Omaha daily bee., 1915-09-18
Billy" Sunday, in Preaching on the
"Mercies Of God" Says that God
Never Owned a Slave.
HE WANTS WILLING WORKERS


Text: Il beeseech you. Therefore
brethren. by the mercies OF God, that
We present your bodies a living sacrifice.
holy. acceptable unto God. which IL your
reasonable service" Romans, xii, J.
We have here a call for volunteers, not
an order for draft. The armies of God
are never made up of drafted men and
women. ordered into service whether will
ing or not God never owned n slave
God doesn't want you 10 do anything
that YOU can't do without protest. This
Is not a call 20 hard duty. but an in
vitstion TO the enjoyment Of privilege.
II is not call 20 hired labor TO take
the hoe and 60 into the field, but the
appeal Of a loving father 70 his chill
dren to partake OF all He has TO give.
II there is nothing in you that will
respond 60 Gods appeal when you think
OF His mercies, I don't think much OF
you. The impelling motive OF my text
IL gratitude not fear. II looks TO CAL
vary. not to Sinai. We are being en-
treated. not threatened. That's the
amazing thing TO me. To think that
God would entreat us-wouid stand to
entreat usl He Is giving me a chance 20
show love Him.
IL you are not ready TO offer II IN
gratitude. God doesn't want your service,
He doesn't want you TO serve Him
through fear, but because you realize His
love for you, and appreciate and respond
TO II. Just think II God has been good
10 US, how many times and how much
has He been good 60 usi
Never Too busy for Gods Work.
A business man who loves his wife will
never be too busy TO do something for
her. never too busy TO stop sometimes 90
think OF how good she has been and what
she has done for him. II men would only
think of the things God has done for
them there would be less OF card playing,
less thought OF dinners and concerts and
other diversions OF the world. God wants
us to sit down and think over TITS good
ness TO us. The man who doesn't isn't
worth a nickel a bunch. Has God done
anything for us as nation. has He
done anything for US as individuals, that
commands our gratituder
A man was out walking at night with
his little daughter. and the stars were
out and very bright. The little girl
looked up into the shining vault OF
heaven. 90 thiclSly studded with the shin
ing OrbA and said: Lets count them.
papa" And. beginning at one. abe
counted five. and twenty. and thirty. and
forty. and fifty, and up TO 100. and 1a5.
and i26. And then she said. "Oh. I'm
tired, papa There are 1a6. 1 didn't know
there were 30 many" Astronomers have
counted 3S0.00O.000 stars. and they have
not yet commenced. Why, you might as
well try 10 count Gods mercies. You
might as well try TO count the drops of
water in the sea or the grains of sand
upon the shore, or the office-seekers
after presidential election. IT, wo only
think, we shall say with David: "Ac-
cording to thy tender mercies."
TOO Many of Gods Mercies to Count.
An old lady said one morning that she
would try to count all Gods mercies
for that one day; but az noon she was
becoming confused. and at o'clock she
threw up her hands and said: They
come three times too fast for me TO
count"
Just think OF the things We have to
be thankful for. A visitor TO an In
sane asylum was walking through the
grounds and as he passed one OF the
buildings no heard a voice from barred
window high up in the wall. and II said
Stranger. did you ever thank God for
your reason9'' He had never thought
of that before, but no says that ne has
thought of II every day since. Did you
ever think that thousands OF people who
we're just as good as you are. are beat
ing their heads against the walls OF pad
ded cells? Did you ever think what a
blessed thing II IL that you are sane
and you go about among men and fol-
low your daily duties and go home to
be greeted by your wife and have your
children climb about you? Did you. OF
you Cpointing 20 individually, ever thank
God that you have n mind and can think
Did you ever thank God for your eyes
Did you ever thank Him that you can
see the sunrise and the sunset and can
see the flowers and the trees and look
upon the storm? Did you ever thank
God that you have two good eyes while
10 many others less fortunate than you
must grope their way In blindness TO the
coffin?
Did you ever thank God for hearing
That YOU can hear music and the voices
of friends and dear ones3 That YOU car
leave your home and business and come
here and hear the songs and the preach.
ing OF the word OF God3 Did you ever
think what Il would mean to be deaf?
,sSd's BIessing 60 Ne Thankful For
Did you ever thank God for the bless.
ing OF taste? Some people can't tell
whether they are eating sawdust and
shavings or Strawberries and ice cream
Think Of the good things We enjoy
Z Othsrb have tastes 30 vicious that they
find Il alInoat impossible 70 eat. Goo
, might have made our food taste lik,
quinine. God might have made every,
thing taste like garbage-but He didn't
Did you ever thank God that we dom
haze to hold our noses when we sit dowI
I 10 the table?
DID you ever thank God that you car
breathe without psin7 One person II
every ten dies OF consumption-and yoI
can breathe. Think how many womsI
die OF cancer. one out OF etght-and yo'
are free from II.
Did you ever thank God that you car
sieep2 II not you ought TO be KEEP
awake for a month Thing OF the thou
sands who suffer pain OF insomnia .,
that they can sleep only under opiates
Did you ever wake up In the morning
and thank God that you have had
GOOD nights rest? II you haven't. Go,
ought 70 keep you awake for a week
then you'd know you've had reason TO b
thankful
DID you ever thank God for the doc