Connecticut western news., 1902-03-20


 WASHINGTON, March 16.-In this dis course Dr. Talmage advocates the idea that the Christian religion Is as good for this world as the next and will help done at all; Timothy iv, 8, "Godl- ness Is profitable unto all things, hay, ing 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 oi going out to meet them, strong in God and fear ing nothing. When the body of Catiline was found on the battlefield, 1t 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 deter, mined to conquer. You are expecting prosperity, and I am determined, so far as l have anything to do with 1t, that you shall not be disappointed, and, therefore. propose, 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 hrm-but there needs to be one member added, might fer than them all, and not a silent part ner either, the one introduced by my text. "Godliness, which is profitable un- to all things, having the promise of the life that now Is as we'll as of that which Is to come"
 suppose you are all willing to admit that godliness Is important in its eter- nal 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. There are a great many peo- pie who Sappdne that if they can finally ge1 safely out of this world into bet ter world they will have exhausted the entire advantAge of our holy religion. INky talk as though religion were n1ere nod of recognition which we are 10 give to the Lord Jesus on our way up to a heavenly mansion; as though 1t were an admission ticket, of no use except to give in at the door of heaven-s And there are thousands of people who have great admiration for
 
 of the coffin and a religion of the hearse and a religion of the cemetery wLo have no appreciation of religion for the bank. for the farm, for the factory. for the warehouse. for the jew eler's shop. for the office. Now. while ] would not throw any slur on a post mortem religion, want today to eulo- gike an antemOrtem religion. A religion that is of no use to you while you live Mill be of no use to you when you die. "Godliness is profitable unto all things. having promise of the life that now is as we'll as of that which is to come" And l 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 coflns and about graves and about churchyards l have noticed that the healthy Chris tian. the man who Is living near to God ard is on the straight road to heaven, ls full of jubilant satisfaction and talks about the duties of this life, under stnnding we'll that if God helps him to live right he will help him to die right.
 What Godliness h Good For.
 Now, in the first place, l remark that godliness Is good for a mans physical health. do not mean to say that 1t will restore a broken down constitu- ton or drive rheumatism from the limbs or neuralgia from the temples or pleurisy from the side. but I do mean to say that it gives one such habits and puts one in such condition as are most favorable for phyBical health. That I believe. and that I avow. Everybody knows that buoyancy of spirit Is good physical advantage. Gloom. unrest, dejection. are at war with every pull .ation of the heart and with every res piration of the lungs. They lower the vitality and slacken the circulation. while exhilaration of spirit ponrs the very balm of heaven through all the currents of life. The sense of insecur- ity which sometimes hovers over an unregenerate man or pounces upon him with the blast of ten thousand trumpets of terror Is most depicting and most exhausting. while the feeling that all things are working together for our good now and for our everlast- ing welfare Is conducive to physical health.
 You will observe that godliness in- duces industry. which Is the founda- ton of good health. There is no law of hygiene that will ksep~a lazy man we'll Pleurisy will stab him. erysipe- las will burn him, jaundice will dis color him. gout will cripple him. and the intelligent physician will not pre- scribe antiseptic or febrifuge or ano- huN% vNAh h0vv r,H mnA sticks and crowbars and pickaxes There is DO such thing as good physic- al conditioR without positive work of some kind, although you should sleep Dn down of swan or ride in carriage of Aoftesa upholstery or have on your ta- ble+aH the Injuries that were poured from the wine vats of Ispahan and 6hira1 Our religion says: Away to the bank. away to the field, away to the shop. away to the factoryi Do some thing that will enlist all the energies of your body. mind and soulr' "Dii- gent in business, fervent In spirit. serv- ing the Lord." while upon the bare back of the idler and the drone comes down the sharp lash of the apostle as he says. eff any man will not work. neither shall he eat"
 Oh. how important in this day, when % much Is said about anatomy and physiology and therapeutics and some new style of medicine is ever and anon springing upon the world, that you should understand 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 sequal physical health, and then one of them shall get the religion of Christ in his heart and the other shall not get 1t. the one who becomes a son of the Lord Almighty will live the longer. with long life will satisfy him and show him my salvation"