Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-07-18

WASHINGTON, July 12.-Dr. Tnl-
IMAGES sermon of today is vivid and
novel presentation Of the theories Of
ruin and restoration The Bible scene
described is dramatic. His text was II
Samuel IL, and 13: els there yet any
that is left of the house of Saul, that
may show him kindness for Jonathan 8
sake? n So Mcphibcsheth dwelt in
Jerusalem, for he did eat continually OF
the kings table aud was lame on both
his feet. +"
Was there ever anything more roman.
tic and chivalrous than the love of
David and Jonathan? At one time JON
athan 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 into 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 Jona-
than is dead David is inquiring about
his family, that he may show kindness
unto them for their father Jonathan
sake
Careful search is made, and 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 ont
of place, and they had never been set
This decrepit, poor man is brought into
the palace of King David. David gazes
upon him with melting tenderness, no
doubt seeing i'll his face Il resemblance
to his old friend, the deceased Jonathan.
The whole bearing Of King David to-
ward him seems to say: How glad l
am to see you, Mcphiboshothl How you
remind me of your father, my old friend
and benefactorl I made bargain with
your father Il good many years ago, and
am going to keep it with you. What
can 1 do for you, Mephiboshoth? l am
resolved what to do will make you q
rich man. I will restore to You the con-
fiscatcd property of your grandfather
Saul, and you shall be guest of mine
as long as you live, and You shall :,
seated at my table among the princes.
1t was too much for Mephibosheth, and
he cried out against it, calling himself
dead dog. "Be still, " says David, I
don do this on your own account; l do
this for your father Jonathan's sake. 1
can never forget his kindness. Iremem-
Der when 1 was bounded from place to
place how he befriended me. Can I ever
forget how he stripped himself Of his
courtier apparel and gave it to Inc in
stead Of my shepherds coat, and how
he took off his own sword and belt and
gave them to mo instead of my sling?
Oh, can never forget himl feel as if
I couldn't do enough fer you, his son.
I don't do it for your sake; l do it for
your father Jonathan's sake. So
Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for
he did cat continually at the kings TIA
bic and was lame Oh both his feet. y
There is so much gospel in this quaint
incident that l am embarrassed to know
where to begin. Whom do Mephibosheth
and David and Jonathan make you
think Of?
Disabled.
Mephibosheth, in tho first place,
stands for the disabled human soul.
Lord Byron describes sin as charming
recklessncss, as gallantry, as Il Don
Juan; George Sand describes sin as tri-
upmhant in many intricate plots; Ga
varni, with his engravcr's knife, always
shows sin as a great POPULARITY; but the
Bible presents it as 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 III our whole moral nature
we are decrepit Sometimes theologians
haggle about technically. They use
the words "total depravity, y 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 sc&-'fied
and wounded and crippled our entire
moral nature until we cannot walk
straight and are lame i'll both feet?
Then I admit your proposition. There
is not so much difference III al 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, so 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. ] do not care what the sentimental
lists or the poets say in regard to sin. In
the name of God, 1 declare to you today
that sin is disorganization, disintegra-
ton, CHASTITY designation, hobbling de-
formity.
Your modern theologian tells you
that man is little out of sorts; he
sometimes thinks wrong; he sometimes
does wrong; indeed his nature needs
little moral surgery, an outside splint,
q 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 affcc-
tions, his judgment? No. There is an
old book that says: "The whole head is
sick 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
40 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 midl1fe you
believed that man was three-fourths
1yronp Rut within these past few years,