Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-07-16

whether we are living or dying, If we speak
that name it moves heaven TO the center,
and God says: LET the poor soul come IN.
Garry him Up into the throncroom 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 I
want to show him everlasting kindness for
Jonathan's sake"
Again, Mephibosheth in my text stands
for the disabled human soul lifted to the
Kings table 1t was more difficult in those
times even than it is now for common men
50 get into royal dining room. The sub
jects might have come around the rail Of
the palace and might have seen the lights
kindled, 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 not get in once in all their
lives to one banquet, yet poor Mephibo-
sheth goes in, lives there and is every day
at the table. Oh, what q getting up in the
world it was for poor Mephibosheth! Well,
though you and may be woefully lamed
with sin, for our divine JOnathan's sake
L llOlG VIC Will ILL Ecu LII w N1llC NlGll Ul4O
King.
Before dining we must be introduced.
If you are invited TO a company of persons
where there are distinguished people pres
ent, you are introduced: This is the SEN
ator." "This is the governor" " "This
is the president" Before we sit down
at the Kings table in heaven think
we will want to be introduced Oh, what
time that will be when you and l, by the
grace of God, get into heaven and are in
troduced 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 Milton, -
''This is Martin Luther, "This is George
Whitefeld. " Oh, shall we have any strength
left after such round Of celestial intro.
| duction? Yea, we shall be potentates our.
selves. Then we shall sit down at the
Kings table with the sons and daughters
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 Godp'
And some one at the table will say: How
long will it last? All other banquets al
which I sat ended How long will this
LAST" And Paul will answer, Forever
and Joshua will say, Forever" and John
Knox will say, Forever and George
Whitefeld will say, Forever
A Glorious Gospel.
And the wine at that banquet will be old
| wine; it will be very old wine; it will bt
the Oldest wine of heaven; it will be the
wine that was trOdden out from the rec
clusters on the day when Jesus trod the
wine press alone. Wine already more thar
19 centuries old All our earthly imperfec
tions completely covered up and hidden
Mephibosheths S feet under the table. King
ly fare. Kingly vesture. Kingly compan
ionship, We shall reign for ever and ever
l think that banquet will mean more tc
those who had it hard in this world thar
to those who had it easy. That banquet il
Davids palace meant more to Mephibo
sheth than to any one else, because he haC
been poor and crippled and despised anC
rejected. And that man who in this worlt
is blind will better appreciate the light O.
heaven than we who in this world ha(
good eyesight. And that man who in this
world was deaf will better appreciate tn,
music of heaven than we who in this worlC
had good hearing. And those will have
higher appreciation of the easy locomotio1
of that land who in this world were Mephib
| osheths.
o my soul, what a magnificent gospel
1t takes man so low down and raises hin
so high! What a gospel! Come now, wht
wants to be banqueted and impalaced? A
when Wilberforce was trying to get tn,
emancipation bill through the British
| Ill +L, Do;+ III IL
anxious to hear of the passage of tina
emancipation bill, when a vessel wa
coming into port and the captain of th
vessel knew that the people were so anxiou
to get the tidings, he stepped out on th
PROV of the ship and shouted to the poopl
long before he got up to the dock, 'FreeH
and they cried it, and they shouted it, anC
they sang it all through the land Free
free" So today 1 would like to sound tn
news of your present and your eterna
emancipation until the angels Of God hov
ering in the air and watchmen on the bat
Elements and bellmen in the town cry it
shout it, sing 1t, ring it, Free, freeW
come out now as the messenger of the pal
ace to invite Mephibosheth to come up.
am here today to tell you that God has
wealth Of kindness to bestow upon you fo
his Sons sake. The doors of the palace ar
open to receive you. The cupbearers hav
already put the chalices on the table, ant
the great loving, tender, sympatheti
heart of God bends over you this moment
saying, SIS there any that is yet left Of tn
house of SAUL that may show him kind
ness for Jonathan's S sake?"