The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-27

TO DO FOR THE HUMAN RACE.
Text-Psalm 1O3:13. "Like as father
pitietb his children so the Lord pitieth
them that fear Him.
This psalm Is mans reply to the bene-
dictions of his God. The Psalmist first
sings of personal mercies. Q:5.) Then he
magnifles the attributes of Jehovah as
displayed in his dealings with his people.
(G:10) And he closes by calling upon all
the creatures in the universe to adore the
Lord and join with himself in blessing
Jehovah. AS in lofty mountains some
peaks rise above all others, SO among the
Psalms, there are heights of song which
overtop others, and this.l03d.P is one
of them.
No pc tition occurs. Not n word of
supplication. 1t is psalm of praise. He
touches every chord of his harp and of his
heart together, and pours forth melody
of sweetest sound. and purest praise. 1t
Is song without n sigh. There are no
clouds In the horizon nor notes of sorrow.
Praise flows -as IL stream. The river
broadens as it runs. The personal bene-
fits and praise widen out till the mercy
OF God fills the universe, and the thanks
giving sounds from It's every corner
The pity of God is revealed to us only
in the Bible.
The pity Of God is not to be found in
ancient mythology.
The gods of the heather were strong
but not pitiful.
Neither does nature show Gods pity.
The beloved, the innocent. suffer and die,
and nature has no tear for them.
Nor do we see Gods pity in society
Law Is the bond Of society and it cannot
pity, but can only enforce its commands.
Suggestions of pity are to be found in
the higher orders of animal life In the
affection Of mOther bird or beast. In the
affection of dog and horse for master
Not much pity is found among savages
But pity advances as we observe the
higher races and the more civilized.
Far more is pity seen in the home.
There we see the pity of father and
mother for their children.
But it is in t,ae Bible that we have the
clear declaration of Gods pity. In the
Old Testment.G God is represented.as being
father to His people. (Deut. 1915. Job
1O:S. is. 20:16. Is. 63:16 and 64:9. } but
this feat Is not set forth so clearly there
as in the New Testament. The Old TIES.
lament gives us grand conceptions of the
power. omniscience, wisdom and provi-
dence of God; and someti there are
the tenderest conceptions of His goodness
and mercy. This Psalm is saturated
with the New Testament spirit and tells
OF Gods pity, His compassion, mercy,
sympathy. There is pity which irdi-
Gates contempt. But Gods pity is pity
of love.
THE NATURE OF GODS PITY.
Like rs father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pltieth," etc. God makes..use
OF parental love and pity to teach us
about his own love and pity.
Like as father pitieth his Children"
not like hard hearted father, but like
the truest and tenderest of fathers.
Absalom was an ungrateful and rebel
llous son,yet when the armies went forth
against him as he was trying to ustirp
MS fathers throne, David said to Joab:
deal gently for my sake with the yonng
man. even with Absalom" But in the
battle in the wood of Ephram Absalom
was caught In the boughs, and when
Cushi brought him before the king
awaiting the news of the battle, he was
asked: is the young man Absalom safes'
And when he learned of his death he
went up to the chamber over the gate
and wept. 30 my son, Absaloml My
son, my son, Absalom! Would God had
son."
The prodigal turned away from home
and father in the prosperity bestowed
upon him by his father, and when he hid
spent all, and had come to want, a moral
wreck, he went back home, and the father
runs to meet. bim--no lecture, no scold-
ing, though he richly deserved both; but
the father sees that his sandals have been
worn out by the long journey aud his feet
are sore and tired. He has no robe. his
clothes are ragged; ne has no ring to
indicate his fathers approval. His
compassion is stirred, and instead of
harsh words it was pity, new shoes, the
best robe, n ring. and the fatted GALE.
duke 15.)
Fathers. feel for their children when
they are in pain and would gladly suffer
in their stead.
In.the common pleas court in Cleve-
land, Ohio, in the trial OF a recent case,
the question was.raised ms 70 the affection
of father for his son. A physician
testified that when the boy was i'll 1t
became necessary, in order 10 save the
life of the child. t. secure some living
flesh. The father was informed of this
and he unhesitatingly, offered to'allow the
doctor to take as much from'his body as
he needed for the hoy. Thirty pieces of
living flesh We're literally cut from the
fathers body, cat Using excruciating.. pain
and suffering. In the hospital this was