A Solemn Appeal - James White

come upon the victim all at once; they creep in so
slowly, so unconsciously, that they are often
scarcely perceived until he is upon the verge of
ruin. Multitudes of unpleasant feelings arise, which
are attributed to a variety of causes, but they are
seldom traced to their true source.
"Truly, if there is a wretched being upon earth,
it is the person who has habitually practiced selfabuse,
even for a few years. It brings disaster and
ruin upon every part of the system. It drains away
the life-power, the vitality, the proper elements of
health and strength, and destroys the ability to
grow and develop, and increase in beauty and
vigor. It takes away the materials that are needed to
produce a noble, high-toned, healthy and happy
human being. It crushes out the image of God, and
stamps in its place that of the destroyer. It
withdraws such an amount of life-force from the
blood that every organ and tissue of the body is left
so enfeebled and debilitated as to become an easy
prey to disease. Self-abuse opens the door for
consumption, dyspepsia, nervous debility,
apoplexy, epilepsy, paralyses, insanity, and almost
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