The principles of healthful living mean a great deal to us individually and as a people. When the message of health reform first came to me, I was weak and feeble, subject to frequent fainting spells. I was pleading with God for help, and he opened before me the great subject of health reform. He instructed me that those who are keeping his commandments must be brought into sacred relation to himself, and that by temperance in eating and drinking they must keep mind and body in the most favorable condition for service. This light has been a great blessing to me. I took my stand as a health reformer, knowing that the Lord would strengthen me. I have better health to-day, notwithstanding my age, than I had in my younger days.
It is reported by some that I have not followed the principles of health reform as I have advocated them with my pen; but I can say that I have been a faithful health reformer. Those who have been members of my family know that this is true.
We do not mark out any precise line to be followed in diet; but we do say that in countries where there are fruits, grains, and nuts in abundance, flesh-meat is not the right food for God's people. I have been instructed that flesh-meat has a tendency to animalize the nature, to rob men and women of that love and sympathy which they should feel for every one, and to give the lower passions control over the higher powers of the being. If meat eating was ever healthful, it is not safe now. Cancers, tumors, and pulmonary diseases are largely caused by meat eating.
We are not to make the use of flesh-meat a test of fellowship, but we should consider the influence that professed believers who use flesh-meats have over others. As God's messengers, shall we not say to the people, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”? Shall we not bear a decided testimony against the indulgence of perverted appetite? Will any who are ministers of the gospel, proclaiming the most solemn truth ever given to mortals, set an example in returning to the flesh-pots of Egypt? Will those who are supported by the tithe from God's storehouse permit themselves by self-indulgence to poison the life-giving current flowing through their veins? Will they disregard the light and warnings that God has given them? The health of the body is to be regarded as essential to growth in grace and the acquirement of an even temper. If the stomach is not properly cared for, the formation of an upright moral character will be hindered. The brain and nerves are in sympathy with the stomach. Erroneous eating and drinking result in erroneous thinking and acting.
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, strength to grow up into Christ, who is our living head, will be given us, and we shall see the salvation of God.
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.
Fathers and mothers, watch unto prayer. Guard strictly against intemperance in every form. Teach your children the principles of true health reform. Teach them what things to avoid in order to preserve health. Already the wrath of God has begun to be visited on the children of disobedience. What crimes, what sins, what iniquitous practices, are now being revealed on every hand! As a people, we are to exercise great care in guarding our children against depraved associates.
Health Reform to Be Taught
Greater efforts should be put forth to educate the people in the principles of health reform. Cooking schools should be established, and house-to-house instruction should be given in the art of cooking wholesome food. Old and young should learn how to cook more simply. Wherever the truth is presented, the people are to be taught how to prepare food in a simple, yet appetizing way. They are to be shown that a nourishing diet can be provided without the use of flesh-meats.
Teach the people that it is better to know how to keep well than how to cure disease. Our physicians should be wise educators, warning all against self-indulgence, and showing that abstinence from the things that God has prohibited is the only way to prevent ruin of body and mind.
Much tact and discretion should be employed in preparing nourishing food to take the place of that which has formerly constituted the diet of those who are learning to be health reformers. Faith in God, earnestness of purpose, and a willingness to help one another, will be required. A diet lacking in the proper elements of nutrition, brings reproach upon the cause of health reform. We are mortal, and must supply ourselves with food that will give proper nourishment to the body.
Extreme Views
Some of our people, while conscientiously abstaining from eating improper foods, neglect to supply themselves with the elements necessary for the sustenance of the body. Those who take an extreme view of health reform are in danger of preparing tasteless dishes, making them so insipid that they are not satisfying. Food should be prepared in such a way that it will be appetizing as well as nourishing. It should not be robbed of that which the system needs. I use some salt, and always have, because salt, instead of being deleterious, is actually essential for the blood. Vegetables should be made palatable with a little milk or cream, or something equivalent.
While warnings have been given regarding the dangers of disease through butter, and the evil of the free use of eggs by small children, yet we should not consider it a violation of principle to use eggs from hens which are well cared for and suitably fed. Eggs contain properties which are remedial agencies in counteracting certain poisons.
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. The work8that we have tried to build up solidly is confused with strange things that God has not required, and 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 poor together at the feet of Jesus.
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 it is not necessary to bring upon ourselves perplexity by premature and extreme restrictions. Wait until the circumstances demand it, and the Lord prepares the way for it.
