I Bless God for All

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 7, 1864

I Bless God for All.

THERE is a kind of dialogue betwixt one Doctor Thaulerus, and a poor man that lay begging by the highwayside. "Good morrow, poor man," said the doctor. "I never had any bad morrow," said the beggar. "No!" said the doctor; "thou art a miserable poor man; thou art as good as naked, without any clothes on thy back; no friends, nor any one to relieve thee. How can it then be true that thou sayest, 'Thou never hadst any bad morrow?'" "I'll tell you," says the beggar, "whether I am sick or in health, whether it be warm or cold weather, whether I be clothed or naked, rich or poor, I bless God for all." "Oh, but friend," said the doctor, "what if Christ should cast thee into hell?" "If he should," says he, "I would be contented; but I have two arms—the one of faith, the other of love—wherewith I would lay such fast hold on him, that I would have him along with me, and then I am sure that hell would be heaven if he were there." And thus it is that we should bless God at all times, in all places, upon all occasions, and in all conditions, as well for years of dearth as years of plenty; times of war, as well as times of peace; for adversity as well as prosperity; in sickness and in health, in weal and in woe, in liberty and restraint, whether it be that the Lord giveth, or whether he taketh away, still to bless the name of the Lord.