATIONS AND GROUPING THEM BY TOPIC, MAKES IT A CONVENIENT REFERENCE WORK. BUT THE ENCYCLOPEDIA DESIGN ALSO MAKES THE BOOK ONE THAT MAY EASILY BE MISUSED. TO GAIN THE AUTHOR'S INTENT AND THE FULL IMPACT OF ALL HER TEACHINGS, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE BOOK BE STUDIED AS A WHOLE.
THE READER SHOULD BEAR IN MIND THAT A SINGLE ELLEN WHITE STATEMENT ON SOME PHASE OF THE SUBJECT OF NUTRITION MAY COME FAR SHORT OF EXPRESSING HER FULL INTENT AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE NUTRITIONAL NEEDS OF THE BODY. FOR EXAMPLE, IN A SENTENCE APPEARING ON PAGE 314 OF THIS BOOK, TAKEN FROM TESTIMONIES, VOLUME 2, PAGE 352, SHE SAYS; "GRAINS AND FRUITS PREPARED FREE FROM GREASE, AND IN AS NATURAL A CONDITION AS POSSIBLE, SHOULD BE THE FOOD FOR THE TABLES OF ALL WHO CLAIM TO BE PREPARING FOR TRANSLATION." IN THE LIGHT OF OTHER OF HER STATEMENTS, CLEARLY IT WAS NOT MRS. WHITE'S INTENT TO TEACH THAT THOSE PREPARING FOR TRANSLATION SHOULD REDUCE THEIR DIET TO SIMPLY" GRAINS AND FRUITS." PENNED IN 1869 IN THE SETTING OF COUNSEL AGAINST THE USE OF MEAT, THIS STATEMENT SEEMS TO MAKE "GRAINS AND FRUITS" STAND FOR THE NONMEAT DIET. THE
5
STATEMENT DOES NOT MENTION NUTS, VEGETABLES, OR DAIRY PRODUCTS, ALL OF WHICH ELLEN WHITE RECOGNIZED AS IMPORTANT TO A BALANCED NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM.
ANOTHER STATEMENT ON THE SAME PAGE (314), WRITTEN SOME TWENTY YEARS LATER, IN DELINEATING A DIET INTENDED TO IMPART NOURISHMENT AND GIVE ENDURANCE AND VIGOR OF INTELLECT, MENTIONS "FRUIT, GRAINS, AND VEGETABLES" PREPARED WITH "MILK OR CREAM." NUTS ARE NOT MENTIONED. ACROSS THE PAGE IN ANOTHER PARAGRAPH WRITTEN IN 1905, "GRAINS, NUTS, VEGETABLES, AND FRUITS" ARE LISTED AS TAKING THE PLACE OF MEAT. IN THIS STATEMENT MILK IS NOT MENTIONED. YET MILK IS INCLUDED IN HER 1909
STATEMENT THAT APPEARS ON PAGE 355: "VEGETABLES SHOULD BE MADE PALATABLE WITH A LITTLE MILK OR CREAM, OR SOMETHING EQUIVALENT. . . . SOME, IN ABSTAINING FROM MILK, EGGS, AND BUTTER, HAVE FAILED TO SUPPLY THE SYSTEM WITH PROPER NOURISHMENT, AND AS A CONSEQUENCE HAVE BECOME WEAK AND UNABLE TO WORK. THUS HEALTH REFORM IS BROUGHT INTO DISREPUTE."
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER INSTANCES SIMILAR TO THOSE CITED ABOVE WHERE ELLEN WHITE DOES NOT IN A GIVEN STATEMENT ENUMERATE ALL THE ELEMENTS OF AN ADEQUATE DIET. CARE MUST BE EXERCISED TO GET HER COMPLETE THOUGHT ON EACH SUBJECT. AN ISOLATED STATEMENT SHOULD NOT BE USED BY ITSELF, LEST THE PART BE TAKEN FOR THE WHOLE.
A CALL FOR EVERYONE TO STUDY
ELLEN WHITE DID NOT INTEND THAT HER WRITINGS ALONG NUTRITIONAL LINES SHOULD EXCLUDE THE NEED FOR EARNEST STUDY TO FIND THE BEST AND MOST AGREEABLE DIET, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A GROWING KNOWLEDGE, AND THE EXPERIENCE AND INVESTIGATION OF OTHERS. SHE WROTE:
"TO KEEP THE BODY IN A HEALTHY CONDITION, IN ORDER THAT ALL PARTS OF THE LIVING MACHINERY MAY ACT HARMONIOUSLY, SHOULD BE THE STUDY OF OUR LIFE."--PAGE 18.
