The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-03-20
ON PRACTICAL PIETY.
REV. TALMAGE'S SUNDAY SERMON.
Argues That We Cannot Neglect Our
Religious Duties and Prosper In Our
Business.

Christian religion Is as good Tor this word
as the next, and will help lis to do any
thing that ought to be done at all; Tim
othy ", s, Goodness Is profitable unto
all things, having promise OF the life that
now is and OF that which is to come"
There is a gloomy and passive way of
waiting for events to come upon Us, and
there is a heroic way OF going ont to meet
them, strong in God and fearing nothing.
When the body OF Catilinc was found on
tie battlefield, it was found Ear in advance
OF all lis troops and among the enemy, and
the best way is not foT Us to lie down and
let the events of lie t.ampie over us, but
to go forth in Christian spirit deter
mined to conquer. You are expecting pros
perity, and | am determined. so far as |
have anything to do with it, that YOU shall
not be disappointed, and, therefore, | pro-
| pose, as God may help me, to project upon
YOUR attention a new clement Of success.
| You have in the business firm frugahty,
| patience, industry, perseverance, economy
"a very strong business frm-but there
needs to be one member added, mightier
| than them all, and not a silent partner
either, the one introduced by my text.
Goodness. which is profitable unto all
| things, having the promise of the life that
now is as well as OF that which is to come" "
I suppose you are all willing to admit
that godliness is important in its eternal
relations, but perhaps some OF you say,
"All | want is an opportunity to say a
prayer before l die, and all will be WE'LL
| There are a great many people who sup
pose that if they can finally get safely out
of this world into better world they will
have exhausted 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 to heavenly mansion; as though
it were an admission ticket, OF no use eX.
cept to give in at the door of heaven. And
there are thousands of people who have
great admiration for a religion OF the
/ shroud and religion Of the coffin and a
/ religion of the cemetery VINO have no ap-
| probation of religion for the bank, for
! the farm, for the factory, for the ware
/ house, for the jewelers. shop. for the Office.
Now, while would not throw any slur on
/ O post-mortem religion, | want to-day to
eulog!.e an ante-mo-tem religion. A rellg-
| ion that is of no use to you while you live
will be of no use to You when you die.
/ Goodness is profitable unto all things,
+ having prone of the life that now Is as
we'll as OF tlat which is to come" And l
! have always noticed that when grace is
very low in mans heart he talks a great
! deal in prayer meetings about deaths and
! about coffins and about graves and about
churchyards. | have noticed that the
! healthy Christian, the man who Is living
near to God aud is on the straight road TO
/ heaven. is full of jublant satisfaction and
! talks about the duties OF this he, under
/ standing well that if God helps him to live
right He will help him to die right.
! Now, III the first place, | remark that
codliness is good for mans physical
! health. / % not mean to say that 1t will
! restore broken down constitution or
drive rheumatism from tie limbs or neural
gia from the temples or p!eurisy from tDe
side, but l do mean to say that 1t gives
! one such habits and puts one in such con,
dition as are most favorable for physical
( health. That I believe, and that l avow.
everybody knows that buoyancy of
| spirit is good physical advantage. Gloom,
( unrest. detection, are at war with every
/ pulsaiion OF the heart and with every res
piration Of the lungs. They lower the VI
I tality and slacken the circulation, while
| exhilaration of spirit ?ours the very balm
| of heaven through all the currents OF life.
The sense OF insecurity which sometimes
| hovers ovcr an unregenerate man or
pounces upon him with the blast OF ten
! thousand trumpets o. terror is most depict
| ing and most exhausting, while the feeling
that all things are working together Tor
our good now and for our everlasting We!
! fare is conducive to physical health.
| You will observe that godliness induces
Industry, which is the foundation OF good
health. There is no law OF hygiene THAI
stab him. erysipelas will burn him, jaun-
| dice will discolor him, gout will cripple
him, and the intelligent physician will
not prescribe antiseptic or febrifuge
/ or anodyne, but saws and hammers
| and yardsticks and crowbars and pick
| axes. There is no such thing as good
physical condition without positive work
of some kind, although you should sleep
| on down 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. Our re-
lipion says: "Away to the bank, away to
| the field, away to the shop, away to the
| factory! Do something that will enlist all
the energies of your body, mind and soul:
'Dilgent in business, fervent IN spirit,
serving the Lord" while upon the bare
back OF the idler and the drone comes
down the sharp lash OF the apostle as ne
saws, eff any man will not work, neither
she'll he eat"
Oh, how important is this day, when so
much is said about anatomy and physlo-
logy and therapeutics and some new style
of medicine is ever and anon sprlngIng
upon the world, that you should under
stand that the highest schoo! OF medicine
is the school of Christ, which declares that
"godhness is profitable unto all things,
having the promise of the life that now Z IS
as well as of that which is to come; 20
II YOU start out two men in The, world with
+ equal physical health, and then one OF
them shall get the religion OF CHRIST IN ms
heart and the other shall not get II; the
one who becomes a son OF the Lora al.
life will ! satisfy him and show him My
Arain I remark that godliness is good