The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-18
1.-THE SPIRITUAL BEARING
 OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS, ]"
SERMON BY REV. r. R. LUCK DELIVERED AT HUMPHREY
 ST. CONG'L CHURCH

Yesterday Forenoon--NIental Conditions
 as Affecting Spiritual Life-Denial of 1 the Reality of the Body Reaches "The Limit"-Domestic Explosion scenes
 for Instance Often the Result of Ex-
 hausted Physical ConditiOn--Amcri-
 cans as Nation Overdriven-A
 Wider Range of Interest Needed.
 A highly interesting discourse was delivered by the Rev. MT. Luckey at the Humphrey street Congregational church yesterday forenoon in which MT. Luckey spoke incidentally of Christian Science" The discourse was an elo- quent one and held the closest atten- ton of his congregation. The discourse was mainly, if not wholly, eXtempora- neous and marked by much earnestness and evident catholicity of spirit The following gives the substance of the discourse. The speakers subject was 1 ''The Spiritual Bearing of Physical Con- dtions." The text was "The body is for the Lord: and the Lord for the body from I. Corinthians, vi, 13. | Mr. Luckey said; We have been hear 1 ing a great deal of late of the physical bearing of spiritual conditions, of how depressing thoughts. like sorrow and fear. or joyful thoughts, affect the body, of how a healthy soul-life tends to healthy body of how the Lord is the body-for the body's highest and best state.
 Rut are we not in danger in our emphasis of psychical upon physical conditions, of mind upon body, of soul upon flesh, to forget the other half of the whole truth, i e., the spiritual bearing of physical conditions? A legit- innate recognition of the importance of mental conditions, of tile state of the spiritual life upon physical health, of the physical bearing of spiritual condi- tions, is good. But an exaggerated, ex- travagant over-statement and mis- statement of this truth, is bad. It is my puhpose, therefore, in this sermon to seek to restore the balance, and to lay emphasis upon the spiritual bear ing of physical conditions.
 First of all we must recognize the fact that our spiritual life has it's bod fly conditions, for the present world at least: that. however it may be in the future, we are not yet disemhodied spirits; that there is the constant and intimate relation of the spiritual to the physical; that the loftiest spiritual life is related, at least in this world, to in- exorable physical conditions; that 'our soul helps flesh more, now, than flesh helps soul" as Browning says that the spiritual is rooted in the physical.
 Secondly, We must recognize the fact that the two spirit and flesh, mind and body phychical and physical, are knit up together in an lndissolubly way, form unity, twain but one.
 Thirdly, We must recognize the fur ther fact that their influence is, at least to some degree, mutual Each con stantly affects the other; "nor soul helps flesh more, now, than flesh helps soul" That "soul helps flesh is true, and a legitimate recognition of this truth is good But an exaggerated, ex- travagant over-statement and mis- statement of this truth, even to the denial of the reality of the body, is, to use d slang expression, 'the limit
 Therefore, to restore the balance l desire this morning to emphasize the spiritual bearing of physical condi- tlons; not forgetting, however, the physical bearing of spiritual conditions. For, if we are wise, if we see both sides of the shield we shall not ignore this side of the matter Does anyone doubt the spiritual bearing of physical condi- tions: let him note in his own exner- fence the close connection between the control of his spirit and his bodily tone; let his note the relation of fatigue, brain or muscular, to moral life; let l him note how a domestic explosion, which breaks the peace of q household. and for weeks. may be, glooms and shadows two lives, as often as not means simply that a tired, physically tired, husband at the end of his day. has met a tired wife?
 Physical conditions do affect the spiritual values in us all. Fatigue is not merely physically uncomfortable, It | is intellectually and moral dangerous. The record of the worlds Saturday nights reveal that: Tt is plain" as someone has said, that when our bod ily activities go beyond their limit. when we work not from our overflow. but from the dtegs of our vitality
 when we keep going, not by sleep and rest, but by stimulant and spurt. we are shining against the whole deca- logue,
 But the spiritual bearing of physical conditions has more than an individual reference; it has a national one The The American people are over-driven
 in brain and body. Neurasthenia is a peculiarly American disease; some have ventured to coll it 'fAmericanitis" This endangers our intellectual su- premacy and increases enormously the difficulties of our moral problem. It would be better, far better to develop our resources more slowly and not get over-tired in muscle and nerve and
 brain, so have greater power to live lrlghteously and thinking clearly. As no faged man can be at his best in spirit, so no Jagged nation.
 We need, also, as indiiduals and as a 1 tT1tA sf- hH