"IT IS PLAINLY OUR DUTY TO GIVE THESE [NATURE'S] LAWS CAREFUL STUDY. WE SHOULD STUDY THEIR REQUIREMENTS IN REGARD TO OUR OWN BODIES, AND CONFORM TO THEM. IGNORANCE IN THESE THINGS IS SIN."--IBID.
CLEARLY MRS. WHITE FELT THAT EACH PERSON SHOULD BECOME WELL INFORMED, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ADVANCEMENTS OF SCIENCE
6
IN NUTRITIONAL INVESTIGATIONS, SO LONG AS THE CONCLUSIONS HARMONIZE WITH THE COUNSELS GIVEN THROUGH INSPIRATION.
THE HAZARDS OF EXTREMES
ELLEN WHITE WAS NOT SLOW TO POINT OUT THE HAZARDS OF EXTREMES, OR INATTENTION, OR LAXITY IN PROVIDING AN ADEQUATE DIET FOR THE FAMILY. THIS FACT IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE STATEMENT THAT THE MOTHER "BY ILL-PREPARED, UNWHOLESOME FOOD" MIGHT ACTUALLY "HINDER AND EVEN RUIN BOTH THE ADULT'S USEFULNESS AND THE CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT" (P. 476). IN THE SAME STATEMENT SHE CALLED FOR "PROVIDING FOOD ADAPTED TO THE NEEDS OF THE BODY, AND AT THE SAME TIME INVITING AND PALATABLE."
WHILE THE REASONS FOR INCLUDING SOME DAIRY PRODUCTS IN A BALANCED, ADEQUATE DIET WERE NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD, ELLEN WHITE SPOKE IN FAVOR OF THEM, AND EVEN CAUTIONED AGAINST ELIMINATING THEM. TODAY IN THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE THAT CERTAIN MINUTE NUTRIENTS ARE VITAL TO BODY FUNCTIONS, WE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING. SOME OF THESE NUTRIENTS, WHILE APPARENTLY NOT PRESENT IN ALL-VEGETABLE DIET, ARE AVAILABLE IN ADEQUATE AMOUNTS IN A LACTO-OVO-VEGETARIAN DIET. THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO CHILDREN WHOSE PROPER DEVELOPMENT ELLEN WHITE STATED MIGHT BE HINDERED BY "ILL-PREPARED UNWHOLESOME FOOD."
NEAR THE TURN OF THE CENTURY ELLEN WHITE BEGAN TO WRITE THAT BECAUSE OF ACCUMULATING DISEASE IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM ALL ANIMAL FOODS, INCLUDING MILK, WILL IN TIME HAVE TO BE GIVEN UP (SEE PP. 356, 357); YET AT THE SAME TIME SHE REPEATEDLY CAUTIONED AGAINST PREMATURE STEPS IN THIS DIRECTION AND IN 1909 DECLARED THAT THE TIME WILL COME WHEN SUCH MAY BE NECESSARY, BUT URGED AGAINST CREATING PERPLEXITY BY "PRE-MATURE AND EXTREME RESTRICTIONS." SHE COUNSELED THAT WE "WAIT UNTIL THE CIRCUMSTANCES DEMAND IT, AND THE LORD PREPARES THE WAY FOR IT" (PP. 355-359).
IT WAS THE LACTO-OVO-VEGETARIAN DIET THAT SUSTAINED ELLEN WHITE IN ACTIVE SERVICE WELL INTO HER EIGHTY-EIGHTH YEAR.
EMPLOY SOUND PRINCIPLES IN STUDY
CERTAIN SOUND PRINCIPLES MUST EVER BE APPLIED IN THE STUDY OF THE DIETARY COUNSELS FOUND IN THIS BOOK. ALL THE
7
INSTRUCTIONS, AS A BROAD, CONSISTENT, WELL-BALANCED WHOLE, SHOULD BE STUDIED WITH AN OPEN MIND. CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO READ THE ENTIRE STATEMENT ON A GIVEN TOPIC. THEN, TO GAIN THE FULL INTENT OF THE AUTHOR, STATEMENT SHOULD BE PUT WITH STATEMENT. IF ONE STATEMENT DOES NOT SEEM TO ACCORD WITH ANOTHER, THE STUDENT WOULD DO WELL TO TRACE ONE, OR BOTH, TO THE ORIGINAL SETTINGS.
THE STUDENT SHOULD ALSO FOLLOW ELLEN WHITE'S EXAMPLE IN RECOGNIZING THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES AS ENUMERATED ON PAGE 481:
1. "THE DIET REFORM SHOULD BE PROGRESSIVE."--MH 320.
2. "WE DO NOT MARK OUT ANY PRECISE LINE TO BE FOLLOWED IN DIET."--9T 159.
