The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-03-24
TALMAGE
SERMON
Subject: What Religion DOES For the
Prolongation of Human Life-Religioh
is Not Hearse-Care Of the Health d
Positive Christian Duty.
[Copyright 1901


Positive Christian Duty.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. C.-This sermon OF Dr..
Talmage presents gospel for this life us
we'll as the next and shows what religion
does for the prolongation Of earthly exist
enee; text, Psalm 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 subiec.
to many people is odorous with chlorine
and carbolic acid. There are people who
cannot pronounce the word religion with.
out hearing In it 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 a hearse to
carry out tine dead, should be represented
as q chariot in which the living are to trl-
nmph.
Religion, so far from subtracting from
ones vitality, Is glorious addition. 1t Is
sensitive, curative, hyglenic. It 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 Psalms. prays
that religion may be dominant, he does
not speak Of it as a mild sickness or an
emaciation 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.
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 longevity. Adam lived
$50 years; Methueelah lived 969 years. AS
lste in the history OF the world as Vespa-
sian there were at one time in his empire
forty-fve people 1S5 years old. SO far down
as the sixteenth century Peter Tartan died
at 1S5 years OF age. do not say that relig-
ion will ever take the race back to ante.
diluvian longevity, but do say that the
length Of human life Will be greatly I'm
proved.
1t is said in Isaiah lxv., 90, "The child
shall die 100 years old" Now, II, accord
ing to Scripture, the child is to be 100
years old may not the men and women
reach to 800 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 under bondage for GEN.
turtles. Giye them chance, and they de-
yelop Toussaint POuverture. And II the
white race shall be brought out from under
the serfdom OF sin what shall be the body,
what shall be the soul? Religion has only
just touched cur world. Give 1t full power
for few centuries, and who can tell what
OF woman and the longevity OF all?
My design Is to show that practical re-
HaiaH is the friend Of longevity. prove
st, from the fact that it makes the
OF our health a positive Christian
Whether We shall keep early or late
B, whether We shall take food digest
or indigestable, whether there shall be
Pugh or incomplete mastication, are
ions very often referred to the realm
himsicality, but the Christian man
his whole problem OF health into the
Mable and the Divine. He says, "God
ven me this body, and He has called
temple Of the Holy Ghost, and to de-
altars or mar Its walls or crumble
Jars is God deiying sacrilege." He
DDS caligraphy In every page-Hna-
ii and physiological. He says, "God
ven me wonderful body for noble
ses." That arm with thirty-two cur
bones welded by forty-six curious
es, and all under the brains teleg-
- $50 pounds Of blood rushing
;h the heart every hour, the beart in
-four hours beating 100, 900 times,
the same time the lungs taking in
wen hogsheads Of air, and all this
pism not more mighty than delicate
silly disturbed and demolished.
Christian man says to himself, III
y nerves, IL I hurt my brain, II I
iy OF my physical faculties, insult
d call for dire retribution." Why
ID tell the Levites not to offer to Him
Hace animals imperfect and diseased?
nc meant to tell US in all the ages that we