The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-31


fashioned. singing over their heads; they
can never look into the unfathomed sea
of affection which God has rolled into the
deep blue of a ehild.s eye because they
are always living IN the dark caverns.
the reptile inhabited dungeons which
their own evil imaginahons have created.
In order to overcome this sin of wor-
rying 1 want you to try an experiment
Every hour OF every day try to think
| OF the blessings God has given 30 you
instead of trying TO remember all your
troubles. If you have poor memory.
want you to take a long sheet of paper
and write those blessings down you
think of them, and then every little while
take up this paper and read over the
list. You will need very long sheet of
paper when you once begin the list. You
are going to be surprised. overwhelming
ly surprised, at the great number Of
blessings you can put down.
I we'll remember, many years ago.
when my father once gathered all his
children together about his chair and
gave to each one of as a long sheet of
paper and told US TO write down our
| blessings At first I could not think OF a
thing to write, but after awhile the bless
| ings, the many blessings, which l had be-
| gan to crowd into my brain. | wrote and
wrote until after awhile had to get an
other sheet of paper. Then I wrote and
wrote until after awhile those blessings
seemed to pile themselves up into a great
mountain. And then. do you know. after
| I had been cataloguing my many bless
ings was ashamed to think about any
| of my troublesl They seemed to be so
small and Insignificant in comparison
with the mercies with which God had
surrounded me My brother, as you be-
gin today to think of all your blessings.
tell you bluntiy and plainly, it is a
shame. a sinful shame, for you to have
postponed so long learning a prayer of
| thanksgiving. It is a shame, a sinful
shame. that you have postponed so long
the day when you are willing to get down
upon your knees and thank God for what
he has done for you and for the bless
ings that have enriched your life.
A Hymn That Helps.
There are many different hymns sung
In church. in prayer meeting and at the
family altar, but there is no hymn that
breathes In 1t a sweeter gospel, no hymn
which helps more to make a truer, hap
pier purer and holier Christian life than
that hymn with the chorus:
Count your blessings; name them one by
one;
Count your blessings see what God has
done
This is a hymn that ought to be sung
every day from the heart. 1t is a hymn
which should aid in transforming a life
OF sinful worrying into one of trust and
| gratitude and holy JOY.
Troubles cannot be rightly anticipated
because we cannot rightly anticipate the
| grace God will give to his believing chill
| dren, by means of which we shall be able
| to overcome our troubles when they ar
| rive. For proof of the abundant grace
and strength that are given when most
needed let me point you to the many won
derful, glorious and triumphant Christian
| deathbed scenes that have been recorded.
When DR.. Dome was dying. he said, in
answer to a question: II as happy on
earth as l can be. and as sure of glory as
! If were in 1t. have nothing to do but
step out Of this bed into heaven" When
Senator Foote of Vermont was dying he
looked, at the last and cried: II see It!
1 see it! The gates are wide open. Beau
tiful! Beautiful AS DIR. Sewall Of Wash
ington city lay dying he cried out: 'Oh
If had a voice that would reach from
pole to pole. would proclaim it to all
the world Victory! Victory through the
blood of the lamb" But when we hear
of such wonderful deathbed scenes we are
apt to say to ourselves: II do not see
how any Christian could be happy when
he is leaving behind wife, children, work
and loved ones. / do not see how any
body could be happy because he is going
to him are clinging to his side?'
But. friend, the reason you cannot I'M
derstand the glorious triumph of the dy-
ing Christian is because you cannot un-
derstand the infinite amount OF divine
reinforcement which is given to Gods
children at the time the death angel
comes. You cannot understand how that
divine reinforcement is able to let them
look straight through the dark clouds of
| farU INF ma of uTho
parting lips tell them that all is well.
When your future troubles come, and
they must come. Gods grace, If you are a
believing child. will be sufficient for you.
Gods grace the infinite amount of which
you cannot now estimate, will go with
you down into the depths Of sorrow.
though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake
with the swelling thereof"
Influences of Christian Faith.
Anticipating trouble is a sin, because
1t exhibits a lack of gospel faith to the
unbelievers around you, who might other
wise be winning to believe in the atoning,
saving, inspiring and recreating power of
the blood of the Lamb. Talk as we may,
we cannot get away from the overwhelm-
Ing fact that every processing Christian
is as a city set upon hill for all unbe-
levers to look at and to be guided by.
hermaid or butler or other employee ever
eneered the house Of Phillips Brooks but
| he or she became Christian, If not al
ready one, through the influence of that
| great and good gospel minister of Bos-
ton. So our Christian lights cannot be
hidden under bushel. f they are false
lights, the world will see that they are
false, and will despise them; of they are
true lights, the world will follow those
lights. What we say and do will influence
others In reference to what they say and
do for or against Christ.
But no man can safely let the future
take care of itself unless he deals rightly
with the present, and no man can deal
rightly with the present unless he deals
rightly with God or, rather, lets God
deal rightly with him. Are you and in
, touch with Jesus Christ so that Christ
can and will take charge of our future
. for us? If we are. we are eternally all
, right If we are not in touch with Christ
we are eternally all wrong. II you are in
touch with the Lord Jesus and your pres
ent relationship with the Savior is that
of a true follower and disciple then ]
|, would like to give to you the message
which Abraham Lincoln sent to Richard
Ogesby in the darkest days of the civil
war. Richard Oglesby. who was thrice
elected governor of Illinois, was at one
time very much discouraged. When the
Union armies were being steadily driven
back. he sent a melancholy letter to the
White House, In which he told the Presi-
dent that he thought all was lost. When
the letter came, Abraham Lincoln sent