The Caucasian., 1907-05-14

| mother Is yet alive and that she is eveI
| thinking and planning and praying 70:
her boy, no matter where she is: d.
you thank God because your dea1 ones
joys are your joys and because youl
sorrows of life are lessened by thei,
willingness to help you share them
Have you ever thanked God for the
infinite JOY he has given to you of liv
ing and working for the treasured
| members of the home circle: All, yes
we appreciate our dear ones wheE
God takes one of them away from us.
Why do we not and why can we not
J appreciate our loved ones when they
are by our side? If any of them
should have gone beyond we should
think of death simply as transition.
going from one group OF loved ones
to another group of loved ones. Can
you not thank God for the wife, the
brother, the child Of the family circle:
Can you not, like the leper of old,
thank God for the purity and the love
Of the domestic fireside?
But no sooner did this cleansed leper
reach his home and clasp his dear
wife and children and loved ones in
his arms than at once the news began
to spread. 1t few like white winged
messenger of joy from housetop to
housetop. "Have you heard the news?
asked one neighbor of another. why.
our long lost friend has been cleansed
of his leprosy. Come, let us go up
and give our hand of love and join this
happy family circle Oh, the good
news; the good news! Come, let us
go up and tell how we have mourned
for him and how we glory in his Vol
derful cure" Then | think the neigh
bors spoke to each other. Now | see
them fastening to the home. Some
knock and others rush right in. These
neighbors squeeze his hand; they pat
his cheek; they laugh ana weep for
joy. Can you, o man, thank God for
your many friends who are living un
der the shadow of your home today?
When we We're sick did not our
friends come in to nurse us and to
bring the delicacies? When we lost a
black Grape upon our door. have not
our loving. sympathizing friends come
in to stand by our side at the casket?
When we were in financial trouble, if
we were honest and true. have they not
always been willing to come to our as
sistance? Have they not always been
true to us in times Of sorrow as well
0s tn Of Tow Of
old Danish captain who gave battle to
an English frigate. After the battle
had been raging for some time q flag
Of truce was raised, and the old cap
tain in rowboat pulled over to the
English frigate and made this strange
request. He said: "My powder has run
out. Will you please furnish me some
Of your powder, and we will continue
to fght?" Well, no one ever beard of
man going to an enemy for help. but
we have heard of his going to his
friends. All, yes, our friends in the
past have helped us again and again
and again! Thank God for your friends!
Thank God for noble. true hearted.
brave, self sacrificing friends!
The Altar of God.
Again, this cleansed leper must have
been thankful that the doors of the
temple were once more opened to give
him welcome to the altar of God. In
olden times, ieprosy was looked upon
as the symbol of heinous sin. Thus the
poor leper not only felt that he was
barred from fellowship with man. but
also from communion with God. Me-
thinks l can see these lepers some Sab
bath day gathering upon one of the
hillsides near to Jerusalem. The serv-
ice Is going on within the sacred walls.
The music, which cannot be circum-
scribed by four walls. drifts through
the portal and, like a bird scars over
the hills. The poor lepers are listening
to the sweet psalms. AS the choir
sings, they think of the time when they
used to gather In the temple with the
worshipers And methinks I see the
tears rain down their parched cheeks
as they weep and cry: 20 Lord, why
hast thou shut me out from thy love?
Why am l barred from thy holy wor-
ship? Wilt thou never again speak to
me In tones of pity and pardon? Wilt
thou never forgive me my past sins?"
Then when Jesus cured the poor sick
man of his leprosy he seemed to say:
Son, thy sins are forgiven thee! Thou
are welcome now to join in public
worship. Thou mayest now go into
the temple and sing Gods praises
Though thy sins are as scarlet, yet
they shall become white as snow
Thus hear the poor leper cry: Lord,
thank thee that when thou hast
cleansed me Of my leprosy thou hast
forgiven me my sins. | thank thee,
Lord. I thank theew Today can you
not glorify God like the poor leper,
because Christ by his atoning blood
has made it possible for you to be
cleansed of all your past iniquities, so
that In the sight of God you can be
pure through his word?
Biotting Out Sin.
Oh, the power Of the blood Of Jesus
to blot 'Out sin! Who has tongue elo-
duent enough to fully describe it?
There is q beautiful story told that