Appendix B Typical Temperance Addresses By Ellen G. White
1. At Christiania, Norway—1886
On Sunday, by request of the president of the temperance society, I spoke upon the subject of temperance. The meeting was held in the soldiers’ military gymnasium, the largest hall in the city. An American flag was placed as a canopy above the pulpit; this was an attention which I highly appreciated. There were about sixteen hundred assembled. Among them was a bishop of the state church, with a number of the clergy; a large proportion were of the better class of society.
(Te 267.1)
The Approach—I took up the subject from a religious standpoint, showing that the Bible is full of history bearing upon temperance, and that Christ was connected with the work of temperance, even from the beginning. It was by the indulgence of appetite that our first parents sinned and fell. Christ redeemed man’s failure. In the wilderness of temptation He endured the test which man had failed to bear. While He was suffering the keenest pangs of hunger, weak and emaciated from fasting, Satan was at hand with his manifold temptations to assail the Son of God, to take advantage of His weakness and overcome Him, and thus thwart the plan of salvation. But Christ was steadfast. He overcame in behalf of the race, that He might rescue them from the degradation of the Fall. He showed that in His strength it is possible for us to overcome. Jesus sympathizes with the weakness of men; He came to earth that He might bring to us moral power. However strong the passion or appetite, we can gain the victory, because we may have divine strength to unite with our feeble efforts. Those who flee to Christ will have a stronghold in the day of temptation.
(Te 267.2)
The Warning of Bible History—I showed the importance of temperate habits by citing warnings and examples from Bible history. Nadab and Abihu were men in holy office; but by the use of wine their minds became so beclouded that they could not distinguish between sacred and common things. By the offering of “strange fire,”(Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4) they disregarded God’s command, and they were slain by His judgments. The Lord, through Moses, expressly prohibited the use of wine and strong drink by those who were to minister in holy things, that they might “put difference between holy and unholy,” and might teach “the statutes which the Lord hath spoken.”Leviticus 10:10, 11. The effect of intoxicating liquors is to weaken the body, confuse the mind, and debase the morals. All who occupied positions of responsibility were to be men of strict temperance, that their minds might be clear to discriminate between right and wrong, that they might possess firmness of principle, and wisdom to administer justice and to show mercy.
(Te 268.1)
This direct and solemn command was to extend from generation to generation, to the close of time. In our legislative halls and courts of justice, no less than in our schools and churches, men of principle are needed; men of self-control, of keen perceptions and sound judgment. If the mind is beclouded or the principles debased by intemperance, how can the judge render a just decision? He has rendered himself incapable of weighing evidence or entering into critical investigation; he has not moral power to rise above motives of self-interest or the influence of partiality or prejudice. And because of this a human life may be sacrificed, or an innocent man robbed of his liberty or of the fair fame which is dearer than life itself. God has forbidden that those to whom He has committed sacred trusts as teachers or rulers of the people should thus unfit themselves for the duties of their high position.
(Te 268.2)
Instruction to Manoah and Zacharias—There is a lesson for parents in the instruction given to the wife of Manoah, and to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. The angel of the Lord brought the tidings that Manoah should become the father of a son who was to deliver Israel; and in reply to the anxious inquiry, “How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?” the angel gave special directions for the mother: “Neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.”Judges 13:12-14. The child will be affected, for good or evil, by the habits of the mother. She must herself be controlled by principle, and must practice temperance and self-denial, if she would seek the welfare of her child.
(Te 269.1)
And fathers as well as mothers are included in this responsibility. Both parents transmit their own characteristics, mental and physical, their dispositions and appetites, to their children. As the result of parental intemperance, the children often lack physical strength and mental and moral power. Liquor drinkers and tobacco lovers hand down their own insatiable craving, their inflamed blood and irritated nerves, as a legacy to their offspring. And as the children have less power to resist temptation than had the parents, each generation falls lower than the preceding.
