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prayer. I devoted myself to the object with all the re- sources I possessed. I spent many hours in prayer. I often experienced deep defeat in my soul with reference to this burden. Then, one day, surprisingly, in such a manner as to completely set aside all my strivings, in such a manner as to bring deep personal humiliation for failure, in such a manner as to show that the result was wholly of God and not in the slightest degree of my own efforts, God answered prayer and completely solved the problem. As I look back upon the experience, I feel sure in my own heart that it was the purpose of God to teach me pure gratitude. Every Christian has some such experience as this with regard to his own salvation from sin and wrath. The grace of God is not one of those things of which we can say, “God enabled me to accomplish the results.” The Apostle Paul plainly states, “So thin it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom. 9:16). This text has been ex- tremely hard for me to believe. In my earlier ministry I confess that at times I sought to give credit to man for at least a part of his soul’s salvation. I do thank God that He has enabled me to see my error. When at last I realized the truth of the above text, when it came over my soul that I had not saved myself in the slightest degree, but that Christ had done all this work of saving— it was then that the purest and deepest thanksgiving welled up in my heart. What Should Be Our Attitude? The correct attitude toward self is expressed by the Apostle Paul as he penned the great victory chapter, Romans, chapter eight. “But we having the first fruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves with reference to our selves, are groaning, looking forward to the full estate of mature sonship, [even] the redemption of our bodies” (Rom, 8:23, Greek). It is right for us to rejoice and be thankful in the Lord, but we have no right to be pleased with ourselves. In this life the deepest dissatisfaction , with self accompanies the highest satisfaction in Christ): “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that ■ the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, I and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:7 R. V.). One who contemplates the sovereign grace of God will learn to offer the “sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Lev. 22:19, Psa. 107:22, Psa. 50:12-14, Psa. 69:29-31). “By him therefore . let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). Pure thanksgiving out of the deepest sense of grati tude for the sovereign grace of God, moves forward toward missionary service. We do not thank God because we are better than others, neither do we give thanks to Him because we are better situated than others, but we thank God because of His own goodness toward us in our utter helplessness. “To the Greeks and to the Bar barians, to the wise and to the ignorant, a debtor am I! Thus my readiness to preach the Gospel” (Rom. 1:14, 15, Greek). If indeed I preach the Gospel, it is not for me a matter of boasting. Necessity lies upon me. Indeed, alas for me if I should not preach the Gospel! If willingly I do this I receive a reward, but even if unwillingly, a stewardship is entrusted to me” (1 Cor. 9:16, 17, Greek). Thus it is that, “The love of Christ compels us, reasoning this, that since one died for all therefore all died. Furthermore He died for all in order that the living no longer should live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15, Greek). *See Chapter V on Thanksgiving in my book, “Problems in the Prayer Life,” Moody Press, 1928.
COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest-home: All is safely gathered in, Ere the winler storms begin; God, our Maksr, doth provide For our wants to be supplied: Come to God’s own temple, come Raise the song of harvest-home. All the world is God’s own field, Fruit unto His praise to yield; Wheat and tares together sown, Unto joy or sorrow grown; First the blade, and then the ear, Then the full corn shall appear: Lord of harvest, grant that we Wholesome grain, and pure, may b«. For the Lord our God shall come, And shall take His harvest home; From His field shall in that day All offenses purge away; Give His angels charge at last In the fire the tares to cast; But the fruitful ears to store In His garner evermore. Even so, Lord, quickly come To Thy final harvest-home; Gather Thou Thy people in, Free from sorrow, free from sin; There, forever purified, In Thy presence to abide: Come, with all Thine angels, come, Raise the glorious harvest-home. —HENRY ALFORD
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The Thankfulness of Jesus ( Continued from Page 405)
this point. In a very cleverly worded article, the writer declares that the bicycle is an impos sibility, and that twenty years ago if a man had talked of constructing a machine weighing twenty- eight pounds to carry a man weighing twelve stone, it would have been said it never could be done. In conclusion the writer says, and to this I am anxious to draw your attention, ‘Knowledge is too often assumed to have reached finality when it has done nothing of the kind, and the belief is fostered and inculcated by those who write books and treatises, and teach in various way.. . Lastly, we would point out that it is not the possession of knowledge that stops progress, the mischief is done by the assumption that the knowledge is final.’ The babe is the man who says, ‘Whatever I know is not the last thing.’ ( Continued on Page 412)
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