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Let us mark, lastly, in these verses, what a rare thing is thankfulness. We are told that of all the ten lepers whom Christ healed, there was only one who turned back and gave Him thanks. The words that fell from our Lord’s lips upon this occasion are very solemn: “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” The lesson before us is humbling, heart-searching, and deeply instructive. The best of us are far too like the nine lepers. We are more ready to pray than to praise, and more disposed to ask God for what we have not, than to thank Him for what we have. Murmurings, and complainings, and discontent abound on every side of us. Few indeed are to be found who are not continually hiding their mercies under a bushel, and setting their wants and trials on a hill. These things ought not so to be. But all who know the church and the world must confess that they are true. The wide-spread thanklessness of Christians is the disgrace of our day. It is a plain proof of our little humility. Let us pray for a daily thankful spirit. It is the spirit which God loves and delights to honor. David and St. Paul were eminently thankful men.—It is the spirit which has marked all the brightest saints in every age of the church. M’Cheyne, and Bickersteth, and Haldane Stewart, were always full of praise.—It is the spirit which is the very atmosphere of heaven. Angels and “just men made perfect” are always blessing God.—It is the spirit which is the source of happiness on earth. If we would be careful for nothing, we must make our requests known to God not only with prayer and supplication, but with thanksgiving.

Let us mark, secondly, in these verses, how help meets men in the path of obedience. We are told that when the lepers cried to our Lord, He only replied, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” He did not touch them and command their disease to depart. He prescribed no medicine, no washing, no use of outward material means Yet healing power accompanied the words which He spoke. Relief met the afflicted company as soon as they obeyed His command. “It came to pass that as they went they were cleansed.” A fact like this is doubtless intended to teach us knowledge. It shows us the wisdom of simple, childlike obedience to every word which comes from the mouth of Christ. It does not become us to stand still, and reason, and doubt, when our Master’s commands are plain and unmistakeable. If the lepers had acted in this way, they would never have been healed. We must read the Scriptures diligently. We must try to pray. We must attend on the public means of grace. All these are duties Which Christ requires at our hands, and to which, if we love life, we must attend, without asking vain and captious questions. It is just in the path of unhesitating obedience that Christ will meet and bless us. “If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine.”

Above all, let us pray for a deeper sense of our own sinfulness, guilt, and undeserving. This, after all, is the true secret of a thankful spirit. It is the man who daily feels his debt to grace, and daily remembers that in reality he deserves nothing but hell,—this is the man who will be daily blessing and praising God. Thankfulness is a flower which will never bloom well excepting upon a root of deep humility.

The conduct of the ten lepers is very instructive. It throws light on a most important subject in practical Christianity, which we can never understand too well. That subject is prayer. How is it that many never pray at all? How is it that many others are content to repeat a form of words, but never pray with their hearts? How is it that dying men and women, with souls to be lost or saved, can know so little of real, hearty, business-like prayer? The answer to these questions is short and simple. The bulk of mankind have no sense of sin. They do not feel their spiritual disease. They are not conscious that they are lost, and guilty, and hanging over the brink of hell. When a man finds out his soul’s ailment, he soon learns to pray. Like the leper, he finds words to express his want. He cries for help. How is it, again, that many true believers often pray so coldly? What is the reason that their prayers are so feeble, and wandering, and lukewarm, as they frequently are? The answer once more is very plain. Their sense of need is not so deep as it ought to be. They are not truly alive to their own weakness and helplessness, and so they do not cry fervently for mercy and grace. Let us remember these things. Let us seek to have a constant and abiding sense of our real necessities. If saints could only see their souls as the ten afflicted lepers saw their bodies, they would pray far better than they do.

Verse 1

Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.

Verse 2

Sunbeams scorching all the day;
Chilly dewdrops nightly shed;
Prowling beasts about Thy way;
Stones Thy pillow; earth Thy bed.

Verse 3

Shall not we Thy sorrow share,
And from earthly joys abstain,
Fasting with unceasing prayer,
Glad with Thee to suffer pain?

Verse 4

And if Satan, vexing sore,
Flesh or spirit should assail,
Thou, his Vanquisher before,
Grant we may not faint nor fail.

