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

0UT lUTTTTT MTTTT ing eyes toward the skilled surgeon who drove the knife within hairs breadth of the fatal artery and say: He saved mel He saved mel" We throw our arms with a grateful, convulsive clasp about the neck of the strong swimmer who breasted the waves and swan out to bring us to shore when We were sink ing in the surf We sound forth the praises of the man who leaps forward at the risk of his life and clutches the bride of our runaway horse and hangs on until the maddened brute stops his wild career. even though his own body Is bruised by the plunging hoofs Shall we not be thankful. sincerely and trans cendently thankful, to God for saving us from the results of our evil deeds and sins? But. strange to say. after the divine rescue has been accomplished our gratitude may cool. It may after awhile change into indifference or even into positive repulsion.
 Once our souls were alame with grat- itude for what God had done for us No sooner were we converted than, like the psalmist we cried out .Evening and morning and at noon will l pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice. But after awhile our joyful enthusiasm began to cool. Me grew indifferent We turned our backs upon God. We now find reading the Bible a bore and praying a drudgery and talking to Christ and waiting for Christ to talk to us a task instead of and endless pleasure Oh, my friends, do you want to feel again the collaboration which came over you on the day of your conversion? Then make the prayer of my text. Make 1t day in and day out Make it and continue to make 1t as you rehearse all God has done for you by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Oh, that today we could have the thrill which surged through us when we first felt that God had purged us with hyssop until we were whiter than snowi
 Not the Only Joy.
 But gratitude to God for what Christ has done for us Is not the only joy of salvation that is buried and needs to be renewed. One of these joys that need 1 to be resurrected Is the one we used to 1 find in Christian service. No sooner were converted than immediately we went forth to try to save some one else. l Then when we brought brother or sis 1 ter to the cross there came over us another joy which we had not hitherto conceived. the joy of saving men and women for Christ There is no joy on earth greater than that. Not even the 1 joy of being saved ourselves can be compared to the joy of knowing that by the grace of God we have been able to save some one else from pershing
 The man of the world who has never experienced this joy cannot understand 1t. The exhiaration of 1t Is couched for him in mystical and unknown tongues l For years and years 1 could not under stand what Paul meant in his letter to the Romans. l felt he did not mean what he said l believed he was only using an exaggerated oratorical figure of speech when he said For 1 could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren. my kinsmen, according to the flesh" The more studied that passage the more I felt and do feel today that Paul literally made this prayer: 70 Christ if there is no way to save my brothers, my sisters, my friends my people, but by plotting my name out of the hook of life then destroy me for their sakes" In other words, Paul said. Destroy me if by my spiritual death others might spiritually live forever in thee" And yet is not this joyful willingness to be sacrificed to save others experienced by the new convert always?
 Was young Hamllton's death an un. desirable one? No sooner were the honor and life of his father, Alexander 1 Hamilton, threatened in his political warfare against Aaron Burr than his
 
 forward and said, "If necessary I will die that my father shall live" Three long years before the fatal duel at Waahawk- en. when the first secretary of the i United States treascury laid down his 1 life, the eldest boy died for his father S sake. Do you not believe that when young Hamilton was dying there came an unspeakable joy to him because he was dying in his fathers stead? When | Nathan Hpla wac 1od lows to be strangled as a spy, did he go there like a craven murderer? Oh no. He went with his head up His step was firm. happy smile was upon his lips. He said. "The only regret that l have in dying Is that I have but one life to lay upon the altar of my coun- l try" Yes, Nathan Hale died happy. In dying he felt that he was making 1t pos sible for his country to live So Paul was happy when he saia. 70 Christ if 1t is necessary for me to spiritually die that others may spiritually live. then blot my name out of the book of life l" Thus the joy of saving an immortal soul | which comes to the Christian is even greater than that joy which comes to penitent men and women when they first give their hearts to Jesus Christ
 Joy of Saving Others.
 Oh, apostates; oh, ye negligent and slolnful church members, standing idly about in the market places when God S 1 vineyards filled with the ripest clus- | ters just ready for the pluclking, you | have known in the past the joy of saliva ton in the saving of souls! Why l can see even now the reflection of a past joy upon your faces as in the time when you used to labor in the Sunday schools and bring little children to Christ. l can | see you now smiling as you used to do when you brought your friends to the revival meetings and labored with them | to accept Christ. I can see you now | going up to your minister and earnestly and rapturously saying: Pastor, keep on praying. We will get them. They are bound to give their hearts to Christ We will get them yet" But now the world and the flesh have crept in. You do not work for souls you used to do. You do not have the old joy of saving souls. Oh, my friends, will you not pray that this Joy may come to you again: Lord, God. give me the old thrill of be- ing saved by thy sacrifice. But do more ing some one else for thee. If 1t be nec- essary in order that others may spirltu- ally live. that I must spiritually die, then, as Paul wished, let me die for thine honor and glory"
 | But in this psalmist's prayer we would | find another joy. It is this: 70 God. re- | store unto me the joy of Christian fel | lowship with Christians o God make me again love church services and the | prayer meetings and the missionary