Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-03-21
{ 2aIrlgagSs|||!s
@ szge<eSz %~9M
kf@L1l1l0)G1ssfY



Tor this world as the next and will help
us to do anything that ought TO be
done at all; 1 Timothy iv. 8. "Godli-
ness is profitable unto all things. hav-
ing promise of the life that now is and
Of that which is TO Gomez
There is a gloomy and passive way
of waiting for events to come upon us,
and there is heroic way of going out
TO meet them, strong in God aud fear
ing nothing. When the body of Catiiine
was found on the battlefield, IL 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
10 go forth in a Christian spirit deter
mined to conquer. You are expecting
prosperity. and l am determined, so far
as 1 have anything to do with ii, that
you shall not be disappointed. and.
therefore. I 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 firm-but there
needs to be one member added, might
Ter than them all. and not a silent part
ner either. the one introduced by my
text, Goodness, which is profitable un-
to all things, having the promise of the
life that now is as well us of that
which Is to come"
suppose you are all willing to admit
that goodness is important in it's eter-
nal relations, but perhaps some OF you
say. "All want is an opportunity to
say a prayer before 1 die, and all will
be WELL" There are a great many peo-
pie who suppose that IL they can finally
get safely out of this world into a bet
ter world they will have exhausted the
entire advantage OF our holy religion.
They talk as though religion were a
mere nod OF recognition which we are
TO give to the Lord Jesus on our way
up to heavenly mansion; as though il
were an admission ticket. Of no use
except to give In ut the door OF
heaven And there are thousands of
people who have great admiration for
religion Of the shroud and n religion
Of tho coffin and n religion of the
hearse and a religion OF the cemetery
who have no appreciation of q 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 post
norton religion, want today to eulo-
gize an aDtemortem religion. A religion
that is of no use to you while you live
will be OF no use to you when you die
Goodness is profitable unto all things,
having promise OF the life that now is
rs well as of that which is TO come"
And / have always noticed that when
grace is very low in mans heart he
talks great deal in prayer meetings
about deaths and about collins and
about graves and about churchyards.
L have noticed that the healthy Chris-
tan. the man who is living near to God
and Is on the straight road TO heaven,
is full or jubllant satisfaction and talks
about the duties OF this life. under
standing well that il God helps him to
live right he will help him to die right
wbnt GodIine.s In Good For.
Now. In the first place. remark that
godliness is good for n mans physical
health / do not mean 20 say that II
will restore broken down constitu-
ton or drive rheumatism from the
limbs or neuralgia from the temples or
pleurisy from the side, but / do mean
20 say that IL gives one such habits and
puts one In such condition as are most
favorable for physical health. That
believe. and that 1 avow. Everybody
knows that buoyancy OF spirit Is good
physical advantage. Gloom. unrest.
detection. are at war with every pull
sation or the heart and with every res
piration OF the lungs. They lower the
vitality and slacken the circulation,
while exhilaration or spirit pours the
very balm OF heaven through all the
currents or life. The sense OF insecur-
ity which sometimes hovers over an
unregenerate man or pounces upon
him with the blast OF ten thousand
trumpets or terror is most depicting
and most eNhausting. 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 godiiness in |
duces industry, which Is the founda- |
ton or good health. There Is no law |
or hygiene that will keep a lazy man |
We'll Pleurisy will stab him. erysipe- |
las VIII burn him, Jaundice will dis |
color him. govt 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 physic.
nj condition without positive work of |
some Kind, although you should sleep
On down OF swan or ride In carriage of |
sortest upholstery or have on your tn
Bile all the luxuries that were poured |
from the wine watts OF Ispahan and |
Shiraz- Our religion says: away 70
the bank away to the field. away to the |
shop. away to the factoryi Do some
thing that will enlist all the energies |
or your body, mind and soulr' "DM-
gent In business, fervent in spirit, sery-
ing the Lord" while upon the bare
back or the idier and the drone comes
down the sharp lash OF the apostle as
ne 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
and therapeutics and some
new style or medicine Is ever ana anon
springing upon the world, that YOU
should understand that the highest
school Of medicine is the school az
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
IL 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 1t, the one who becomes a son
OF the Lord Almighty will live the
longer. with long life will 1 satisfy
him and show him my salvation"
Religion and the Inteilect.
Again remark that goodness is good
Tor the intellect. / know some have
supposed that just as soon as q man
enters into the Christian life his intel
iect goes into bedwarfng process. So
Tar from that, religion will give new
briiliancy to the intellect, new strength