Verse 5

So shall we have peace Divine;
Holier gladness ours shall be;
Round us too shall angels shine,
Such as ministered to Thee.

Verse 1

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;--
’Tis found before the mercy-seat.

Verse 2

There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads,--
A place, than all besides, more sweet;
It is the blood-bought mercy-seat.

Verse 3

There is a spot where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy-seat.

Verse 4

There, there, on eagle’s wings we soar,
And time, and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy-seat!

Verse 5

Oh! may my hand forget her skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!

Verse 1

My God, is any hour so sweet
From blush of morn to evening star,
As that which calls me to thy feet,
The calm and holy hour of prayer?

Verse 2

Blest is the tranquil break of morn,
And blest the hush of solemn eve,
When on the wings of prayer up-borne,
This fair, but transient, world I leave.

Verse 3

Then is my strength by thee renewed;
Then are my sins by thee forgiven;
Then dost thou cheer my solitude,
With clear and beauteous hopes of heaven.

Verse 4

No words can tell what sweet relief,
There for my every want I find;
What strength for warfare, balm for grief,
What deep and cheerful peace of mind.

Verse 5

Lord, till I reach the blissful shore,
No privilege so dear shall be,
As thus my inmost soul to pour
In faithful, filial prayer to thee!

Verse 1

I love to steal awhile away
From ev’ry cumb’ring care,
And spend the hours of setting day
In humble, grateful prayer.

Verse 2

I love in solitude to shed
The penitential tear,
And all his promises to plead,
Where none but God can hear.

Verse 3

I love to think on mercies past,
And future good implore,
And all my cares and sorrows cast
On him whom I adore.

Verse 4

I love by faith to take a view
Of brighter scenes in heaven;
The prospect doth my strength renew,
While here by tempests driven.

Verse 5

Thus, when life’s toilsome day is o’er,
May its departing ray
Be calm as this impressive hour,
And lead to endless day!

Verse 1

Lord! teach us how to pray aright,
With reverence and with fear;
Though dust and ashes in thy sight,
We may, we must draw near.

Verse 2

God of all grace, we come to thee,
With broken, contrite hearts,
Give, what thine eye delights to see,
Truth in the inward parts;

Verse 3

Patience, to watch, and wait, and weep,
Though mercy long delay;
Courage, our fainting souls to keep,
And trust thee though thou slay.

Verse 4

Give these, and then--thy will be done--
Thus strengthened with all might,
We by the Spirit and thy Son,
Shall pray, and pray aright.

Verse 1

The Savior bids thee watch and pray
Through life’s momentous hour;
And grants the Spirit’s quickening ray
To those who seek his power.

Verse 2

The Savior bids thee watch and pray,
Maintain a warrior’s strife;
Oh, Christian! hear his voice to-day;
Obedience is thy life.

Verse 3

The Savior bids thee watch and pray,
For soon the hour will come
That calls thee from the earth away
To thy eternal home.

Verse 4

The Savior bids thee watch and pray
Oh, hearken to his voice,
And follow where he leads the way,
To heaven’s eternal joys.

Verse 1

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast.

Verse 2

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.

Verse 3

Prayer is the simplest form of speech,
That infant lips can try;
Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

Verse 4

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
The Christian’s native air:
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.

Verse 5

Oh, Thou, by whom we come to God,--
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer thyself hast trod;
Lord! teach us how to pray.

Verse 1

Christian, seek not yet repose,
Cast thy dreams of ease away;
Thou art in the midst of foes:
Watch and pray.

Verse 2

Principalities and powers,
Mustering their unseen array,
Wait for thy unguarded hours:
Watch and pray.

Verse 3

Gird thy heavenly armor on,
Wear it ever, night and day;
Ambushed lies the evil one:
Watch and pray.

Verse 4

Hear the victors who o’ercame;
Still they mark each warrior’s way;
All with one sweet voice exclaim,
“Watch and pray.”

Verse 5

Hear, above all, hear Thy Lord,
Him thou lovest to obey;
Hide within thy heart His word,
“Watch and pray.”

