Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1896-07-22
1ALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Eloquent Preacher Discourses on
tho Love Of David and Jonathan.
otn Feet Crippled, But IL Made No DIR
xerencc to David-He Took the Unfor-
8onstc Into His Fine Palace. and Sat
Him Down ut the Royal banquet.

Dr. Talnage's text was III Samuel XII.
4 and Is: is there yet any that is left
OF the house of Saul that L may show
him Kindness for Jonathans sake? y
So Mephiboshcth dwell in Jeru-
oalem, for he did eat continually at the
Kings table, and was lame on both his
feet"
Was there ever anything more ro-
mantle and chivalrous than the love of
David and Jonathan? At one time jon
sathan was up and David was down.
Ssow David Is up and Jonathan's family
n down. AS you have often heard of
Two soldiers before going into battle
making a covenant that il one is shot
the survivor will take charge of
the body, the watch, the me-
pnentos, and perhaps of the be-
feft family of the one that dies, SO
David and Jonathan had made a coven-
Pnt, and now, that Jonathan is dead,
David is inquiring about his family
Bhat he may show kindness unto them
Tor their father Jonathan's sake. Care
tul search is made, and n son of Jona-
than by the dreadfully homcly name of
Mephibosheth is found His nurse in
bis infancy had let him fall, and the
tnll had put both his ankles out of
place, and they had never been set
This decrepit, poor man is brought
into the palace of King David.
David looks upon him with melt
ing tenderness, no doubt seeing
In his face n resemblance to his old
friend, the deceased Jonathan. The
whole bearing of King David toward
him seems to say: ''How glad am TO
see you, Mephibosheth. How You re-
ind e
and benfactor. | made bargain with
your father good many years ago,
and i am going to keep it with YOU
what can do for you, Mcphibosheth?
am resolved what to do. 1 will make
you rich man. ! will restore to YOU
the confiscated property of your grand
father Saul, and you shall be guest
OF mine as long as you live, and you
shall be seated at my table among the
princes" 1t was too much for Mephi-
bosheth, and he cried out against it,
calling himself dead dog. ''Be still"
says David, II don't do this on your
own account; do this for your father
Jonathan's sake. / can never FORGET
his kindness. l remember when was
bounded from place to place how
he befriended me. Can ever
forget how he stripped himself
of his courtier apparel and
gave it to me instead of my sherherd's
coat, and how he took off his own
sword and belt and gave them to me
instead of my sling? Oh, | can never
forget him. l feel as if couldn't do
enough for you, his son. | don't do it
for your sake; do it for your father
Jonathan's sake" $50 Mephibosheth
dwell in Jerusalem; for he did eat con-
tinually at the kings table, and was
lame on both his feet"
There IS so much gospel in this quaint
incident that | am embarrassed to
know where TO begin. Whom do Mephi-
bosheth, 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 charming recls-
1essness, as a gallantry. as Don
Juan; George Sand describes sin as
triumphant in many intricate plots;
Gavarina, with his engraver's knife, al
ways shows sin as a great POPULARITY;
out the Bible presents it as n Mephi-
bosheth, lame on both feet SIN. like
Lhe nurse in the context, attempted to
carry us, and let us fall, and we have
'oeen disabled, and in our whole moral
nature we are decrepit. Sometimes
theologians haggle about a technical
atty. They use the words total deprav-
atty, 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 be? Then do not believe II either
But do you mean that sin has let us
Kali, that 1T has sacrificed, and disabled.
ana crippled our entire moral nature.
until we can not walk straight. and are
lame in both feet? Then | admit vour
proposition. There is not so much diff
ference In an African Jungle, with
Barking, bowling, Kissing, fighting
quadruped and reptile, and Paradise
with its animals coming before Adam
when he patted them and stroltcd them
and gave them names. so that the pam
Iaer was as tame as the COW. and the
condor as tame rs the dove. as there is
between the human soul disabled and
that soul as God originally constructed
1t 1 do not care what the SEN
timentalists or the poets say in
regard 70 sin; i'm the name OF
God i declare 20 you to-day that sin
As REORGANIZATION. disintcpration.
ghastly designation, hobbiing de.
fOrmity
Your modern theologian tells Won
hat man u little out Of sorts; he some
Zines thi3Aa wrong; he sometimes does
wrong; iES1oed, his nature needs Iit,Ie
moral surgery, an outside splint.
slight compress, a little rcctihcation.
Religion 10 good thing so have; il
might some day come into use. Man is
partially wrong, not all wrong. He is
lame in one foot Bring tho
salve Of divine grace and the
ointment, and the pain extractor.
and we will have his one foot
cured Man is only half wrong. not
Altogether wrong. In what is mans
Dat1r. right? In his wili2 his affec-
Eionaf Dds Judgment? No. There Is an
Oh book tnat 1ys: The whole head is
SICK, and ths whole heart faint" Nc
PhiDsoheth lame in both feet Our be-
Lei Of tho fact chat sin has sacrificed
and oeformed our -orls increase, AZ
we go pu iu years When you start
ed life you thought that man
was little married w sin. and
he was about Onc-tenth wrong
BY the time You had gone through
ahe early experience Of your trade.
or occupation. or profcsaiop ,.,., a.