The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-10-30
The KING AND the CRIPPLED BOY.


This was the subject of Rev. E. C.
Oggels discourse on Sunday last
from the text: "And the King
said, is there not yet any of the
house of Saul, that l may show the
kindness of God unto him? And
Ziba said unto the King, Jonathan
hath yet son which is lame on his
feet. "-2 Samuel tx: 3. Friend
ship is a gentle, pleasing theme, the
outgrowth of a noble feeling of the
human heart. 1t is the cement of
society and well-spring of social
happiness. Kindness to others is an
ornament of mans rational nature.
But there are some minds, found of
such impenetrable materials, or
brought up by habitual seltishness,
to such an utter insensibility of what
becomes of others, as if they were
not partakers of the same nature, or
had no lot or connection at all with the
species. OF this character were the
priest and the Levite in their con-
duct to the suffering traveller, half
dead by the wayside. And these
are no tictitions but real characters.
But the good Samaritan who went
to the suffering mans relief is also
a real character-which goes to es-
tablish: that there is something in
our nature, which engages us to
take part in every accident to which
man is subject, from whatever cause
it may have happened. In such
calamaties as man has fallen into,
through mere ignorance, to be
charged upon no fault or indiscre-
ton of himself, and when they are
complicated with circumstances of
misery, the mind is taken captive at
once, and has no power to make re-
sistance. Thus the heart of the
merciful Samaritan was open to the
appeals of distress, and the specta-
Gle of suffering by the wayside, was
the occasion, to, then and now,
place before us, a MAN, with manly
qualities and sympathies-a noble
work of God! / will now call your
attention to portion of the Old
Testament history, somewhat similar
to the parable of the good Samaritan.
l. The house of Saul. About 81
years before the event mentioned in
the text, Saul had been appointed
the first king of Israel. Many
fattering things are said of him,
such as his imposing appearance,
military capacity and intellectual
ability. There were many elements
of greatness about him, and had he
been willing to sacrifice his personal
ambition, to yield to the promptings
of his nobler nature and to heed the
directions of the Spirit of God, he
might have become truly great; in
fact one of the greatest characters in
sacred history. But swayed by i'm
pulse and allowing his lower nature
to predominant, he lost the great
opportunity of his life. He had
rich kingdom, powerful army and
numerous family and yet he was
thoroughly miserable. He broke
the connecting link between God
and himself, and the partnership
dissolved, the Almighty permitted
him to shift for himself. The re-
suits were ruin and disaster to him
self and his family-a burden, a
cross and a curse to the people.
His heart was filed with envy,-and
his life--ah, who would covet such a
life? Self, self, self, had been his
watchword and his aim, and with
out redeeming the promises of his
earlier life, his lamp goes out. ALI,
how many man like Saul has made
failure of life, men endowed with
abilities, and furnished with golden
opportunities, who yet have made
shipwreck of themselves, who, allow
ing the lower nature to be the pilol
and master of their lives, have failec
to realize the fond dreams and hopes
of youth and early manhood ano
blighted the anticipations of loving
friends! Now, as to Saul, his family
was scattering, till after the lapse O
a few years, King David asks; Il
there not yet any Of the house O