Verse 6

Watch, as if on that alone
Hung the issue of the day;
Pray, that help may be sent down:
Watch and pray.

Verse 1

My God, is any hour so sweet,
From blush of morn to evening star,
As that which calls me to Thy feet,
The hour of prayer?

Verse 2

Blest is that tranquil hour of morn,
And blest that solemn hour of eve,
When, on the wings of prayer upborne,
The world I leave.

Verse 3

Then is my strength by Thee renewed;
Then are my sins by Thee forgiven;
Then dost Thou cheer my solitude
With hopes of heaven.

Verse 4

No words can tell what sweet relief
There for my every want I find;
What strength for warfare, balm for grief,
What peace of mind!

Verse 5

Hushed is each doubt, gone every fear;
My spirit seems in heaven to stay;
And e’en the penitential tear
Is wiped away.

Verse 6

Lord, till I reach yon blissful shore,
No privilege so dear shall be
As thus my inmost soul to pour
In prayer to Thee.

Verse 1

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

Verse 2

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.

Verse 3

Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

Verse 4

Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice
Returning from his ways,
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And cry, “Behold, he prays.”

Verse 5

Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath,
The Christian’s native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.

Verse 6

O Thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Verse 1

There is an eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night;
There is an ear that never shuts
When sink the beams of light.

Verse 2

There is an arm that never tires
When human strength gives way;
There is a love that never fails
When earthly loves decay.

Verse 3

That eye is fixed on seraph throngs;
That arm upholds the sky;
That ear is filled with angel songs;
That love is throned on high.

Verse 4

But there’s a power which man can wield
When mortal aid is vain,
That eye, that arm, that love to reach,
That listening ear to gain.

Verse 5

That power is prayer, which soars on high,
Through Jesus, to the throne,
And moves the hand which moves the world,
To bring salvation down.

Verse 1

When the weary, seeking rest,
To Thy goodness flee;
When the heavy-laden cast
All their load on Thee;
When the troubled, seeking peace,
On Thy Name shall call;
When the sinner, seeking life,
At Thy feet shall fall:
Hear then in love, O Lord, the cry
In heaven, Thy dwelling-place on high.

Verse 2

When the worldling, sick at heart,
Lifts his soul above;
When the prodigal looks back
To his Father’s love;
When the proud man, in his pride,
Stoops to seek Thy face;
When the burdened brings his guilt
To Thy throne of grace:
Hear then in love, O Lord, the cry
In heaven, Thy dwelling-place on high.

Verse 3

When the stranger asks a home,
All his toils to end;
When the hungry craveth food,
And the poor a friend;
When the sailor on the wave
Bows the fervent knee;
When the soldier on the field
Lifts his heart to Thee:
Hear then in love, O Lord, the cry
In heaven, Thy dwelling-place on high.

Verse 4

When the man of toil and care
In the city crowd;
When the shepherd on the moor
Names the Name of God;
When the learnèd and the high,
Tired of earthly fame,
Upon higher joys intent,
Name the blessed Name:
Hear then in love, O Lord, the cry
In heaven, Thy dwelling-place on high.

Verse 5

When the child, with grave fresh lip,
Youth or maiden fair;
When the agèd, weak and gray,
Seek Thy face in prayer;
When the widow weeps to Thee,
Sad and lone and low;
When the orphan brings to Thee
All his orphan woe:
Hear then in love, O Lord, the cry
In heaven, Thy dwelling-place on high.

Verse 1

O Thou that hear’st prayer,
Attend our humble cry,
And let Thy servants share
Thy blessing from on high:
We plead the promise of Thy word;
Grant us Thy Holy Spirit, Lord.

Verse 2

If earthly parents hear
Their children when they cry,
If they, with love sincere,
Their children’s wants supply,
Much more wilt Thou Thy love display,
And answer when Thy children pray.

Verse 3

Our heavenly Father, Thou!
We, children of Thy grace!
O let Thy Spirit now
Descend, and fill the place;
That all may feel the heavenly flame,
And all unite to praise Thy Name.

Verse 4

And send Thy Spirit down
On all the nations, Lord,
With great success to crown
The preaching of Thy word:
Till heathen lands shall own Thy sway,
And cast their idol-gods away.

