The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-08-29

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with terror because you think 1t is wrath. 1t
is mercy. Why, then, trembIe before tho
King OF heaven and earth calls you to His
palace7 Stop trembling and start right
away. COB" you say, IT can't start.
have been so famed by sin and so famed by
evil habit can't start. am lame in both
feet" My friend, We come , out with our N
the palace. II 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 just to throw yourself on your face OF
the feet OF the King, as Mephibosheth did
Mephibosheth's caninial comparison seems
extravagant to the world, but when man
has seen himself as he really is and seen
how he has been treating the Lord, there
is no term vehement enough to express his
self conformation. The dead Cog OF
Mephibosheth's comparison fails to describe
the mans utter loathing OF himself
Mephibosheth's posturing does not seem too
prostrnte. When soul Is convicted, first
he prays upright. Then the muscles OF his
neck relax, and he is able to bow his head.
After awhile, by an almost superhuman eff
fort, he kneels down to pray. After awhile,
when ne has seen God and seen himself, he
throws himself fat on his face at the feet OF
the King. just like Mephibosheth. The fact
is, II we could see ourselves as God sees US,
we would perish at the spectacle. You
would have no time to overhaul other peo-
pie. Your cry would be, "God be nierciful
to me, d sinner"
And again, Mephibosheth In my text
stands for the disabled human soul saved
for the sake OF another. Mephibosheth would
never have got into the palace on his own
account. Why did David ransack the realm
to find that poor man and then bestow upon
him a great fortune and command O farmer
OF the name OF ziba to culture the estate and
give to this invalid Mephibosheth half the
proceeds every year? Why did King David
make such a mighty stir about poor fellow
who would never be Of any use to the throne
OF Israei? 1t was for Jonathan's sake. 1t
was what Robert Burns calls for "auld lang
syne." David could not forget what Jona-
than had done for him IN other days. Three
times this chapter has it that all this
kindness on the part of David to Mephib-
osheth was for his father Jonathan's sake.
The daughter of Peter Martyr, through the
vice of her husband, came down to penury,
and the senate Of Zurich took care Of her for
her fathers sake. Sometimes person has
applied to you for help and you have refused
him, but when you found hewas tho son or
brother Of some one who hal been your bene-
factor In former days, and by a glance you
saw the resemblance Of your old friend In
the face of the applicant, you relented, and
you said. "Oh, I will do this for your fathers
sake" You know by your experience what
my text means. Now, my friends, 1t Is on
that principle that you and I are to get into
the Kings palace.
is the last three or four words of it, 'sFor
Christ's sake" Do not rattle off those words
as though they were merely the finishing
stroke Of the prayer. They are the most
important part Of the prayer. When in
earnestness you go before God and say,
''For Christ's sake" it rolls in, as 1t were,
upon Gods mind all the memories OF
When you say before God. "For Christ's
sake" you hold before Gods mind every
groan, every tear, every crimson drop of
His only begotten Son. If there is anything
in oil the universe that will move God to an
act Of royal benefaction. it ID to say,
"For Ohrist's sake" God IL omnipo-
tent, but He Is not strong enough to re-
sist that cry, ''For Christ's sake" If a
little child should kneel behind Gods
throne and should say, "For Chrlst's sake"
the great Jehovah would turn around on
His throne to look at her and listen. No
prayer ever gets to heaven but for Christ's
sake. No soul Is ever oomforted but for
Christ's sake. The world will never be re-
deemed but for Christ's sake. Our name,
however illustrious it may be among men,
before God stands only for Inconsistency
dau put tu6f5 ~ u uSLue, u potent
name, blessed name, a glorious name. an
everlasting name, that we may put upon
our lips as sacrament and upon our
forehead as crown, and that Is the
name OF Jesus, our divine Jonathan,
who stripped Himself of His robe and put
on our rags and gave US His sword and took
our broken reed, so that now, whether we
are well or sick, whether we are living or
dying, II we speak that name It moves
RI o,xn nd nnd as
the poor soul come in. Garry him up into
the throneroom of the palace. Though he
may have been in exile, though sin may have
crippled him on this side, and sorrow may
have crippled him on the other side, and he
is lame in both his feet, bring him up into
the palace. for 1 want to show him everiast-
ing kindness, fer Jonathan's sake"
Again, Mephibosheth in my text stands
Tor the disabled human soul lifted to the
Kings table. 1t was more difficult in those
times even than it Is now for common men
to get into royal dining room. The SUBJ
jects might have come around the rail of the
palace, and might have seen the lights kim
died, and might have heard the clash of the
knives and the rattle of the golden goblets,
but not get in. Stout men with stout feet
could moi get in once In all their lives to one
banquet, yet poor Mephibosheth goes In,
lives there, and is every day at the table.
Oh, what getting up In the world 1t was
for poor Mephiboshethl Well, though you
and / may be woefully famed with sin, for
our divine Jonathan's sake hope we will
oil get in to dino with tho King.
Before dining we must be introduced. II
you are invited to q company of persons
where there are distinguished people pres
Ont, you arc introduced: "This is the Scna-
tor" "This Is the Governor" "This is the
President" Before We sit down at the Kings
table In heaven I think we will want to be
introduced. Oh. what time that will be,
when you and /, by the grace Of God, get into
heaven, and are introduced to the mighty
spirits there, and some one will say: "ThIs is
Joshua" 'This is Paul." This is Moses"
''This is John Knox" ''This is John Mil
ton" "This is Martin Luther" "This is
George Whitefe!d." Oh, shall we have any
strength left after such q round of celes-
tial introduction Yea, we shall be
potentates ourselves. Then we shall sit down
at the Kings table with the sons and daugh.
tiers of God, and one will whisper across the
table to US and say, "Behold what manner OF
love the Father hath bestowed upon US that
we should be called the sons Of God!' And
some one ut the table will say: show long
will it last? All other banquets at which !
sat ended. How long will this last2" and
Paul will answer, "Forever!" and Joshua
will say, Forever" and John Knox will say
Forever and George Whitefleld will say,
"Forever!"
And the wine at that banquet will be old
wine. 1t will be very old wine. It will be
wine that was trodden out from the red
clusters on the day when Jesus trod the wine
press sicna. Wine already more than eight
aan cenfuriee old And no ona will dprida