Milford chronicle., 1885-08-07
SERMON
BY NE REv. Il. I. BuNsrEIN.
SUNDAY MORNING, AUG. aND.
r,ort 81 snmnel XVII cnani

We have for our subject this morning an
interesting incident in the life of David. It /
happened not many years before the death /
of King saul at a time when the latters hat /
red of him made it necessary that David |
should flee from hiding place to hiding place
in order to escape death at his hands. This |
hatred as you know, was caused by the un>
grounded suspicion that David would de-
throne him and make himself his successor |
of course the king had many spies in his
employ, who were engaged in tracking his
enemies Some of these found where David /
was at this time. On being told Saul made
haste to capture him, taking with him three
thousand men. He expected resistance, and
to find David at the head of little army.
Before Saul reached the place night came
and he and his followers laid down to sleep,
tired out, 1 suppose, by long days march.
They did not know how near they were to
the man they were seeking. But David
knew where they were, and with the bold
ness so characteristic of him, he and few
,. OF his friends stole to where Saul was sleep
ing, unguarded He did not harm him.
though urged to put him to death, but took
his spear and 4 cruise of water that stood by
his side Then he went little distance and
called out in the stiffness of the night, awak-
ing Saul and his leading officer. He rebuked
the latter for his neglect of the King person
and then addressing Saul, he gently re-
= preached him for his conduct, attributing it
to the lies of malicious persons, and invoked
I I . This
much for Saul, it was Goals Of fire on his
head David's inagnanimous conduct COM
pletely broke him down. To think that the
man he was hunting like a partridge on the
mountains should have had him in his power
and yet have done him no harm, appealed
TO all the heart lie had left, so he said: Il have
sinned, return my son David, for will 10
more do thee harm, because my soul was
r precious in thine eyes this day; behold
5 have erred exceedingly and played the fool. IF
So they parted, and Saul kept his promise,
5 he let David alone
We may learn from our narrative to refuse
to do wrong i'll order that we may gain oui
end David had a fine opportunity here t.
= acquire the crown of Israel. Abishai, his
- friend, suggested as they stood by the sleep
1 ing Saul, that they should kill him, ant
/. clear David $ way to the throne. But he woulC
5 not, though he had done him great wrong
It God forbid, " he says, that I should stretci
E forth my hand against the Lords anointed
s Temptations such as this come to every man
p Not one of us but, sometime, is urged t.
4 do evil to secure our aim; seductiOns of thi
If kind are strewn all along the path of life an'
d are hard to resist, Many people do not re
II sist them, they do as Satan bids, as God AM
5. their conscience forbid, and they succeed
n But they have paid dearly for their success
n He pays a monstrous price for anything VIII
e. sacrifices his integrity for this duty to hi
i. God and his own soul; nothing so obtaine,
If is worth the cost It is said that Henry Cla
IS on his being urged to a certain action re
II fused on the ground that it was not right
'o But, said his adviser, it will help you j
n your canvass for the presidency; 81 woul
"a rather be right than be president" was tn
If reply.
* We have an exhibition OF malice in til
r. form Of SANDER. Saul was stirred up to til
q pursuit of David by enemies of the latte
10 If 1t had not been for them he would hay
il. let him alone. But these slanderers wer
NJ ever ready to re-kindle his luminosity whe
Il it was about to subside By wicked lyin
- they kept him i'll a fever of wrath and fea
No wonder that the hunted man exclaimed
=, i'll the 57tll Psalm, referring to these bacl
- biters: MY soul is among liors, and l i
even among them that are set on fire, eve
., q, those whose teeth are spears and arrows an
10 their tongue a sharp sword" None of 1
-, /, Il would be guilty of such conduct; it is to
NJ internal; man is far gone indeed who wi
Ut play such part. But is not the seed of
1T your speech and mine? DO not many Of |
III take up a reproach against neighboF, don
iI we call him names we would not like to hay
We applied to us, don't we tell things to his di
I'll credit? If we by our words seek to expos
ne a man to contempt or hatred or ridicule, W
y are following the example of those who po
ed soned Saul's mind and caused him to sec
. the life of one who had done him no harm
e- Something similar has happened in ol
re experience; have heard, doubtless you hav
III heard, statements about other people til;
III have turned you against those people; 20
OF haYe as little to do with them as possible
tie They may be true and yet they may civ
to You totally wrong impression of the pc
MS sons character and conduct Oh why do W
II not take as much pleasure in telling thing
lie to people, S credit,as we do to their discredi
p Does man do ten generous deeds, YOU ueyt
at hear Of them if he has done one mean one,
w Is It treating others as We would like 10 b
treated? 1t may be said what harm does
I'd do if it goes no further than the person on
a tells it to? Suppose you tell me that som
of man Is q black hearted villain; J. of cours,
fin will not have him shut up in prison, {
TO- hanged I will not assault him on the stree
H. or have him fined no, but you have destroy
co ed his good name in my opinion, anc
l.. THE dearest treasure mortal times afford
NJ spotiess reputation; That away men are b'
in gilded loan or painted clay"
no. Again we are reminded by Saul's peril an
m narrow escape, Of the unseeA dangers Of lif
,t He slept soundly while his enemies bent Owe
81 him and while one wished TO bury a spe;
II in his heart So we, waking or sleeping, al
or snmeilmes ~ deadly peru uhawaTes'
10 don't know what is threatening or live
~ I have read somewhere of a traveller, VII
' reached late at night dwelling OH one
= the highest peaks ofthe Alps He was kind
v" received, but the inmates were astonishe
y that he came without a guide. They tol
IT. him that one narrow path led to their hous
L. and it wound by precipices a thousand fe'
IL in depth, ghe nezt day they took him ovC
lis the way he had come, and when he saw til
ct awful peril he had been in, and from whic
N he had been Fegeued he fainted ON the snow