Testimonies for the Church Volume 1 - A New You Ministry

He cannot always do as he has done. He must spend more time in the open air, havingperiods of light labor of some special nature, or exercise of a pleasant, recreativecharacter. Such confinement as he has imposed upon himself would break down theconstitution of the strongest animal. It is cruel, it is wicked, a sin against himself,against which I raise my voice in warning. Brother C, more of your time must be spentin the open air, in riding or in pleasant exercise, or you must die, your wife becomea widow, and your children, who love you so much, become orphans. Brother C isqualified to edify others in the exposition of the word. He can serve the cause of Godand benefit himself by going out to the large gatherings of Sabbathkeepers and bearinghis testimony for the edification of those who are privileged to hear him. This changewould bring him more out of doors, into the open air. His blood flows sluggishlythrough his veins for want of the vivifying air of heaven. He has done well his part inthe work at the office, but still he has needed the electrifying influence of pure air andsunlight out of doors to make his work still more spiritual and enlivening.June 5, 1863, I was shown that my husband should preserve his strength and health,for God had yet a great work for us to do. In His providence we had obtained anexperience in this work from its very commencement, and thus our labors would beof greater account to His cause. I saw that my husband’s constant and excessive laborwas exhausting his fund of strength, which God would have him preserve; that if hecontinued to overtask his physical and mental energies as he had been doing, he wouldbe using up his future resources of strength and exhausting the capital, and would breakdown prematurely, and the cause of God would be deprived of his labor. Much of thetime he was performing labor connected with the office which others might do, or wasengaged in business transactions which he should avoid. God would have us517