(Te 269.2)
The inquiry of every father and mother should be, “What shall we do unto the child that shall be born unto us?”Judges 13:8. Many are inclined to treat this subject lightly; but the fact that an angel of heaven was sent to those Hebrew parents, with instruction twice given in the most explicit and solemn manner, shows that God regards it as one of great importance.
(Te 269.3)
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias, foretelling the birth of John the Baptist, this was the message which he brought: “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 1:15. God had an important work for the promised child of Zacharias to do; a work that required active thought and vigorous action. He must have a sound physical constitution, and mental and moral strength; and it was to secure for him these necessary qualifications that his habits were to be carefully regulated, even from infancy. The first steps in intemperance are often taken in childhood and early youth; therefore most earnest efforts should be directed toward enlightening parents as to their responsibility. Those who place wine and beer upon their tables are cultivating in their children an appetite for strong drink. We urge that the principles of temperance be carried into all the details of home life; that the example of parents be a lesson of temperance; that self-denial and self-control be taught to the children and enforced upon them, so far as possible, even from babyhood.
(Te 269.4)
The Youth an Index to Future Society—The future of society is indexed by the youth of today. In them we see the future teachers and lawmakers and judges, the leaders and the people, that determine the character and destiny of the nation. How important, then, the mission of those who are to form the habits and influence the lives of the rising generation. To deal with minds is the greatest work ever committed to men. The time of parents is too valuable to be spent in the gratification of appetite or the pursuit of wealth or fashion. God has placed in their hands the precious youth, not only to be fitted for a place of usefulness in this life, but to be prepared for the heavenly courts. We should ever keep the future life in view, and so labor that when we come to the gates of paradise we may be able to say, “Here, Lord, am I, and the children whom Thou hast given me.”Isaiah 8:18.
(Te 270.1)
But in the work of temperance there are duties devolving upon the young which no other can do for them. While parents are responsible for the stamp of character as well as for the education and training which they give their sons and daughters, it is still true that our position and usefulness in the world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course of action.
(Te 270.2)
Daniel a Noble Example—Nowhere shall we find a more comprehensive and forcible illustration of true temperance and its attendant blessings than in the history of the youthful Daniel and his associates in the court of Babylon. When they were selected to be taught the learning and tongue of the Chaldeans, that they might “stand in the king’s palace,”“the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank.”“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank.”Daniel 1:4, 5, 8. Not only did these young men decline to drink the king’s wine, but they refrained from the luxuries of his table. They obeyed the divine law, both natural and moral. With their habits of self-denial were coupled earnestness of purpose, diligence, and steadfastness. And the result shows the wisdom of their course.
(Te 271.1)
God always honors the right. The most promising youth of every land subdued by the great conqueror, had been gathered at Babylon; yet amid them all, the Hebrew captives were without a rival. The erect form, the firm, elastic step, the fair countenance showing that the blood was uncorrupted, the undimmed senses, the untainted breath,—all were so many certificates of good habits, insignia of the nobility with which nature honors those who are obedient to her laws. And when their ability and acquirements were tested by the king at the close of the three years of training, none were found “like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”Daniel 1:19. Their keen apprehension, their choice and exact language, their extensive and varied knowledge, testified to the unimpaired strength and vigor of their mental powers.
(Te 271.2)
The history of Daniel and his companions has been recorded on the pages of the Inspired Word for the benefit of the youth of all succeeding ages. Those who would preserve their powers unimpaired for the service of God must observe strict temperance in the use of all His bounties, as well as total abstinence from every injurious or debasing indulgence. What men have done, men may do. Did those faithful Hebrews stand firm amid great temptation, and bear a noble testimony in favor of true temperance? The youth of today may bear a similar testimony, even under circumstances as unfavorable. Would that they would emulate the example of those Hebrew youth; for all who will, may, like them, enjoy the favor and blessing of God.
