The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-03-26
TALMaGE's SERMON.
Godliness Induces Industry andis the
Foundation Of Good Health.

Foundation Of Good Health.
In this discourse Dr.. Talmage advo-
Gates the idea that the Christian re-
ligion is as good for this world rs the
next and will help us to do anything
that ought to be done atall: l Timothy
iv, s. "Godliness 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 out
to meet them, strong in God and fear
ing nothing. When the body Of Catl-
line was found on the battlefield. it
was found far in advance OF all his
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 to go forth in a Christian spirit
determined to conquer. You are ex-
pecting prosperity, and [ am deter
mined, so far as have anything to do
with it, 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 sue
cess. You have in the business firm
frugality, patience, industry, persever-
ance, economy very strong business
tirm-but there needs to be one mem
Der added, mightier than them all.
and not silent partner either, the
one introduced by my text, "Godliness,
which is profitable unto all things,
having the promise Of the life that
now is as well as Of that which is to
come"
IsuppoSe you are all willing to ad-
nit that godliness is important in its
eternal relations, but perhaps some OF
you say, All I want is an opportuni-
ty to say a prayer before I die. and all
will be we'll" There are a great many
people who suppose that if they can
finally get safely out Of this world into
a better world they will have exhaust
ed the entire advantage of our holy
religion. They talk as though religion
were mere nod Of recognition which
we are to give to the Lord Jesus on
our way up to heavenly mansion: as
slough it were an admission ticket.
Of no use except to give in at, the door
Of heaven. And there are thousands
Of people who have great admiration
for religion OF the shroud and re-
igton Of the hearse and religion Of
the cemetery who have no apprecia-
tion of a religion for the bank, for the
farm, for the factory, for the ware
house, for the jewelers. shop, for the
Office. Now, while I would not throw
any slur on postmortem religion, ]
want today to eulogize an antemortem
religion. A religion that will be Of no
use to you while you live will be Of no
use to you when you die. "Godliness is
profitable unto all things, having pro-
mise Of the life that now is as well as
Of that which is to come" And I
have always noticed that when grace
IS very low in a mans heart he talks a
great deal in prayer meetings about
deaths and about cof1ns and about
churchyards. Ihave noticed that the
healthy Christian, the man who is
living near to God and is on the
straight road to heaven, is full Of jubi-
lant satisfaction and talks about the
duties of this life, understanding we'll
that if God helps him to live right He
will help him to die right.
Now, in the first place, I remark that
godliness is good fer mans physical
health. I do not mean to say that it
will restore a broken down constitu-
tion 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 I believe, and that avow.
Everybody knows that buoyancy. Of
spirit is good physical advantange.
Gloom, unrest, detection, is at war with
every pulsation of the heart and with
every respiration Of the lungs. They
lower the vitality and Slacken the Cir
culation, 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 unregenerate man OF pounces
upon him with the blast Of ten thous-
and trumpets Of terror is most depict
ing and most exhausting, while the
feeling that all things are working
together for our good now and for
our everlasting welfare is conducive to
physical health.
You will observe that godliness in
duces industry, which is the founda-
tion Of good health. There is no law
of hygiene that will keep lazy man
well. Pleurisy will stab him, erysipe-
las will burn him, iaundice will dis
color him, gout will cripple him: and
the intelligent physician will not pre-
scribe antiseptic or febrifuge or ano-
dyne, but saws and hammers and yard
sticks and croWbarS and pickaxeS.
There is no such thing as good physi-
cal 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 ta-
BILE all the luxuries that were poured
from the wine yats of Ispahan and
Shiraz. Our religion says: Away
to the bank, away to the field, away
to the shop, away to the factory. Do
something that will enlist all the ener-
gies of your body, mind and Soul!:'
''Diligent in business, ferrent in
spirit, serving the the Lord" while
upon the bare back of the idler and
the drone comes down the sharp lash
Of the apostle as he says, II any man
will not work, neither shall he eat"
Oh, how important in this day, when
so much is said about anatomy and