The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-01-20
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Y H W ES e a
A Short ssF1non on Long Life Soe
Tho Human RaoA

How We Shorten Our Lives By DIS
obedience to Natural Laws-rhe Re.
lyion of Health-Christiauity =
and Hygiene.
Dr.. Talmage, In q recent sermon, took |
the subject of "Long Life" as his theme,
the following text being used as the foun- |
dalton:
which the Lord thy God glveth thee.-Exo'
dus xx, H. .f ~ w N III
January Sd, 1886! The old almanacs and
the old memorandum aung aside.T Every
thing to remind US Of the fact that another
volume in the history of time has begun,
and every thoughtful man and woman at
such time discusses the length or the short
ness of human life. Faithful discharge of
duty is in my text set forth as having much
to do with the length of our earthly stay. i.
Through the mistakes Of It's friends religion
has been chiefly associated with sick. beds
and graveyards. This whole subject to
many people Is odorous with chlorine and
carbolic acid. There are people who can
not pronounce the word "religion" with.
out hearing in 1t the clipping chisel Of the
tombstone cutter. 1t is high time that this
thing were changed and that religion, in.
stead of being represented as hearse to
carry out the dead, should be represented
as chariot in which the living are to tri.
umph. Religion, so far from subtracting
from ones vitality, is glorious addition.
It is sanative, curative, hygiehic. 1t Il
good for the eyes, good for the ears, good
for. the spleen, good for the digestion,
good for the nerves, good for the muscles.
When David in the Rsalms praysl
that religion may be dominant he does not
speak of it as mild sickness or an emacia.
ton, or an attack of moral and spiritual
cramp; he speaks of II as "the saving
health of all nations" while God pro-
nounces long life to the pious, saying:
"With long life will satisfy thee" .i
J, The fact is that men and women die too
soon. 1t is high time that raligion joined
the hand OF medical science in attempting
to improve human longevity, Adam lived
$50 years. Methusaleh lived 08e9 years. As
late in the history Of the world as vespa-
sian, there were at one time Ia his empire
forty five people 1856 years old. 80 far
down as the sixteenth century Peter Ear
tan died at 1856 years Of age. Do NOT say
that religion win ever take the race back
to antediluvian longevity, but do say the
length Of human life win be greatly i'm
proved. 1t Is said in Isaiah lxv., %, 1.-THE
oL;ld oh n Az n h,,,,dv,.~2 f~xoaro ola % Mo-
Il. according to the Scriptures, the child is
10 be hundred years old, may not the
men and women reach to 900, and 400 and
6OOp The fact 10 that we are mere dwarfs
and skeletons compared with some Of the
generations that are to come. ,g ~ ,cs
My design is to show you that practical
religion is the friend Of long life, and !
prove II first from the fact that It makes
the care of ourphystcathealth- a. positive
| Christian duty. Whether we shall keep
early or late hours; whether we shall take
| food digestible or indigestible; whether
there shall be thorough or incomplete mas.
tication, are questions very often deferred
to the realm Of whimsicality; but the
Christian man lifts this whole problem OF
health into the accountable and the divine
He says: "God has given me this body
and he has called it the temple Of the Holy
Ghost, and to deface its affairs, or mar Its
walls, OF crumble its pillars is God -defy.
ing sacrilege." He sees Gods calligraphy
in every page, anatomical and ply siologi'
cal. He says: "God has given me a won
derful body for noble purposes" That
arm, with thirty 1.-TWO curious bones, WELD
ed by forty six curious muscles, and al
under the brain telegraphy; $50 pounds Of
blood rushing through the heart every
hour; the heart in twenty four hours beat
ing 10000 times; during the twenty.
four hours overcoming resistance
amounting to 224,0O0,000 pound,
weight ;'during the same time the lung
taking in fifty-seven hogsheads of air; ant
AL this mechanism not more mighty thar
delicate, and easily disturbed and demOl
ished. The Christian man says to himself
"if hurt my nerves, if hurt my brain, i
hurt any Of my physical faculties, in
suit God and call for dire retribution.'
Why did God tell the Levites not to offel
to him in sacrifice animals imperfect O
diseasedy He meant to tell ns in all tn
ages that we are to offer to God our YER!
best physical condition; and a man VIII
through irregular or gluttonous eating
ruins his health, is not offering to God sucl
. sacrifice. Why did Paul write for hi
cloak at Troass Why should such grea
man as Paul be anxious about thing s.
insignificant as an overcoats It was be-
cause he knew that with pneum onia ant
rheumatism ne would not be worth half a
much to God and the Church as with res
piration easy and foot free. ,,.t.... ..
An intelligent Christian man woul d con
slider it an absurdity to kneel down a
night to pray and ak Gods protection
while at the same time he kept the win
dows of his bedroom tight shut agains
fresh air. He would just as soon think O
going out on the bridge between Nev
|. York and Brooklyn, leaping of and the
pray ing to God to keep hin from gettin
hurt. Just as long as you defer this Who'll
subject of physical health to the. realm .
whinsicality, or to the pastry -cool
or to the butcher, or to the baker, or to tn
; apothecary, or to the -clothier, you ar
!. not acting like Christian. The care Q
Ill your physical forces-nervoas, mus
cular, bone, brain, cellular tissue-for o
yon must be brought to judgmen
Smoking your nervous system int
) fdgets; burning out the coating of you
! stomach with wine logwooded an
/ strychnined; walking with thin shoes
make your feet look delicate; pinched I
i the waist until you are nigh cut in tw'
|. and neither part worth anything; groar
ing about sick headache and palpitatio
:, of the heart, which you think come fro
? lion ,rhan fhay come from ynur own 10