Testimonies for the Church, Volume 2 - Ellen G. White

ecause they will not deny their appetite! The brain
nerve energy is benumbed and almost paralyzed by
overeating. When such go to the house of God
upon the Sabbath, they cannot hold their eyes open.
The most earnest appeals fail to arouse their
leaden, insensible intellects. The truth may be
presented with deep feeling, but it does not awaken
the moral sensibilities or enlighten the
understanding. Have such studied to glorify God in
all things?
It is impossible to have clear conceptions of
eternal things unless the mind is trained to dwell
upon elevated themes. All the passions must be
brought under perfect subjection to the moral
powers. When men and women profess strong faith
and earnest spirituality, I know that their profession
is false if they have not brought all their passions
under control. God requires this. The reason why
such spiritual darkness prevails is that the mind is
content to take a low level and is not directed
upward in a pure, holy, and heavenly channel.
I saw in regard to your family, Brother M, that
739