3. "I MAKE MYSELF A CRITERION FOR NO ONE ELSE."--LETTER 45, 1903.
A RECOMMENDATION FOR HEALTH REFORM
TRUE DIET REFORM WILL RECOMMEND ITSELF BECAUSE OF ITS GOOD SENSE. ITS FRUITAGE WILL BE SEEN IN GOOD HEALTH, STRENGTH, A SWEET BREATH, AND A SENSE OF WELL-BEING. EVEN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE MAY BE AIDED BY GOOD HEALTH HABITS. IT HAS BEEN GRATIFYING TO WITNESS, THROUGH THE ONWARD MARCH OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY, A FULL SUBSTANTIATION OF MANY GREAT PRINCIPLES AND EVEN MINUTE POINTS OF INSTRUCTION REVEALED TO SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS THROUGH ELLEN WHITE'S INSPIRED PEN.
THAT THIS VOLUME MAY AID ITS READERS IN OBTAINING BETTER HEALTH, BOTH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL, IS OUR SINCERE WISH.
THE TRUSTEES OF THE ELLEN G. WHITE ESTATE
WASHINGTON, D. C.
SEPTEMBER 17, 1976
8
Table of Contents
Contents by Sections
I Reasons for Reform ............................................ 15
II Diet and Spirituality ......................................... 43
The Relation of Diet to Morals ............................. 60
III Health Reform and the Third Angel's Message ................... 69
IV The Proper Dietary ............................................ 81
I The Original Diet ...................................... 81
II The Simple Diet ........................................ 82
III An Adequate Diet ....................................... 91
IV Diet in Various Countries .............................. 94
V Physiology of Digestion ...................................... 101
VI Improper Eating a Cause of Disease ........................... 117
VII Overeating ................................................... 131
VIII Control of Appetite .......................................... 145
IX Regularity in Eating ......................................... 173
I Number of Meals ........................................ 173
II Eating Between Meals ................................... 179
X Fasting ...................................................... 185
XI Extremes in Diet ............................................. 195
XII Diet During Pregnancy ........................................ 217
XIII Diet in Childhood ............................................ 225
XIV Healthful Cookery ............................................ 251
XV Health Foods and Hygienic Restaurants ........................ 267
XVI Sanitarium Dietary ........................................... 281
XVII Diet a Rational Remedy ....................................... 301
XVIII Fruits, Cereals, and Vegetables .............................. 309
I Fruits ................................................ 309
II Grains ................................................ 313
III Bread ................................................. 315
IV Vegetables ............................................ 321
XIX Desserts ..................................................... 327
I Sugar.................................................. 327
II Milk and Sugar ........................................ 330
III Pie, Cake, Pastry, Puddings ........................... 331
XX Condiments, Etc. ............................................. 339
I Spices and Condiments ................................. 339
II Soda and Baking Powder ................................ 342
III Salt .................................................. 344
IV Pickles and Vinegar ................................... 345
XXI Fats ......................................................... 349
I Butter ................................................ 349
II Lard and Grease ....................................... 353
III Milk and Cream ........................................ 355
IV Olives and Olive Oil .................................. 359
XXII Proteins ..................................................... 363
I Nuts and Nut Foods .................................... 363
II Eggs .................................................. 365
III Cheese ................................................ 368
XXIII Flesh Meats (Proteins Continued).............................. 373
Progressive Dietetic Reform in Seventh-day
Adventist Institutions ..................................... 405
XXIV Beverages .................................................... 419
I Water Drinking ........................................ 419
II Tea and Coffee ........................................ 420
III Cereal Substitutes for Tea and Coffee ................. 431
IV Cider ................................................. 432
V Fruit Juice ........................................... 436
XXV Teaching Health Principles ................................... 441
I Instruction to Be Given on Health
Topics ................................................ 441
10
II How to Present the Principles of
Health Reform ......................................... 457
III Cooking Schools ....................................... 469
Appendix
I Personal Experience of Ellen G. White
as a Health Reformer .................................. 481
II A Statement by James White Relating
to the Teaching of Health Reform ...................... 495
DATES OF WRITING OR FIRST PUBLICATION
DATES OF WRITING OR FIRST PUBLICATION
AS AN AID TO THE STUDENT, THE DATE OF WRITING OR OF FIRST PUBLICATION OF EACH SELECTION IS INDICATED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOURCE REFERENCE. WHERE ARTICLES HAVE BEEN DRAWN FROM PUBLISHED VOLUMES, THE DATE OF PUBLICATION APPEARS PRECEDING THE REFERENCE. IN THE CASE OF THE MATTER DRAWN FROM THE PERIODICAL ARTICLES AND THE MANUSCRIPT FILES, THE YEAR OF WRITING OR OF FIRST PUBLICATION FORMS A PART OF THE SOURCE REFERENCE.
