Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-09-29
CHARIOT OFTRIUMPH
RELIGION REPRESENTS LIFE, NOT THE
GRAVE.
Rev. DIR. TnImage Discourscs on
Physical Henlth and Prcscribes
For the ProIongatiOn of Life-Cor-
reefs IA Common Error.

Through the mistake of its friends
religion has been chiefly associated
with sick beds and graveyards. The
whole subject to many people is odor-
ous with chlorine and carbolic acid.
There are people who cannot pro
nounce the word religion without hear
ing in it the clipping chisel Of the
tombstone cutter. 1t is high time that
this thing were changed 9nd ihal re-
liz N. instead of /, 'i- rc "ea' It,J as
Lcarsc TO carry out t-e -oaG, should
be represented as a chariot In which
the living are to triumph.
Religion, so far from subtractlng
from ones vitality, is glorious addi-
ton. 1t 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 anoth-
er part Of the psalm prays that religion
may be dominant. he does not speak
OF it rs a mild sickness or an emacia-
ton or an attack Of moral and spiritual
cramp. He speaks Of it as "the saving
health Of all nations" while God in the
text promises longevity to the piouS,
saving. with long life will satisfy
him." The fact is that men and women
die too soon. 1t is high time that reli-
zion jolned the hand of medical science
IN attempting to improve human Ion
'cevity. Adam lived $50 years. Me-
thuselah lived 900 years. As late In the
history of the world as Nespaslan there
were at one time in his empire 10 peo-
pie l3J years Old. So far down as the
sixteenth century Peter Tartan died at
1S5 years of age. do not say that re-
ligon will ever take the race back TO
antediluyian longevity, but | do say
the length Of life will be increased.
1t is said In Isaiah, "The child shall
die hundred years old" Now. if, ac'
ccrdlng to Scripture, the child IS to be
a hundred years old, may not the men
and women reach to 300 and 400 and
5OOl The fact IS that We are mere
dwarfs and skeletons compared with
some of the generations that are To
come. Take the African race. They
have been under bondage for centuries.
Give them a chance. and they develop
4 Frederick Douglass or Toussant
EOuyerture. And. il the white race
shall be brought from under the serf-
dom Of sin. what shall be the body
what shall be the soul? Religion has
only Just touched our world. Give II
full power for Il few centuries, and
who can tell what will be the strength
Of man and the beauty Of woman and
the longevity Of all?
Friend of Longevity.
My design is to show that practical
religion Is the friend Of long life.
prove it. first, from the fact that II
makes the care Of our health a positive
Christian duty Whether we shall keel
early or late hours. whether we shall
take food digestible or indigestible
whether there shall be thorough or IN
complete mastication. are questions
very often deferred to the realm OF
whimsicality. But the Christian man
lifts this whole problem Of health int
the accountable and the divine. H'
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. or crumble Its pillars
Is q God defying sacrilege." He sees
Gods calrraphy in every page, ana
tomical and physiological. He says
God has given me a wonderful body
for noble purposes'-that arm with );
curious bones welded by 46 curious
muscles and all under the brains teleg
raphy. $50 pounds Of blood rushing
through the heart every hour, the hear
in "a hours beating 100000 times, dur
ing the 2I hours the lungs taking II
81 hogshead of air. and all this mech
anism not more mighty than delicate
aud easily disturbed and demolished
! The Christian man says TO himsell
"If | hurt my nerves. il l hurt IN,
brain. if | hurt any Of my physica
faculties. insult God and call 10
dire retribution." "Why did God tel
the Levites not to offer to him in sac
rihce animals imperfect and diseased
! Hemeant TO tell US inall the ages that W
are to offer to God our very best phys
ical condition. and n man who through
= irregular or gluttOnOus eating ruins III
health is not Offering to God such
sacrifice. Why did Paul write for hi
cloak at Troas? Why shouli such
great man as Paul be anxious about
thing so insignificant as an oyercoat
II was because he knew that wit
pneumonia and rheumatism he woui
not be worth half as much to God an
the church as with respiration cas-
and foot free.
| Care of the Body.
An Intelligent Christian man woul
consider it an absurdity to kneel dow
| at night and pray and ask Gods pr'
tect,on while at the same time he ker
the windows Of his bedroom tight shu
against fresh air. He would JUST a
soon think of going ont on the DridP
between New York and Brooklyn, leal
ing off and then praying to God |
keep him from getting hurt. just a
long as you refer this whole subject
physical health to the realm or WIN
sicalIty or to the pastry cook or to til
butcher or to the baker or TO th
iapothecary or to the clOthier you al
not acting like a Christian. Take car
| OF all your physical forces-nervou
muscular, bone. brain. cellular tissue
for all you must be brought to jud'
ment. Smoking your nervous systel
! into fdgets. burning out the coatln
OF your stomach with wine logwoode
and strychnlned. walking with TN
shoes to make your feet look delica'
ninched at the waist until you a.
nigh cut In two and neither part wor'
y, anything, groaning about SICK hea
ache and palpitation Of the heai
D which you think came from God' WIZ
they came from your own folly!
What right has any man or woIn'
to deface the temple Of the ITO
Ghost? What is the earl IL Is I.
whispering gallery Of the soul Nn
=, a. ova9 II Is the observatory e.