The Monitor-register., 1896-07-17
LAME ON BOTH FEET.
THIS is TIE BIBLE IDEA AND DEFINI-
TION OF SIN.

meas For Another's Sake"-NoVei Presen-
t.,;on of the Theories of Ruin and Res
. toration.
WASHINGTON, July 12.-Dr. Tai
maoe,s sermon of today is a vivid and
novel presentation of the theories OF
ruin and restoration. The Bible scene
described ia dramatic. His text was Ii
Samuel ix, and 13: "Is there yet any
that is left of the house of Saul, that L
NAV show him kindness for Jonathan's g
sake? So Mephibosheth dwelt IN
Jerusalem, for he did eat continually at
the kings table and was lame on both
his feet.
Was there ever anything more roman
tic and chiyalrous than the love OF
David and Jonathan? At one time JON
athan was up and David was down.
Now David is up and Jonathans family
is down. As you have often heard OF
two soldiers before going into battle
making o covenant that if ono is shot
the survivor will take charge OF the
hodv. the watch, the mementos ana
nerhaps of the bereft family of the one
that dies. so David and Jonathan had
made n covenant, and now that Jona-
than is dead David is inquiring ABOUT
his family. that he may show kindness
unto them for their father Jonathah
sake
Careful search is made, and a son OF
Jonathan by the dreadfu1ly homely
name of Mephibosheth is found. His
nnrse in his infancy, had let him fall,
md the fall 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 gazes
nnon him with melting tenderness, no
doubt seeing in his face IA resemblance
TO his old friend, the deceased Jonathan.
The whole bearing of KING David TO-
ward him seems to say: How glad
am to see you, Mephibosheth! How you
remind me of your father, my old friend
and benefactorl l made bargain with
your father a good many years ago. and
/ am going to keep it with you. What
can do for you, Mephibosheth? l am
resolved what to do will make you a
rich man. | will restore to you the con-
fiscated property Of your grandfather
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 Mephibosheth, and
he cried out against it, calling himself
a dead dog. BE still, says David, 81
don't do this on your own account; do
this for your father Jonathan's S sake.
can never forget his kindness. Iremem-
ber 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 in
stead of my shepherds coat, and how
he took off his own sword and belt and
gave them to me instead of my sling?
Oh, I can never forget himi feel as if
1 couldn't do enough for you, his son.
don't do it for your sake; l do it for
your father Jonathan's sake. $50
Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for
he did eat continually at the kings ta-
BILE and was lame Oh both his feet. 3"
There is so much gospel in this quaint
incident that | am embarrassed to know
where to begin. Whom do Mephibosheth
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
as gallantry, as Don
Juan; George Sand describes sin as tri-
upmhant III many intricate plots; Ga
varni, with his engraver's knife, always
shows sin as great jocularity; but the
Bible presents it as a Mephibosheth,
lame on both feet Sin, like the nurse
in the context. attempted to carry us
and let us fall, and we have been dis
abled, and in our whole moral nature
we are decrepit. Sometimes theologians
haggle about 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 be? Then, do not
believe it either. But do you mean that
sin has let us fall; that it has scarif1ed
and wounded and crippled our entire
moral nature until we cannot walk
straight and are lame i'll both feeti
Then admit your proposition. There
is not so much difference i'll an African
jungle-with barking, bowling, kissing,
fighting quadruped and reptile, and
paradise, with its animals coming before
Adam, when he patted them and stroked
them and gave them names, 80 that the
panther was as tame as the COW and the
condor as tame as the dove-aS there is
between the human soul disabled and
that soul as God originally constructed
it. l do not care what the sentimental
lists or the poets say i'll regard to sin. In
the name Of God, l declare to you today
that sin is disorganiZation, disintegra-
tion, CHASTITY disfiguration, hobbling de-
formity
Your modern theologian tells you
that man is Il little out of sorts; he
sometimes thinks wrong; he sometimes
does wrong; indeed his nature needs q
little moral surgery, an outside splint,
a slight compress, little rectification.
Religion is a good thing to have; it
might some day come into use Man is
partially wrong, not all wrong. He is
lame in one foot. Bring the salve of di-
vine 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
nature right? In his will, his affec-
tions. his judgment? No. There is an
old hn0tJ hot GsTVba xx.hnln haod Ic
sick and the whole heart faint. F"
Mephibosheth lame in both feet. Our
belief of the fact that sin has scarified
and deformed our souls increases as we
go on in years. When you started life,
you thought that man was little
marred by sin and he was about one
tenth wrong. By the time you had gone
through the early experience of your
trade or occupation or profession yol
believed that man was about half wrong
By the time you came to midlife yol
believed that man was three-fOurth
wrong. But within these past few years
since you have been SO lied about ant
swindled and cheated, you have come t.
the conclusion that man is altogethe
wrong, and now you can say with tn
prayer book and with the Bible, ''Ther
is no health i'll u.s." Now you believ
with the prophet, ''The heart is deceit
full, above all things, and desperatel.
wicked. Whatever you may have be
lieved before, now you believe tina
Mephibosheth is lame on both feet.
Restored.
Again, Mephibosheth in the tex
stands for the disabled human sou
humbled and restored When this in
valid of my text got command to COM
to King David's palace, he trembled
The fact was that the grandfather o
Mephibosheth had treated David mos