(Te 272.1)
Money That Might Have Done Good—There is still another aspect of the temperance question which should be carefully considered. Not only is the use of unnatural stimulants needless and pernicious, but it is also extravagant and wasteful. An immense sum is thus squandered every year. The money that is spent for tobacco would support all the missions in the world; the means worse than wasted upon strong drink would educate the youth now drifting into a life of ignorance and crime, and prepare them to do a noble work for God. There are thousands upon thousands of parents who spend their earnings in self-indulgence, robbing their children of food and clothing and the benefits of education. And multitudes of professed Christians encourage these practices by their example. What account will be rendered to God for this waste of His bounties?
(Te 272.2)
Money is one of the gifts entrusted to us with which to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to minister to the afflicted, and to send the gospel to the poor. But how is this work neglected! When the Master shall come to reckon with His servants, will He not say to many, “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me?”Matthew 25:45. All around us there is work to do for God. Our means, our time, our strength, and our influence are needed. Shall we take hold of this work, and live to glorify God and bless our fellow men? Shall we build up the Lord’s kingdom in the earth?
(Te 272.3)
There is need now of men like Daniel,—men who have the self-denial and the courage to be radical temperance reformers. Let every Christian see that his example and influence are on the side of reform. Let ministers of the gospel be faithful in sounding the warnings to the people. And let all remember that our happiness in two worlds depends upon the right improvement of one.—Historical Sketches of S.D.A. Foreign Missions, pages 207-211.
(Te 273.1)
2. A Talk on Temperance—1891
Satan was the first rebel in the universe, and ever since his expulsion from heaven he has been seeking to make every member of the human family an apostate from God, even as he is himself. He laid his plans to ruin man, and through the unlawful indulgence of appetite, led him to transgress the commandments of God. He tempted Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit, and so accomplished their fall, and their expulsion from Eden. How many say, “If I had been in Adam’s place, I would never have transgressed on so simple a test.” But you who make this boast have a grand opportunity of showing your strength of purpose, your fidelity to principle under trial. Do you render obedience to every command of God? Does God see no sin in your life?
(Te 273.2)
Would that the Fall of Adam and Eve had been the only fall; but from the loss of Eden to the present time, there has been a succession of falls. Satan has planned to ruin man, by leading him away from loyalty to the commandments of God, and one of his most successful methods is that of tempting him to the gratification of perverted appetite. We see on all sides the marks of man’s intemperance. In our cities and villages the saloon is on every corner, and in the countenances of its patrons we see the dreadful work of ruin and destruction. On every side, Satan seeks to entice the youth into the path of perdition; and if he can once get their feet set in the way, he hurries them on in their downward course, leading them from one dissipation to another, until his victims lose their tenderness of conscience, and have no more the fear of God before their eyes. They exercise less and less self-restraint. They become addicted to the use of wine and alcohol, tobacco and opium, and go from one stage of debasement to another. They are slaves to appetite. Counsel which they once respected, they learn to despise. They put on swaggering airs, and boast of liberty when they are the servants of corruption. They mean by liberty that they are slaves to selfishness, debased appetite, and licentiousness.
(Te 273.3)
The Controversy Is On—A great controversy is going on in the world. Satan is determined to have the human race as his subjects, but Christ has paid an infinite price that man may be redeemed from the enemy, and that the moral image of God may be restored to the fallen race. In instituting the plan of salvation, God has made it manifest that He values man at an infinite price; but Satan is seeking to make this plan of no effect, by keeping man from meeting the conditions upon which salvation is provided.
(Te 274.1)
When Christ began His ministry, He bowed on the banks of Jordan, and offered a petition to heaven in behalf of the human race. He had received baptism at the hands of John, and the heavens opened, the Spirit of God in the form of a dove encircled His form, and a voice was heard from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”Matthew 3:17. The prayer of Christ for a lost world was heard, and all who believe in Him are accepted in the Beloved. Fallen men may through Christ find access to the Father, may have grace to enable them to be overcomers through the merits of a crucified and risen saviour.
