The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-10-30

who is it that is thus interested in
what remains of the house of Saul?
1t is his successor to the kingdom
and the throne.
III. David his rise and growing
career. If you look to his history,
you find. he is from Bethlehem,
dwelling there in rural life, watch
ing, as boy, his fathers focks on
the slopes of the hills. There he
was found and set apart, to assume,
in due time, the royal sceptre.
Whether the pen is mightier than
the sword, or the reverse, is of no
consequence in his after history,
for when you study his life, you are
left In doubt of which art David was
the greatest master. But what is
distinctly visible is this: in all the
turning points of his course, God is
with him, leading him onward and
upward. 1t is God that guides and
protects him. And all that is needed
to bring down the blessing from
above on the individual and the
family is obedience and loyalty to
God. And his favor is life.
LII. David's Magnanimity. Saul
had been the btiterest euemy he
ever had. He had been hunted by
Saul like partridge on the noun
tains, and obliged to escape for his
life to the woods and the wilderness.
And now, seated on the throne, he
asks; Is there not any of the house
of Saul? To what intent? That he
may avenge himself on, the man
that had pursued him with rancorous
and unrelentingy malignity? That
he may wipe from the face of the
earth whatever remains of the house
of Saul? No. 1t is that he "may
show the kindness of God to him.
and here 1 must for moment con-
trast David with Saul. For years,
Saul sought to do evil to one who
was his friend and who tried to
please him ito do so is devilish.
David, on the other hand, tried to
do good to his worst and most
powerful foe, sparing the life of
Saul when it was in his power to
take it ito do so is godlike; for it
is following in the footsteps of the
blessed master who gave his life for
his enemies and who said Glove
your enemies; do good to them that
hate you; bless them that curse
you, and pray for them that des-
pitefully use you" Some may find
this hard lesson to practise, and
yet, what greatness or goodness is
there in rewarding evil for evil? eff
we do good to them that do good to
you, what thank have We? The
spirit of Christ's religion aims higher
than that. Christianity demands of
us that for hatred, we give love; for
curses, blessings; for offences. kind
ness; for ill-treatment, goodness.
Should anyone say, that is hard
road for weak human nature to
travel. l judge that it is, for one
man is in arms against another, and
even brethren are divided. Now,
why is this? Has God put a pre-
MUM on ill-feeling? No, the
Heavenly Father is merciful, and
says to men, Be ye also merciful.
1t was the forgetting of self, and
devotion to others that shed a flood
of glory ON the lives of Florence
Nightingale, and Howard and Eliot.
This is the spirit that animated
David, and the spirit of the bible
when it says, Sin honor preferring
one another" for in so doing, "your
reward shall be great, and we shall
be the children of the Highest, for
he is kind unto the unthankful and
the evil.
~. David's practical friendship.
To David's question, Ziba replied,
Jonathan hath yet a son who is
lame on his feet" Jonathan had
been David's dearest and most init
mate friend. Friendship never eX-
listed in greater purity and ardor
than between these two. And while
on this subject, let me quote the
beautiful and instructive lines OF
Cowper:-
" No friendship will abide the test
That stands on sOrdid interest,
And mean self-lOve erected:
Nor such rs may a while subsist-
'TwiXt sensualist and sensualist,
For vicious ends connected.
Who hopes a friend should have q
heart
Himself. well furnished for the part
And ready on occasion
To show the virtue that he seeks;
For it's a union that bespeaks
A just reciprocation.
Pursue the theme and you will find
A disciplined and furnished mind
To be at least expedient;
And after summing all the rest,
Religious ruling in the breast,
A principal ingredient"
In the most attractive form it ex'
| listed between David and Jonathan,
"The soul of Jonathan" it is said
twas knit with the soul of David.