IN A NUMBER OF INSTANCES THE ARTICLES DRAWN FROM LATER BOOKS, SUCH AS "COUNSELS ON HEALTH," APPEARED FIRST IN WORKS NOW OUT OF PRINT. THE REFERENCE TO THE CURRENT WORK IS GIVEN, BUT THE INFORMATION AS TO THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF THE ARTICLE IS NOTED IN PARENTHESES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOURCE REFERENCE.
COMPILERS.
12
KEY TO CREDITS AND ABBREVIATIONS
THE ARTICLES COMPRISING THIS BOOK HAVE BEEN GATHERED FROM THE ELLEN G. WHITE WRITINGS AS THEY APPEAR IN CURRENT BOOKS, BOOKS NOW OUT OF PRINT, PERIODICAL ARTICLES, PAMPHLETS, AND THE E. G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT FILES. IN EACH CASE THE SOURCE OF THE SELECTION IS GIVEN. THE FOLLOWING ABBREVIATIONS TO SOURCES HAVE BEEN USED:
C.O.L.--"CHRIST'S OBJECT LESSONS"
C.T.B.H.--"CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND BIBLE HYGIENE" [OUT OF PRINT.]
C.H.--"COUNSELS ON HEALTH"
C.T.--"COUNSELS TO TEACHERS"
D.A.--"THE DESIRE OF AGES"
ED.--"EDUCATION"
E. FROM U.T.--EXTRACTS FROM UNPUBLISHED TESTIMONIES IN REGARD TO FLESH FOODS [OUT OF PRINT.]
F.E.--"FUNDAMENTALS OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION"
G.W.--"GOSPEL WORKERS"
H. TO L.--"HOW TO LIVE" [OUT OF PRINT.] (SIX PAMPHLETS)
LETTER--STATEMENT FROM E. G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT FILES [+ THE SOURCE OF ARTICLES SELECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT FILES IS INDICATED BY THE USE OF THE FILE NUMBER OF THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AS THEY APPEAR IN THE ELLEN G. WHITE FILES IN THE WHITE ESTATE OFFICE, SUCH AS LETTER 3, 1884, AND MS 49, 1908.]
L. & T.--"LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF ELLEN G. WHITE"
MS.--STATEMENT FROM THE E. G. WHITE MANUSCRIPT FILES [+ THE SOURCE OF ARTICLES SELECTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT FILES IS INDICATED BY THE USE OF THE FILE NUMBER OF THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AS THEY APPEAR IN THE ELLEN G. WHITE FILES IN THE WHITE ESTATE OFFICE, SUCH AS LETTER 3, 1884, AND MS 49, 1908.]
M.H.--"MINISTRY OF HEALING"
M.M.--"MEDICAL MINISTRY"
R. & H.--REVIEW AND HERALD
SP. GIFTS IV--"SPIRITUAL GIFTS," VOL. IV (ALSO REFERRED TO AS "FACTS OF FAITH," VOL. II)
1T--"TESTIMONIES FOR THE CHURCH," VOL. 1
Y.I.--YOUTH'S INSTRUCTOR
Chap. 1 - Reasons for Reform
For the Glory of God
[C.T.B.H. 41, 42] (1890) C.H. 107, 108
I. Only one lease of life is granted us; and the inquiry with every one should be, "How can I invest my powers so that they may yield the greatest profit? How can I do most for the glory of God and the benefit of my fellow men?" For life is valuable only as it is used for the attainment of these ends. {CD 15.1}
Our first duty toward God and our fellow beings is that of self-development. Every faculty with which the Creator has endowed us should be cultivated to the highest degree of perfection, that we may be able to do the greatest amount of good of which we are capable. Hence that time is spent to good account which is used in the establishment and preservation of physical and mental health. We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple any function of body or mind. As surely as we do this, we must suffer the consequences. {CD 15.2}
Choice of Life or Death
Every man has the opportunity, to a great extent, of making himself whatever he chooses to be. The blessings of this life, and also of the immortal state, are within his reach. He may build up a character of solid worth, gaining new strength at every step. He may advance daily in knowledge and wisdom, conscious of new delights as he progresses, adding virtue to virtue, grace to grace. His faculties will improve by use; the more wisdom he gains, the greater will be his capacity for acquiring. His intelligence, knowledge, and virtue will thus develop into greater strength and more perfect symmetry. {CD 15.3}
On the other hand, he may allow his powers to rust out for want of use, or to be perverted through evil habits, lack of self-control, or moral and religious stamina. His course then tends downward; he is disobedient to the law of God and
16
to the laws of health. Appetite conquers him; inclination carries him away. It is easier for him to allow the powers of evil, which are always active, to drag him backward, than to struggle against them, and go forward. Dissipation, disease, and death follow. This is the history of many lives that might have been useful in the cause of God and humanity. {CD 15.4}
Seek for Perfection
(1905) M.H. 114, 115
2. God desires us to reach the standard of perfection made possible for us by the gift of Christ. He calls upon us to make our choice on the right side, to connect with heavenly agencies, to adopt principles that will restore in us the divine image. In His written word and in the great book of nature He has revealed the principles of life. It is our work to obtain a knowledge of these principles, and by obedience to cooperate with Him in restoring health to the body as well as to the soul. {CD 16.1}
Letter 73a, 1896
3. The living organism is God's property. It belongs to Him by creation and by redemption; and by a misuse of any of our powers we rob God of the honor due to Him. {CD 16.2}
A Question of Obedience
MS 49, 1897
4. The obligations we owe to God in presenting to Him clean, pure, healthy bodies are not comprehended. {CD 16.3}
Letter 120, 1901
5. A failure to care for the living machinery is an insult to the Creator. There are divinely appointed rules which if observed will keep human beings from disease and premature death. {CD 16.4}
R. & H., May 8, 1883
6. One reason why we do not enjoy more of the blessing of the Lord is, we do not heed the light which He has been pleased to give us in regard to the laws of life and health.