(Te 274.2)
Significance of Christ’s Victory—After His baptism, Christ was led of the Spirit into the wilderness. He had taken humanity upon Himself, and Satan boasted that he would overcome Him, as he had overcome the strong men of the past ages, and he assailed Him with the temptations that had caused man’s downfall. It was in this world that the great conflict between Christ and Satan was to be decided. If the tempter could succeed in overcoming Christ in even one point, the world must be left to perish. Satan would have power to bruise the heel of the Son of God; but the seed of the woman was to bruise the serpent’s head: Christ was to baffle the prince of the powers of darkness. For forty days Christ fasted in the wilderness. What was this for? Was there anything in the character of the Son of God that required such great humiliation and suffering? No, He was sinless. All this humiliation and keen anguish were endured for the sake of fallen man, and never can we comprehend the grievous character of the sin of indulging perverted appetite except as we comprehend the spiritual meaning of the long fast of the Son of God. Never can we understand the strength and bondage of appetite until we discern the character of the Saviour’s conflict in overcoming Satan, and thus placing man on vantage ground, where, through the merit of the blood of Christ, he may be able to resist the powers of darkness, and overcome in his own behalf.
(Te 275.1)
After this long fast, Christ was in a famishing condition, and in His weakness Satan assailed Him with the fiercest temptations. “The devil said unto him, If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.”Luke 4:3. Satan represented himself as the messenger of God, claiming that God had seen the willingness of the Saviour to place His feet in the path of self-denial, and that He was not required to suffer further humiliation and pain, but might be released from the terrible conflict that was before Him as the Redeemer of the world. He tried to persuade Him that God designed only to test His fidelity, that now His loyalty was fully manifest, and He was at liberty to use His divine power to relieve His necessities. But Christ discerned the temptation, and declared, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”Matthew 4:4.
(Te 275.2)
When tempted to the unlawful gratification of appetite, you should remember the example of Christ, and stand firm, overcoming as Christ overcame. You should answer, saying, “Thus saith the Lord,” and in this way settle the question forever with the prince of darkness. If you parley with temptation, and use your own words, feeling self-sufficient, full of self-importance, you will be overcome. The weapons which Christ used were the words of God, “It is written;” and if you wield the sword of the Spirit, you also may come off victorious through the merit of your Redeemer.
(Te 276.1)
Satan More Successful With Man—The three leading temptations by which man is beset were endured by the Son of God. He refused to yield to the enemy on the point of appetite, ambition, and the love of the world. But Satan is more successful when assailing the human heart. Through inducing men to yield to his temptations, he can get control of them. And through no class of temptations does he achieve greater success than through those addressed to the appetite. If he can control the appetite, he can control the whole man.
(Te 276.2)
There are but two powers that control the minds of men—the power of God and the power of Satan. Christ is man’s Creator and Redeemer; Satan is man’s enemy and destroyer. He who has given himself to God will build himself up for the glory of God, in body, soul, and spirit. He who has given himself to the control of Satan tears himself down. Many a man sells reason for a glass of liquor, and becomes a menace to his family, his neighborhood, and his country. His children hide when he comes home, and his discouraged wife fears to meet him, for he greets her with cruel blows. He spends his money for strong drink, while his wife and children suffer for the necessities of life.
(Te 276.3)
Satan leads the victims of appetite to deeds of violence. The liquor drinker is a man of fierce and easily excited passions, and any trivial excuse is made a cause for quarrel; and when under the influence of passion, the drunkard will not spare his best friend. How often do we hear of murder and deeds of violence, and find that their chief source is the liquor habit.
(Te 277.1)
Moderate Drinking—There are those who call themselves advocates of temperance who will yet indulge in the use of wine and cider, claiming that these stimulants are harmless, and even healthful. It is thus that many take the first step in the downward path. Intoxication is just as really produced by wine and cider as by stronger drinks, and it is the worst kind of inebriation. The passions are more perverse; the transformation of character is greater, more determined and obstinate. A few quarts of cider or wine may awaken a taste for stronger drinks, and in many cases those who have become confirmed drunkards have thus laid the foundation of the drinking habit.
