Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-07-17

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, 30 that the
panther was as tame as the COW and the
condor ~ tame as the dove-as there is
between the human soul disabled and
that soul as God originally constructed
it. | do not care what the sentimental
lists or the poets say in regard to sin. In
the name of God, declare to you today
that sin is disorganization, disintegra-
ton, CHASTITY disfguration, hobbling de-
formity.
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
little moral surgery, an outside splint.
slight compress, little rectificatioD.
Religion is a good thing to have; it
might some day come into use. Man is
partially wraug, 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
Did book that says: "The whole head is
tick and the whole heart faint "
Mephibosheth lame in both feet. Our
belief of the fact that sin has scarified
and deformed our souls increases as we
90 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 you
believed that man was about half wrong.
By the time you came to midlife you
believed that man was three-fourths
wrong But within these past few years,
since you have been so lied about and
swindled and cheated, you have come to
the conclusion that man is altogether
wrong and now you can say with the
prayer book and with the Bible, There
is no health in US" Now you believe
with the prophet, "The heart is deceit
full, above all things, and desperately
wicked. " Whatever you may have be-
! lieyed before, now you believe that
Mephibosheth is lame on both feet
Restored.
Again, Mephibosheth in the text
stands for the disabled human soul
humbled and restored. When this in
valid of my text got a command to come
to King David's palace, he trembled
The fact was that the grandfather OF
Mephibosheth had treated David most !
shockingly. and now Mephibosheth says
to himself "What does the king want /
of me? Isn't it enough that l am lame?
Is he going to destroy my life! Is he |
going to wreak on rue the vengeance |
which he holds toward my grandfather |
| Saul? It's too bad. " But go to the pal
ace Mephibosheth must, since the king |
has commanded it, With staff and
crutches and helped by his friends, l
see Mephibosheth going up the stairs OF
the palace. hear his staff and crutches
rattling on the tessellated floor OF the
throneroom. No sooner have these two
persons confronted each other-Mephib-
osheth and David, the king-than
Mephibosheth throws himself fiat on his
face before the king and styles himself
dead dog In the east when man
STYLES himself dog he utters the ut
most term Of self abnegation. 1t Is not
a term so o-strong in this country, where,
if dog has a fair chance, he sometimes
shows more nobility Of character than
some human specimens that we wot OF,
but the NANCY ours of the oriental cities,
as know by my own observation, are
utterly detestable. Mephibosheth gives
the utmost term Of self loathing when
he compares himself to dog, and dead
at that.
Consider the analogy. When the COM
mand is given from the palace OF heaven
to the human soul to come, the soul be-
gins to tremble. 1t says: "What is God
going to do with me now? Is he going
to destroy me? Is he going to weak his
vengeance upon me?" There is more
than one Mephibosheth trembling now
because God has summoned him to the
palace Of divine grace. What are you
trembling about? God has 10 pleasure
in the death of a sinner. He does not
send for you to hurt you. Ho sends Tor
YOU to do you good. A Scotch preacher
had the following circumstances brought
under his observation There was poor
woman in the parish who was about to
be turned out because she could not pay
her rent. One uight she heard loud
knocking at the door, and she made 10
answer and hid herself. The rapplng
continued louder, louder, louder, but
she made no answer and continued TO
hide herself. She was almost frightened
unto death. She said, That's the oih-
Ger of the Law come to throw me out OF
my home. "
A few days after Christian philan-
thropist met her in the street and said;
s'My Door woman, where were you the
other night? / came round to your house
to pay your rent Why didn't you let
me in? Were you at homer" why, "
she replied. "was that your" "Yes,
| that was me. Cdluc W pay JoA -N
"Why," she said, "if l had had any
idea it was you 1 would have let you
in. thought it was an officer come TO
cast me out Of ay home" " o soul. that
loud knocking at the gate today is not
the sheriff come to put you in jail 1t Is
the best friend you ever had come to DO
your security. You shiver with terror
because you think it is wrath. 1t Is
. mercy. Why, then, tremble before the
King Of heaven and earth calls you 70
his palace9 Stop trembling and start
right away. "Oh," you say, Il can
start. have been so lamed by sin and
so lamed by evil habit l can't start l
am lame in both feet" My friend, we
come out with our prayers and sympa-
thies to help you up to the palace. IL
you want to get to the palace. you may
get there. Start now. The Holy Spirit
will help you. All you have to do Is
J Just to throw yourself on your face at
} the feet of the King, as Mephibosheth
did
, Gods Mercy.