Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-16

any more and we have to arise and
light the gas and go to reading in or
der to distract our Irritating thoughts?
In other words, do we thank God that
we have health and strength? Too
often we neglect to do so until we have
learned by pain and suffering the bless.
ings we have lost. You who have suf-
fered like the leper of my text or like
scores and hundreds OF us who have
passed through years of pain and
weakness then you know why put
the blessing of physical health In the
forefront of this sermon.
The Lepcr's History.
Have you never by personal expert
ence been able to picture the distress
of this poor leper of my text before he
was compelled to confess himself
hopeless leperf I have often. I have
sometimes imagined him one of the
stalwart men Of the east | have i'm
agined him grow n healthy boy,
healthy young man. and then marry.
He has beautiful home, dear wife
and a couple Of lovely children. All
that is possible to make young mans
life happy Is his. But one day while
taking a bath he sees little white
spot Just over his left shoulder. He
does not think much of 1t at first. He
tries to rub II away, but it will not rub
off Then in week or two he sees
that this small white spot is growing
little larger. A month later he finds II
still little larger. He tries to mas
sage it with a rough towel, but Il will
not rub out. Now he begins to have his
suspicious. His face fakes on wor-
ried look. fle does not tell any one,
even his wife. Now he cannot sleep
we'll ut night. He becomes cross and
irritable. One night his wife misses
him from her side. She gets up to find
ont where he is gone. She finds him in
the next room bending over the sleep
Ing children. He is weeping and wiring
ing his hands. saying, "Oh, who will
look after these children after I am
gone" what Is the matter, hus-
bandf" she says. you are not going
to leave the babies, are your Is any
thing the matter?" He says. Nothing,
nothing" for he dare not tell her the
truth. Then he feels himself gradually
growing weaker and weaker
Ono day he faints dead away. When
the servants undress him to put him to
bed, they find out his true condition
lie is leper. doomed leper. Then
they drive him out from the home
They drive him out from the hnbta-
Of -, Il IN
live and to die among the lepers. Thus
you can see how grateful that leper
ought to have been when Jesus brush
ed away the fatal scales of leprosy
from off his breast and arms and neck
and forehead. no You wonder that
that leper returned to thank God for
his physical health?
Thanks For Health.
Ought not scores and hundreds Of us
70 thank God for our restored physical
health? Some of us well remember
the day when he never expected to be
strong and we'll, as we are now. Per
haps your physical history has been
that of many. Perhaps we came up
to twenty or twenty-five years OF age
and never knew what it was to have an
ache or a pain. Then disease, like q
creeping paralysis, got hold Of US
Then Our health came back to us al
most as miraculously as did the re
stored health of the ancient leper. We
felt as one snatched from the tomb.
Like the leper Of old, are you grateful
to God for that restored physical
health? Remember there was day
when you would gladly have given
every dollar you owned to be physical
ly we'll as you are today. Now, are
you glorifying God, like the leper Of
old, for your restored physical healthT
oh, the inestimable blessings of. a
sound physical body. Who would dare
to keep silent lips when God has thus
blessed him with a sound physical
frame?
Bit next to the blessing Of physical
health, for what do you suppose that
leper of old thanked Jesus? Do you
suppose that cleansed leper kept kneel-
ing at Jesus feet, saying: Master,
Master can never thank thee
enough. I will never leave thee! I
will always stay by thy side il thou
wilt only let me?" No, do not believe
that leper did any such thing. l do
not believe he stayed with Christ very
long. I think he ran to Christ TO give
him his thanks. Then he said: Mas.
ter I want to run home and see my
wife and children and father and
mother, and all my dear ones. Oh, I
want to tell them what you have done
| for me. ] want to take them in my
arms and kiss them just as l used to
do before these fatal scales came upon
my breast" Then l think Jesus said:
GO, my son, go! Go and tell your
dear ones the glad news. | have given
them to you to love Just as I have
given you your physical health" Now
I see that cleansed leper running to-
ward his old home. / hear him say
as he goes Jesus has given me back
my father and mother and brothers
and sisters and wife and little chill
dren. Thank God for my restored
home, Thank God" AS you thank
God today for your physical health,
are you also thanking Him for the
sanctity and the purity and the love Of
your domestic circle?
TL.nLe 81