(Te 277.2)
For persons who have inherited an appetite for stimulants, it is by no means safe to have wine and cider in the house; for Satan is continually soliciting them to indulge. If they yield to his temptations, they do not know where to stop; appetite clamors for indulgence, and is gratified to their ruin. The brain is clouded; reason no longer holds the reins, but lays them on the neck of lust. Licentiousness abounds, and vices of almost every type are practiced as the result of indulging the appetite for wine and cider. It is impossible for one who loves these stimulants and accustoms himself to their use, to grow in grace. He becomes gross and sensual; the animal passions control the higher powers of the mind, and virtue is not cherished.
(Te 277.3)
Moderate drinking is the school in which men are receiving an education for the drunkard’s career. So gradually does Satan lead away from the strongholds of temperance, so insidiously do wine and cider exert their influence upon the taste, that the highway to drunkenness is entered upon all unsuspectingly. The taste for stimulants is cultivated; the nervous system is disordered; Satan keeps the mind in a fever of unrest; and the poor victim, imagining himself perfectly secure, goes on and on, until every barrier is broken down, every principle sacrificed. The strongest resolutions are undermined, and eternal interests are too weak to keep the debased appetite under the control of reason. Some are never really drunk, but are always under the influence of mild intoxicants. They are feverish, unstable in mind, not really delirious, but as truly unbalanced; for the nobler powers of the mind are perverted.
(Te 278.1)
Tobacco Also—Those also who use tobacco are weakening their physical and mental power. The use of tobacco has no foundation in nature. Nature rebels against the narcotic, and when the tobacco user first tries to force this unnatural habit upon the system, a hard battle is fought. The stomach, and, indeed, the whole system, revolts against the abominable practice, but the evildoer perseveres until nature gives up the struggle, and the man becomes a slave of tobacco.
(Te 278.2)
If salvation were offered to man on terms as hard to endure, God would be looked upon as a hard master. Satan is a hard master, and requires his subjects to undergo severe tests, and to make themselves the slaves of passion and appetite; but God is consistent in all His requirements. And asks of His children that only which will work for their present and eternal happiness.
(Te 278.3)
“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.”Luke 4:8. This is the command of God, and yet how many, even of those who profess to be the servants of God, are the devotees of tobacco, and make it their idol. When men should be out in the pure air, with sweet breath, praising God for His benefits, they are polluting the atmosphere with the fumes of pipe or cigar. They must go through the ordeal of smoking, in order to stimulate the poor relaxed nerves as a preparation for the duties of the day; for if they did not have their smoke, they would be irritable and unable to control their thoughts.
(Te 278.4)
He Had Not Had His Tobacco—As an illustration of the inability of tobacco users to command their senses when without the stimulant, I will relate an occurrence that came to my notice. An aged man who was at one time my next-door neighbor was a great user of tobacco; but one morning he had not taken his usual smoke when I went in to get a book I had lent him. Instead of getting the book I had asked for, he handed me a bridle. In vain I strove to make him understand what I wanted; I had to go away without the book. Next day I went again the made the same request, and he immediately handed me the book. Then I asked him why he had not given it to me the day before. He said: “Why, were you in yesterday? I do not remember it. Oh, I know what was the trouble, I had not had my tobacco!” This was the effect upon his mind when he was without the stimulant. His physician told him that he must cease its use or he could not live. He did give it up, but all his life after he suffered from the constant longing for the accustomed stimulant; he had to fight a continual battle.
(Te 279.1)
When ninety years old, he was one day seen searching for something. When asked what he wanted, he replied, “I was looking for my tobacco.” He suffered without it, and yet it would have been death to him to continue its use.