17
{CD 16.5}
(1900) C.O.L. 347, 348
7. God is as truly the author of physical laws as He is author of the moral law. His law is written with His own finger upon every nerve, every muscle, every faculty, which has been entrusted to man. {CD 17.1}
MS 3, 1897
8. The Creator of man has arranged the living machinery of our bodies. Every function is wonderfully and wisely made. And God pledged Himself to keep this human machinery in healthful action if the human agent will obey His laws and cooperate with God. Every law governing the human machinery is to be considered just as truly divine in origin, in character, and in importance as the word of God. Every careless, inattentive action, any abuse put upon the Lord's wonderful mechanism, by disregarding His specified laws in the human habitation, is a violation of God's law. We may behold and admire the work of God in the natural world, but the human habitation is the most wonderful.
[SIN OF TAKING A COURSE WHICH NEEDLESSLY EXPENDS VITALITY OR BECLOUDS THE BRAIN--194] {CD 17.2}
(1890) C.T.B.H. 53
9. It is as truly a sin to violate the laws of our being as it is to break the ten commandments. To do either is to break God's laws. Those who transgress the law of God in their physical organism, will be inclined to violate the law of God spoken from Sinai.
[SEE ALSO 63] {CD 17.3}
Our Saviour warned His disciples that just prior to His second coming a state of things would exist very similar to that which preceded the flood. Eating and drinking would be carried to excess, and the world would be given up to pleasure. This state of things does exist at the present time. The world is largely given up to the indulgence of appetite; and the disposition to follow worldly customs will bring us into bondage to perverted habits,--habits that will make us more and more like the doomed inhabitants of Sodom. I have wondered that the inhabitants of the earth were not
18
destroyed, like the people of
To keep the body in a healthy condition, in order that all parts of the living machinery may act harmoniously, should be a study of our life. The children of God cannot glorify Him with sickly bodies or dwarfed minds. Those who indulge in any species of intemperance, either in eating or drinking, waste their physical energies and weaken moral power. {CD 18.1}
(1900) 6T 369, 370
10. Since the laws of nature are the laws of God, it is plainly our duty to give these laws careful study. We should study their requirements in regard to our own bodies, and conform to them. Ignorance in these things is sin.
