The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-03-23
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.

 hat the Christian religion Is as good for A his world as the next and will help us X b do anything that ought to be done at sEll; 1. Timothy tv. s. ''Godliness is proht. { The life, that now is and of that which IFS to come.''
 lDjThere is gloomy and passive way IT waiting for events to come upon upon us; us, Fo meet them. strong in God and fearing (othirfs. When the body of Catiiine was }pund on the battlefield 1t was found far | advance of all his troops and among us to lie down and let the events of life trampie over us, but to go forth In Christian spirit determined to conquer You are expecting prosperity, and am do with 1t. that you shall not be disap- pointed, and, therefore. l propose. as God may help me. to project upon your attention a new element of success. You have in the business firm frusality. pa- tience, industry, perseverance, economy a very strong business firm-but there needs to be one member added, m1gnuer than ali. and not silent partner either, the one introduced by my text, "GodF- ness. 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 godiiness is important in its eternal relations. but perhaps some of you say. All I want is an opportunity to say prayer before I die, and all will be well. There are a great many people who sup pose that if they can finally get saieiy out of this world into better world they will have exhausted the entire advantage of our holy religion. They talk as though religion were mere nod Q. asd Iasus on our way up to heavenly Hdns,on' Hdu.' as though it were an admission tcket, of no use except to give in at the ooor people who have great admiration for a religion of the shroud and rehgion oi the coffin and a religion Of the hearse and a religion of the cemetery Nho nave no appreciation of religion Tor tne panh Tx : for the farm, for the factory. for the warehouse for the jewellers shop. Tor the office. Now, while 1 would not throw any slur on a post-mortem religion, want today to eulogize an ante-mortem religion. A religion that is to be or no use to you while you live will be or no use to you when you die> Goolhess IS profitable unto all things. having prom ise of the life that now is as well as or ways noticed that when grace is very LOW in mans heart he talks great dea, in prayer meetings about deaths ana about coffins and about graves anu churchyards. I have noticed that the healthy Christian, the man who IS hving near to God and is on the stralght roau to Heaven. is full of jubilant satisiaction and talks about the duties of this iiie, understanding we'll that if God helps him to live right He will help him to die right.
 Now, in the first place. remark that health. do not mean to say that it will restore a broken down constitution or drive rheumatism from the limos or neu- raigia from the temples or pleurisy rom the side, but I do mean to say that u gives one such habits and puts one In such condition as are most favorable TOT physical health. That l believe, ana tnsr i avow. Everybody knows that buoyancy of spirit Is good physical advantage. Gloom unrest. dejection, are at war with every pulsation~ of the heart and With every respiration of the lungs; Ihey lower the vitality and siacken the circu- lation, while exhilaration of spirit pours the very balm of Heaven through all the currents of life. The sense of insecurity which sometimes hovers over an uhrs- generate man or pounces upon nm watn the blast of ten thousand trumpets or terror is most depicting and most ex- haustlng, while the feeling that all things are working together for our good now and for our everlasting welfare is coh- ducive to physical health.
 You will observe that Godliness' in- duces industry, which is the foundation of good health. There is no law of ny giene that will keep lazy man well PIeurisy will stab him. erysipeias will burn him. jaundice will discolor him, sout will cripple him. and the intelligent pay sician will not prescribe antiseptic or feo- r1fuge or anodyne, but saws ana nam, mers and yardsticks and crowbars and pickaxes. There is no such thing as good physical condition without positive wor8 of some kind, although you snouid sieeP on down of swan or ride In carnage ol softest upholstery or have on your table all the luxuries that were poured rom the wine vats of 1spahan ana Snlraz' Our religion says: Away to the DanA, away to the field, away to the shop. away fo the factory! Do something that VIII enlist all the energies of your booy, mlno and soul!' "Diligent in business IerVene in spirit, serving the Lord, while upon the bare back of the idler and the drone comes down the sharp lash of the apost,,e as he says. "If any man VIII nor "orh' neither shall he eat
 Oh. how important in thls oay, wnen so much Is said about anatomy and pnys- lolosy and therapeutics and some new style of medicine is ever ana anon epringing upon the world. that you should Understand that the highest school or medicine is the school of Christ, which declares that "godliness is profitable unto all things. having the promise, Of the Ire that now Is as well as that which IS 10 rome" So if you start out two men lii the world with equal physical health and then one of them shall get the re- Hgion of Christ in his heart and the other shall not get it, the one who becomes son of the Lord Almighty will live the longer With long life will satisfy him and show him My salvation.
 Religion and the Intellect
 Again remark that godliness Is good Tor the intellect I know some have sup posed that just as soo1 as man enters into the Christian life his intellect goes Into a bedwariing process. So Tar rom that. religion will give new nril,lancy to the intellect, new strength to the mag swing to all the intellectual faculties: (hristianity is the great central hre a. which philosophy has lighted it's brightest torch. The religion of Christ is the rouh- tair out of which learning has dlppea its dearest draft. The Heiicon poureu forth no such inspiring waters as tnose which flow from the throne Of Goa clear .rgv to poesy weeping fin pr. Young s.Night Thoughts" teaching in Gowpef .oTask,' flaming in Charles Wesley hvmns and rushing with archangel1c sniendor through Miltons Paradise Lost" The religion of Christ has hung in studio and in gallery of art ana III Vatican the best pictures-Tltan As- Teubens' Descent From the Cross, ClaIde's Burning Bush. and Angelo 5 ..Ia asst Judgment Religion has maue inc hest music of the world-Haydn s s.c'rsation." Handel's Messiah Mozart "Renuiem" Is it possible that religion which builds such indes;ructlble movu- ments and which lifts its ensign on the highest rromonitories of Woridiy pow. rar, have any effect upon q mans intellect but elevation?
 Now. I commend Godliness as the best mental discipline, better than bellies let- fres to purify the taste, better than math- anatics to harness the mind 10 all m iriracy and elaboration, better than log1c 10 marshal the intellectual forces Tor on