The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-12

Christ would be as near tl you had you not talked with him in the midnight hour when the nurse was dozing In her chair by your bed? Jesus thou son of David. have mercy on mel" cried blind Barte- meus in his physical weakness to the passing Christ. Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me we have cried to Christ in our physical torture. Do you not see any blessing in pain, any spirit ual mission in physical suffering in your past life?
 Bessedness of Sickness.
 Beneficent is the sick bed for the in- valid. Blessed is its influence upon those who come in touch also with the sane tifed sufferer. Wenuell Phnhps would not have been as brave and as true a man as he was had his life not been in- spired by the bravery of that sick wife who always kept saying to him: "On Wendell, on God has a mission for you. While you are out battling in his name I vii be here praying and waiting for you" Could any one read the eulogy Robert ]. Burdette wrote about his dead wife and not realize that the frail little woman whom he for years carried around in his arms had a mighty mission in molding and developing her husbands life for spiritual good? By the letters my mother wrote me from her sick room and by the letters you have received from a sick wife or sick daughter n sick mother who was at that time in the shadow of death you know that some of Gods mightiest agents for the salvation of the world are to be found among those of pale cheeks, thin hands, and feyered brows. Oh, no my friends, God will never take out of this world the spiritual mission of physical pain and suffering until, through those sufferings the multitudes have been brought to confess Christ at the foot of the cross
 An Easy Task.
 Easy would it be for God to make right might and to melt the iron heel of tyranny in the hot fires of his indigna- ton and righteous wrath. Easy would 1t be for God to come forth with his great legions of angels and ride down the hill- sides of heaven upon the white charger of victory. Easy would it be for God to destroy his puny adversares, as they are trying to destroy to destroy his kingdom on earth. How do l know this? In the first chapter of Proverbs l read that when the time shall draw near for God to bear his right and come 10 the defense of his children by the overthrow of his enemies God shall ay: "I also will laugh at your calamity. l will mock when your fear cometh." God will easily overthrow his adversaries when the right time comes. But now even sin has its mission The battle against sin can be developed in his struggle against the trials of the world Injustiees have their beneflcent mission? How else would you ever appreciate what the pardoning love of Christ meant un- less you learned 1t through your willing ness to forgive those who have "reviled you and persecuted you and have said all manner of evil against you falsely and for my sake" Don't you remember how you were distressed by calumnies and false charges uttered by some malicious enc my? How angry and furious you were against the caluniator! You have earn- ed how to forgive. Was 1t not in trying to overcome those bitternesses and hatreds that you were led into the realization of the truth that God Is love and that we must forgive men their trespasses, even as our Father in heaven forglves us our trespasses Oh, yes. injustices have their spiritual mission. They have taught us that the true gospel does not consist simply fin showing how we should reach out our hands to our friends. but also how We should reach out loving hands to our enemies In triumphing over the wrongs by which we are surrounded God is teaching us how, for his sake. we can triumph over our own evil selves. Death Might Be Abolished.
 Easy would 1t be for God to make death an impossibilty. When Christ stood by the bier of "the only son of his mother. and she widow. he was able to make a silent corpse upon its eyes and sit up. He said, Young man. say unto thee. arise," When Christ went to the tomb of dead Lazarus he said to Mary and Martha: "Thy brother is not dead He is only asleep" Christ looked upon death then in the same waI you ana would stand over the crib in which slum- bers one of our little children. We know that we can bend over the crib ana KISS our little one and say: Wake' paLy para ;s bere" Then the baby will awake and come to our arms Christ only had tc speak and Lazarus came forth. The day is coming when Christ will speah ana all the family tonlbs and the Gods nait