The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-07-25
TALMAGE's SERMON.
Lesson Of King David's Generosity
to Jonathan's Descendants.
Gratitude for Favors an Attributs OF Hs.
raanity--The Subject Of David's he
nsvolenco Likened to n SIN
Laden Human Soul

ington congregation, basing 1t upon the
text:
Is there yet any that Is left of the house OF
Saul. that 1 may show him kindness for iona
than's sake? . 80 Mephibosheth dwell
In Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the
kings table; and was lame on both his feet :
II. samuel. *. and ID
Was there ever anything more ro-
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 .
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 iona
than. The whole bearing of King
David toward him seems to say:
"How glad l am to see you, Mephi-
bosheth. 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 1t with you. What can do for
you, Mephibosheth? / am resolved
what to do: / will make you rich
f1scated property Of your grandfather
Saul, and you shall be a guest of mine
as long as you live, and you shall be
seated at my table among the princes"
It was too much for Mephibosheth,
and he cried out against it, calling
himself dead dog. "Be STILL" says
David, VI don't do this on your own ac-
count; do this for your father Jona-
than's sake. can never forget his
kindness. remember when was
bounded from place to place how he
befriended me. Can ever forget how
he stripped himself of his courtier ap-
parel and gave it to me instead of my
shepherds coat, and how he took of
his own sword and belt and
gave them 50 me instead of my sling?
Oh, can never forget him. /
feel as If couldn't do enough for you,
his son. don't do 1t for your sake;
do 1t for your father Jonathan's
sake" $50 Mephibosheth dwelt in
JerusaleIa; 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
Mephibosheth, and David, and iona
than make you think Of?
ephibosheth, in the first place,
stands for the disabled human soul
Lord Byron describes sin as charm
ing recklessness, as a gallantry, as a
Don Juan; George Sand describes sin
as triumphant in many intricate plots;
Gavarni, with his engravers knife, al
ways shows sin as great POPULARITY;
but the Bible presents it as Mephib-
osheth, lame on both feet. Sin, like
the nurse in the context, attempted to
been disabled, and in our whole NOR
al nature we are deorepit. Some
times theologians hagRle about a
technicality. They use the words
total depravity," and some peo-
pie believe in the doctrine, and some
reject it What do you mean by total
depravity? Do you mean that every
pan is as bad as he can be? Then l
do not belleye 1t either. But do you
mean that sin has lst W tsl, that y
crippled our entire moral nature, until
we can not walk straight, and are
lame In both feet9 Then 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-
fore Adam when he patted them and
stroked them and gave them names, SO
that the panther was as tame rs the
COW, and the condor as tame as the
dove, as there Is between the human
disabled and that sonl as God origi-
nally constructed it. do not care
what the sentimentallsts or the poets
say in regard to sin; in the name Of
God declare to you to-day that sin Is
disorganization, disintegration, ghast-
ly disfguration, hobbling deformity.
Your modern theologian tells you
that man Is little out OF sorts; he
sometimes thinks wrong; he some
times does wrong; indeed, his nature
needs little moral surgery, an out
side splint, a slight compresss little
realization. Religionifs a Gobd thing
to havej 1t miGha some day come into
use. Man Is partially wrong, not all
wrong. He is lame in one foot Bring
the salve of divine grace and the ONT
ment and the pain extractor, and we
will have his one foot cured. Man 10
only half wrong, not altogether wrong.
In what is mans nature right? In his
will9 his affections? his Judgment
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