some form,-milk, soups, or watery fruits and vegetables, or plain water itself, an average man should use at least five pounds (five pints) daily-children proportionately. The food contains enough liquid for meal times. The drinking of water should be done an hour or more after meals. These figures show that most people use far too little water and vegetables.

It should be remarked, further, that many of the articles set down amongst the starchy foods (wheat, corn, oats, etc.) contain also nitrogenous qualities,— so that where necessary for the sake of economy or for any reason a purely vegetable dietary could be arranged at a very small cost that would nourish the family well, in brain, brawn and vigor.

An uneven balancing of these foods (especially of the second, the most important) tends to disease;—either over supply causes the blood to become too rich and sluggish and causes pimples and boils, or a dark-coated tongue and headache and gout, and leads to a stuffy cold; or a deficiency of nourishment to meet the demands of nature causes weakness, nervousness, a white-coated tongue, and is apt to lead also to a cold. Children should be taught to note their own symptoms and eat accordingly-to counteract disease at its inception, or preferably to prevent it by moderation and good judgment at the table. But all have not alike sound judgment in such matters; hence all the more should the parents, who by God's grace have the "spirit of a sound mind," so regulate and proportion and alternate the food supply of their tables that eaters thereat might have little need for special carefulness or selection;the variety being rather by rotation than by many kinds at one time.

We are not advocating a "fad," nor seeking to divert the minds of the New Creation away from the spiritual food and to fasten it upon physical health and what shall we eat, what shall we drink, etc. after which things the Gentiles seek. No; we are seeking chiefly the spiritual. But while our minds and conversation are dealing specially with the spiritual, it is our duty to use

the soundest judgment we possess in the care of our children, committed to us by God's providence.

A word in conclusion on this matter of diet. Horses and cattle eat without apparent mentalization-good or bad-and some of the brutalized members of the human family do the same, but they are few. Hence at every meal there is apt to be something to excite either pleasant or unpleasant sentiments;-love, joy, peace, hope, etc., or anger, malice, hatred, strife, etc. Mental moods are now recognized as having a powerful influence upon digestion. By some alchemy, not clearly understood, the excitement of an angry and malicious mood affects the nerves so as to interfere with digestion, while cheerful and happifying influences act in the reverse manner. The New Creature, himself, may inwardly preserve his "peace of God" under multitudinous unfavorable surroundings, but not so others: hence if he be the responsible head of a family it is his duty to look after the peace of the household by so far as possible keeping the table converse upon pleasant and profitable if not religious topics.

When committing the interests of our own health and that of our children to the Lord we should be sure that to the best of our ability we are using as wisely as possible the blessings and privileges already bestowed upon us. Then, and not otherwise, may we appropriate to our comfort the assurance that all things are working for our good.

STUDY XIV.

SUNDRY EARTHLY OBLIGATIONS OF THE

NEW CREATION.

"PROVIDE THINGS HONEST IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN."—"OWE NO MAN ANYTHING."—"LEND, HOPING FOR NOTHING AGAIN."—CHRISTIAN COURTESY.-"TAKE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW."—"MY GOAL IS CHRIST, AND CHRIST ALONE "—"IT IS EASIER FOR A CAMEL TO GO THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE, THAN FOR A RICH MAN TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD."-INSURANCE.-ORGANIZATIONS FOR MUTUAL BENEFIT, ETC.-CONSCIENTIOUS MEDDLING."BLESSING GOD AND CURSING MEN." SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS."HONOR ALL MEN.”—SHALL THE NEW CREATION TAKE PART IN PUBLIC ELECTIONS?—THE NEW CREATURE AND MORAL REFORMS.— WEARING OF COSTLY APParel.-Let us WAIT FOR THE ADORNMENT OF "GLORY, HONOR AND IMMORTALITY."

PROVIDE THINGS HONEST IN THE SIGHT OF ALL MEN."

WHU

-ROM. 12: 17.

