[Read] Luke 17:26-30. Now, we know that intemperance is in our world everywhere. There is no sin in eating and drinking to sustain us physically, and in doing that which is for our spiritual good. But when we lose eternity out of our reckoning, and carry these necessary things to excess, that is when the sin comes in. We see on every side such crime, such iniquity. Is it not time that we shall begin to study for ourselves? We have souls to save or souls to lose. God created our first parents and placed them in Paradise. God made only one restriction. “The fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” [Genesis 3:3.] They would forfeit their life if they did not obey the restriction.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 1

Satan is represented by the serpent. The tempter is everywhere, on every side, and when God says, “ye shall not,” what is the result? In many instances in the place of obeying the voice of warning, they listen to the tempter. And in the place of all the attractions that Satan presents they have woe and misery. Adam and Eve had everything given that their wants required, but they listened to the tempter and disobeyed God.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 2

When God came to inquire of Adam, he laid all the blame upon Eve. God said, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise they head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” [Verse 15.] The enemy cannot touch thee d unless you let him.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 3

But here is the enmity which God puts against the serpent. There is no enmity between evil men and the angels, but there is enmity between those that serve the Lord and the hosts of darkness.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 4

The temperance question is of tremendous importance to each one of us. It is far-reaching. I have spoken twenty-one times in succession on this subject, and then only touched on it. But here we must take up just a few ideas. When this first gospel sermon was spoken in Eden by God Himself, it was as a star of hope to illuminate the dark and dismal future. O, Satan heard it, [that] man fallen by sin might be recovered. The pair in Eden should not be left to hopeless ruin.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 5

When Christ came into our world as a babe in Bethlehem, the angels sung out, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” [Luke 2:14, 10, 11.]8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 6

Satan with all his synagogue—for Satan claims to be religious—determined that Christ should not carry out the councils of heaven. After Christ was baptized, He bowed on the banks of Jordan, and never before had heaven listened to such a prayer, as came from his divine lips. Christ took our nature upon Himself. The glory of God in the form of a dove of burnished gold, rested upon Him, and from the infinite glory was heard these words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [Matthew 3:16, 17.] The human race is encircled by the human arm of Christ, while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite One. The prayer of Christ cleaved right through the darkness and entered where God is. To each of us it means that heaven is open before us, that the gates are ajar, that the glory is imparted to the Son of God and all who believe in His name. Our petition will be heard in heaven, as He [God] answered the petition of whom? Our Surety, our Substitute, the Son of the infinite God.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 7

Christ entered into the wilderness with the Spirit of God upon Him, to be tempted of the devil. The enemy is to tempt the Son of God. Christ was tempted with the three leading temptations wherewith man is beset.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 8

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” [Luke 4:1-4.] Here was the Son of the infinite God, and Satan came as an angel of light to him. Here he tempted him on the point of appetite. Christ was hungry and in need of food, and why did he not work this miracle? It was not in God’s plan, for Christ was to work no miracle on His own account. What was His position? He was passing over the ground where Adam fell. Adam had everything that his wants required. But fierce hunger was upon Christ, and what He wanted was food. The devil was foiled in this temptation. “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” [Matthew 4:5, 6.] What did he leave out the other part for, which says, “to keep thee in all thy ways”? [Psalm 91:11.] While Christ was in the ways of God, no harm could come to Him. Jesus said of Satan, “He found nothing in me.” [John 14:30.] This temptation of Satan to Christ was a dare. Satan said, “If” thou be the Son of God. What would have been gained if Christ did as Satan asked him to do? Nothing. Christ meets him with “It is written.” Satan saw he could [do] nothing there.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 9

Now he tempts Him on another point. He has all the world pass before Him in its grandeur, and Satan just wants Christ to bow down before him. Satan had such power over the human family. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, If thou wilt fall down and worship me.” [Matthew 4:8, 9.] Divinity flashed through humanity, and Christ said, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” [Verse 10.]8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 10

