The Medical Missionary, vol. 13
September 1904
“Eat Ye That Which is Good” The Medical Missionary, 13, 9, pp. 266, 267.
“EAT ye that which is good,” is the word of inspiration. As it is the wish of the Lord that we should “be in health,” it is only to be expected that he should want us to eat that which is good. But this does not mean that we shall eat that which simply tastes good, because that which tastes good may not really be good, and because our sense of taste may be perverted because our sense of taste may be perverted so that things the most injurious may taste the best, while that which would be the very best for us may be, to the perverted sense of taste, the most unpalatable. It is evident then that the advice is to eat that which is good rather than that which, by its pleasant taste, seems to be good; that is, that we should eat that which will make the best blood and through that the best physical fiber, whether of bone, muscle, flesh, or brain. MEDM September 1904, page 266.1
Physically, we are made of what we eat, and, other things being equal, we shall be in the best condition physically, accordingly as we eat that which is best. Nor does it state the whole truth when we say that by such means we shall be in the best condition physically—it is equally true that we shall be in the best condition mentally, because clear, vigorous thinking requires quick, active exertion of the brain; and in order that this may be, there is required a bountiful supply of good blood. If the blood be heavy and gross, its course will be slow and sluggish, and the mental activity correspondingly so; while if the blood be pure, composed of the best particles, and vivified by pure air, it goes bounding through the arteries, carrying not only life and vigor to the whole physical system, but to all the mental powers as well. Few people realize how much the power to think easily, clearly, and well, depends upon the condition of the blood. But the condition of the blood depends almost wholly upon what we eat, and the kind of air we breathe; therefore, if we will be in good condition, either mentally or physically, we must have good blood; and to have good blood we must eat that which is good. Even the wonderful mechanism of the human system can not make good blood out of bad material. MEDM September 1904, page 266.2
Nor is it yet enough to say that the physical and mental conditions depend so largely upon what we eat, the moral condition is also deeply involved in this. Because, says the great apostle, “With the mind I serve the law of God.” Our service to the law of God is the measure of our moral condition. Therefore, as with the mind we serve the law of God; as the condition of the mind is largely dependent upon the condition of the blood; as the condition of the blood is largely dependent upon what we eat—it inevitably follows that our moral condition, our service to God, is largely dependent upon what we eat. MEDM September 1904, page 266.3
By many it may be thought that this is bringing a singular sort of element, not to say aliment, into the field of morals. But whatever may be thought of it, the principle is correct. This very element belongs in the field of morals, and the sooner we recognize it and act in accordance with it, the better it will be for us. God made the whole man to serve and glorify him wholly. It is impossible to separate the mental from the physical, or the moral from the mental, in man. God has made and combined all together. The Lord Jesus died to redeem it all unto God. Because we are bought with this wondrous price, we are required to glorify him in our bodies and our spirits which are his. The whole spirit and soul and body is to be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:23. And when he comes he shall change our bodies, that they may be fashioned like unto his glorious body. “Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God.... Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.” Deuteronomy 14:2, 3. MEDM September 1904, page 266.4
ALONZO T. JONES.