The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-05-10
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE eY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject, Tho Good Religion Does % In
This Notwithstanding and the In
Observation-Disclosures of the Gospel in Eusi-
ness-Can You Get Along without 1t?

This NorId-Chris tianity and the In
tellcct-1nfuence of the Gospel in Eusi
| ness-Can YOU Get Along without 1T
WASHINGTON, d. Gin this discourse
Or. Talmage advocates the idea that the
Christian religion is as good for this world
as the next, and will help Us to do any
| thing that ought to be done at all; Inn
| othv ~, 8, Goodness is profitable unto
all things, having promise Of the HE thai
| Row is and of that which is to come.
! There is a gloomy and passive way oil
waiting for events to come upon us, and
there is a heroic way of going ont to meet
them. strong in God and fearing hi'g
| When the body OF Catlihe was found on
the battlefield it was found far in advance
OF all lila troops and among the enemy, and
the best way is not for us to lie down and
| let the events of life trample over us, but
mined to conquer. You are expecting pros
perity, and l am determined so far as
have anything to do with it, that you shall
not be disappointed, and, therefore, L pro,
pose, as God may help me, to project upon
your attention a new element OF success
You have in the business firm frugality
patience, industry, perseverance, economy
a very strong business frm-but there
needs to be one member added, mightiey
than them all, and not silent partner
either, the one introduced by my text,
"Codliness, which is profitable unto all
things, having the promise of the life that
now i. as well as Of that which is to come.
| suppose you are all willing to admit
that eodliness is important in its eternal
relations, but perhaps some of you say,
prayer before I die, and all will be we'll =
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 a 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 ere thousands Of people who have
great admiration for a religion Of the
shroud and religion Of the coffin and a
religion of the cemetery who have no ap-
probation of religion for the bank, for
the farm, for the factory, for the ware
house, for the jewelers. shop, for tho Office
Now, while would not throw any flur on
@ post-mortem religion, want today to
eulogize an ante-mortem religion. a
ion that is of no use to you while v
will be of no use to you when yd
Goodness is profitable unto all
having promise of the life that nov
well as of that which is to come"
have always noticed that when g
very low in mans heart he talks
deal in prayer meetings about deaf
about collins and about graves and
churchyards. l have noticed tn
healthy Christian, the man who is
near to God and is on the straight r
heaven, is full of jubilant satisfactio
talks about the duties of this life,
standing well that if God helps him
right He will help him to die right.
Now, in the first place, l remark
godliness is good for mans physical
health. I do not mean to say that i1will
restore a broken down constitution or
drive rheumatism from the limbs or neural
gia from the temples or pleurisy from the
side, but | do mean to say that it gives
one such habits and puts one in such con.
dition as are most favorable. for physical
health That believe, and that l avow.
Everybody knows that buoyancy OF
spirit is good physical advantage. Gloom,
unrest, detection, are at war with every
pulsation OF the heart and with every res
piration of the lungs. They lower the Vi
tally and slacken the. circulation, while
exhilaration Of spirit pourssthe very balm
Of heaven through all the currents Of life.
The sense of insecurity which sometimes
pounces upon him with the blast Of ten
thousand trumpets Of terror is most depict
ing and most exhausting, while the feeling
that all things are working together foc
our good now and for our everlasting wei
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 that
will keep lazy man well. Pieurisy will
stab him, erysipelas will burn him, jaun-
dice will discolor him, govt will cripple
him, and the intelligent physician will
rot prescribe antiscptlc or febriiugo
or anodyne, but saws and hammers
aud yardsticl,s and crowbars and pick,
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 1spahan and Shiraz. Our re-
1igion 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 aed So SCI
"Diligent in business, fervent in 81
serving the Lord" while upon the
back Of the idler and the drone G
down the sharp lash of the apostle
says, IF any man will not work, ne
shall he eat.''
Oh, how important is this day, wi
much is said about anatomy and q
logy and therapeutics and some new
of medicine is ever and anon spr
upon the world that you should
stand that the highest school of me
is the school of Christ, which declares
"godliness is profitable unto all Il
having the promise of the life that
as well as Of that which is to come,
if you start out two men in the world
equal physical health. and then
them shall get the religion of Christ
heart and the other shall not get
one who becomes a SON of the Lq
mighty will live the longer. "Wit
life will +! satisfy him and show b
salvation"
Again I remark that godliness
for the intellect. I know some ha1
posed that just as soon as a man
into the Christian life his intelle
into bedwarfing process. So "a
that, religion will give new brillid
the intellect, new strength to the ias
ton, new force to the will and M
swing to all the intellectual faculties.
Christianity is the great central fire ut
which philosophy has lighted its brightest
torch.
The religion of Christ is the fountain
out of which learning has dipped its clear
est draft. The Helicon poured forth no
such inspiring waters as those which flow
from under the throne of God clear as
crystal