The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-03-21
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY The koTEr
DIVINE.
Subject; The Good Religion Does Us In
This worid-Christianity and the In
tellect-Innuencc of the Gospel IN Busi-
pess-Can You Get Along without Its

Christian religion Is as good for this world
as the next, and viii help Us 20 do any
thing that ought 10 be done al all: / Tim.
othy. ", 5, "Godhness Is profitable unto
all things, having promise OF the HE that
now Is and OF that which Is 10 come"
There is gloomy and passive way OF
waiting for events to come upon Us, and
there Is heroic way OF going out 20 meet
them, strong in God and fearing nothing
When the body of Catiline was found on
the battlefield, il was found far In advance
OF al lis troops and among the enemy, and
the best way Is not for Us 10 lie down and
let the events OF life trample over Us, but
20 so forth IN a Christian spirit deter
mined 10 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, i pro-
pose, as God may help me, 70 project upon
your attention a new element OF success
You have in the business firm frugahty,
patience, industry, perseverance, economy
"A very strong business trm-but there
needs 10 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 we'll as of that which is 10 come"
l suppose you are all willing 20 admit
that godliness Is important In its eternal
relations, but perhaps some of you say,
All i want Is an opportunity TO say a
prayer before i die, and all will be well 3"
There are great many people who sup.
pose that II they can finally get safely out
OF this world into a better world they will
have exhausted the entire advantage OF
our holy religion. They talk as though re.
hgion were a mere nod of recognition
which we are 70 give 10 the Lord Jesus on
our way 10 heavenly mansion; as though
Frraw Cd aalr Nf
cept TO give in at the door Of heaven. And
there are thousands of people who have
great admiration for religion of the
shroud and a religion OF the coffin and a
religion of the cemetery who have no ap-
preciation 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
a post-mortem religion, / want to-day 10
eulog2e an ante-mortem religion. A relig-
lon that is OF no use 20 YOU while you live
will be OF no use 10 you when you die
Goodness is profitable unto all things
having promise of the life that now is as
well as OF that which is 10 come" And
have always noticed that when grace is
very low IN q mans heart he talks a great
deal In prayer meetings about deaths and
about collins and about graves and about
churehyards. / have noticed that the
healthy Christian, the man who is living
near 10 God and is on the straight road 10
heaven, is full of jubilant satisfaction and
talks about the duties of this life. under
standing well that If God helps him TO live
right He will help him TO die right.
Now, in the first place | remark that
godhness IL good for n mans physical
health. ! do not mean TO say that it will
restore broken down constitution or
drive rheumatism from the limbs or neural
gia from the temples or pleurisy from the
side, but | do mean 10 say that IL gives
one such habits and puts one in such con-
dition as are most favorable for physical
health. That | believe, and that / 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
pirstion of the lungs. They lower the vi
tality and slacken the circulation. 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 or
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 for
our good now and for our everlasting wei
fare is conducive to physical health.
You viii observe that godliness induces
industry, which is the foundation OF good
health There is no law of hygiene that
will keep a lazy man well Pleurisy will
stab him, erysipelns 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
g ID 50, v9aaf ,.4
softest upholstery or have on your table
all the luxuries that were poured from the
wine watts of lspahan and Shiraz. Our re-
lgion says: Away to the bank, away 10
The field, away TO the shop away 70 the
factory! DO something that viii enlist all
the energies OF your body, mind and soul"
"Diligent in business. fervent IN spirit,
serving the Lord" while, upon the bare
beck of the idler and the drone comes
down the sharp lash of the apostle as he
says, IF any man will not work, neither
she'll he eat"
Oh, how important is this day, when so
much IS said about anatomy and physio-
logy and therapeutics and some new style
of medicine Is ever and anon springlng
upon the world, that you should under
stand 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 !
If 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 IL, the |
one who becomes son OF the Lord Al |
mighty will live the longer. With long |
life will ] satisfy him and show him My
salvation"
Again / remark that godliness is good |
for the intellect. | know some have sup |
posed that Just as soon as a man enters |
into the Christian life his intellect goes
into bedwarfing process. So far from |
that, religion will give new brilhancy TO
the intellect. new strength TO the lmagina-
tion. new force 10 the will and wider |
swing TO all tho intellectual faculties
Christianity Il the great central fire al
which philosophy has lighted its brightest
torch.
The religion Of Christ is the fountain
out Of which learning has dipped It's clear
est draft. The Helicon poured forth no
sCch inspiring waters az those which How
from under the throne Of God clear as
crystal.
Religion has given new energy to psesy,
weeping in DR.. Iounss Night Thoughts
teaching in Cowper's Task" flaming in
Charles Wesleys hymns ind rushing with
lrchangelic spiendor through MIlton's
Paradise Lost" TIE religion Of Christ
has hung in studio and in gallery of art and
in Vatican the best pictures-1itian's As
Raphaeis TRANSPORTATION,
Rubenss Descent From tn Gross"
~laude's Burning Bush and Angeles
Last Judgment" Religion has made the
ion" Handel's Messiah" Mozart's Re.
Juiern." l. 1t possible that a religion
which builds such indestructible monu-
nents and which lifts its ensign on the |