The age-herald., 1902-03-23
Dr. Talrn1age's Sermon.


 yardsticks and crowbars and piokaxes. 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 up- holstery or have on your table all the luxuries that were poured from the wine vats of Ispahan and Shiraz. Our religion says: Away to the bank. away to the field. away to the shop. away to the fac tory" Do something that will enlist all the energies of your body mind and soul" 'Diigent 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 he says. If any man will not work, neither shall he eat
 Oh, how important in this day, when so much is said about anatomy and phy- siology and therapeutics and some new style medicine Is ever and anon spring ing upon the world, that you should understand that the highest school of medicine is the school of Christ, which declares that "godliness Is profitable un- to 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 re- ligion of Christ in his heart and the oth- CT shall not get It. the one who becomes a son of the Lord Almighty will live the longer. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation"
 Religion and the Intellect. Again I remark that godliness Is good for the intellect. 1 know some have sup posed that just as soon as a man enters into the Christian life his intellect goes into a bedwarfing process So far from that, religion will give new brilliancy to the intellect, new strength to the imagin- alton. new force to the will and wider swing to all the intellectual faculties Christianity is the great central fire at which philosophy has lighted It's bright est torch. The religion of Christ is the fountain out of which learning has dip- ped It's dearest draft. The Helicon poured forth no such inspiring waters as those which flow from under the throne of God clear as crystal Religion has given new energy to poesy. weeping in Dr. Young's Night Thoughts, teaching in Cowpers Task" flaming in Charles Wes- leys hymns and rushing with archangelic splendor through Milton's Paradise Lost" The religion of Christ has hung in studio and in gallery of art and in Va- tican the best pictures-Titian's AS sumption" Raphaers 'Transfiguration,' ' Rubens' Descent From the Cross" Claude's Burning Bush'' and Angelo's Last Judgment" Religion has made the best music of the world-Haydn's "Crea- tion," Handers Messiah Mozart's Re quiem." Is it possible that a religion which builds such indestructible monu- ments and which lifts its ensign on the highest promontories of worldly power can have any effect upon a mans intel lect but elevation?
 Now, I commend godliness as the best m ental discipline, better than belles let tres to purify the taste better than math- ematcs to harness the mind to all intri- oacy and elaboration, better than logic to marshal the intellectual forces for on- set and victory. It will go with Hugh Miller and show him the footprints of the Creator in the rad sandstone It will go with the botanist and show him celestial glories encamped under the curtain of a water lily It will go with the astrono- mer on the great heights where God shepherds the great flock of worlds that wander on the hills of heaven answer ing his voice as he calls them all by their names.
 Again I remark that godliness is pro- fitable for ones disposition. Lord Ash ley. before he went into a great battle, was heard to orer tnlS prayer: ''O Loru, I shall be very busy today! If I forget thee, forget me not" With such a Chris tian disposition as that a man Is inde- pendent of all circumstances. Our piety will have tinge of our natural temper | ament If a man be cross and sour and | fretful naturally, after he becomes a | Christian he will always have to be | armed against the rebellion of those evil | inclinatfons. But religion has tanned the | widest natures. It has turned fretful- ness into gratitude, dependency into | good cheer, and those who were hard 1 and ungovernable and uncompromising | have been made pliable and conciliatory. | Good resolution, reformatory effort, will | not effect the change. It takes a mightier | arm and a mightier hand to bend evil l habits than the hand that bent the bow l of Ulysses, and 1t takes a stronger lasso | than ever held the buffalo on the prairie.
 Influence of the Gospel.
 A man cannot go forth with any hu- | man weapons and contend successfully 1 against these Titans armed with uptorn | mountains. But you have known men