Those who would be successful in proclaiming the principles of health reform must make the Word of God their guide and counselor. Only as the teachers of health principles do this, can they stand on vantage-ground. Let us never bear a testimony against health reform by failing to use wholesome, palatable food in place of the harmful articles of diet that we have discarded. Do not in any way encourage an appetite for stimulants. Eat only plain, simple, wholesome food, and thank God constantly for the principles of health reform. In all things be true and upright, and you will gain precious victories.
Diet in Different Countries
While working against gluttony and intemperance, we must recognize the condition to which the human family is subjected. God has made provision for those who live in the different countries of the world. Those who desire to be coworkers with God must consider carefully before they specify just what foods should and should not be eaten. We are to be brought into connection with the masses. Should health reform in its most extreme form be taught to those whose circumstances forbid its adoption, more harm than good would be done. As I preach the gospel to the poor, I am instructed to tell them to eat that food which is most nourishing. I can not 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, but the time has not yet come to prescribe the strictest diet.
Loss in Neglect of Health Reform
Those ministers who feel at liberty to indulge the appetite are falling far short of the mark. God wants them to be health reformers. He wants them to live up to the light that has been given on this subject. I feel sad when I see those who ought to be zealous for our health principles not yet converted to the right way of living. I pray that the Lord may impress their minds that they are meeting with great loss. If things were as they should be in the households that make up our churches, we might do double work for the Lord.
Conditions of Answered Prayer
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 to-day humble themselves before him, and cleanse the soul-temple from all defilement, he will bear 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.
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.”
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 prolong 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 practises of the world. Do as Christ commanded after his work of healing, “Go, and sin no more.” Appetite must not be your god.
The Lord gave his word to ancient Israel, that if they would cleave strictly to him, and do all his requirements, he would keep them from all such diseases as he had brought on 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 to-day will produce like results. To us it is written, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an 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.”
Self-Surrender Brings Rest
O how many lose the richest blessings that God has in store for them in health and spiritual endowments! There are many souls who wrestle for special victories and special blessings that they may do some great thing. To this end they are always feeling that they must make an agonizing struggle in prayer and tears. When these persons search the Scriptures with prayer to know the expressed will of God, and then do his will from the heart without one reservation or self-indulgence, they will find rest. All the agonizing, all the tears and struggles, will not bring them the blessing they long for. Self must be entirely surrendered. They must do the work that presents itself, appropriating the abundance of the grace of God which is promised to all who ask in faith.
“If any man will come after me,” said Jesus, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Let us follow the Saviour in his simplicity and self-denial. Let us lift up the Man of Calvary by word and by holy living. The Saviour comes very near to those who consecrate themselves to God. If ever there was a time when we needed the working of the Spirit of God upon our hearts and lives, it is now. Let us lay hold of this divine power for strength to live a life of holiness and self-surrender.
The Joy of Heaven
By L. D. Santee
L. D. SANTEE
A SENSE of the life that is endless,
Each nerve of the spirit at rest,
To feel that no more we are friendless,
But leaning on Jesus’ breast,
To forget how the grave has bereft us,
To know that the years can not cloy,
To greet the dear friends who have left us,
With the passionate fulness of joy,
To list to the music of angels,
To rejoice and be glad in our day,
To join in the wondrous evangel
That rises to Jesus for aye,
To feel all the gladness of heaven,
To thrill at his life-giving word,
To know that to you it is given
To enter the joy of the Lord,—
Thank God that the hour is nearing
(Though sometimes our faith groweth dim),—
The hour of the Saviour’s appearing,
To gather the children to him!
Why shrink from the cross that is given,
Why dread all earth’s sorrows to face,
So long as the Saviour and heaven
Await at the end of the race?
Moline, Ill.
J. O. CORLISS
By J. O. Corliss
The History of the Jewish Sanctuary—No. 6
J. O. CORLISS
Its Place in the Reign of David
It is altogether probable that had not the wickedness of Israel interfered, the original plan of God regarding the location of the sanctuary would have been sustained, and it would have remained permanently at Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim. Both Ephraim and Manasseh were, from the first, counted as tribes of Israel (Gen. 48:5, 6), and as such were to inherit the “two portions” assigned to Joseph, their father. Eze. 47:13. The “birthright” of the promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob really belonged to Joseph, as the eldest son of Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachel. But as Reuben was Jacob’s actual first-born, the birthright was counted as his. His sinful course, however, deprived him of that birthright, and it was therefore transferred to the sons of Joseph. 1 Chron. 5:1, 2.