Verse 1

Son of Man, to Thee I cry;
By the wondrous mystery
Of Thy dwelling here on earth,
By Thy pure and holy birth,
Lord, Thy presence let me see,
Manifest Thyself to me.

Verse 2

Lamb of God, to Thee I cry;
By Thy bitter agony,
By Thy pangs, to us unknown,
By Thy spirit’s parting groan,
Lord, Thy presence let me see.
Manifest Thyself to me.

Verse 3

Prince of Life, to Thee I cry;
By Thy glorious majesty,
By Thy triumph o’er the grave,
Meek to suffer, strong to save,
Lord, Thy presence let me see,
Manifest Thyself to me.

Verse 4

Lord of Glory, God Most High,
Man exalted to the sky,
With Thy love my bosom fill;
Prompt me now to Thy will;
Then Thy presence let me see,
Manifest Thyself to me.

Verse 1

When cold our hearts, and far from Thee
Our wandering spirits stray,
And thoughts and lips move heavily,
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Verse 2

Too vile to venture near Thy Throne,
Too poor to turn away;
Our only voice,—Thy Spirit’s groan,—
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Verse 3

We know not how to seek Thy face,
Unless Thou lead the way;
We have no words, unless Thy grace,
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Verse 4

Here every thought and fond desire
We on Thine altar lay;
And when our souls have caught Thy fire,
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Verse 1

Lord, I hear of showers of blessing
Thou art scattering full and free,
Showers the thirsty land refreshing;
Let some drops descend on me.

Refrain

Even me, even me,
Let some drops descend on me.

Verse 2

Pass me not, O gracious Father,
Sinful though my heart may be;
Thou might’st pass me, but the rather
Let Thy mercy light on me,
Even me.

Verse 3

Pass me not, O tender Saviour,
Let me love and cling to Thee;
I am longing for Thy favor;
When Thou comest, call for me,
Even me.

Verse 4

Pass me not, O mighty Spirit,
Thou canst make the blind to see;
Witnesser of Jesus’ merit,
Speak the word of power to me,
Even me.

Verse 5

Have I long in sin been sleeping,
Long been slighting, grieving Thee?
Has the world my heart been keeping?
O forgive and rescue me,
Even me.

Verse 6

Love of God, so pure and changeless,
Blood of God, so rich and free,
Grace of God, so strong and boundless,
Magnify them all in me,
Even me.

Verse 7

Pass me not, this lost one bringing,
Satan’s slave Thy child shall be;
All my heart to Thee is springing:
Blessing others, O bless me.
Even me.

Verse 1

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;
’Tis found beneath the mercy-seat.

Verse 2

There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads,
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood-stained mercy-seat.

Verse 3

There is a spot where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend,
Though sundered far; by faith they meet
Around the common mercy-seat.

Verse 4

Ah, whither could we flee for aid,
When tempted, desolate, dismayed,
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy-seat?

Verse 5

There, there on eagle wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more,
And heaven comes down our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy-seat.

Verse 6

O may my hand forget her skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat.

Verse 1

Lord of mercy and of might,
Of mankind the Life and Light,
Maker, Teacher Infinite,
Jesus, hear and save.

Verse 2

Strong Creator, Saviour mild,
Humbled to a mortal child,
Captive, beaten, bound, reviled,
Jesus, hear and save.

Verse 3

Throned above celestial things,
Borne aloft on angels’ wings,
Lord of lords, and King of kings,
Jesus, hear and save.

Verse 4

Soon to come to earth again,
Judge of angels and of men,
Hear us now, and hear us then,
Jesus, hear and save.

Verse 1

Sweet is Thy mercy, Lord;
Before Thy mercy-seat
My soul, adoring, pleads Thy word,
And owns Thy mercy sweet.

Verse 2

My need and Thy desires
Are all in Christ complete;
Thou hast the justice truth requires,
And I Thy mercy sweet.

Verse 3

Where’er Thy Name is blest,
Where’er Thy people meet,
There I delight in Thee to rest,
And find Thy mercy sweet.

Verse 4

Light Thou my weary way,
Lead Thou my wandering feet,
That while I stay on earth I may
Still find Thy mercy sweet.