[WILLFUL IGNORANCE INCREASES SIN--53] {CD 18.2}
"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?" "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Cor. 6:15, 19, 20. Our bodies are Christ's purchased property, and we are not at liberty to do with them as we please. Man has done this. He has treated his body as if its laws had no penalty. Through perverted appetite its organs and powers have become enfeebled, diseased, and crippled. And these results which Satan has brought about by his own specious temptations, he uses to taunt God with. He presents before God the human body that Christ has purchased as His property; and what an unsightly representation of his Maker man is! Because man has sinned against his body, and has corrupted his ways, God is dishonored. {CD 18.3}
When men and women are truly converted, they will conscientiously regard the laws of life that God has established in their being, thus seeking to avoid physical, mental, and moral feebleness. Obedience to these laws must be made a matter of personal duty. We ourselves must suffer the ills of
19
violated law. We must answer to God for our habits and practices. Therefore, the question for us is not, "What will the world say?" but, "How shall I, claiming to be a Christian, treat the habitation God has given me? Shall I work for my highest temporal and spiritual good by keeping my body as a temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, or shall I sacrifice myself to the world's ideas and practices?" {CD 18.4}
Penalty for Ignorance
Health Reformer, October, 1866
II. God has formed laws which govern our constitutions, and these laws which He has placed in our being are divine, and for every transgression there is affixed a penalty, which must sooner or later be realized. The majority of diseases which the human family have been and still are suffering under, they have created by ignorance of their own organic laws. They seem indifferent in regard to the matter of health, and work perseveringly to tear themselves to pieces, and when broken down and debilitated in body and mind, send for the doctor and drug themselves to death. {CD 19.1}
Not Always Ignorant
(1900) 6T 372
12. When persons are spoken to on the subject of health, they often say, "We know a great deal better than we do." They do not realize that they are accountable for every ray of light in regard to their physical well-being, and that their every habit is open to the inspection of God. Physical life is not to be treated in a haphazard manner. Every organ, every fiber of the being, is to be sacredly guarded from harmful practices. {CD 19.2}
Responsibility for Light
Good Health, November, 1880
13. At the time the light of health reform dawned upon us, and since that time, the questions have come home every day, "Am I practicing true temperance in all things?" "Is my diet such as will bring me in a position where I can accomplish the greatest amount of good?" If we cannot
20
answer these questions in the affirmative, we stand condemned before God, for He will hold us all responsible for the light which has shone upon our path. The time of ignorance God winked at, but as fast as light shines upon us, He requires us to change our health-destroying habits, and place ourselves in a right relation to physical laws. {CD 19.3}
(1890) C.T.B.H. 150
14. Health is a treasure. Of all temporal possessions it is the most precious. Wealth, learning, and honor are dearly purchased at the loss of the vigor of health. None of these can secure happiness, if health is lacking. It is a terrible sin to abuse the health that God has given us; such abuses enfeeble us for life, and make us losers, even if we gain by such means any amount of education.
[EXAMPLES OF SUFFERING DUE TO DISREGARDING LIGHT--119, 204] {CD 20.1}
(1890) C.T.B.H. 151
15. God has bountifully provided for the sustenance and happiness of all His creatures; if His laws were never violated, if all acted in harmony with the divine will, health, peace, and happiness, instead of misery and continual evil, would be the result. {CD 20.2}
Health Reformer, August, 1866
16. A careful conformity to the laws God has implanted in our being, will ensure health, and there will not be a breaking down of the constitution.
[HEALTH REFORM THE LORD'S MEANS OF LESSENING SUFFERING--788] {CD 20.3}
An Offering Without Blemish
(1890) C.T.B.H. 15
17. In the ancient Jewish service it was required that every sacrifice should be without blemish. In the text we are told to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. We are God's workmanship. The psalmist, meditating upon the marvelous work of God in the human frame, exclaimed,"I am fearfully and wonderfully made." There are many who are educated in the sciences and are familiar with the theory of the truth, who do not understand the laws that govern their
21
own being. God has given us faculties and talents; and it is our duty, as His sons and daughters, to make the best use of them. If we weaken these powers of mind or body by wrong habits or indulgence of perverted appetite, it will be impossible for us to honor God as we should. {CD 20.4}
[C.T.B.H. 52, 53] (1890) C.H. 121
18. God requires the body to be rendered a living sacrifice to Him, not a dead or a dying sacrifice. The offerings of the ancient Hebrews were to be without blemish, and will it be pleasing to God to accept a human offering that is filled with disease and corruption? He tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost; and He requires us to take care of this temple, that it may be a fit habitation for His Spirit. The apostle Paul gives us this admonition: "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." All should be very careful to preserve the body in the best condition of health, that they may render to God perfect service, and do their duty in the family and in society. {CD 21.1}
A Pitiful Offering
(1872) 3T 164, 165
19. Knowledge must be gained in regard to how to eat, and drink, and dress so as to preserve health. Sickness is caused by violating the laws of health; it is the result of violating nature's law. Our first duty, one which we owe to God, to ourselves, and to our fellow men, is to obey the laws of God, which include the laws of health. If we are sick, we impose a weary tax upon our friends, and unfit ourselves for discharging our duties to our families and to our neighbors. And when premature death is the result of our violation of nature's law, we bring sorrow and suffering to others; we deprive our neighbors of the help we ought to render them in living; we rob our families of the comfort and help we might render them, and rob God of the service He claims of us to advance His glory. Then, are we not, in the worst sense, transgressors of God's law?
