The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-09-28
REV. DR.. TALMAGE..
THE EMINENT DIvINE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject: The Chariot of Triumph--R Reiig.
ion Represents Life. Not the Grave
Advice About Physical Health and n
Prescription For Prolonging Life.

Prescription For Prolonging Life.
tCopyright. Louis Klopsch, 1891
WAsHINaroN, d. C.-Tn this discourse
Or. TalmaRe gives prescriptions for the
prolongation OF life and breaches the gos-
pei OF physical health. The text is Psalms
xci:, 16 with long life will satisfy him."
Through the mistake OF its friends relig-
ion has been chiefly associated with sick
beds and graveyards. The whole subject
10 many people is odorous with chlorine
and carbollc acid. There are people who
cannot pronounce the word religion with
out hearing in II the clipping chlsel OF the
tombstone cutter. 1t is high time that
this thing were changed and that religion,
instead of being represented as n hearse to
carry out the dead, should he represented
as chariot In which the living are to
triumph.
Religion, so far from subtractins from
ones vitality, Is glorious addition. IL is
sanative, curative, hygienic. 1t is 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 another part OF the psalm prays that re-
ligion may be dominant, he does not speak
OF it rs Il mild sickness or an emanciation
or an attack OF moral and spiritual cramp.
ii speaks OF It as "the saving health of all
nations" while God in the text promises
longevity to tho pious, saving, with long
life will | satisfy him" The fact ia that
men and women die too soon. 1t Is high
time that religion Joined the hand OF medi-
cal science in attempting to improve human
longevity. Adam lived $50 years. Methuse-
lah lived $50 years. As late in the history
of the world MS Nespasian there were ut
one time in his empire forty-live people 1856
years old. SO far down IA the sixteenth
century Peter Tartan died at 1s5 years of
age. do not say that religion will ever
tnke the race back to mtediluyian longe-
witty, but do say the length OF life will be
increased.
1t is said in Isaiah "Thc child shall die
hundred years Old Now, II. according
to Scripture, the child Is to be Il hundred
years old, may not the men and women
reach to 300 and 400 and 5002 The fact is
that we are mere dwnris and skeletons
compared with some OF tue generations
that are to come. Take the African race.
They have been under bondage for centur-
les. Give them chance, and they de.
velop Frederick d ougiass or Il TousaaInt
L'0uverture. And, IL the white race shalt
be brought from under the serfdom of sin.
what shall be the body, what shall be the
soul? Religion has only Just touched our
world. Give IT full power for a few con-
turtles, and who eau tell what will be the
strength CT man and the beauty OF woman
| and the longevity OF all?
My design to show that practical religion
is the friend OF long life. / prove II. first ,
from the fact that it makes the care OF our
health positive Christian duty. Whether
! we shall keep early or late hours whether
we shall take food digestible or indiGesti-
| BILE, whether there shall be thorough or in
, complete mastication, are questions very
| often deferred to the realm of whimsicality
| But tue Christian mau lifts this whole
problem OF health into tho accountable and
the divine. He says, God has given me
| this body, and He has called 1t the temple
| OF the Holy Ghost, and to deface its altars,
| or mar its walls, or crumble its pillars, is II
| God defyng sacrilege." He sees Gods
| caligraphy in every page, anatomical
and physiological. He says, "God has
| given me u wonderful body for
| noble purposes arm with thirtytwo
| curious bones welded by forty-six curious
muscles and all under the brain's teleg-
I raphy $50 pounds OF blood rushing through
the heart every hour. the heart in twenty
! four hours beating 100000 times, during
| the twenty-four hours the lungs taking in
| fifty-seven hogshead OF air and all this
| mechanism not more mighty than delicate
and easily disturbed ana demolished. The
| Christian man says 10 himself, IF / hurt
| my nerves, IL L hurt my brain. II l hurt
| any OF my physical faculties, insult God
and call for dire retribution." Why did
| God tel the Levltes not to offer to Him in
| sacrifice animals imperfect and diseased?
He meant to tell us in all the ages that we
are to offer to God our very best physical
| condition, and n man who through irregu-
| lar or giuttonous eating ruins his health is
| not Offering to God such n sacrifice. Why
| did Paul write for his cloak ut Troas2 Why
| should such great man as Paul be anX-
ious about n thing so insignificant as an
| overcoat2 1t was because he knew that
| with pneumonia and rheumatism he would
| not be worth half rs much to God and the
| church us with res piratiop easy and foot
| free.
An intelligent Christian man would con-
slider 1t an absurdity to kneel down at night
| and pray and nsk Gods protection viii le
| at the same time he kept the windows Of
| his bedroom tight shut against fresh air.
| He would Just as soon think of going OUT
on the bridge between New York and
Brooklyn, leaping of and then praying to
| God to keep him from getting hurt. Just
| as long AS you refer this whole subject of
, physical health to the realm of whimsical
ity or to the pastry cook or to the butcher
| or to the baker or to the apothecary or to
| the clothier YOU are not acting like u
I Christian. Take care OF all your physical
| forces--nervous, muscular bone, brain.
| cellular tissue-for all you must be brought
| tojudgment Smoking your nervous sys-
TEN into lldgets, burning out the coating
of your stomach with wine logwooded and
| strychnined, walking with thin shoes to
make your feet look delicate, pinched ut
the waist until you are nigh cut in two
and neither part worth anything, groaning
upoul sich neauucuo anu phlpltutlOn OF tHo
| heart, which You thinl; came from God
! when they came from your own folly!
What right has any man or woman To de-
| face the temple OF the Holy Ghost? What
is the ear? 1t Is the Whispering gallery of
| the soul. What Is the eyer 1t is the OBJ
servatory God constructed, its telescope
| sweeping the heavens. What is the hand?
| An instrument so wonderful that when
! the Earl of Bridgewater bequeathed In his
| will $40 900 for treatses 10 be written on
the wisdom, power and goodness of God
! Sir Charles Bell the great Eng sh
/ anatomist and surgeon, found his gred,, q
| Illustration in the construction OF the
human hand, devoting his whole book to
! that subject. SO wonderful are these
| bodies that God names His own attributes
after different parts OF them. His omnis-
cience-it is Gods eye; His omni-
! presence-it is God 5 ear; His omnipotepce
lit is Gods arm; the upholstery OF the
/ midnight heavens-it is the work OF Gods
| fingers; his life-giving power-it Is the
breath of the Almighty; his dominion
"the government shall De upon his shoul-
| der"
| A body so divinely honored and so di-
| vinely constructed, let us be careful not to
! abuse Ii. When 1t becomes u Christian
| duty to take care Of our health, Is not the
whole tendency toward longevity2 II l.
! toss my watch about recklessly and drop IL
on the pavement and wird It up any time
OF day or night happen to think OF it and
often let 1t run down, while you are care
| full with your watch and never abuse 1t and
| wind 1t up Just at the same hour every
night and put 1t in place where 1t will
not suffer from the violent changes of at
mosphere, which watch will last the longer
m m A N "a n