The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-29

have been so lameQ Dy SIN anu 81 tiu0.i "
evil habit can't start. I am lame in both
feet" Nv friend, we come out with our
PRAYERS and sympathies to help you up to
the palace. If 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 lust to throw yourself on your face at
the feet of the King. as Mephibosheth did.
Mephibosheth's caninial comparison seems
extravagant to the world, but when a 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 condemnation. The dead Cog OF
Mephibosheth's comparison fails to describe
the mans utter loathing of himself.
Mephibosheth's posturing does not seem too
PROSTATE. When soul is convicted, first
he prays upright. Then the N uscles Of his
neck relax, and he is able to bow his head.
After awhile. by an almost superhuman ell
fort, he kneels down to pray. After awhile,
when he has seen God and seen himself, he
throws himself fiat on his face at the feet OF
the King. just like Mephibosheth. The fact
Is, If 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 merciful
to me, a 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 great fortune and command 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 mighty stir about q poor fellow
who would never be OF any use to the throne
of Israel? It 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 thar all this
kindness on the part OF David to Mephib-
osheth was for his father Jonathan's sake.
The most important part OF every prayer
Is the last three or four words OF 1t, "For
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 60 before God and ssy,
"For Christ's sake" it rolls in, as 1t were,
upon Gods mind all the memories of
Bethlehem and Gennesaret and Golgotha.
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 all the universe that will move God to an
act of royal benefaction, it is to say,
"For Christ's sake" God is omnipo-
tent, but he is not strong enough to re-
sist that cry, "For Christ's sake" II a
little child should kneel behind Gods
throne and should say, "For Christ'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 comforted bur for
hn
deemed but for Christ's sake. Our name,
however illustrious it may be among men,
before God stands only for Inconsistency
and sin, but there Is a name, q potent
name, blessed name, 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, go that now, whether We
are we'll or sick, whether we are living or
dying, If we speak that name 1t moves
heaven to the center, and God says: ''Let
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 want to show him everlast-
ing kindness, for Jonathan's sake"
Again, Mephibosheth In my text stands
.or the disabled human soul lifted to the
Kings table. It was more difficult In those
times even than 1t 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 kin
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 not get in once in all their lives to one
banquet, yet poor Meph1bosheth goes in,
lives there, and Is every day at the table.
Oh, what getting up In the world 1t was
for poor Mephibosheth! Well, though you
and I may be woefully famed with sin, for
our divine Jonathan's sake hope we will
all get in to dine with the King.
Before dining we must be introduced. II
you are invited to company OF persons
where there are distinguished people pres
ent, you are introduced: "This Is the Sena-
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 I, by the grace OF God, get into
heaven. and are introduced to the mighty
spirits there, and some one will say: "Thls is
Joshua" "This is Paul" This is Moses"
This is John Knox" "This is John Mil
ton" "This is Martin Luther" "This is
George Whitefeld." Oh, shall we have any
strength left after such a round OF celes-
tial introductionf Yea. we shall be
potentates ourselves. Then weshall 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. Glow long
will it last? All other banquets at which ]
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 Whiteaeld will say,
"Forever!"
And the wine at that banquet will be old
wine. 1t will be very old wine. It will be
the oldest wine of heaven. 1t will be the
wine that was trodden out from the red
clusters on the day when Jesus trod the wine
press alone. Wine already more than eight
cen centuries old. And no one will deride
US as to what We were in this world. No
one will bring up our imperfections here,
our sins here. Ali our earthly imperfec-
rions completely covered up and hid
den. Mephibosheth's feet under the
table. Ktngly fare. Kingly vesture. King
ly companionship. We shall reign for
ever and ever. I think that banquet will
mean more TO those who had it hard in
this world than to these who had 1t
easy. That banquet in Davtd's palace
meant more to Mephibosheth than to any
one else, because he had been poor and Grip