Verse 5

Thus shall the heavenly host
Hear all my songs repeat
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
My joy, Thy mercy sweet.

Verse 1

Lord, I hear of showers of blessing
Thou art scattering full and free,
Showers the thirsty land refreshing;
Let some drops descend on me.

Refrain

Even me, even me,
Let some drops descend on me.

Verse 2

Pass me not, O gracious Father,
Sinful though my heart may be;
Thou might’st pass me, but the rather
Let Thy mercy light on me,
Even me.

Verse 3

Pass me not, O tender Saviour,
Let me love and cling to Thee;
I am longing for Thy favor;
When Thou comest, call for me,
Even me.

Verse 4

Pass me not, O mighty Spirit,
Thou canst make the blind to see;
Witnesser of Jesus’ merit,
Speak the word of power to me,
Even me.

Verse 5

Have I long in sin been sleeping,
Long been slighting, grieving Thee?
Has the world my heart been keeping?
O forgive and rescue me,
Even me.

Verse 6

Love of God, so pure and changeless,
Blood of God, so rich and free,
Grace of God, so strong and boundless,
Magnify them all in me,
Even me.

Verse 7

Pass me not, this lost one bringing,
Satan’s slave Thy child shall be;
All my heart to Thee is springing:
Blessing others, O bless me.
Even me.

Verse 1

Father of all, to Thee
With loving hearts we pray,
Through Him, in mercy given,
The Life, the Truth, the Way:
From heaven, Thy throne, in mercy shed
Thy blessings on each bendèd head.

Verse 2

Father of all, to Thee
Our contrite hearts we raise,
Unstrung by sin and pain,
Long voiceless in Thy praise;
Breathe Thou the silent chords along,
Until they tremble into song.

Verse 3

Father of all, to Thee
We breathe unuttered fears,
Deep-hidden in our souls,
That have no voice but tears;
Take Thou our hand, and through the wild
Lead gently on each trembling child.

Verse 4

Father of all, may we
In praise our tongues employ,
When gladness fills the soul
With deep and hallowed joy;
In storm and calm give us to see
The path of peace, which leads to Thee.

Verse 1

From every stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat;
’Tis found beneath the mercy-seat.

Verse 2

There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads,
A place than all besides more sweet;
It is the blood-stained mercy-seat.

Verse 3

There is a spot where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend,
Though sundered far; by faith they meet
Around the common mercy-seat.

Verse 4

Ah, whither could we flee for aid,
When tempted, desolate, dismayed,
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy-seat?

Verse 5

There, there on eagle wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more,
And heaven comes down our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy-seat.

Verse 6

O may my hand forget her skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat.

Verse 1

And now the wants are told
That brought Thy children to Thy knee;
Here lingering still, we ask for nought,
But simply worship Thee.

Verse 2

The hope of heaven’s eternal days
Absorbs not all the heart
That gives Thee glory, love, and praise,
For being what Thou art.

Verse 3

For Thou art God, the One, the same,
O’er all things high and bright;
And round us, when we speak Thy Name,
There spreads a heaven of light.

Verse 4

O wondrous peace, in thought to dwell
On excellence Divine;
To know that nought in man can tell
How fair Thy beauties shine.

Verse 5

O Thou, above all blessing blest,
O’er thanks exalted far,
Thy very greatness is a rest
To weaklings as we are;

Verse 6

For when we feel the praise of Thee
A task beyond our powers,
We say, “A perfect God is He,
And He is fully ours.”

O Lord, whether we know it or not, and we often do not know it, our heart and our flesh crieth out for the living God. We beseech Thee that we may turn these cries into prayers, and that they may be the prayers of faith, and that they may be seconded and backed up by our daily lives, and that so we may receive that without which we shall continue always to be miserable and poor and blind and naked, and all the while conceiting ourselves to have need of nothing. O Lord! teach us our great wants, and then give us Thy great gifts, and fill us with the power and the peace of Thine own life bestowed through Jesus Christ Who is our Life. And help us, day by day, to live the lives that we live in the flesh by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved us and gave Himself for us.