22
{CD 21.2}
But God is all-pitiful, gracious, and tender, and when light comes to those who have injured their health by sinful indulgences, and they are convinced of sin, and repent and seek pardon, He accepts the poor offering rendered to Him, and receives them. Oh, what tender mercy that He does not refuse the remnant of the abused life of the suffering, repenting sinner! In His gracious mercy, He saves these souls as by fire. But what an inferior, pitiful sacrifice at best, to offer to a pure and holy God! Noble faculties have been paralyzed by wrong habits of sinful indulgence. The aspirations are perverted, and the soul and body defaced. {CD 22.1}
Why the Light on Health Reform
(1870) 2T 399, 400
20. The Lord has let His light shine upon us in these last days, that the gloom and darkness which have been gathering in past generations because of sinful indulgence, might in some degree be dispelled, and that the train of evils which have resulted because of intemperate eating and drinking, might be lessened. {CD 22.2}
The Lord in wisdom designed to bring His people into a position where they would be separate from the world in spirit and practice, that their children might not so readily be led into idolatry, and become tainted with the prevailing corruptions of this age. It is God's design that believing parents and their children should stand forth as living representatives of Christ, candidates for everlasting life. All who are partakers of the divine nature will escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. It is impossible for those who indulge the appetite to attain to Christian perfection. {CD 22.3}
(1890) C.T.B.H. 75
21. God has permitted the light of health reform to shine upon us in these last days, that by walking in the light we may escape many of the dangers to which we shall be exposed. Satan is working with great power to lead men to indulge appetite, gratify inclination, and spend their days in heedless folly. He presents attractions in a life of selfish enjoyment and of sensual indulgence. Intemperance saps
23
the energies of both mind and body. He who is thus overcome, has placed himself upon Satan's ground, where he will be tempted and annoyed, and finally controlled at pleasure by the enemy of all righteousness. {CD 22.4}
[C.T.B.H. 52] (1890) C.H. 120, 121
22. In order to preserve health, temperance in all things is necessary,--temperance in labor, temperance in eating and drinking. Our heavenly Father sent the light of health reform to guard against the evils resulting from a debased appetite, that those who love purity and holiness may know how to use with discretion the good things He has provided for them, and that by exercising temperance in daily life, they may be sanctified through the truth. {CD 23.1}
(1890) C.T.B.H. 120
23. Let it ever be kept before the mind that the great object of hygienic reform is to secure the highest possible development of mind and soul and body. All the laws of nature--which are the laws of God--are designed for our good. Obedience to them will promote our happiness in this life, and will aid us in a preparation for the life to come. {CD 23.2}
Importance of Health Principles
(1909) 9T 158-160
24. I have been shown that the principles that were given us in the early days of the message are as important and should be regarded just as conscientiously today as they were then. There are some who have never followed the light given on the question of diet. It is now time to take the light from under the bushel, and let it shine forth in clear, bright rays. {CD 23.3}
The principles of healthful living mean a great deal to us individually and as a people. . . . {CD 23.4}
All are now being tested and proved. We have been baptized into Christ, and if we will act our part by separating from everything that would drag us down and make us what we ought not to be, there will be given us strength to grow up into Christ, who is our living head, and we shall see the salvation of God.
24
{CD 23.5}
Only when we are intelligent in regard to the principles of healthful living, can we be fully aroused to see the evils resulting from improper diet. Those who, after seeing their mistakes, have courage to change their habits will find that the reformatory process requires a struggle and much perseverance; but when correct tastes are once formed, they will realize that the use of the food which they formerly regarded as harmless, was slowly but surely laying the foundation for dyspepsia and other diseases. {CD 24.1}
In the Front Ranks of Reformers
(1909) 9T 158
25. Seventh-day Adventists are handling momentous truths. More than forty years ago the Lord gave us special light on health reform, but how are we walking in that light? How many have refused to live in harmony with the counsels of God! As a people, we should make advancement proportionate to the light received. It is our duty to understand and respect the principles of health reform. On the subject of temperance we should be in advance of all other people; and yet there are among us well-instructed members of the church, and even ministers of the gospel, who have little respect for the light that God has given upon this subject. They eat as they please, and work as they please. {CD 24.2}
Let those who are teachers and leaders in our cause take their stand firmly on Bible ground in regard to health reform and give a straight testimony to those who believe we are living in the last days of this earth's history. A line of distinction must be drawn between those who serve God, and those who serve themselves. {CD 24.3}
(1867) 1T 487
26. Shall those who are "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," be behind the religionists of the day who have no faith in the soon appearing of our Saviour? The peculiar people whom He is purifying unto Himself,
25
to be translated to heaven without seeing death, should not be behind others in good works. In their efforts to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, they should be as far ahead of any other class of people on the earth, as their profession is more exalted than that of others. {CD 24.4}