(Te 279.2)
A Way of Deliverance—God requires that His children shall keep themselves free from such unnatural and disastrous habits. But when men are bound in these chains, is there no way of deliverance? Yes, the Lord Jesus has died that through the merits of His life and death men may be overcomers. He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. He came to earth that He might combine divine power with human effort, and by co-operation with Christ, by placing the will on the side of God, the slave may become free, an heir of God and joint heir with Christ.
(Te 279.3)
Moral Sensibilities Benumbed With Wine—In the days of Israel, when the sanctuary service was instituted, the Lord directed that only sacred fire should be used in the burning of incense. The holy fire was of God’s own kindling, and the fragrant smoke represented the prayers of the people as they ascended before God. Nadab and Abihu were priests of the sanctuary, and although it was not lawful to use common fire, these priests, when they went in before God, presumed to kindle their incense with unconsecrated fire. The priests had been indulging in the use of wine, and their moral sensibilities were benumbed; they did not discern the character of their actions, or realize what would be the fearful consequences of their sin. A fire blazed out from the holy of holies and consumed them.
(Te 280.1)
After the destruction of Nadab and Abihu, the Lord spoke to 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; and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.”Leviticus 10:9-11. The priests and judges of Israel were to be men of strict temperance, that their minds might be clear to discriminate between right and wrong, that they might possess firmness of principle, and wisdom to administer justice and to show mercy.
(Te 280.2)
If Men Were Strictly Temperate—What an improvement would there be in our own land if these injunctions were carried out, if men in sacred and judicial positions should live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Does not God, who made man, know what is best for him, what is most conducive to his spiritual and eternal interests? God is working for the highest good of His creatures. If men were strictly temperate, we should not have a tithe of the deaths we now have, and physical and mental suffering would be greatly diminished. There would be far fewer accidents by land and sea. It is because man will do as he pleases, instead of submitting to God’s requirement, that so much evil is in the world.
(Te 280.3)
God has given us laws whereby to live, but now, as in the Noachic age, the imagination of men’s hearts is evil and only evil continually; men walk after the desire and devices of their own hearts, and so accomplish their own ruin. God would have men stand in their God-given manhood, free from the slavery of appetite.
(Te 281.1)
How can men trust the decisions of jurors who are addicted to the use of liquor and tobacco? If they are called to decide on an important case when deprived of their accustomed stimulants, they cannot exercise their minds in a healthful way; they are in no condition to render an intelligent judgment; and what would their decision be worth?
(Te 281.2)
Men in responsible positions should be men of temperance and integrity, and especially should those who are entrusted with judicial functions be men of sober habits, that they may render justice, and be unbiased by bribe or prejudice. But how widely different is the condition of our judicial and governmental affairs from that made possible through obedience to the commands of God. Liquor, tobacco, low morals, lead men to deal treacherously with their fellow men.
(Te 281.3)
Temptation on Every Hand—On every hand there is temptation for our young men, as well as for those of mature years. In both America and Europe the places of vice and destruction are made attractive by exhibitions and music, that unwary feet may be led into the snare. Everything possible is done to lure the young into the saloon. What shall be done to save our youth? Christ made an infinite sacrifice, He became poor that we through His poverty might become rich and have a life that measures with the life of God, and shall we make no sacrifice to save those who are going to ruin about us? What are we doing for the cause of temperance, to save our youth today? Who is standing by the side of Christ, as a laborer together with God?
(Te 281.4)
Parents, are you teaching your children to overcome? Are you seeking to check the tide of evil that threatens to overwhelm our land? Mothers, are you doing your work as educators? Are you teaching your children in their childhood habits of self-control and temperance? Do not wait till passion holds them in its iron bands, but now take them to God, teach them that Jesus loves them, that Heaven has claims upon them. In their youth put their hands into the hands of Christ, that He may lead them up. Mothers, rouse to your moral responsibility, and work for your children as those who must give an account. We must do something to stop the tide of evil, that the children and youth may not be swept down to perdition. We must be overcomers, and must teach our children to overcome.