Of these two tribes, Ephraim was chosen as the guardian of the Lord’s house, and Shiloh was made its patron city. Thus Ephraim became, for the time, “the strength” of the Lord’s head (Ps. 60:7), but afterward erected altars for the worship of false gods (Hosea 8:11), until he was so completely joined to these that God was regretfully obliged to give him up to his heart’s lusts. Hosea 4:17; 11:8.
The capture of the ark by the Philistines was the first step toward the removal of the sanctuary service from Shiloh, and from Ephraim. During the twenty years that the ark remained at Kirjath-jearim, the symbol of God’s presence was not seen with the sanctuary, and the annual atonement service for the nation was interrupted, so that “all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.” 1 Sam. 7:2. But the people waited in vain for the return of the ark; for it was not destined again to be installed at Shiloh. Instead they were doomed to see the overthrow of the city by the sword of the despoiler, and the consequent removal of the tabernacle to other parts. God “was wroth with his inheritance,” and so “fire consumed their young men.” Even “their priests fell by the sword,” and God “refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.” Ps. 78:60-67.
God indeed “forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed9among men,” so that the very name of Shiloh became a synonym for utter destruction and desolation. Thus God spoke in after times: “Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, . . . will I do unto this house . . . as I have done to Shiloh.” Jer. 7:12-14.
The downfall of Shiloh marked the end of Ephraim’s supremacy among the tribes. The time was near when Judah was destined to prevail “above his brethren” (1 Chron. 5:2), and they in turn would “bow down” before him. Gen. 49:8. His was to be the honor of giving to the world a “chief Ruler,” or Prince, and it was therefore fitting that the sanctuary service, which was to foreshadow that Ruler’s work for men, should be located within the borders of Judah.
But in the interim between the removal of the sanctuary from Shiloh and its location in Judah, we find it at two places in the tribe of Benjamin,—first at Nob, two miles north of Jerusalem, and then at Gibeon, about seven miles west of north from Jerusalem. To the first of these places David went, when a fugitive from King Saul, and there received from Ahimelech the priest consecrated bread, which was only for the priests to eat. The sword of Goliath, which was kept there “behind the ephod,” was also taken away by David, nevermore to be traced in the sacred record. 1 Sam. 21:1-9.
Nearly a half century later the king and the whole congregation of Israel journeyed to Gibeon (“for that was the great high place.” 1 Kings 3:4), where Solomon offered upon the altar “a thousand burnt offerings.” 2 Chron. 1:3-6. Although the tabernacle which Moses built was then at Gibeon, the ark was not with it, but was in a tent at Jerusalem, where it had been placed by David twenty-seven years before. 2 Sam. 6:2, 17; 1 Chron. 15:1. It seems that there were services in two places from the time the ark was established in Jerusalem. At that time David appointed Asaph, a Levite, as chief of the priests who were to minister daily before the ark in Jerusalem (1 Chron. 16:5, 37), and Zadok, with assistant priests, to attend to the constant service of the tabernacle “in the high place that was at Gibeon.” Verses 39, 40.
The removal of the ark from Kirjath-jearim to the tent in Jerusalem which David had prepared, was to be made a national affair. Accordingly, all Israel were called together, “from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath [from the extreme north to the extreme south], to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim.” 1 Chron. 13:5. The sacred treasure was placed upon a “new cart,” and, accompanied by prolonged and resounding music, was driven as far as to the thrashing-floor of Chidon, or Nachon. Here the oxen stumbled, threatening the safety of the ark. Uzza put out his hand to steady the ark, and was immediately stricken dead. Verses 9, 10.
This sudden visitation produced such a deep sensation that David hesitated about going farther. The ark therefore was carried into a near-by house, where it remained three months, to the great blessing of Obed-edom, the owner of the house. David had passed long, sleepless nights in thinking about the separation of the ark from the national capital (Ps. 132:1-9), and he therefore resolved upon another effort to bring the sacred representative of Jehovah within the city of Jerusalem. This time “little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali” (Ps. 68:27), together with David, wearing the priestly ephod, sought the Lord “after the due order,” and so had Levites bear the ark on their shoulders to its destination, according to the original instruction. Num. 4:15; 7:9.
