Wisdom's Promise: How Religion Lengthens Our Days

For by Me thy days shall be multiplied.—The deepest human desire is the preservation and prolonging of life. Life and health form the foundation of all other enjoyments. True wisdom in conducting human life lies in using the pleasures of this present world so that they do not shorten the period wherein we are allowed to enjoy them.

Temperance and sobriety—the regular government of our appetites and passions—represent the greatest instances of human wisdom. Religion adds strength to these virtues by annexing the promise of God's immediate blessing to the natural tendency and consequences of things. "The fear of the Lord" and "the knowledge of the Holy" (yirah—reverent awe) are synonymous expressions, signifying the practice of virtue and true religion.

The practice of religion is man's truest wisdom. Scripture concurs in setting forth the wisdom of being virtuous and religious, comparing it favourably with the wisdom in arts and sciences, political skill, and the secrets of nature. The only wisdom that all men are capable of, and obliged to attain, is the practical wisdom of being truly religious.

The practice of religion tends to prolong our life and lengthen our days. In the nature of things, men destroy themselves by wickedness; conversely, by peace, charity, and temperance they are preserved. By quiet of conscience and satisfaction of mind, new life is added to their spirits. Under the Gospel, eternal life is far more clearly revealed than the temporal promises of the Old Testament, elevating our understanding of this blessing beyond mere earthly duration.