The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-18

face are examples Of invisible effects of spiritual states on the deeper and more secret parts of the body Fear affects the kidneys. rage the liver. worry the digestive system generally; joy the action of the heart. and the nervous system is especially affected by mental trouble or by those spiritual emotions which produce insomni, hys- teria and kindred troubles. It is most natural, therefore, that long contin- ued abnormal spiritual condition would produce an abnormal condition of the body. Continual worry will derange the functions of the digestive organs; cher ished anger becoming chronic bitter ness and abiding hate towards anoth- CT for real or imagined wrong, will greatly impair the action of the or gans affected thereby: undue nervous excitement or tension will issue in some form of hysteria; and every observant pastor who has for years visited per
 sons out of health in mind and body knows equally well with the physician that the i'll health often has its seat in the soul.
 Since the above is unquestionally true 1t is most req sonable to conclude that. conversely. as disordered state of the soul may disorder the state of the body and produce disease--note the word. lack of ease, proper acdon-so chang ed state of previously disordered soul may produce a changed state of body issuing in ease. that is health. For example, if person who has been In a worried state of mind can be quieted and soothed and become at ease what is more natural than that the disease of the body formerly induced by the souls unquiet should disappear and the body regain it's normal ease and action. If soul, which has cherished anger against other persons or against the world in general until 1t has deep ened into hate and bitterness which has been burning both soul and body, can be induced to obey the apostolic injunction and to put away bitterness until the soul becomes quiet and sweet and at peace with itself and with the world, what more natural than that the body will recover repose and re- new its normal power If person, who has been suffering from over-ex- citement of any kind continued until the nerves. like wires broken from their true support and swinging with every wind, are uncontrolled and culver with any, external action upon them, can be led to mental quiet and calmness and self-control. what more natural than that the nervous system would begin to reknit itself and to renew itself in health. And in all this process of gain ing health 1t Is not so much thought as what is deeper than thought, name ly, feeling or state of soul-the real man-which determines the result Therefore, religion plays an important part in preserving or in recovering the health of men, especially as men rise in intelligence and refinement. Primi- tive people. who are much like animals or like children, content with their con diton, satisfied with the supply of the needs of the day, are not given to the conditions of anxiety and ambition which affiiet men of higher order. Fear, arising from want of faith In anything higher than ones self; anxi- ety because, of inability to control the conditions of life and from the uncer- tainty of the morrow; an irritable state awakened by i'll treatment which is re- sented instead of being allowed to pass and to be forgotten; ambition striving to be what one is not or to attain what l cannot be attained self-love making self, not God, the center of the uni verse around which everything should resolve, and similar states of soul 1 greatly destroy the happiness and the health of men. Now, religion, which l changes these states of soul-religion, which leads a man to dwell in the love l of God, In the actual belief that God l loves him, cares for him, will provide l for him. and will make all things work i together for good-casts out fear and replaces 1t by courage: religion. which is confidence in the mercy and grace | and providence of God, will remove anxiety and will replace it with peace; religion, which is the practice of low ing men because God loves them, will remove irritableness and give Instead thereof an energy of soul which ex-
 pends Itself in doing good; religion
 which is submission 10 the will and the ways of God, will take away improper
 peaceful purpose of serving God by do- ing good to men. In short, he who will
 believe what Jesus teaches of God and
 of Gods relation to men who trust him 1 and who will put away those vices oi
 the soul against which Jesus warns
 and will cherish the virtues which
 Jesus commends will find not only that his soul is made whole in its serenity
 and strength but that also the healtf
 of his body is promoted thereby. Multi
 tudes of men and women who havs
 never turned their thoughts Inward tt
 analyze their happiness and thei'
 health have been preserved in healtf
 and have greatly enjoyed life becaus'
 their religion has made them whole. M,
 opinion is that a man must either b.
 an animal in his habit of feeling an6
 thought, and so enjoy life from the ani
 nal side or else he must be a saints
 man who lives in the things of tn
 spirit-and dwell in God. If he is tt
 have happiness and health. And witt
 the standards and the dominant spir
 it of Christian lands it Is increasingly
 hard to live as an animal. It may b,
 well, therefore, that the church, in som
 form. should recognize and teach tn
 relation of the soul 10 the body anC
 the value of true religion in promot
 ing health. In doing this, however, tn
 church must remember that the gospe
 is the publication of the love of Go'
 and the chief mission of Jesus 1
 to save his people from their sins. It il
 health mainly through the soul whicl
 the church may give. Now if pasto
 finds some personals I have found Il | my eXnerience-suffering because som