The Washington herald., 1908-01-26
A SUNDAY TALK.

Jesus, answering. said unto them. They that are
"hoie need not q physician; hut they that are
sick st, Luke, u:3l
There is, perhaps, no verse in the Bible
which makes men acquainted with the
depth of their self-conceit so well as the
one which is quoted above. We all re-
member that quaint old quotation
/ The devil was sick. the devil a monk would be;
1 The devil was Wel the devil a monk was he.
/ And, although we do not ordinarily con-
/ fess that something Of this sort is our at
titude toward the world, we must admit
/ that il is true, If we look at it face to
! face.
/ In real truth 1t must be acknowledged
that there is hardly anything that keeps
US so far away from God and from the
higher things Of life so much as does
prosperity When the world is well with
us money Is plentiful; friends surround
u.s. and the world seems fair, there is
/ scarce one of as who has balance enough
( to recognize and 10 admit that these great
goods which are in our hand are not due
to ourselves and our own deservings. but
are pre-eminently the gifts of Almighty
God. who watching over this world OF
His, rewards the righteous and Furnishes
the guilty
At such times. indeed, a man Is very
apt TO be neglectful Of his religious duties
not only the outwardly necessary rehg-
ious duties such as going 20 church. con-
tributing 10 charities. and such things
which make for eminent respectabillty-
but also the religious duties that come
from the heart; the religious feeling that
q truly good man carries around in his
breast, which constantly Acknowledges
the goodness Of Cod; which makes man
walk through life with "A knowledge that
the eye Of an Almighty Father is upon
him, which makes him do good for good 5
sake, and which leads him 10 lead a de-
cent, upright. and worthy life because Of
the Godlike instinct that is within him.
They that are whole need not a physi-
clan, but they that are sick. 10 IS when
however. sorrow and adversely come
upon a man that Le feels and probably
for the first time, the supreme need OF the
healing touch Of the sublime Physician
To man In sudden danger, no matter
how careless and Indifferent his life may
have been, the first impulse is TO cry out
/ 10 God for help. Among sailors, ordi-
is a most common thing IN time Of great
storms 20 hnd them calling upon their
God, whom In fair weather they despise
Among soldiers. brawIug, careless
drunken. and irrelgious, you will find the
same true. When the battle cry Is on
and the thunder OF the guns is heard;
when bullets go Whistliug 10y and death
seems very near. you shall md that pray
ers rise easily 20 the lips. and spring, in
very truth, from hearts that feel the need
Of help from power that Is divine.
l think therefore that when We come
10 consider the true meaning Of this text
1t may be taken 20 mean that disaster
sorrow, adversely. sunerluK-8Il these, are
but aids senj by God 20 bring man closer
20 him. AS Walter Scott said
Adveraity bends the heart as fire bends tie steel "
And as Colerfdge told us
Heaven knows fHat tu the easiest n fortunes
there Is much dissatisfaction 1ld Es1uness ~ spirit
much that calls far the exercise at patience and
resignation hgr iu storms tast make rge heart
tTemb.a there is middle was between despair and
the yielding up ~ tHe whole spirit unto Tie guild
snrs n faith.
The lesson is. therefore, very plain. that
In times of prosperity and health the
comm0nest spirit OF gratitude requires
that We should acknowledge the goodness
and greatness of that God 90 whom We
shall inevitably call. on whom We must
rely when trouble comes upon us II is
not for us % wait Uut.l oUr need is great
before We turn 90 God. The time TO ac-
knowledge His goodness and His great
ness is to-day, when Gods in His heav-
ems and alls right with The world"