God holds every one responsible for the influence that surrounds his soul, on his own account, and on the account of others. He calls upon young men and young women to be strictly temperate and conscientious in the use of their faculties of mind and body.... Avoid exciting the brain. Too much study stimulates the brain and increases the flow of blood to it. The sure result of this is depravity. The brain cannot be unduly excited without producing impure thoughts and actions. The whole nervous system is affected, and this leads to impurity. The physical and mental powers are depraved, and the temple of the Holy Spirit is defiled. The evil practices are communicated, and the consequences cannot be estimated. I am compelled to speak plainly on this subject. 5MR 64.1
The proportionate taxation of the powers of mind and body will prevent the tendency to impure thoughts and actions. Teachers should understand this.—Letter 145, 1897, pp. 7, 8. (To W. C. White, August 15, 1897.) 5MR 64.2
Christ began the work of redemption just where the ruin began—upon the point of appetite.—Letter 90, 1898, p. 8. (To Dr. J. H. Kellogg, October 20, 1898.) 5MR 64.3
Men will never be truly temperate until the grace of God is an abiding principle in the heart. All the pledges in the world will not make you or your wife health reformers. No mere restriction of your diet will cure your diseased appetite. Brother and Sister ----- will not practice temperance in all things until their hearts are transformed by the grace of God. And they shall wear Christ's yoke and have Christ's meekness and lowliness of heart.—Letter 73, 1896, p. 14. (To Brother and Sister Maxson, October 12, 1896.) 5MR 64.4
Two great systems of efficiency are blended in the human body. The circulatory system and the nervous system are combined. The heart is the reservoir of the circulatory system and the brain of the nervous system. From the blood the food is assimilated by the body. Both agencies are ever at work. The food nourishes the whole man; therefore there is every need of wholesome food. But there is not the slightest call for the great variety of dishes which are nearly always on hand. Much time and labor might be saved in this matter. God does not design that our time should be so fully occupied in contriving dishes to suit the palate. God would have all of His people missionaries in every sense of the word. 5MR 65.1
In this country in the fruit season what an abundance of fruit there is of every description. Yet the variety of foods which are eaten at one meal often make a cesspool of the stomach.—Letter 157, 1900, p. 6. (To Brethren Farnsworth, Robinson, Starr, Palmer, Carr, and Sharp,” December 12, 1900.) 5MR 65.2
Only when the brain-power and the talent of speech are sanctified, are we fitted for service.—Manuscript 95, 1906, 12. (Sermon, “Lessons From the Fifteenth of Romans,” October 20, 1906.) 5MR 65.3
The heart is the citadel of the spiritual life, and it is necessary daily to expel worldly maxims and the spirit of the world from our hearts. The pulsing of the heart is felt through the whole body, and the action of the heart must be sound if there is to be a healthful condition throughout the body. Let the heart be diseased, and sickness is communicated to every member of the body.—Letter 16, 1895, pp. 1, 2, 6. (To Elder C. P. Bollman, June 18, 1895.) 5MR 65.4
Released June 22, 1971.