The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-07
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON,
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: What Religion Does For the
Prolongation of Human Life-Reiigton
is Not a Hearse-Care Of the Health
Positive Christian Duty.
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is Not Hearse-Care of the Health d
Positive Christian Duty.
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WASHINGTON. d. C.-This sermon OK DR.
Talmage presents gospel for this lIe Us
we'll rs the next and shows what religion
does for the prolongatio OF earthly exist
epce; text, Psalm xci.. 1G, "With long lie
will satisfy him.
Through the mistake of its friends re!g.
ion has been chiefly associated with sick.
beds aud graveyardS. The whole subJec!
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 hearse to
carry out the dead, should be represented
rs a chariot In which the living are to trl'
umph.
Religion, 90 far from subtracting from
ones vitality, is Il glorious addition. 1t Is
sensitive, curative, hygtenic. Il Is good
for the eyes, good for the ears, good for
the spleen, good for the digestion, good
for tue nerves, good for the muscles. When
David, In another part of the Psalms. prays
that religion may be dominant, he does
not speak ofit as "a mild sickness or an
cancellation or !, an attuekg,of moral and
spiritual, cramp. He speaks OF it as "the
saving health OF all nations, u while God In
tho text promises longevity to the pious.
: The fact Is that men and women die too
soon. It,is high time that religion Joined
the hand OF medical science in attempting
to improve human longevity. Adam lived
$50 wears; Methuselah lived 969 years. As
late In the history OF the world as Vsspa.
sian there were at one time In his empire
forty-hve people 1876 years old. SO far down
as the sixteenth century Peter Tartan died
ut 1876 years Of age. ! do not say. that reiig-
ion will ever takeithe race back to ante
diluviau longevity, but / do say that the
length OF human life Will be greatly I'M
proved. -; -, !,
shall die 100 wears old" Now, II, accord
ing to Scripture, the child. Is to be l00
wears old may not the men. land women
reach to 800 aud 400 and 500p The fact Is
that we are mers dwarfs and skeletons
compared with some OF the generations
that ure to come. Take the African. race.
They have been Under bonda2e TOR cen,
turtles Give them o chance, and they de-
gelob d Toussaint L Overture. Anddi the
swiiFe race shall be.broughtsout fromlndeE
!, the serfdom OF sin what shall be thesbody,
what shall be the soul? Religion has Only
lust touched our world. Give 1t full power
for q few centuries, and who, can tell What
will be the strength OF man and the beauty
OF woman and the longevity OF oil? s5
NV design 10 to show that practical res
lIeion Is the friend OF longevity. prove
it, first, from the fact f6atI makes the
care OF our health a pQsjtiSs Christian
duty. Whether we shall ap'early OF late
hours whether We shall. e food digest
able or indigestable, whet there shall be
thorough or inconipletes nj fieatlon, are
questions veryoitep referred to the realm
OF wbimsicality, but tbag ghrlstlan man
lifts,this whole problem 0fHtklth into the
accountable and the DivlneEH Hesays, :.God
has. given me this body, and He has called
it the temple OF the Holy. Ghost, and to de-
face it's atars or mar Its walls or crumble
its pillars Is God defylng sacrilege." He
sees Gods callgraphy In every page-ana.
tomicnl and physiological. He says, "God
bas given me n wonderful body for noble
purposes" That arm with thirty-two cur.
ious bones welded by forty-six curious
muscles, and all under the bruin's teleg-
raphy - $50 pounds Of blood rushing
through the heart every hour, the heart In
twenty-four hours beating 100000 times,
during the same time the lungs taking III
nrty-seven hogsheadS OF air, and all this
mechanism not more mighty than delicate
apd easily disturbed and demolished.
The Christian man says to himself, "lf
hurt my nerves, il hurt my brain, ii
hurt any OF my physical faculties, insult
God and call for dire retrlbution." Why
did God tell the Levites not to offer to Him
in sacrifice animals imperfect and diseased?
He meant to tell US in all the ages that We
are 20 offer to God our very best physical
condition and man who through irregular
or eluttonous eating ruins his health is not
Offering to God such . sacrifice. Why did
Paul write for his cloak ut Troas? Why
should such great man as Paul be anx.
ious about q thing so insignificant as an
overcoat? 1t was because he knew that
with pneumonia and rhematism he would
not be worth half as much to God and the
church as with respiration easy and loot
free.
An intelligent Christian man would con.
slider it IN ,absurdity to knael down at night
and pray and ask Gods protection while
sat the snme time he kept the windows OF
siiis bedfoom tight shut against fresh air.
HsWouN just as soon think OF going to
4 sstFefGrsnf his house and leaping of and
Eaklf6n prayingto God 10 keep him from get.
!. 4 s.yxhg hurt sJnst as long rs you refer this
whole sub aof physical health.to the
I realm .St Mhimsicalit or to the pastry cook
sbr 4o{tke butcher or to the buker or to
Hsfhe apoEhecary or to the clothier. you are
/ not aching like Christian. Take care oil
sallEycnf physical forces-nervous, muscu.
/ lar bone brain, cellular tissue-for all you
.mHSf he brought to judgment.
Smoking your nervous system into ld-
gels, burning out theltcoating OF your
4 stomach with wine, logwooded und
EsStrgchnined walking with thin shoes tc
SHak6 your feet look delicate, pinched at
4 fbSM2 nth you are nigh cut In two and
M + hsa dache,and palpItation OF the
aI 81 you think came from God
XII IS fseame from your own folly.
I 5 |jf = III thag Rnyiman or woman to de-
81 s i6rpfe foS the Holy Ghost? What
:! $ n ~ 4 fWhySitSis the whispering gal
hk human Soul. What Is the eye;
ktlS observatory God constructed, Its
8c6pd 4sfaeplng the heavens. SO won
e these bodies that God name;
NSlis3Wn httfibutes after different paris o
|1Ibem: HIS onniscience-it is Gods eye
mnipresence-it is Gods ear. His
omH5potence-it is Gods arm.
T. Whpntt becomes Christian duty to taks
I1car6of:our health, Is not the whole ten
dehdy toward longevity If I toss my
watch about reckiessly and drop 1t on the
pavement and wind 1t up Mt nny time o.
day or night happen to think OF it, ant
often let It run down, while you are careful
with your watch and never abuse 1t 'and
wind tt'up just ut the same hour every
night and pur 1t In place where 1t vii
not suffer from tho violent changes OF at.
mosphere, which watch will last tht
longer9 Common .sepse answers. Now
the human bodyfss Gods watch. You SCI
the hands Of the Mateb.; sYou see the fatt
- tha 80 t,I, k,,k FLA haoPfn, ~ Pho h r. "A