The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1902-02-14
A GRATEFUL. SPIRIT.
Should Be Cultivated by One and
All, Says DR.. Talmage.
NC should Rehearse All Our Bless
ing. and Give Praise to God
for Them-The Gospel OF
Good Morals.
copyright. 1902 by Louis Klopsch. N ~

copyright 1902, by Louis Klopsch. N. <.
Washington,
In this discourse DR.. Talmage call
attention to causes of Thanksgiving
that are seldom recognized and show
how to cultivate cheerful spirit; text
Psalms 33:2: "Sing unto Him with
psaltery and an instrument OF tel
strings"
A musician as well as poet and con
queror and king was David, the author
of my text. He first composed the sa
cred rhythm and then played it upon
harp, striking and plucking the strings
with his fingers and thumbs. Inc
harp is the Oldest of musical instru
ments. Jubal invented it, and he was
the seventh descendant from Adam
Its music was suggested by the twans
of the bowstring. Homer refers to the
harp in the "Iliad." 1t is the most con-
secrated of all instruments. The hutc
is more mellow, the bugle more mar
tial, the cornet more incisive, the trum-
pet more resonant, the organ more
mighty, but the harp has tenderness
and sweetness belonging to no other
instrument that know of. 1t enters
into the richest symbolism of the Holy
Scriptures. The captives in their sad
ness "hung their harps upon the will
lows" The raptures of Heaven are
represented under the figure OF harp
ers harping on their harps." We learn
from coins and medals that in the Mac
cabean age the harp had only three
strings. In other ages it had eight
strings. David's harp had ten strings,
and when his great soul was afire with
the theme his sympathetic voice, ac-
companied by exquisite vibration OF
the chords, must have been overpower-
ing.
With as many things to complain
about as any man ever had David
wrote more anthems than any other
man ever wrote. He puts even the
frosts and hailstorms and tempests
and creeping things and flying fowl
and the mountains and the hills and
day and night into chorus. Absa-
Ions plotting and Ahithopheps treach
cry and hosts of antagonists and sleep
less nights and running sore could
not hush his psalmody. Indeed, the
more his troubles the mightier his sa-
cred poems. The words ''praise" and
''song" are so often repeated in his
psalms that one would think the type
settlers case containing the letters
with which these words are spelled
would be exhausted.
In my text David calls upon the peo-
pie to praise the Lord with an instru-
ment of ten strings, like that which he
was accustomed to finger. The simple
fact is that the most of us, if we praise |
The Lord at all, play upon one string |
or two strings or three strings when |
We ought to take harp fully chorded
md with glad fingers sweep all the |
strings. Instead of being grateful for
here and there a blessing we happen
TO think of, we ought to rehearse all |
,ur blessings so far as we can recall |
hem and obey the injunction of my
ext to sing unto Him with an instru-
nent of ten strings.
Have you ever thanked God for de-
ightsome food? What vast multitudes
ire a-hungered from day to day or are
obliged to take food not toothsome
IT pleasant to the taste! What mil
ions are in struggle for bread! A con-
ederate soldier went to the front, and
lis family were on the verge of star
alton, but they were kept up by the
aith of child of that household who,
loticing that some supply was sure to
ome, exclaimed: Mother, 1 think
iod hears when we scrape the bottom
# the barrel"
Have you appreciated the fact that
Il most of your tables are luxuries
hat do not come to all? Have you real
zed what varieties of flavor often
ouch your tongue and how the sac
HARM and the acid have been afforded
our palate? What fruits, what nuts,
that meats regale your appetite, while
lany would be glad to get the crusts
nd rinds and Feelings that fall from
our table. For the fine favors and
he luxurious viands you have enjoyed
Or lifetime perhaps you have never
xpressed to God word of thanksgiv-
ig. That is one of the ten strings that
GU ought to have thrummed in praise
} God, but you have never yet put it in !
bration.
Have you thanked God for eyesight
originally given to you or, after it
as dimmed by age, for the glass that q
rought the page of the book within
lie compass of the vision? Have you r
allied the privation those suffer to
hom the day is as black as the night I
I'd who never see the face of father or I
other or wife or child or friend? n
trough what painful surgery many y
va nnna tn get one nlinnnse a. The |