Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-07-13


described is dramatic. Ills text was
IT samuel 81. and Is. rs there yet any
tba. is left Of the house Of Saul, thai
may show him kindness for Jonathan
Ike So Mapai5osketh dwelt in
Jerusalem. for he did eat continually az
ne kings table; and was lame on ooth
his feet"
Was there ever anything more roman
tic and chivalrous than the love O. DaVlu
and Jonathan? At one time Jonathan
was I'D and David was down. No"
David is I'D and Jonathan's family Is
down As YOU have o,cen heard OF two
soldiers before going in,O battle making
a covenant that if one is shot the sur
vivor will take charge Of the body the
watch. the momen-oes. and perhaps tne
bereft family OF che one that dies 50
Davjd and Jonathan had made q coven-
enr and now that JOnaelSn IS C7au'
David is inquiring about MS Ialniiy'
that he nav show kindness ulro URN
for their Ia her Jonatkan's sake.
CAREFUL SEARCH is MADE,
and a son Of Jonathan by the dreadfuIy
bomely name of MephibCshetl is tcuhO'
His nurse. in his infancy, had let him
fan. and the fall had put both his an
kles ont o. place, and they had never
been set. The decrepit, poor man IS
brought into the palace Of King David.
David looks upon him with melunS Ten
6erness. no doubt seeing IN MS race
resemblance TO his Old friend, the oe-
ceased iona than. The UaOle bearing o.
Kirg David toward him seems 10 say:
How glad I am 70 see you, MephloosA-
eth How YOU remind me OF your fatn-
er. nv old friend and beneIactor. l
made a bargain with your father a good
many years ago. and I am going TO
keen II with YOU. What can l do for
YOU. Mephibosheth? l am resolved
what 70 DO: I will make you a rlcn
man: / win restore TO you the contis-
Gated property Of your grandfather Saul,
and YOU shall be a guest o. mine as
long as YOU live. and you shall be seated
a. nv table among the princes" II
was too much for MephibOsheth, and
he cried out against il. calling himself
a dead dog. BE still" says David, II
don't co this on your own account; l
90 this for YOUR father Jonathan sake.
l can never
FORGET HIS KINDNESS.
I remember when 1 was bounded from
mace to place how he befrienCed me.
Can / ever forget how he stripped him
1. 49,. a. M rel ND II
10 me Instead of my-shepherd' coat, and
how be took of his own sword and belt
and gave them 10 me instead OF my
sling? On. l can never forget him. l
feel as Il couldn't do enough for You,
his son. I don't DO it for your sake; 1
do fl for Your father JOnathan's sake"
so Mephiboshetb dIsit in Jerusalem;
for he aid eat concinually st the king 5
table: and he was lame on both his
feet"
Tt-re IS 50 much Gospel in this quaint
incident that l am embarrassed 10 know
where 10 begin. Whom 90 Mephibosh-
eth. and David. and Jonathan, make you
think Of?
Mephibosheth. in the first place.
stands for the disabled human soul.
Lord Byron describes sin as a charm
inc recklessness, as a gallancTy, as a
Don Juan; George Sand describes sin
as triumphant in many intricate plots;
Gave mi. With lis engraver's knife, al
WAYS shows sir as great POPULARITY;
tut the Bible presents Il as a MephibOSh-
oh. lame On both feet. Sin. like the
nurse En- the context, attempted TO carry
rs. and iet Us fall. and we have been dis
abled. and in our whole moral nature
we are decrepa. Sometimes theolCg-
ians
HAGGLE ABOUT A TECHNICALLY.
They use the word total depravity,"
and some people believe in the doctrine,
ard some reject it. What do you mean
BY tota, depravity? Do you mean that
every man is as bad as he can be? Then
I DO not believe IL either. But do you
mean that sin has let us fall. that il has
scarifed. and disabled, and crippled our
entire moral nature, while We cannot
walk straighc and are lame in both
feet? Then l admit your proposition.
There is not so much difference in an
African jungle. with barking how.ing,
Kissing. fighting Quadruped and reptile.
and Paradise with its animals coming
before Adam when he pa-ted 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 She human soul dis
abled and that soul as God originally
constructed il. j 10 not care what the
seurimentahses or the poets say in re-
gard 10 sin; in the name Of God | de-
clare 10 you to-day that sin is disOrgan-
iZa-iOn. disineegratiCn, CHASTITY disfg-
uTeoiOn. bCbbling defOrmity.
Your modern theOlogian tells you
that man is little cut OF sorts; he
tsomaimes thinks wrong; h sometimes
Goas TiDng: indeed, his nature needs
a ht-oa moral surgery, an outside
Splint. a slight compress, a little recti-
fication. Religion is q good thing 70
have. t- might some day come into us7,
Man is partially wrong,
NOT ALL WRONG.
He is lame in one foot. Bring the saive
OF Divine grace and the Oin1ment, 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 right? In his viii?
his affections? his judgment? No.
There is an Old book that says: 'aThe
whole head is sick, and the whole heart
faint Nephibosheth lame in both
feet. Our belief of the fact that sin
hes sacrificed and deformed our souls
increases as we &c on in years. When .
you starred life YOU thought that man
was E,-le niarred by SIN. and he was
about Ore-tenth wrong by the time