Satan left the field as a conquered foe. Our Saviour passed over the ground and was victor. He was fainting on the field of battle. There was no bosom to cradle His head, and no hand to pass over His brow. Angels came and ministered unto Him. Just such help we may claim. Christ saw it was impossible for man to overcome in his own behalf. He came to bring moral power to man. This is our only hope.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 11

We see the importance of overcoming appetite. Christ overcame, and we may obtain the victory as Christ did. He passed over the ground and there is victory for man. What has He done for the human family? He has elevated man in the scale of moral value. We may become conquerors through our Sufficiency. There is hope for the most hopeless, in Christ. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” [Jeremiah 13:23.] “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” [Isaiah 1:18.] There we have the rich promises of God. What did Christ come here for? To represent the Father. What a heart of love and sympathy! He came to bring eternal life, to break every bond. When God gave His Son, He gave all heaven. He could give no more.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 12

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” [Isaiah 61:1.] He is the only One that had power to do it. Here the great price has been paid for souls sunk in sin. Man must be of value. Christ weighs him. Christ’s taking human nature upon Himself shows that He places a value upon every soul. “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 Corinthians 6:19, 20.] This is the value God places upon man, and again He says, “I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” [Isaiah 13:12.] But God will do nothing without the co-operation of the human agent.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 13

“And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace ... And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean.” [Leviticus 10:1-3, 8-10.] Nadab’s and Abihu’s minds were beclouded because of intemperance, and in the place of taking the fire God had commanded them they took the common fire, and God destroyed them. If they had kept themselves free from wine they would have distinguished the difference between the sacred and the common. But they went directly contrary to God’s requirements.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 14

We read of steamboat disasters, and railroad accidents, and what is the matter? Somebody in many, many cases has beclouded the mind with intoxicating drink. He did not feel the weight of responsibility resting upon him. Many, many lives have been lost because somebody got drunk. Thus lives will be charged to the man that put the bottle to his neighbor’s lips.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 15

In olden times when a man had a vicious animal he paid for it. It says in (Exodus 21:28, 29): “If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in times past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 16

Now we wish to carry this principle right out to those that brew the deadly poison. Here is the law that the God of heaven gave to regulate what to do with vicious animals. Christ is seeking to save, and Satan to destroy. I ask you that have reasoning powers to think on these things. The man that is intoxicated is robbed of his reason. Satan comes in and takes possession of him and imbues him with his spirit; and his first desire is to bruise or kill some of his loved ones. Yet men will allow this accursed thing to go on, that makes man lower than the beast. What has the drunkard obtained? Nothing but a madman’s brain. And here the laws are such that the temptations are continually before them.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 17

That liquor seller will have to answer for all the sins of the drunkard, and the drunkard will have to give an account of his deeds. Their only hope is to lay their souls upon the crucified and risen Saviour, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16.] What does Christ say? Ye “are laborers together with God.” [1 Corinthians 3:9.] Christ came to bring back to man moral power. Here we see human passions are destroying human beings. Here are our youth being tempted. The minds of many are being taken up with gambling and horse racing. May God help us to arouse.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 18

Those that are in legislative councils should not drink wine or strong drink. But how much have witnessed ourselves? They need clear brains that they may have sharp and clean-cut reason. The destiny of human life is in their power, whether this or that man shall meet with death as his penalty, or be punished otherwise. We have known of a drunken carousal in the courts of justice. Have they had a clear brain and an eye single to the glory of God? Nature is defaced in man. Christ came to elevate. Touch not, taste not, should be your motto. You should be temperate in eating. But liquor—let it alone. Touch it not. There can be no temperance in its use. Satan would sweep in the human family. Christ came to redeem, to elevate man, for He took human nature upon Him.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 19

Parents must arouse to your God-given duty. Teach your children obedience. Many have lost respect for father and mother. They will have just as much respect for their heavenly Father as for their own parents. Teach your children.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 20

