The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-07-24
HUMAN GRATITUDE.
Rev. DIR. Talmage Presents the Case
Of David and Jonathan,
And in the Formers Generosity to the De-
scendants of the Latter, Draws
Lesson of Ono OF the Best At
tributes Of Humanity.

Dewitt Talmage was delivered before
his Washington congregation. 1t was
based on the text:
Is there yet any that is left of the house OIL
Saul, that may show him kindness for iona
than's sake? So Mephibosheth dwell
In Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the
kings table; and was lame on both his feet -
IL Samuel. tx, and 10.
Was there ever anything more TO.
mantle and chivalrous than the love OF
David and Jonathan? At one time
Jonathan was up and David was
down. Now David Is up and Jonathan's
family is down. AS you have often
heard of two soldiers before going in
to battle making covenant that If
one is shot the survivor will take
charge of the body, the watch, The
mementos, and, perhaps of the bereft
family of the one that dies, so
David and Jonathan had made q
covenant, and now that Jonathan is
dead, David is inquiring about his
family, that he may show kindness
unto them for their father Jonathan's
sake. Careful search is made, and a
son of Jonathan by the dreadfully
homely name of Mephibosheth is
found. His 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 palace Of
King David. David looks upon him
with melting tenderness, no doubt
seeing in his face resemblance to
his old friend, the deceased Jona-
than. The whole bearing of King
David toward him seems to say:
allow glad am to see you, Mephi-
bosk eth. How you remind me of your
father, my old friend and benefactor.
/ made bargain with your father
many years ago, and l am going to
keep it with you. What can l do for
you, Mephibosheth? L am resolved
what to do: l will make you rich
man; will restore to you the con-
fscated 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,
himself a dead dog. BE STILL" says
David, Il don't do this on your own ac-
count; do this for your father Jona-
than's sake. l can never forget his
kindness. l remember when 1 was |
bounded from place to place how he |
befriended me. Can ever forget how |
he stripped himself of his courtier APP
parel and gave it to me instead of my
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. 1
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 dwelt in
Jerusalem; for he did eat continually
at the kings table; and was lame on
both feet"
There is SO much Gospel in this
quaint incident that am en- barrassed
TO know where to begin. Whom do
and David, and Jona-
than make you think of? I.
Mephibosheth, in the first place,
stands for the disabled human soul.
Lord Byron describes sin as a charm
ng recklessness, as gallantry, as
Don Juan; George Sand describes sin
As triumphant in many intricate plots;
3avarni, with his engravers knife, al
ways shows sin as great jocularity;
but the Bible presents it as Mephib-
,sheth, lame on both feet. Sin, like
he nurse in the context, attempted to
larry us, and let us fall, and we have
been disabled, and in our whole NOR
Il nature we are decrepit. Some
lines theologians hagglc about a
They use the words
total depravity," and some peo-
pie believe in the doctrine, and some
reject it. What do you mean by total
lepravity? Do you mean that every
nan is as bad as he can be? Then /
10 not believe it either. But do you
mean that sin has let us fall, that it
has sacrificed, and disabled, and
crippled our entire moral nature, until
ne can not walk straight, and are
anne in both fcet2 Then l admit
your proposition. There is not so
much difference in an African Jungle,
with barking, bowling, kissing, fight
ing quadruped and reptile, and
Paradise with its animals coming be-
lore Adam when he patted them and
Itrolxed them and gave them names, so
hat the panther was as tame as the
row, and the condor as tame as the
love, as there is between the human
disabled and that soul as God origi-
nslly constructed it. 1 do not care
what the sentimentalists or the poets
say in regard to sin; in the name of |
God declare to you to-day that sin is
Reorganization, disintegration, ghast-
y designation, hobbling deformity.
Your modern theologian tells you