It is not the Creator’s purpose that members of the human family should be weighed down with a burden of pain, that their activities should be curtailed by illness, that their strength wane, and their life be cut short by disease. But all too frequently the laws established by God to govern life are violated, sin enters the heart, and people lose sight of their dependence upon God, the Source of life and health. Then follow the penalties of transgressing God’s laws—pain, sickness, death.MHH 5.2

God wants us to understand the laws that govern the body. He wants us to bring our life practices into harmony with those laws. This is a duty of prime importance. We need to understand the many factors that contribute to true happiness—a cheerful home, obedience to the laws of life, and proper relationships to other people.MHH 5.3

When sickness comes, it is essential that we employ the varied agencies that, in cooperation with nature’s efforts, will build up the body and restore health. There is also a larger and more important question—that of our relationship to the Creator who in the beginning gave life to human beings, who made every provision for their continued happiness, and who today is still deeply interested in their welfare.MHH 5.4

In this volume, the author has brought within the reach of every man and woman, lay and professional, every father and mother, every boy and girl, a vast fund of helpful information on life and its laws, on obtaining health and keeping it, on disease and its remedies, on sin and the healing of the soul.MHH 5.5

For one hundred years this book has provided instruction on how to acquire maximum physical and spiritual health, thus bringing hope to the despondent, cheer to the sick, and rest to the weary. It has been issued and reissued in many countries and has been translated into more than thirty of the world’s leading languages.MHH 5.6

The message and the truths set forth in the first edition one hundred years ago remain unchanged in the present volume. However, inasmuch as social customs and language styles have changed considerably during the past century, the present text is, in a sense, a twenty-first century “translation.” Gender-inclusive language has been adopted, words with current meanings have been substituted for words that might be misunderstood or have little meaning today, and some sentence structures have been modernized. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible.MHH 5.7

As the many new translations of the Bible have created a fresh interest in the Holy Scriptures, we believe that this edition, prepared in the offices of the White Estate at the request of the General Conference Health Ministries Department, will be warmly welcomed. We believe it will enable a new generation of readers to benefit physically and spiritually by its timeless, inspired message.MHH 6.1

That this work, which sets forth a way of life that offers abounding health and involves unselfish service, may fully accomplish its mission is the sincere hope of the publishers andMHH 6.2

The Trustees of the

Ellen G. White Estate.

Chapter 1—Jesus, Our Example