Year: 1864

anu tne punishment IL sure. t-HH


Sir. man Was never designed by his
creator to be the miserable, forlorn, suf-
fering, ineffi cient, and prematurely per-
ishing creature that we now find him
In the beginning he was formed in the
image of his maker, physically as we'll as
intellectually and morally. noble being
with entire immunity from disease, and
constitution good enough to last him
almost a thousand years But long
course of sin and transgression has
produced woeful degeneration in his
physical nature. He has become the
victim and prey of thousand frightful
diseases More than half his whole race
perisEes in childhood and youth, and a
large proportion of the remaining half
drags out miserable suffering existence,
aud goes down to premature grave


Indeed so common has human sickness
and death become, in all the stages of hu-
man existance, that the majority of man
kind have become fstalsts in faith and
settled down into a firm belief that man
was born to sickness, suffering and prema-
ture death. from which there can be no
hope of his ever escaping. Some indeed,
seem to think it hardly desirable that he
should, as they look upon sickness as the
great moral educator of the race and
calculated to bring US nearer the heavenly
kingdom.


But, SIT, man is tough animal with
all his accumulated sins, with all the cou-
sequences of centuries of transgression
upon his head, he has still great capacl-
ties for life. The wonder is not that
there is 80 much disease and suffering, SO
much premature decay and untimely
death, but rather that under such circum-
stances as he has placed his existence in,
there should still be left so much life and
vigol, so much power to surmount the
consequences of his sins and maintain "a
prolonged and happy existence.


1t may be considered strange that
with all the degeneratiug Influences that
have so large and 30 powerfully operated
upon the human family, aud the amount
of disease that has so long reigued SO
triumphantly and disastrously over it.
there should still be left the most iudu-
bitable evidence Of mans capacity to pass
through all the stages of his existence,
and through all the varying circumstau-
ces of long life, with a perfect immu.
nifty from sickness, and die at last simply
Of old age. Yet the fact that in every
community there are few individuals
who are living illustrations of this truth
ought to be su Hicient to teach the human
family great physiological and moral
lesson, which if needed, would work out
one of the greatest. most radical and
most blessed reforms in the theories and
habits and practices Of men the world has
ever seen. t"


Sir, mankind must come to Nature
There is no use in trying to force her, OF
crossing her pathway with fanciful OF
whimsical devices Her laws are fixed
and steadfast. The penalties attached to
their violation are inevitable and Ger.
tain. We must work qciM her and not
against her. We must learn of her the
ways of wisdom. Her ways are ways Of
health and pleasantness. Her paths are
paths of life and peace. 4 i4 So Gtai
The difficulty with us all is, and has
been, now, and In times past, that VIZ
have wished to follow our own whims and
devices in every thing We have no,
been willing and patient and assiduous TO
learn what have been the relations estab
lished by the great divine creative power
concerning US. God created good food
and pure air and pure water and every
, healthful and sustaining thing for us
bat we have been. in the habit for thous
lands of years Of eating and drinking and
|, breathing aud dosing ourselves with i'm
puaitles and poisons. We have even de-
-veloped and smplifed a doctrine. and dig
nifed it with the name Of science, tina
, all the poisonous and destructive agencies
in God Is kingdom, the most antagonisti'
and deadly to the human frame wer'
Gods own special provision for blessing
|, us; a doctrine kindred as regurds its ra