Health Reform and Prayer for the Sick
(1909) 9T 164, 165
27. In order to be purified and to remain pure, Seventh-day Adventists must have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and in their homes. The Lord has given me light that when the Israel of today humble themselves before Him, and cleanse the soul temple from all defilement, He will hear their prayers in behalf of the sick, and will bless in the use of His remedies for disease. When in faith the human agent does all he can to combat disease, using the simple methods of treatment that God has provided, his efforts will be blessed of God. {CD 25.1}
If, after so much light has been given, God's people will cherish wrong habits, indulging self and refusing to reform, they will suffer the sure consequences of transgression. If they are determined to gratify perverted appetite at any cost, God will not miraculously save them from the consequences of their indulgence. They "shall lie down in sorrow." Isa. 50:11. {CD 25.2}
Those who choose to be presumptuous, saying, "The Lord has healed me, and I need not restrict my diet; I can eat and drink as I please," will erelong need, in body and soul, the restoring power of God. Because the Lord has graciously healed you, you must not think you can link yourselves up with the self-indulgent practices of the world. Do as Christ commanded after His work of healing,--"go, and sin no more." John 8:11. Appetite must not be your god. {CD 25.3}
(1867) 1T 560, 561
28. The health reform is a branch of the special work of God for the benefit of His people. . . . {CD 25.4}
I saw that the reason why God did not hear the prayers of His servants for the sick among us more fully was, that
26
He could not be glorified in so doing while they were violating the laws of health. And I also saw that He designed the health reform and Health Institute to prepare the way for the prayer of faith to be fully answered. Faith and good works should go hand in hand in relieving the afflicted among us, and in fitting them to glorify God here, and to be saved at the coming of Christ. {CD 25.5}
(1864) Sp. Gifts IV, 144, 145
29. Many have expected that God would keep them from sickness merely because they have asked Him to do so. But God did not regard their prayers, because their faith was not made perfect by works. God will not work a miracle to keep those from sickness who have no care for themselves, but are continually violating the laws of health, and make no efforts to prevent disease. When we do all we can on our part to have health, then may we expect that the blessed results will follow, and we can ask God in faith to bless our efforts for the preservation of health. He will then answer our prayer, if His name can be glorified thereby. But let all understand that they have a work to do. God will not work in a miraculous manner to preserve the health of persons who are taking a sure course to make themselves sick, by their careless inattention to the laws of health. {CD 26.1}
Those who will gratify their appetite, and then suffer because of their intemperance, and take drugs to relieve them, may be assured that God will not interpose to save health and life which is so recklessly periled. The cause has produced the effect. Many, as their last resort, follow the directions in the word of God, and request the prayers of the elders of the church for their restoration to health. God does not see fit to answer prayers offered in behalf of such, for He knows that if they should be restored to health, they would again sacrifice it upon the altar of unhealthy appetite.
[SEE ALSO 713] {CD 26.2}
A Lesson
From
(1909) 9T 165
30. The Lord gave
His word to ancient
27
He would keep them from all the diseases such as He had brought upon the Egyptians; but this promise was given on the condition of obedience. Had the Israelites obeyed the instruction they received, and profited by their advantages, they would have been the world's object lesson of health and prosperity. The Israelites failed of fulfilling God's purpose, and thus failed of receiving the blessings that might have been theirs. But in Joseph and Daniel, in Moses and Elijah, and many others, we have noble examples of the results of the true plan of living. Like faithfulness today will produce like results. To us it is written, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." I Peter 2:9. {CD 26.3}
(1905) M.H. 283
31. Had the Israelites obeyed the instruction they received, and profited by their advantages, they would have been the world's object lesson of health and prosperity. If as a people they had lived according to God's plan, they would have been preserved from the diseases that afflicted other nations. Above any other people they would have possessed physical strength and vigor of intellect.
[SEE ALSO 641-644] {CD 27.1}
The Christian Race
(1890) C.T.B.H. 25
32. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." {CD 27.2}
Here the good results of self-control and temperate habits are set forth. The various games instituted among the ancient Greeks in honor of their gods, are presented before us by the apostle Paul to illustrate the spiritual warfare and its reward. Those who were to participate in these games were trained by the most severe discipline. Every indulgence that would tend to weaken the physical powers was forbidden.
28
Luxurious food and wine were prohibited, in order to promote physical vigor, fortitude, and firmness. {CD 27.3}
To win the prize for which they strove,--a chaplet of perishable flowers, bestowed amid the applause of the multitude,--was considered the highest honor. If so much could be endured, so much self-denial practiced, in the hope of gaining so worthless a prize, which only one at best could obtain, how much greater should be the sacrifice, how much more willing the self-denial, for an incorruptible crown, and for everlasting life! {CD 28.1}
There is work for us to do--stern, earnest work. All our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the good. {CD 28.2}
Daniel's Example
(1890) C