The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-13
RUIN AND THEN RESTORATION.
TALMAGE breaches 4 SERMON
FROM SECOND SAMUEL.

bosheth. in the First Place,
stands for the disabled Human
souI-The Biblical Incident Full
Of Gospel.
Washington. July 12-Dr TaimaEc
sermon Of to-day is a vivid and novel pre-
sentation OF the theories OF Ruin and Res
toration. The Bible scene described is
dramatic. HIS text was II Samuel. g.
AMI Is. is there yet any that is left C.;
the house Of saul. that ] NAV show aim
kindness for Jonathans sake2 So
Mephibosheth dwelt iu Jerusalem. for ne
did eat continually al the kings table;
and was lame on both his feet
Was there ever anything more romantic
and chlvalrous than the love % David and
Jonathan? AT one time Jonathan was
up and David was down. Now David is
UP and Jouathaus family is down. A. you
have often heard Of two soldiers before
going into battle making covenant mat
il one is shot the survivor VIII take charge
Of the body, the watch, the mementoss,
and perhaps OF the bereft family OF the
one that dies, so David and Jonathan
had made a covenant and now that Jona-
than is dead, David Is luqulring about
his family. that he may show kindness
unto them FOR their father Jonathaa's
sake. Careful search is made. and son
OF Jonathan by the dreadfuily homely
name OF Mephibosheth is found. Ills
nurse. in his infancy. had let him fall,
and the fall had put both his ankles out Of
place, and they had never been set This
decrepit. poor man is brought into the pal
ance OF King David. David looks upon
him with melting tenderness. no DOUBT
seeing in his face resemb ance TO his old
friend the deceased Jonathan. j ne
whole bearing Of King David toward MIN
seems 10 say. How glad am 70 see
YOU. Mephibosheth. How YOU remind me
OF your father, my Ola friend and bene-
factor made a bargain with your rather
a good many years ago. and A am gong
10 keep IL with you. hat can 90 Tor
you, MephibOshethE ] am resolved what
to do: ] Will make you a rich man,
viii restore TO you the cOutisCated prop
erty of your grandfather saul, ana YOU
shall be a guest of mine as long as you
live. and you shall be seated al my table
among the princes IL was too much
for Mephibosheth and he cried out
against II, calling himself a dead DOB.
BE stil' says David, Il don't do this
on your own account do this for your
father Jonathan's sale. l can never for
get his kindness. l remember when l
was bounded from place to place how he
befrlended me. Can I ever forget how BE
stripped himself of his courter apparel
and gave 10 TO me instead of my shep-
herds coat, and how he took off his own
sword and belt and gave them to me in
stead of my sling? on, / can never for
get him. / feel as If / couldn't do enough
for you his son. / don't do 1t for your
sake. / do il for your father Jonathan's
sake" 80 MephibOsheth dWelt In Jeru-
salem: for he did eat continually al the
kings table, and was lame on both his
feet"
There Is so much gospel in this quaint
"a
where TO begin. Whom do Mephibosheth.
Of? OF ''''' anu Una - '''''''e , ~ ''''''N
Mephibosheth, in the first place, stands
for the disabled human soul. Lord Byron
describes sin as a charming recklessness.
as galantry as a Don Juan; George
Sand describes sin as triumphant in many
intricate plots; GaVarni, with his engraV-
er's knife, always shows sin as a great
Jocularity; but the Bible presents IL ii
Mephibosheth, lame on both feet. Sin.
ike the nurse in the context, attempted
10 carry US, and let as fan, and we have
been disabled, and IN our whole moral ma
ture we are decrepit. Sometimes theolO-
CLANS haggle about a technicality. They
use the words total depravity." and
some people believe in the doctrine and
some reject It, What do you mean by
total depravity? DO you mean that every
man is as bad as he can be2 Then l do
not believe II eithe. But do you mean
that sin has let us fall, that IL has scarf
fed, and disabled, and crippled our en-
tire moral nature, until we cannot walk
straight, and are lame in both feet2 Then
! admit your proposition. There is not so
much difference in an African Jungle
with barking, bowling, kissing, fighting
quadruped and reptile. ana Paradise with
its animals coming before Adam when he
patted them and stroked them and gave
them names, so that the panther was as
tame as the cow, and the condor as tame
as the dove, as there is between the hui
man soul disabled and that soul as God
Hgrar auN &c..
what the sentimentaists or the poets say
in regard 10 sin; in the name of God / de-
clare 10 your to-day that sin is disorgani-
cation disintegration. CHASTITY disfgura-
ton, hobbling deformity
Your modern theologian tells YOU that
man is a little out Of sorts; he sometimes
thinks wrong; he sometimes does wrong
indeed, his nature needs a little moral
surgery an outside splint, a slight COM
press, a little rectifCation. Religion is A
good thing TO have, it might some day
come into use. Man IS partially wrong.
not all wrong. He IS lame i'm one foot
Bring the salve of divine grace and the
ointment, and the pain extractor, and
we viii have his one foot cured Man
Is only half wrong, not altogether wrong.
IN what is mans nature right2 In his
VIII? his affections? his judgment2 No
There is an old book that SAYS: The
whole head is sick, and the whole heart
Ialnt; Mephibosheth lame in both feet
our oeIiet OF the fact that sin has sacri-
need and deformed our souls increases a s
we 90 on in years. When you started lifs
you thought that man was a little marrel
by SIM and he was about one-tcnth
wrong BY the time you had gone
through the early experience of youl
trade, or occupation, or profession, YOU
believed that man was about half wrong
BY the time you came to mid-life you
believed that man was three-fOurrhs
wrong. But within these past few years
since you have been so lied about anC
swindled and cheated, you have come
TO the conclusion that man is altogether
wrong and now you can say with tht
prayer-boOk and with the Bible: There
Is no health in US" Now you believe witt
the prophet, The heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperatel wicked
Whatever you may have believed before
now you believe that Mephibosheth i.
lame on both feet.
Again, Mephibosheth in the text stand.
for the disabled human soul humbled anC
restored. When this invalid of my tex
got a command 10 come to King David.
palace, he trembled The fact was tha'
the grandfather of Mephibosheth haC
treated David most shockingly. and now
Mephibosheth says to himself, ''What doe,
the king want of me? Isn't it enough thaf
l am lame? Is he going to destroy m,
hfeF Is he going to wreak on me the
vengeance which ne holds toward my
grandfather Saul? It's too bad" But "a
to the palace MephibOSheth must since M