Give them lessons when babies in your arms. Angels will be around you when you do this. When those weary mothers know not what to do with their children, they thought that they would bring them to Jesus. And as one mother started, and would say to another, “I want Jesus to bless my children,” then another would join the company, and still another, and so on until quite a little group came to Jesus with their children. As they came to where Jesus was, He caught the sound. He knew when they [had] first left. Jesus Christ sympathized with these mothers. As they brought their little ones to Jesus, He said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” [Luke 18:16.] Parents, take hold; the gates are ajar.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 21

The tone of voice that [you] use is a means of educating your children. No one ever knows all the troubles that the little hands give. Mothers, there is One that knows all—that is, the God of heaven. Every day that [you] fulfill your duties, mothers, the words “Conqueror through Christ Jesus” are written opposite your names. What barriers are you going to build up against their souls? Do not threaten them with the wrath of God if they do wrong. But bring them in your prayers to Christ. Have your home as attractive as you can have it. Put back the drapery and let heaven’s doctor in, which is sunlight. You want peace and quiet in your homes. You want your children to have beautiful characters. Make home so attractive that they will not want to go to the saloon. Show them the flowers and leaves of the tree. Tell them that God made every spire of grass, and gave the beautiful tints to every flower. Tell them that here is the expression of God’s love to you. That this is the voice of God speaking to you that He loves you.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 22

You want your homes as that of Abraham’s. He commanded his household after him. He taught them to obey the commands of God. These are the lessons, mothers, that you are to patiently teach your children. You cannot afford to spend time in studying the fashion of the day. Teach them that they are Christ’s property. We are making characters today. Young men, young women, you are determining your lot in the future today. Let Christ come in. He will preserve you from temptation.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 23

Tobacco is undermining the constitutions of many. It is entering into the fluids and solids of the body. We have known those tobacco devotees cured from this vile habit. My husband and I founded a health institution in America. The testimony from those that treated the tobacco patients was alarming. They told of the effluvia in the baths, and on the treatment sheets, which was alarming. But they were brought on solid rock. We have seen many that said they could not overcome, brought safely out.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 24

No one can be written in the books of heaven who is a drunkard. Resist temptation as a man. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth you can lay hold upon divine power. Christ will work in behalf of every one of you. The tobacco appetite is created which hath no foundation in nature. Nevertheless you can have the victory. The curse of God is upon them who pass the bottle to his neighbors lips. You say, we are in the minority. Is not God a majority? If we are on the side of the God who made the heaven and the earth, are we not on the side of the majority? We have the angels that excel in strength on our side. Away with the fashions of this degenerate age. Sisters and mothers, you are abusing the bodies which God has given you. What does it mean, young women, this girdling of the waist which does not give your lungs, liver and vital organs their proper capacity? Your future posterity will testify against you. How could I have spoken as I have, if I would girdle myself as some of you do? You see, nothing is pressing against these vital organs. We sometimes see women that have some records to read, and they cannot speak loud. They seem to have no voice. They are girdled until they have such tiny waists. Just as though God did not know how to make them.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 25

The Lord would have the wife of Manoah adhere to strict habits of temperance. “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said to her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now therefore beware I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing.” [Judges 13:3, 4.] The angel who appeared to Zacharias and Elisabeth said, “Thy prayer is heard and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” [Luke 1:13-15.] Here we have the child taken before his birth and after. You mothers should place value on these things. The appetites of the mother are transmitted to the children. Many who indulge in things to satisfy appetite are taking the underpinning right out of your house. There are men that might have had as clear a record as Daniel. Satan is playing his cards for your soul. We want to stand free and pure from the degradations of this world. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” [Revelation 3:5.] Christ overcame in our behalf. And we may overcome through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 26

As the redeemed enter in through the gates into the city, Jesus Christ welcomes all, and they shall have harps of gold and sing to the glory of Jesus Christ, and [wear] robes woven in the loom of heaven with not one thread of humanity in it.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 27

We want heaven at the loss of all things, and Jesus Christ means we shall have it if we co-operate with Him.8LtMs, Ms 27, 1893, par. 28

Ms 26, 1893

Ms 28, 1893