The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-16

the indifferent was illustrated to me by the experience of a lady member of my church who is a very fine musician. Her brother was a happy go lucky young man who seemed to have no ear for good music. Every popular air, every music hall jingle, every negro melody that had a jolly ring to it, he knew by heart All the motel college songs he could sing until the very rafters echoed. But the deeper. sweeter holer calls of the great musical masters fell unheeded upon his dull ears. This brother, who was fine athlete, had his leg broken and was brought home from college and had to lie in bed for about six weeks During those six weeks his sister had to continually practice for a difficult per formance which she was about to give before a famous musical society of the city. At first the brother protested He wanted to hear her play some of the popular airs. But the language of the musical masters kept pouring their thoughts into his mind and hear through the vestibule of his ear there was born in his soul love for the truly great mu- sic. The old songs which he once loved he now despises The truly beautiful music he once despised now he loves My friends. if you do not love the soci- ety of Christian people there Is some thing wrong in your life. You have a diseased spiritual appetite. The sooner you go with the truly consecrated peo- pie the sooner you will learn to love their society. Do not make the prayer of my text. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" unless by constant association with Christian people you do all in your power to develop that spirit ual joy.
 But fin order to fully grasp the beauty of the psalmist's prayer you must re- member that 1t is given with the abso- lute knowledge that in his own strength he was nothing, but that in Gods strength he could be everything. David at this time was standing under the shadows of his past sins God had blessed him again and again, yet Just after these many manifestations of the divine love he had fallen back into sin because he had depended upon his own strength. Thus David says, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and upheld me by thy spirit" That means in plain Eng fish. 70 God. bring me back to thy low ing grace, cleanse me from sin and then by thy power do not let me again wal low in the quagmires and the bogs and the filth of evil" After David had played the fool in King Achish's court and had murdered Uriah to steal for himself Uriahs wife. ought he not to have made this prayer with fear and trembling? After you and have sinned again and again when God had restored upon us the joy of this salvation. ought not we to make this prayer in the same spirit as David made 1t?
 Trust In the Father.
 It is only by doubting and continuing to distrust our own strength that we are led to rely entirely upon Gods protect- ing power. l would have us feel our de- pendence on God when we make this prayer exactly as the little adopted daughter of dear friend of mine feels toward her father. He Is noble man. made noble through suffering He started out in humble financial circumstances. but he went on and on in life until at last he won a position of wealth and in- nuence. But after the wealth came. then came the sorrow. God came to his 1 two little girls and said: Come. daugh- | ters; come, l want you to play in the | green field of heaven" And in a night | the earthly nursery was emptied for the | celestial play grounds. Broken-hearted
 were my friend and his dear wife. The l cry of their agonizing hearts was, 70