Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-02-19

Copyright Louis Klopsch, 1901
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1S.-Tbis sermon
Of Dr.. Telmage presents gospel for
this life az well as the next and shows
what religion does for the prolonga-
ton Of earthly existence; text, Psalm
xci, 16, with long life will satisfy
him"
Through the mistake of Its friends
religion has been chiefly associated
with sickbeds and graveyards The
whole subject to many people Is odor
GUS with chlorine and carbolic acid.
There are people who cannot pro-
nounce the word religion without hear
ing in 1t the clipping chisel Of the
tombstone cutter, II Is high time that
this thing were changed and that re-
ligion, instead of being represented as
hearse to carry out the dead, should
be represented us chariot In which
the living are to triumph
Religion, so far from subtracting
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 an
other part of the Psalms, prays that
religion may be dominant, he does not
speak of 1t as mild sickness or an
emaciation or an attack Of moral and
spiritual cramp. He speaks of 1t as
"the saving health of all nations"
while God in the text promises Ion
gevity to the pious, saying, with long
life will ! satisfy him."
The fact is that men and women die
too soon. 1t is high time that religion
Joined the hand of medical science in
attempting to improve human longev-
ity. Adam lived 030 years; Methuse
lah lived 069 years. AS late In the his
tory of the world rs vespaslan there
were at one time in his empire As peo-
pie 1875 years old. SO far down as the
sixteenth century Peter Tartan died at
1S5 years of age. do not say that re-
ligion will ever take the race back to
antediluvian longevity, but l do say
that the length of human life will be
greatly improved.
1t is said in Isaiah lxv, 20, "The child
shall die 100 years old" Now, IL, ac-
cordlng to Scripture. the child is to be
100 years old may not the men and wo,
men reach to 300 and 400 and 500? 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 ln-
der bondage for centuries. Give them
chance. and they develop Tous-
saint rOuverture. And IL the white
race shall be brought out from under
the serfdom of sin what shall be the
body. what shall he the soul? Religion
has only just touched our world. Give
it full power for 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 longevity. |
prove 1t, first, from the fact that II
makes the care Of our health a positive
Christian duty. Whether we shall keep
early or late hours, whether we shall
take food digestible OF indigestible
whether there shall be thorough or in
complete mastication, are questions
very often referred to the realm OF
whlmsicality, 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 1t the temple Of the
Holy Ghost, and to deface It's affairs OIL
mar its walls or crumb!e It's pillars Is
n God defying saorllege." He sees
Gods caligraphy In every page--ana
tomlcal and physiological. He says
"God has given me wonderful body
for noble purposes" That arm witt
80 curious bones welded by 40 curiou.
muscles. and all under the brains teleg
raphy--SG0 pounds of blood rushing
through the henrt every hour. the hear
In "a hours beating 100000 times, dur
Ing the same time the lungs taking IL
81 hogsheads of air, api all this mech
anism not more mighty than delicat,
and easily disturbed and demolished.
The Christian man says to himself
"lf ! hurt my nerves. IL hurt IN,
brain, II hurt any of my physical fac
ultles, | insult God and call for dir
retribution." Why did God tell tn
Levites not to Offer to him In sacrifice
animals imperfect and diseased? II
meant to tell us in all the ages that w
g are TO Offer to God our very best phys
! ical condition, aud a man who througl
: irregular or gluttonous eating ruin
!, his health Is not Offering to God such
o sacrifice. Why did Paul write for hi
I cloak at Troas? Why should such
o great man as Paul be anxious about
+ thing 80 insignificant as an overcoat
Q 1t was because he knew that wit
: pneumonia and rheumatism he woul
not be worth half as much TO God AM
! the church as with respiration eas
and foot free
An intelligent Christian man woul
, consider II an absurdity to kneel dow
at night and pray and ask Gods pre-
lection while at the same time he KEEP
the windows Of his bedroom tight shu
= against fresh air. He, would Just a
soon think OF going to the top Of bi
house and leaplng or and then pray
). ing to God to keep him from gettin
:. hurt. Just as long as you refer thi
whole subject Of physical health to tn
realm of whlmsicalIty or 10 the pastr
cook or to the butcher or TO the bake
r or to the apothccary or to the clothiel
you are not acting like a Christian
n Toln cor rn nf a uanr ensaac