(Te 282.1)
Christ Overcame in Our Behalf—In the wilderness of temptation, Christ passed over the ground where Adam fell. He began the work where the ruin began, and on the point of appetite He overcame the power of the evil one in our behalf. Satan left the field a vanquished foe, and no one is excused from entering the battle on the Lord’s side, for there is no reason why man may not be an overcomer if he trusts in Christ. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.”Revelation 3:21.
(Te 282.2)
Through the merits of Christ we are to be purified, refined, redeemed, and given a place with Christ on His throne. Could any greater honor be conferred upon man than this? Could we aspire to anything greater? If we are overcomers, Christ declares, “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)—The Signs of the Times, June 22, 29, and The Signs of the Times, July 6, 1891.
(Te 283.1)
3. At Sydney, Australia—1893
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”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.
(Te 283.2)
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.
(Te 283.3)
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 thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”Genesis 3:15. The enemy cannot touch you unless you let him. 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.
(Te 284.1)
A Tremendously Important Question—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. The pair in Eden should not be left to hopeless ruin.
(Te 284.2)
When Christ came into our world as a babe in Bethlehem, the angels sang 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.
(Te 284.3)
Satan with all his synagogue—for Satan claims to be religious—determined that Christ should not carry out the counsels 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 3:17. 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. It means 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 God answered the petition of our Surety, our Substitute, the Son of the infinite God.
(Te 284.4)
Christ Tested on the Three Leading Temptations—Christ entered into the wilderness with the Spirit of God upon Him, to be tempted of the devil. The enemy was to tempt the Son of God. Christ was tempted with the three leading temptations wherewith man is beset.
(Te 285.1)
“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; Matthew 4:4. 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. 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.
(Te 285.2)
“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.
(Te 285.3)
Now he tempts Him on another point. He has all the world pass before Him in its grandeur, and Satan wants Christ to bow down before him. Satan had power over the human family. “Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth 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.”Matthew 4:10.
(Te 286.1)
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.
(Te 286.2)
Victory Through Christ—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 band. When God gave His Son, He gave all heaven. He could give no more.
(Te 286.3)
The Value of a Soul—“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.
(Te 287.1)
Beclouded by Intemperance—“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 10:1-10. The minds of Nadab and Abihu 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.
(Te 287.2)
A Cause of Accidents—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.
(Te 288.1)
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 surely 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 time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.”
(Te 288.2)
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.
(Te 288.3)
That liquor seller will have to answer for all the sins of the drunkard, and the drunkard will have to give 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 in 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 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.
(Te 289.1)
Those that are in legislative councils should not drink wine or strong drink. 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,”(Colossians 2:21) 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.
(Te 289.2)
Begin With the Children—Parents, you 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. Give them lessons when babies in your arms. Angels will be around you when you do this. When those weary mothers knew 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.”Matthew 19:14. Parents, take hold; the gates are ajar.
(Te 289.3)
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 who 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.
(Te 290.1)
Homes Like Abraham’s—You want your homes to be like 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 fashions 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.
(Te 290.2)
Tobacco is undermining the constitutions of many. It is entering into the fluids and solids of the body. We have known tobacco devotees cured of 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 alarming effluvia in the baths and on the treatment sheets. But they were brought on solid rock. We have seen many who said they could not overcome, brought safely out.
(Te 291.1)
A Majority With God—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 their 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 who have some records to read, and they cannot speak loudly. They seem to have no voice. They are girdled until they have tiny waists, as though God did not know how to make them.
(Te 291.2)
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 unto 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 of you who indulge in things to satisfy appetite are taking the underpinning out of your house. There are men who 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. We may overcome through the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
(Te 292.1)
As the redeemed enter in through the gates into the city, Jesus Christ welcomes all, and they will have harps of gold and will sing to the glory of Jesus Christ, and will wear robes woven in the loom of heaven with not one thread of humanity in them.
(Te 292.2)
We want heaven, and Jesus Christ means that we shall have it, if we co-operate with Him.—Manuscript 27, 1893.
(Te 292.3)