That virtue which a man is said to possess who moderates and restrains his sensual appetites. It is often, however, used in a much more general sense, as synonymous with moderation, and is then applied indiscriminately to all the passions. "Temperance, " says Addison, "has those particular advantages above all other means of health, that it may be practised by all ranks and conditions at any season or in any place. It is a kind of regimen into which every man may put himself without interruption to business, expense of money, or loss of time. Physic, for the most part, is nothing else but the substitute of exercise, or temperance." In order to obtain and practice this virtue, we should consider it:
1. As a divine command, Philippians 4:5 . Luke 21:34 . Proverbs 23:1-3 .
2. As conductive to health.
3. As advantageous to the powers of the mind.
4. As a defense against injustice, lust, imprudence, detraction, poverty, &c.
And, lastly, the example of Christ should be a most powerful stimulus to it.
See INTEMPERANCE, SOBRIETY.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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