Temperance in appetite

“And to knowledge temperance.” This is a point that every one of us should consider. The strength of natural appetites depends very much on the treatment they receive. Those who indulge appetite, eating and drinking with the drunken; those who practice gluttony, eating double the amount that they should eat, bring the system into such a condition that it is next to impossible for them to be partakers of the divine nature, because they do not escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. The temple of God, which should be kept holy, is polluted and defiled.PCP 26.1

Think of all the wickedness that is committed as the result of the sale of liquor! The men who sell liquor are familiar with the evil effects that it produces. Not only the man who sells liquor, but also the man who buys and drinks it, is held accountable for the wicked deeds committed under its influence. God stands ready to give divine power to any sincere man to enable him to overcome appetite for liquor; but oh, how much better it is for parents to teach their children from babyhood never to use a drop of intoxicating liquor! And parents, besides helping their children by setting an example of strict temperance, should shield them from the so-called friends who would lead them to indulge appetite.PCP 26.2

The food that we eat has much to do with the question of temperance. Parents should take into account the relation of food to morals. The use of flesh-meat animalizes the nature. There needs to be an awakening on this point. How can anyone desire to live on the flesh of dead animals, when he has the privilege of using the fruit, grains, vegetables, and nuts that God has given us in such abundance?PCP 26.3