Table Of ContentCD - 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 COLLEGE OF MEDICAL EVANGELISTS AT LOMA
LINDA. THIS INITIAL PRINTING, TITLED TESTIMOY STUDIES O DIET AD FOODS, WAS SOON
EXHAUSTED.
A NEW AND ENLARGED VOLUME, TITLED COUSELS O DIET AD 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 CHRISTIAN HOME LIBRARY SERIES,
WAS PUBLISHED IN 1946. THE PRESENT EDITION IS THE FOURTH, AND INVOLVES NO CHANGE IN
TEXT OR PAGINATION.
THIS IS A UIQUE COMPILATIO
IN ASSEMBLING THE MATERIALS COMPRISING COUSELS O DIET AD FOODS, AN EFFORT
WAS MADE TO INCLUDE THE FULL RANGE OF INSTRUCTION ON THE SUBJECT FROM MRS.
WHITE'S PEN. THE RESULTING COMPILATION IS UNIQUE AMONG THE ELLEN G. WHITE BOOKS,
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FOR IT PRESENTS THE COUNSELS CLUSTERED TOPICALLY UNDER A GENERAL HEADING, WITH
NO ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE A CONTINUITY IN READING.
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 TAKIG 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 TESTIMOIES, 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
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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 EVERYOE 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
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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 SOUD PRICIPLES I STUDY
CERTAIN SOUND PRINCIPLES MUST EVER BE APPLIED IN THE STUDY OF THE DIETARY
COUNSELS FOUND IN THIS BOOK. ALL THE
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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 RECOMMEDATIO 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
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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
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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
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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 WRITIG OR FIRST PUBLICATIO
DATES OF WRITIG OR FIRST PUBLICATIO
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.
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KEY TO CREDITS AD ABBREVIATIOS
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 AD 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 ISTRUCTOR
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.
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.
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.
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
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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(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.
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]
(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]
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
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destroyed, like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. I see reason enough for the present state of
degeneracy and mortality in the world. Blind passion controls reason, and every high
consideration is, with many, sacrificed to lust.
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.
(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]
"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.
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
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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?"
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.
ot 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.
Responsibility for Light
Good Health, ovember, 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.
(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]
(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.
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]
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
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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.
[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
