The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-04-22
OUR EVENING SERMON !
"But the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord. III Samuel, XI-27.

"But the thing that David had done
displeased the LOrd."-II Samuel, XI-27.
David rose from the humblest walks of
life, to be a. great King and Prophet of
Israel. Sacred history teens with beau
tiful words from this King. When tend
ing his fathers flocks, when at the age of
fifteen, he was anointed by the Prophet
Samuel to succeed Saul. He was brought
to the court of SAUL to soothe the melan-
choly of the King with his harp. He
first won distinction by Staying Goliath,
the giant Philistine. He won the friend
ship of Jonathan, and the love of his
daughter Michal. But he drew upon
himself the jealousy, and finally the fury
of the King, who repeatedly attempted to
kill him. He fled to the wilderness, and
succeeded in not only defeating every at
tempt to capture OF subdue him, but
succeeded in defeating and getting
revenge upon his enemies. When Saul
fell, David was declared King of Israel,
by the tribe of Judah. He reigned in
great glory for thirty years. He took
Jerusalem, and was generally victorious
over his enemies.
But here the weak side of the hnman
character manifested itself, David had
been very successful, and had been great
ly honored by his people, and prospered
by his Lord. Could the story be brought
to a close here, the record would be glo-
rious indeed. But the great King was
1,,,4 affor oil Man
did we say? He was disgusting brute,
for the time, at least. Looking upon fe-
male beauty-though in station lower
than his own as regards worldly exalta-
tion-the lust of the brute consumed the
character of the man, and murder with
him was but convenient means OF pre-
pairing the way for the indulgence of his
wickedneSs.
David sang many beautiful things but
in view of this one horrible act of his life,
we cannot be surprised that he sang thus:
"God looked down from Heaven upon
the children of men, to see if there were
any that did understand, that did seek
God. Every one of them is gone back;
they are altogether become filthy; there
is none that doeth good, no, not one"
David did many great things, and his
good qualities may be regarded as to some
extent mitigating the horror of his crime.
But it is difficult to understand how there
could be mitigation of murder. For
present purposes, however, we only wish
to consider the character of David as it
shone from the top of the Kings Palace
at Jerusalem, in its relation to the present
time. There are thousands of Davids
going up and down the earth to-day, who
are cursed with the bad qualities of the
Israelitish King, yet without shadow
of the redeeming traits. Like him, they
have no regard for the sanctity OF the
home circle, yet unlike him, they accom-
plish no good for their fellow. men. To
the modern David parental affection and
the pride of the human heart are play
things that must be subordinated to his
Devilish lust. The innocence and purity
of womanhood can command no respect
from the character of the brute. Virtue
and chastity look in vain for noble treat
ment from the character which is formed
from the blackness of hell itself. Such a
character can form no adequate idea of
the strength Of love or the extent of
noble and righteous sentiment To such
one the world is considered as an aggre-
cation of brutalities, and society but
thin veil to hide from prying eyes the
disgusting characteristics of the fiend.
The modern David will look calmly upon
the solemn rites of the funeral, service, or
the sacred promise made to some loving
heart that has been brought down to the
valley and shadow of death. Such scenes
and such promises vanish before the fren-
zy of the brute, just as beautiful picture
would be rent and crushed if thrown into
an enclosure filled with swine, beautiful,
solemn, full of noble sentiment, yet only
fit to be torn to pieces for the pleasure of
the brute.
The weeds which tell the world of the
loss of one who ought to have been loved
and cherished, are too often a hollow
mockery and sacrilege-like beautiful
flowers hanging tenderly upon charnel-
house. You say of man show sad his
bereavement! How tenderly he loved!
How he needs some good, tender, loving
heart to comfort him, and fill the void in
his homer Yet l say unto yOu-for thes
birds of the air tell it: the throbbings of
the human heart tell it; the impulses of
Christian spirit tell it; the fairy voices
that float down upon the imagination
from that far away lane where Christ
gatherin5 the sheaves of earth tell it the
the solemn and holy influences that clus-
ter about the altar tell it; the sad men,
ories that hang about the tomb tell it;
the recollection of the poor, shrunken,
white face so tenderly lain in the casket,
tell it; all the noble impulses or feelings
that can possibly find lodgment in the
human character tell it; that hell is
yawning for that man.
While considering this subject, there
rises before our mind the picture of
fond mother who realizes in the tender
eyes that look about in seeming aston
ishment at this big, coarse world, the fact
that God has entrusted her with human
form to love and care for, a human heart
to train, a human character to mold and
prepare for the duties and conflicts of the
earthly life. With such love and care as
only a mother can bestow, that daughter
is reared in innocence and beauty. No
breath of suspicion taints the life no evil
dences of social carelessness cause pang
of uneasine5s to the fond parent. All the
sacred influences of home are thrown
about the daughter, and every safeguard
is employed to protect the character. Yet
a merciless, horrible beast-in the charac-
ter of the modern David, will stealthily
creep into that home circle, and like an