HILE the New Creatures are declared to be dead to the world, and alive toward God through Jesus Christ our Lord, the metaphor applies wholly to the transformed hopes and aims and ambitions. While the new mind is still compelled to operate through the human body, awaiting the new body in the First Resurrection, it must recognize certain responsibilities toward fellowmen,-toward the world. As it has responsibilities toward the earthly family and toward "the household of faith" in respect to temporal matters, and these, instead of being slackened or lessened, are increased by the transforming of the mind, so also it is in respect to certain duties toward fellowmen.

All mankind should recognize the principle of justice. of righteousness, in their dealings with each other; but the New Creature, because of receiving special instructions upon these principles of divine Law in the school of Christ, should be much more alert than others in respect

to the exercise of these qualities in the affairs of daily life. Is it proper, is it right, that all men should provide things decent and honest in the sight of their fellowcreatures? Assuredly this is so; and assuredly, therefore, the responsibilities of the New Creature in these directions are by his advanced position increased. Are other men expected to be honest, truthful, upright, honorable, generous? The Lord's people surely might be expected to have still keener instincts along all these lines, and to be striving daily to measure up to the perfect standard in thought and word and conduct.

"Owe no man anything but to love one another," is the divine rule, as expressed by the Apostle. (Rom. 13: 8.) It would be well if all the world knew of this rule and followed it closely, and we know that in due time just this rule will be rigidly enforced-during the Millennial age. But the New Creation has this as its rule now, and however others may fail to recognize it and to follow it, the Lord's people should obey this instruction implicitly. Even to natural Israel, the house of servants, the Lord laid down the injunction that if faithful to him they should be lenders, not borrowers (Deut. 15:6), and this principle commends itself to every person possessed of good judgment as being the very essence of wisdom—wisdom which it would be well, were it possible, to apply to the world-wisdom which the world recognizes, but which comparatively few either of the Lord's people or of the world strenuously endeavor to follow as an invariable rule of life.

In other words, every member of the New Creation should, as respects earthly things, live within his means. If he can earn but a dollar a day he should not for a moment think of spending more than that, except upon the direst necessity, but should adapt his conditions accordingly, until there be a change to more favorable circumstances. Recognizing that the Lord's providential care is over him and all his affairs, he should, after arranging as wisely as he knows how respecting his temporal matters, conclude that these as well as his spiritual affairs have been subject to divine supervision,

and that the Lord designed a blessing for him in connection with these conditions. He should, therefore, be thoroughly content with them, however trying they may be waiting patiently on the Lord for such relief as divine love and wisdom may bring in due time. If the income be a liberal one, moderation should be his rule of conduct in this as in all things. "Let your moderation be known unto all men." Economy is a part of the divine arrangement, as exemplified by our Lord and the apostles, and particularly illustrated in the matter of the saving of the fragments by order of him who had power to create out of nothing food for a multitude.

In proportion as the means at our disposal are limited all expenditures should be curtailed and brought, not only down to the income, but a little less;—so that no matter how little we earn, a certain proportion may be laid aside, either for our own future necessities, or as a thank-offering to the Lord, or, as the Apostle suggests, that we might have to give to those who are in still more needy circumstances. Let it be remembered always that trust in the Lord implies contentment; and that this means restfulness of heart. Under these conditions bread and water, or potatoes and salt, will taste better and yield better results than far richer food partaken of in a different spirit. Trust will always imply thankfulness too, and, hence, the child of God living on the plainest of fare should continually overflow with gratitude to the Giver of all Good, with full reliance in his wisdom in all the affairs of life. This would not mean indifference to progress, if the door to that progress and greater prosperity were a righteous door-an honorable means of bettering our condition. Finding such a "door" before us, we should thankfully accept it as being of divine providence, and as possibly leading on to still further lessons from our great Teacher.

The injunction, "Owe no man anything but to love one another," implies that if we have at any time inadvertently, and contrary to this divine wisdom, become indebted to others, we should in every reasonable and