The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-01-09
"DOES RELIGION PAYs"
Rev. DR.. Talmage Answers the
Question Afi1rmatively.
Goodness Good for Both Mems Physical
and Mental Well Belng-A Plea for
u Religion OF the Bank. the
Store, and the Workshop.

At the Brooklyn Tabernacle recently,
Rev. t. Dewitt Talmage preached a dis
course on the subject: Does Religion
Payf" The text was: "Godliness is profit
able unto oil things, having promise Of the
life that now is and OF that which is to
come"-I. Timothy, iv., s. DIR. Talmage
said:
A happy New Year to one and all
There is q gloomy and passive way Of
waiting for the events of the opening year
to come upon us, aud there is heroic way
OF going out 10 meet them, strong In God
and fearing nothing. When the body of
Catiline was found upon the battlefield 1t
was found far in advance Of oil OF his
troops and among the enemy; and the best
way is not for us TO lie down and let the
events Of life trample over us, but to go
forth In Christian spirit determined TO
conquer.
The papers were made out, and some Of
you have just entered into business partner.
ships, and others Of you take higher posi-
tions in the commercial establishment
where you were engaged, and others have
entered upon new enterprises, and there
were last week in these cities ten thousand
business changes.
You are expecting prosperity, and am
determined, so far us have any thing TO do
with 1t, that you shall not be disappointed,
and therefore propose, as God may help
ne this morning, TO project upon your at
tention a new element Of success You
will have In the business firm, frugality,
patience, industry, perseverance, economy
"a very strong business firm, but there
needs TO be one member added, nigh Ter
than them all, and not a silent partner
either-the one introduced by my text:
"Godliness, which is profitable unto all
things, having the promise Of the life that
now Is as well as Of that which Is 10 come"
Isuppose you are all willing to admit that
godliness is important In its eternal rela-
tions; but perhaps some Of you say: "All
want is an opportunity to say prayer be-
fore die, and all win be we'll" There are
great many people who suppose that II
they can finally get safely out Of this world
they will have exhausted the entire advan-
tage Of our holy religion. They talk as
though religion were mere nod OF recog-
milton which we are to give 10 tho Lord
Jesus on the way up 10 heavenly mansion;
as though II were an admission ticket, Of no
use except TO give in at the door Of Heaven.
And there are thousands OF people who have
great admiration for a religion OF tho shroud,
and religion OF the coffin, and a religion Of
the hearse, and a religion OF the cemetery,
who have no appreciation Of q religion for
the bank, for the farm, for the factory, for
the warehouse, for the jewelers. shop. for
the brokers Office. Now, while would not
throw any slur on post-mortem religion, I
want this morning, and on the first Sabbath
OF the new year, to esogize an ante-mortem
religion.
A religion that Is OF no use to you while
you live will be Of no use TO you when YOU
die. Goodness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise Of the life that now is
as well as OF that which Is TO Gomez AndI
have always noticed that when the grace Is
very low In a mans heart he talks great
deal in er-meetings about deaths, and
about collins, and about graves, and about
churchyards. ! have noticed that the
Iealthy Christian, the man who is living
near 70 God and Is on the straight road TO
Heaven, Is full OF jubilant satisfaction and
tallts about the duties OF this life, under
standing well that II God helps him To live
right he will help him TO die right.
Now, In the first place, Iremark that god
illness is good for mans physical health.
do not mean TO say that IL win restore
broken-down constitution, or drive rheuma-
tlsm from the limbs, or neuralgia from the
temples, or pleurisy from the side; but do
mean to say that 1t gives aoue such habits
and pnts one In such condition rs Is most
favorable for physical health. That l be-
lieve, and that avow Everybody knows
that buoyancy Of spirit is good physical ad-
vantage. Gloom, unrest, detection are at
war with every pulsation OF the heart, and
with every resniration OF the lungs. II
lowers the vitality, II slackens the circula-
ton, while exhilaration OF spirit pours the
very balm OF heaven through all the cur
rents OF life. The sense OF insecurity
which sometimes hovers over an unregen-
crate man, or pouhces upon him with the
blast OF ten thousand trumpets OF terror, Is
most depicting and most exhaustlng. while
the feeling that all things are working TO-
gether for my good now, and for my ever
lasting welfare, Is conducive 10 physical
health.
You will observe that godllness induces
industry, which is the foundation OF good
health. There Is no law OF hygiene that
will keep lazy man well. Pleurisy will
stab him, erysipelas will burn him, jaundicc
will discolor him, gout will cripple him and
Lhe intelligent physician will not prescribe
lntiseptic or febrifuge, or anodyne, but
saws and hammers, and yardsticks and
,rowbars and pickaxes. There Is no such
lhino mn oood uhvaf,aI copditian ,.f.bo,,,
positive work Of some kind. although you
should sleep on down OF swan, or ride In
,arriage Of softest upholstery or have on
all the luxuries that were poured
rom the wine vats Of Ispahan or Shiraz.
Dur religion says: "Away TO the banki
lway to tho field away TO tho shopl away
% the factory do something that will on
list all the energies OF your body, mind and
Iopl." "Diligcnt In business, fervent In
'plrlt. serving the Lord" while upon the
bare back OF the idler and the drone comes
lown the sharp lash OF the apostle as he
avs: "If any man will not work, neither
hall he eat.n
o, how important In this day, when so
much is said about anatomy and physiology
md therapeutics, and som, new style of
Medicine Is ever and anon springing upon
he world, that you should understand that
he highest school Of medicine Is the school
Il Christ. which declares that Goodness Is
unto all things, having the prom
80 Of the life that now Is as we'll as OF that
which Is 10 come" So II you start out two
men In the world with equal physical
lealth, and then one OF them shall get the
eligion Of tho Lord Jesus Christ In his
leart and the other shall not get II, the one
Who becomes son Of the Lord Almighty
will live the longer. "With long life will I
atisfy thee. and show thee my salvation"
Again remark that godliness Is good for
he intellect. know some have supposed