The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-01-26
Tabernacle Sermon.
ANTE. MORTEM GOODNESS.
A. Discourse by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai"
mage, on Sunday Morning, January
,. 1881,

A. Discourse by Rev. T. Dewitt Tai"
mage, on Sunday Morning, January
2, 1881.
eco Illness Is profitable unto MI things, hav-
Ing the promise Of tho tic that noN IS and Of
that which is to rome."-l-t Timothy, iv.,S
There Is Il Fl Jony and passive way Of walt
in" for the events OF the opening y ar TO come
upon lis. and there i an heroic ": y OF e"in!
ont to meet them, strong In Gud AID fearing
nothing. When tn. b'dy oi Catalina was
fIund on the battle! cid IL was + ,nnd iarin nd
vance of all his troops and anon: the enemy.
/ nd the best way Is not for us to lie down and
let the events OF life %tranlilc over lis, Int to
90 forth in 81 Christian spirit determined To
conquer. The papers are already m;,dc out,
and tomorrow some of You will enter mo
business al tIcrshirs. and others OF you VIII
take higher positions in the comilrrcitl e%-
Enlistment here you are now engaged. ana
o. hers Will enter upon new enterprises, an l
til, re- will be in these cities ten thousand bus
imcSS changes. You are expecting proSp.r ity,
and | AM determined. so lar as ila\eany.
thing to do with IL. that you sial not he uls.
appointed, and. therefore. l propose, us God
Inay help me This morning, to prrJ'ct upon
your hearing Il new element oil success. You
viii have IN the business firm Iru.ality. pa
thence, Industry, perseverance,, econhimy-d
yer. strong business arm but there need to
he one mcmbcrald'u IN ght or than them al
ana not Il 81 .cnt partner cithcr--tiie one inti'.
duced by my text: "GUd,inc-S which Is prof
lI;tDlt UNTO al lDlilHS, uuNlbP IHc pI'ilIloC VI
The life that now Is and of that which is to
come" suppose that YOU are all willing To
a Init that godIineSs Is important In It'll eter-
nal relatiniE. but perhaps some OF You say,
al | want is an onpnr! unily Ia saw Il prayer
bcE,rc I die, and ali will he we'll" There nrca
q, cat many people who supp Ose that, # they
can finally get out Of this world INTO n Deter
world, they will havr"NhauSird the tllt. re nd
vantage of 0ul hoy rcii"i n. They lilK ~
though rrli .ipn were q mere nod OF rcco%ni-
ton which We arc TO give the Lord Jesus on
our way III to heavenly mansion: r. though
il were an admission Ticket. and of no use tx.
there are thousands OF coplcw who have great
admiration for Il religion Of the sll; oud, and q
religion Of the coffin. and a religion Of the
hcIrsc, and II rrli.iOn Df the cemetery, vino
have no appreciation Tor Il religion for the
bank. Tor the factory, for the w;trchou.'. for
the Jewelers. shop. 10" the brokers Office.
Now, while | would not throw any sur upp'
n pOSt-inOrtcm religion, | want this morning,
anil the tirst >nhl,ath OF the new year, to cu-
logic the antc-mnrtrm religion. a religion
HAT is of no Use 20 you while you live will he
OF no use to You When you die. 'GollineSSl Is
prolitahle nm" all things. having the promise
uf the life that now IS nnd Of that which II 10
conr.' And have alwayS noticed that when
The race Is very lnw In Il mans heart, he talks
Il great deal in prayer meetings about deaths"
and about %c"flins, and aboutg graves, and about
churrhyarh$. ! have noticed !l,at the healthy
, Christian, The ma who is living near to God,
and is On the straight road TO heaven, Is fun ol
Juhlllnt GlllSIucilipl, ana taIES amour the lu'
lies of THISTLE. understanding well thai if God
helps him To live right He will help him todie
right.
Now. In the first place. I remark that gI,i.
ness Is good for / mans physical health. ldG
not mean TO say 1t will restore 4 brok Ell down
cpnsti uliOn. or drive rheumatism fiom the
limbs, or neuralgia from The temples, or plcu-
risy from the side, but | do mem to say lhatit
gives one such habits and puts one In Sucll
condition rs Is most favorable for physical
health. That / ~h"ii"ve. and that / know
Everybody knows that buoyancy If spirit J.
good physical advantage. Gloom, unrest, de-
lrciiOn are ut war with every pulsatlon of the
heart and with every respiration of the lungs.
II lowers the Vitality, II >lackcns the circula
ton, while cXhilHraIion Of spirit EOurS the
| very balm of heaven through NIL the currents
of life. The sense of insecurity which some
! time" how rS over an unrepehtint man, Q.
pounccs upon him with the blasts Of ten thou.
