The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-03-24


q Ills religion his morals would have been
;aved.
There are aged people who would have
-sen dead twenty-five years ago but for
, he defenses an3 the equipoise of religion.
You have no mora lItnrai resi- lstance than
hundreds OF people who lie In tho ceme-
cries to-day slain by their own vices. The
| ioctora made their ease as kind and pleas
INT as they could. nnti it was called con-
,estiou of the brain OF something else, but
! he snakes and the blue flies that seemed
to crawl over tho pillow In the sight OF the
delirious patient showed what was the
matter with him. You, the aged Christian
man, walked along by that unhappy one
| until you came 80 the golden pillar or the
| Christian life. You went 20 the right he
| went to the left. That Is all the difference
| between you. Oh, IL this religion ia a pro-
| test against all forms OF dissipation then 1t
Is an il,ustrious friend OF longevity! with
long life will l satisfy him.
Again, religion is friend OF longevity in
the fact that it takes the worry out Of our
| temporaites. It is not work that kills
men; It Is worry. When uan becomes
genuine Christian, he makes over to God
not only his affections, but his family, his
business, his reputation, his body, his
| mind bi. soul-evervthing. Industrious
he will be, but never worrying, because
God Is managing his affairs. How can he
worry about business when in answer to
his prayers God tells him when to buy and
when TO sell, and, ii he gain, that is best
aud, If he lose that is best2
Suppose you had supernatural neishbor
who came in and said: 'Sir, want you to
call on me in every exigency. l am your
fast friend. I could fall back on $50 0OO,-
000. hold tho controlling stock in thirty
OF the best monetary Institutions OF this
country. Whenever you are in any trouble
call on me, and will help you. You can
have my money, and you can have my in
huence. Here is my hand in pledge OF it,"
How much would YOU worry about busi-
ness? Why, you would say. "I'll do the
best can, and then III depend on my
friends generosity for the rest
Now more than that Is promised to
every Christian business man. God says
to him: 81 own New York and London and
St. Petersburg and Pekin. and Australia
and California ara Mine. can foresee
panic 1000 years. I havo all the resources
OF the universe, and am your fast friend.
When you get in business trouble or any
other trouble, call on Me, and will help.
Here is My hand in pledge of onnipotent
deliyerance." How much should that
man worry? Not much. What lion Will
dare to put his paw on that Daniel? ls
there not rest in this? Is there not an
eternal vacation in this?
"Oh," you say, "here is man who asked
God for blessing in certain enterprise.
and he lost $4,000 in it. Explain that" II
will. Youder is q factory, and one wheel
is going north and the other wheel is 60
ing south, and one wheel laterally and the
other plays yer. .cally. l 90 to the manu-
fnctnrer. and saw: ooh. manufacturer.
your machinery is contradiction. Why
do you not make all the wheels go one
way7" "Well," he says, II made them to
go In opposite directions on purpose, and
they produce the right result. You go
are turning out In this establishment and
you will see." I go down on the other
floor, and l see the carpets, and l am
obliged to confess that though the wheels
in that factory go IN opposite directions
they turn out beautiful result, and while
am standing there looking at the exquis-
ite fabric an old Scripture passage comes
for good to them who love God.' Is there
not rest In that? Is there not tonic IN
that7 Is there not longevity in that?
Suppose man Is all the time worried
about his reputation. One man scys he lies,
another says he is stupid, another says he
is dishonest, and half a dozen printing es-
/ tablishments attack him. and lie Is in
fume and cannot Sleep but religion comes
to him and says: "Man, God is on your
side; He will take care OF your reputation.
II God be for your, who can be against
your" How much should that man worry
about his reputation? Not much. II that
broker who some years ago In Wall street.
after he had lost money, sat down and
wrote a farewell letter to his wife before
he blew his brains out; il instead OF taking
out OF his pocket pistol he had taken out
q we'll read New Testament, there would
have been one less suicide. Oh, nervous and
feverish people OF the world, try this al
mighty sedative! You will live twenty-five
years longer under its soothing power. 1t
is not chloral that you want or morphine
that you want; it is the gospel Of Jesus
Christ. "With long life will satisfy him."
Again, practical religion Is friend OF
longevity in the fact that 1t removes all
corroding care about future existence,
Every man wants to know what is to be.
come Of him. II you get on board raU
train, you want to know at what depot II
Is going to stop. II you get on board
ship, you want to know into what harbol
1t is going to run, and IL you should tell
me you have no interest in what Is to be
your future destiny l would in as polite
a way as know how tell you did not be.
lieve you. Before I had this matter settled
with reference to my future existence, the
question almost worried me into ruined
health. The anxieties men have upon this
subject put together would make martyr.
dom. This is state OF awful unhealthi'
ness. There are people who fret them
selves to death for fear OF dying.
Accept that sacrifice and quit worrying.
Take the tonic, the inspiration, the long
evity Of this truth. Religion Is sunshine;
that Is health. Religion is fresh air and
pure water; they are healthy. Religion is
warmth; that Is healthy. Ask all the doc
tors, and they will tell you that quiet
conscience and pleasant anticipatfons are
hygienic. I offer you perfect peace now
and hereafter.
Well, you defeat me in my three expert.
merts. / have only one more to make, and
IL you defeat me in that l am exhausted.
A mighty one on knoll back OF Jerusalem
one day, the skies filled with forked light
pings and the earth with volcanic disturb
ances, turned His pale and agonized face
toward the heavens and said: Il take the
sins and sorrows OF the ages into My own
heart. am the expiation. Witness earth
and heaven and hell, am the expiation."
And the hammer struck Him aud the spears
puncturad Him, and heaven thundered,
1.-THE wages OF sin is deathP' "The soul
that sinneth It shall die!" 81 will by
no means clear the guilty." Then
there was silence for half an hour, and
the lightnings were drawn back into the
scabbard of the sky and the earth ceased
to culver aud all the colors OF the sky be-
gan to shift themselves into a rainbow
woven out OF the falling tears OF Jesus, and
there was red as Of the bloodshedding, and
there was blue as Of the bruising, and there
wos Uraan as cf the heavenly foliage, and