The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-05-24
A Bill Presented.

the risk" Does not that prove that most
people are honest?
A Bill Presented.
Taking this premise then, for granted.
shall boldly present to you a bill which
know you will try to pay. 1t is from
my Lord and Master. 1t is a statement
of the debt which every man. woman and
child, to more or less extent owes to
God. do not demand payment of 1t, for
1t Is greater than you could ever pay
though you lived on earth a thousand
years and worked as hard as you could;
but / want you to feel your obligations
and to resolve that you will do all that
Is in your power to show your gratitude
to your Heavenly Father for all the mer-
Giles and comforts with which He has sur
rounded you during your life Therefore,
what you are to do, you must start to do
right away, and in order to do 1t, you
must serve Christ from now on with
your whole heart
bill for good health Is charged up
against most of us in the divine ledger
We may may be growing old now and
have here and there a rheumatic twinge;
we may be unable to eat as heartily of
indigestibe foods as we did when young,
or to work as rapidly or as long, but
most of us have had years and years OF
good health. We have had years with
two stout lungs and two keen eyes and
with good digestive organs and good
nerves. Now comes the question: What
have we accomplished with this God given
blessing called good health! Have we
done anything more with 1t than to eat
and sleep. and, brutelike, physically to en-
JOY ourselves? Have we placed that good
health at the service of the Master as we
know we ought to have done? II you had
cir utaH CHI l.. IL.
room just after the crisis was past, and
say. well Mr.. So-and-So. how are you
feeling today?" You would answer
THANK God am better; I hope 1 shall
soon be we'll" You give by that answer
all the credit of your convalescence and
health to God. Can 1t be that God is not
expecting you to do anything for him on
account of this blessing?
But answers some one, you cannot
blame the average person for not being
more grateful for his good health. A
healthy man does not think about his
health. If that good health was taken
away from him 1t would be different
Then the individual would realize what
he had lost. But how can you blame
man for not being grateful for a heal
thy liver or kidneys or spleen when the
mere fact that these organs are healthy
proves that he never knew he had
liver or spleen or kldneys?" In one sense,
my brother. your answer is right When
a man loses his good health he is ready
to give up almost everything he has to
win 1t back. If his lungs are bad he will
sell out his business to go and live in
Los Angeles, Cal, or San Antonio, Tex
or In some mild climate in Arizona. II
he has gallstones he will gladly cross the
seas in the hope that the Carlsbad waters
may dissolve them. If he has cancer
willingly does he lie down upon the oper-
ating table in the hope that the surgeons
knife may cut out the fatal destroyer
But in another sense. my brother your
answer is wrong. Though most of us
may be healthy, yet there was a time
when nearly all well persons were sick.
and awfully sick, We know what 1t Is
to have the temperature run up to 104
and 105 and the pulse like trip hammer,
beating 100 times to the minute. We
know what 1t is to have pneumonia or
typhoid fever or appendicitis. And from
the past experience of those sicknesses we
should fully realize the blessing of good
health and be willing to pay a great debt
of service to God for that health When
visiting the Isle of Wight in 1885 we saw
the queens physician every morning ride
up to the royal palace. He did not go
there because the queen was i'll. but in
order to prevent her from becoming sick
If the royal courts of Europe have their
attending physicians, who are paid large
salaries to keep the rulers well. shall we
not pay in service anything to our Heav-
emily Physician for the physical strength
with which many of us are endowed?
Capital OF Good Health.
oh said poor laborer to a mission
airy one day, II don't owe any debt to
God He has done nothing for me-"
Nothing for your exclaimed the mis-
sionary. Would you be willing, poor as
you are, to take a million dollars cash
for your two eyes?" No" answered the
laborer II would not" Would you be
willing to take a million dollars for your
two legs, and all the rest of your earthly
days have to be wheeled around as a
cripple? Would you be willing for a mil
lion dollars to exchange your good lungs
for those of consumptive?" No" said
the laborer. II would not Then" said
the minister. you owe to God gratitude
and service to the amount of at least
s., 900. 900 capital for good health.
We have all followed with intense in
10 he %,