Sard trumpcis of terror Is most depicting and
most cXhauSiing, while the icclin. IS that all
thin@sarc working together 10 my good now
and for my e> erUsting wc;in'G Is productive
OF physical eailh You Will observe lhaI
god .nrss induces industry, which Is the fnu!..
datiOn of good health. Tlercis Ito l. .! ly.
%lcne that will keep q lazy man. Plcuii>y
will stab him, cpySiirlns will barn him
Jaundicc will discOlor him, govt will crirpl"
MIN. and the intrIliA cnt physician will no
prescribe anttscItic, or icbri!u &c, or nnoaync
hut SAWS, and hammers, and ynrl-sticks. and
rrowbarS and pickaEcs. There f. no such
thing ~ good physical condition without pos
lllSc WDIh vi SOlIlc hiIu. tAllilt}u-ll Nol
should sleep upon down of swan, or ride In
carriages Of SofteSt upholstery, or h"""i
your tu!C all the luNuficS lhut were poured
rom the wine vntso of lspnhan anu Shiraz, ou!
religion says. away to the ban away t.
the workshop! away TO the factory! d.
something that Will enlist all TN" energies ri
yOur body. mind. and soul - 'DiIigent In bus
nrss, lervsnt IN pri.ycr' serving TIC LMr a.,
droic comes the sharp lash of The apostle ~
he says. IF any man will not work, neither
shall he cat" Oh. how important In this
day, when so much Is said niOut ana Oiny and
phi histology and ticrcdp u!ic>, AMI some new
style OF medicine Is ever and amen srrln"inG
upon the world. that you should understand
that the hi :hc>t school OF mciiciEc l. the
school Of CHRIS, which drc'a e. thai "gndli-
ness is proiiinhle unit" ali thing, having the
promise of the life that now Is anu OF that
which is to come" So. II yon start out twt
men I'm the world with cqua! physical health,
AMI then one Of them shall Ct The religion oI
or shall not get II, the one who hecnlncS II son
of the ord Almi,!l,ty will live the longer.
"With long life will 1 satisfy thee, md show
thee my silvAtimn."
Again, | rcma:k that go:llincss Is good for
the intellect. I knoT that some hav" sup
roScd TINT just rs SON az man enters Int
the Christian life ms intellect gO,s intr n BE-
'lw;riling process. So far from that. religion
will Give new brilllanty % the Intellect. new
strength to the ima%innt on. new force TO the
will, aud wil"rSwing to The intellectual fac
uitirS. Christianity Is Il Z great central fire
at which philosophy has li.htel It's brightest
torch. The religion of the Lon, Jesus Christ
Is the fountain out nf which lcarnin% iaS
dipped It's c%l"areSt drll,-l,t. The iirlir"n
pnu:O,l forth nrsuch inspiring waters ns tho
which flow from under the throne Of God,
clear rs crystal. Religion hiss giv"n nrw en-.
c ~ to- pncsy, wccl Ing IN lr. Tolng'S NIGHT
Thou.htS, teaching In ccwrcr's Tasks. fam
Ing i'm Charles Wcslcy'S ll INNS, and rushing
with nrcIHngclic sp!cndpr through Milton
Ii,rnliSn I net 'rIll Ipllripn nf 1pSI1s Wrist
has hung in studio, and In gallery OF art. and
in Vatican; the best pictures, Tiiian'S As.
sumption. - Rarharl's "Ir~nn>hsurntlon,'
RuLcn Descent from The Cross" Clandc's
mcnt." Rcli lion has made the hest music nl
tho world-llayden'S "Crcaii"n,' Handlers
"MeS-inh." MoZnrt's "lieluien.' Is 1t pn.si'
bic that a religion which builds such indies.
trnrtiblr monuments, and whic'l lifts lis en-
sign on the highest prom .ontorlcS Of worldly
dover. can have any effect on n mans intc.:
lr,t hut elevator and IN agreement? Now:
commend gmllin"SS rs the hest mental dis
the taste bitter than ma .hcnatirS to 'iarrcss
the mind To all intricacy and elaboration, bet,
ter than logic to mar>fn I'll the intcilrctnnI
forces for onset and victory. 1t will 20 with
Iiu.h Miller and show him the footprints al
The Creator IN the rcd sandstone. IL will 90
with the botanist and show him celestial g!n
ricS cncimrch under the curtain OLA water,
lily. 1t will go with the astronomer on tive
Z: aat heights where God shepherds TIL" great
rluck of worlds that wander on the hills OF hca,
ven. answering His voice as he calls them by
their mines.
Again ] remark that GO dlinrss Is profitable
for ones disposition. LCrd Ashley, before he
went intun 81 catlmttlc, was heard 10 offer this
prayer: go, Lord! | shat be very busy to-day;
If forget thee, forget me not" with sil(il n
Christian disposition Us that 4 man is indc.
pendent of ail circumstances. Our Irty VIII
have Il hinge of our natural temperament. il
II man be cross. sour and 'reIful naturally, af