The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-19
~<s.c.c'1 DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
 
 REV FRANK DEWITT TALMAGE D.
os ANGELES, Cal, May 12.-In this


 ingratitude, as shown in our lack of ap- preeiation of many blessings that come into our daily lives. The text is Luke xvii, 15, And one of them, when he saw that he was healed. turned back and with a loud voice glorified God"
 Travellers tell us that in one of the eastern states there is a high mountain range and to go from one part of this state 10 the other you must climb those mountains. The upward pathway bends and winds now overarched by trees, now under the shadow of some over handing cliff, but still onward and up ward. The wearied traveller, panting and puffing is too exhausted to look back and see the beautiful valley he has left behind. He keeps saying to, himself. "Oh, if l were only at the top then the rest of my journey would be easy" Sud- denly the trees ahead of him abruptly cease and instead of overlapping branches he sees the blue sky trimming the top of the mountain. With a final squirt he reaches the top. There, much to his surprise, upon the summit he lnds rude bench of stone upon which have been carved these words: Rest and be thank full" Yes, traveller, rest and be thankful
 
 journey is over. But also rest and be thankful because some good kind brother has made you the stone bench upon which you can rest your weary limbs and aching back. If the time should ever come when you can meet that thoughtful brother who made that seat and ehiseled that invitation upon the top of wonder mountain, tell him how much his work was appreciated Tell him that the bench+ of stone not only gave you physical rest, but that his words re- minded you of a duty.
 How much harder our lot would be if there were not some people consider ate and kind to weary travellers on life's journeyl Some people take the kindness gratefully, while others need the ad- monition, Be thankful"
 An American art student in Paris tells of meeting his laundress at some dis tance from home with her bread basket upon her arm. She was going to the bakery to get her rolls and bread for the day. He asked her: Why do you go so far for your bread every day? Does the baker where you go make better bread than any other baker in Paris2' No" answered the woman, The does not make better bread. The reason l cross the Seine every day to buy my bread at monsieur's is because q few years ago my husband was thrown out I no money in the house, yet for weeks this baker trusted us, and kept us supplied with bread. Had 1t not been for his goodness my husband and children might have starved. As he cared for us when we had nothing, I must not forget his kindness now that we have much" To be thankful means to be "thoughtful,' That means so to train our grateful memories that we will never forget the kindness Of those who have helped us in the dark days of our past struggles.
 I have heard of hearts unldnd, kind deeds
 With coldness still returning;
 Alas, the gratitude of men
 Hath oftener left me mourning.
 The hero of my text Is "thankful' man, a "thoughtfuP' man, man who would not if he could and could not 1T he would forget the. priceless blessing which Jesus had conferred upon him. For years this man had been social outcast He was a repulsve, loathsome leper, His father and mother had turned against him. His brothers and sisters had fled from him as they would from a mad dog. His wife and children, If he had wife and children, had deserted him. With sticks and stones he had been driven forth from the habitations of man. One day, with nine other lepers with whom Wdb hillside and saw Jesus and the multitudes passing by By the strange law of the leper world which gathers information from every source, these ten lepers learned that it was Jesus, the miracle worker. So these ten lepers beginto cry out at the top of their voices for divine help. Again and again they call, Jesus, Master, have mercy on usr Christ turns toward them, as he always turns at the call for help, and practically says: Yes, I will cure you of your horrible infec- tious disease. Go show yourselves unto the priests" And it came to passNthat as they went theyS were cleansed"
 I Am We'll l Am Well!"
 No sooner did this leper of my text feel the scales drop off his body and the blood of health course through his veins than at once he cried: q am we'll l am we'll l must go back at once and thank the Lord for what he has done for me-" "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back and with loud voice gIorihed God and fell down on his face at his feet giving him thanks and he was Samaritan" We respect that man, and we have a poor opinion of those other nine who went on without giving thanks. But the incident has a lesson for us. We have received many blessings from God. Are we like the cleansed Jewish lepers who went for ward ungratefully or like the Samaritan who turned back and gloritied God?'
 Like the cleansed leper of my text, let us thank God for our physical health. Let us thank God that we have food enough to eat. More than this, let us thank God for good digestion with which to eat food. How many of us who have perfect health forget to thank God for good pair of lungs and for steady nerves and for regular heart, for good teeth. for good eyes and good pair of legs upon which to walk! How many of us omit to thank God when we get up in the morning that the joints of our bodies do not squeak on account of rheumatism. like an old rusty hinge which has not been moved for many years! When we go to bed at night, do we thank God that we can go there to sleep and not have to toss hour after hour until at last we cannot endure the suffering any more and we have to arise and light the gas and go to reading in order 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 blessings we have lost You who have suffered 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 I put the blessing of physical health in the forefront of this sermon.
 The Leper's History.
 Have you never by personal experI- ence been able to picture the distress of this poor leper of my text before he
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