We may imagine that as the ark was lifted to the shoulders of the Levites, the ancient shout, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered” (Ps. 68:1), was uttered from united voices. We fancy we almost hear the mingled sounds of rams’ horns, pipes, and harps, accompanied by strange songs of question and answer, as anciently practised by strophe and antistrophe, which so powerfully wrought upon the senses, and also see the weird dance of the multitude, which was led by the king himself. In his excessive exuberance of joy, David opened the front of his royal robe to expose the scanty linen ephod, and thus “uncovered himself,” according to the scornful words of his wife, “in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants,” like a vain fellow. 2 Samuel 6. But in his joy at seeing the ark of God once more restored to the nation, David replied that, if necessary, he would appear even more vile in his wife’s eyes, if thereby he could serve God more acceptably. But the ark of God had yet a varied experience before it, the story of which must be reserved for future studies.
NOTE.—The seventh plague is poured out in the air just before Christ comes, and results in the destruction of sinners then living, the desolation of the earth, and the final destruction of sin and sinners in the consuming fire at the close of the day. Thus the wrath of God is filled up in these plagues.
2. The plagues begin to fall. “Early Writings” (edition of 1899), page 43.
3. Shaking of the powers of heaven, and the partial resurrection. “Early Writings,” pages 133, 134, 145, 146; Jer. 25:30, 31; “Great Controversy,” Vol. IV (edition of 1884), page 458.
8. At the close of the one thousand years, Christ and the saints leave heaven; the wicked dead are raised; Christ's feet touch the Mount of Olives; the wicked, who have just been raised, flee; a great plain is formed and purified for the city, which then comes down out of heaven. “Great Controversy,” Vol. IV (edition of 1884), pages 476, 477; Zech. 14:4.
9. Satan loosed for a little season. Rev. 20:3, 7, 8. God will doubtless give the rebels against his government all the time they need to make ample preparation for the final great battle.
10. The perdition of sinners and cleansing of the earth. 2 Peter 3:7-10. Thus the wrath of God is “filled up” within the day of the Lord.
Grandville, Mich.
GEO. O. STATES
By GEO. O. STATES
My Lodge Experience—No. 2
GEO. O. STATES
I THINK it was about a year after I joined the lodge when I attended some meetings in Battle Creek, Mich., conducted by the late Elder James White. One night after preaching a sermon, during which the presence of the Spirit of God was manifest, a call was made for those who wished to make a start or renew their covenant with God, to come forward.
I felt that was the time for me to become a free man in Christ. Through the influence of the meetings and the encouragement of the brethren, I decided once and for all to drop the lodge, and never since have I entered a lodge-room as a member. On my return home, I wrote a letter to my lodge, giving my reasons for withdrawing. I soon after began preaching the gospel of liberty in Christ. I left the lodge because I could not live out my convictions of Bible truth and remain in the lodge.
I will now give some reasons why I believe every person who accepts this truth should drop every lodge. First, the lodge is unscriptural. It needs little argument to prove this. We are told to “follow peace with all men, and holiness,10without which no man shall see the Lord.” How can the lodge help a man in the Christian life when it is admitted that the majority do not profess to believe in Christ? “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” 1 John 2: 23.
The average lodge member has but little faith in Christ, and should you speak of his need of being a Christian, probably he would tell you he belonged to a lodge, and that was good enough for him.
Christ is our example, and he came “to preach deliverance to the captives.” Luke 4: 18. It is the nature of humanity to bind their fellow men. The gospel is to deliver. Many in the lodges are wicked men. The gospel is to deliver us “from unreasonable and wicked men.” 2 Thess. 3: 1-3. Christ is our example in all things. He never belonged to any secret society. John 18: 20.
By looking over the ritual of almost any lodge, you will find this: “The doors then are left open to the Jew and the Gentile, the Catholic and the Protestant, the agnostic and the atheist.” Such teaching is contrary to the Bible. 2 Cor. 6: 14-16. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” Verse 17. Secret societies teach their members to trust in the lodge and not in Christ; and the more a person studies their rituals, the less he cares for the Bible. The lodge is built on the natural immortality of the soul, and teaches that doctrine. Its principles are simply those of paganism. The design of the lodge is to fit its members for eternal bliss, to teach men how to live, to teach the way of life.
As I consider how the Lord delivered me from the lodge, taught me to trust in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, showed me that the gospel is carried on by church organization, it seems to me that the lodge is the rival of the church; and the more lodges, the less interest in church work.
