Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1902-03-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE BENEFITS OF RELIGION IN
ORDINARY BUSINESS LIFE.
In Eloquent Words the Great Preacher
Shows How Goodness Is Profitable In
All 1hings-Human Weapons Alone
Not Sufficient for the Battle.

Copyright. 1902. Louis Klopsch, N. "
Washington, March lb.-ln this dis
course DR.. Talmage advocates the idea
that the Christian religion is as good
for this world as the next, and will
help us to do anything that ought to
be done at all; Timothy iv. s. God
illness is profitable unto all things,
having promise Of the life that now Is
and of that which is to come"
There is gloomy and passive way
Of waiting for events to come upon US,
and there is heroic way of going out
to meet them, strong in God and fear
ing nothing. You are expecting pros
perity. and I am determined. so far
as l have anything to do with 1t. that
you shall not be disappointed. and,
therefore. | propose, as God may help
me to project upon your attention n
new element of success. You have in
the business firm frugality, patience.
Industry, perseverance, economy-a
very strong business firm-Dut there
needs to be one member added, might
Ter than them all, and not silent
partner, either. the one introduced by
my text, Goodness. which is profit
able unto all things, having the prom
Use of the life that now is as well as
of that which is to come"
suppose you are all willing to adj
NIT that godliness is important in its
eternal relations, but perhaps some o.
you say, "All want is an opportunity
to say prayer before l die, and all
will be WELL" There are a great many
people who suppose that IL they can
finally get safely out OF this world into
better world they will have exhaust
ed the entire advantage Of our holy
religion. They talk as though re-
ligion were mere nod OF recognition
which we are to give to the Lord Jesus
on our way up to heavenly man
sion; as though 1t were an admission
ticket, of no use except to give in at
the door Of heaven. Now, while
norton religion. want to-day to
eulogize an antemortem religion. A
religion that is of no use to you while
you live will be of no use to you when
you die. I have always noticed that
when grace is very low in a mans
heart he talks great deal in prayer
meetings about deaths and about cof-
fms and about graves and about
churchyards. have noticed that the
healthy Christian. the man who is
living near to God and is on the
straight road to heaven, is full Of
jubilant satisfaction and talks about
the duties Of this life, understanding
well that IL God helps him to live right
he will help him to die right.
Now, in the first place, remark
that goodness is good for a mans
physical health. Go not mean to say
that 1t will restore broken down
constitution or drive rheumatism
from the limbs. or neuralgia from the
temples or pleurisy from the side. but
do mean to say that it gives one such
habits and puts one in such condition
as are most favorable for physical
health. That l believe, and that /
avow. The sense of insecurity which
sometimes hovers over an unregener-
ate man or pounces upon him with
the blast of ten thousand trumpets of
terror is most depicting and most ex-
hausting, while the feeling that all
things are working together for our
good now and for our everlasting well
fare is conducive to physical health.
You will observe that goodness in
duces industry. which is the founda-
tior of good health. There Is no law
Of hygiene that will keep a lazy man
well. There is no such thing as good
physical concition without positive
work Of some kind. although you
should sleep on Gown of swan or ride
In carriage Of softest upholstery or
have on your table all the luxuries
that were poured from the wine watts
Of Ispahan and Shiraz.
oh, how important in this day, when
so much is said about anatomy and
physiology and therapeutics and some
new style of medicine is ever and anon
springing upon the world. that you
should understand that the highest
school OF medicine is the school of
Christ, which declares that "godliness
Is profitable unto all things. having
the promise of the life that now is as
well as Of that which is to come" So
IL you start out two men in the world
with equal physical health, and then
one of them shall get the religion OF
Christ in his heart, and the other
shall not get it. the one who be-
comes a son of the Lord Almighty
will live the longer. with long life
will / satisfy him and show him my
salvation"
Again remark that goodness is good
for the intellect / know some have
supposed that just as soon as a man
enters into the Christian life his intel
lect goes into bedwarfing process. So
far from that, religion will give new
brilliancy to the intellect. new strength
to the imagination, new force to the
will and wider swing to all the intel
lectual faculties. Christianity is the
great central fire at which philosophy
has lighted its brightest torch. The re-
ligion Of Christ Is the fountain out OF
which learning has dipped its clearest
draft. Religion has given new energy
to poesy, weeping in DR.. Young's
Might Thoughts" teaching in Cow
per's Task" flaming In Charles wes-
ley's hymns and rushing with arch
angelic splendor through Millions
paradise Lost" Is 1t possible that a
religion which builds such indestruct-
ible monuments and which lifts its en-
sign on the highest promontories OF
worldly power can have any effect up
on mans intellect but elevation!
Now, I commend godliness as the
best mental discipline. better than
bellies lettres to purify the taste. better