It is the general influence of the lodge to draw away from spirituality. It is very common to have parties and dances under the auspices of the lodge. I have talked with ministers and church-members who were members of lodges, and who frankly admitted to me that these things were so.
It is also true that many times the lodge influence leads to injustice in clearing the guilty, and no doubt many unite with no other object than the securing of the lodge influence in carrying out wrong devices. Many of these lodges are nothing but sporting clubs, and are enticing many of the most talented young men of our country to unite with them.
Cedaredge, Colo.
MRS. LUELLA B. PRIDDY
By Luella B. Priddy
Talks With a Nervous Mother — No. 1
MRS. LUELLA B. PRIDDY
I SEE that you are suffering again with one of your headaches, Mrs. Allison. The tense expression on your face shows that your nerves are crying out for rest, but here you are working as if life depended on getting a certain amount of work done in a given length of time. You are making a mistake, Mrs. Allison.
You have made your plans for the day, and you have marked out a larger program than a woman of your strength should do, and now you worry for fear you will not be able to carry it out. Suppose a visitor should chance to come to see you, and the pillow-shams were not starched and ironed, or the dinner was less elaborate than you had planned to have it; you need not let that spoil your day.
Do not let other people be your standard. They do not care so much about the little details of your housekeeping. Mrs. Carter had a caller the other day, and she apologized about the appearance of her parlor. Her couch was strewn from end to end with doll clothes. Not far away sat a sweet-faced little girl, with her dolly in her arms, and her playthings around her. She was having a good time. Mrs. Carter’s embarrassment was entirely unnecessary; for her visitor, who was not so fortunate as to own a little girl, was thinking, “What a beautiful scene that corner of the room would make for a photograph!” Housekeeping does not all consist in keeping one’s sofa pillows with an air of unused primness, tilted at the correct angle.
Many women of the present generation are not so strong as their grandmothers were. If they do their duty by their families, they will have to dispense with some of the ruffles and tucks and lace borders of life. Make a sharp distinction between unwholesome dirt and clean litter, or a little disorder that may come where there is a family of frolicsome boys and girls.
I hope that you will not take Mrs. Dale as a model. She may rank high as a housekeeper, but as a home maker she is a great failure. One day she said, “I never allow my children to play in the house; they litter up things so.” There was a lonesome little figure out on the porch, a sad baby face pressed against the screen door, and a pitiful voice was pleading for the privilege of coming in where mother was; but there was no answer to the plaintive plea. Mrs. Dale wanted to get that large ironing done before dinner time, and baby was in the way, so she hooked the screen door to keep the child out.
Mrs. Dale’s children, left so much to themselves, are becoming selfish and artful, while she is steeling her heart against those gentle amenities that make life worth living, that she may do a little more work. With her nerves worn down to the quick with incessant toil, she does not feel good natured, and her children suffer from the venom of an unbridled tongue. Her pale face shows that she is dying of hard work and a lack of soul-sunshine.
A woman who has the care of a family should jealously guard her strength. It is her capital stock. Teach the children to help you. By careful training they will soon be able to lighten your burdens. Be explicit in explaining to them just how you wish to have things done, so that they understand it. Do not expect too much at first. We may read of model children who have to be told but once, but most children are like most grown people, in that they need “precept upon precept; line upon line.”
Do not notice every little failure. When Sunnylocks sets the table, it is not always wise to mar her joy because the table-cloth goes on a trifle awry. Adjust these things where you can, and another time lay on the cloth yourself, and call the child’s attention to the way you do it, commenting on how nice it looks to see the cloth spread on evenly. She will learn how to do it better with a little practise, and if you do not scold, she will do her tasks more willingly. Even if the work is not done perfectly, you can praise her willingness to help you. Continually finding fault with a child’s work, discourages him. Children often think that it is no use to try to please their parents.
At first a child does not notice the small details of his work. Time and careful teaching will remedy this. But in the meantime, have patience, tired mother. Drop that feeling of worried carefulness, and enjoy the society of your children, even if everything is not ideal.
Ellesmere, Ontario.
Building a Noble and Holy Life
“WHILE you are counting the cost of building a noble and holy life, never lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ is a partner in your undertaking.”
A Warning Conscience and a Gnawing Conscience
“THERE is a warning conscience and a gnawing conscience. The warning conscience comes before sin. The gnawing conscience followeth after sin. When conscience whispers, listen.”