Newport weekly independent., 1902-08-01
RELIGION
t Was the Kind David Had, and It
 Is the Kind You Need.
Sdrm H by tn c ''IIi;sh,vay and Byway' Preacher, in Which He Shows That God Wants to Enter Into Every
 Detail of Our Lives.
Copyright, 1902, by A. N. Kellogg News
 INE paper Co) 8& Chica go July 27 1902

And be glad. Psalm, 34:2.
 Ef Dayid's Song.-While threatened by foes from within and without, while MHeeing for his life from the jealous Iwrath of King Saul and meeting new SEperils in the heathen nations about, I so that a cave in the mountain side | must needs become his refuge, Da- Egvid's heart gave birth to the wonder full song of which our text is but a fra gment. In the twenty-first chap # ter of l. Samuel we find recorded the thrilling incidents which inspired the 6 heart of the shepherd-poet to sing this paen of triumphant praise. Every word swells and throbs with life and S#real experience. It is not the ecstatic # sentiment of the emotional religious enthusiast who thrills his hearers in M the meeting house. and then goes out s# and fOrgets to live his religion in his life, but it's every note and word N echoes with the experiences of the # hurried flight from the presence of M Saul to the court of the king of Gath VI and back gain to the cave of Adullam. N Amidst all the perils that beset him, Davi4s heart beats in quiet confidence 4 in his God. He has no time to tell of wrongs suffered. He leaves that with the Lord. and begins and ends his song with bursts of praise and con- fidence. Between the ''I will bless the Lord at all times'' of the first verse. and ''the Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants" of the last verse, are crowded some of the most trying and terrible experiences of his life, but which were made bright by the presence and help of the Lord.
 David's Religion.-Thus we see that David's religion was not some thing he put on and off as the occasion seemed to require. but was of such a prac- tical character, so very real. as to en- ter into every detail of his life. As boy, out on the mountain side with his sheep, he had learned the music of the birds, had felt the inspira tion of Gods nature all about him. h ad learned a lesson from each star as it kept it's silent, faithful sentinel above him, and yet when he dropped his harp to grapple with the lion and the bear which had attacked the sheep, he did not let his religion go, too, but in the strength of the Lord he slew the lion and the bear. His religion was not something he enjoyed only on feast days, when, away from his sheep. he went to pay his vows unto the Lord, but was a real something which kept him faithful to the smallest detail of his work and held him at his post of duty when the rest of the family were shying off to town to see the prophet Samuel, who had come on a mysterious mission.
 All the other boys of the family were on hand at dinner. each an eager candidate for the prophets favor and blessing, while David's religion kept him out in the sheep cote finishing up the chores, all unconscious that his Lord was about to say: "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, will make thee ruler over many things" David's religion gave him true humil- ity, which kept him in his place until the prophets call brought him, all aglow in his boyish beauty, to the place where he received the amounting of the Lord as the king of Israel. AL though only stripling, he did not lose his head in the hour of so great honor and start off post haste for the palace of King Saul to tell him that the Lord had given him his job. and he must get out, but he steadied him. self with new grip on the Lord, and went back to his sheep, knowing that the Lord who had called him was able to bring it to pass in His own good time. No doubt his brothers had many quiet laugh over the matter. and when they went off to war against the Philistines believed that the aged prophet had made a mistake after all
 and that, after they had led the arm ies of Israel to victory, one of them would be in line for the kingly honors.
 But the quality of their religion, like that of many, many Christians to- day, while very good for worshiping oc- casions, for the Sa bbath day and feast days, something to be called by, and something to talk about, yet when it came to the practical problems of life it evaporated at their finger ends and their knees rattled together with those of the rest of the Israelites when Goliath came out and defed the God they pretended to worship, and whom they claimed to be the only God, the powerful God. Yes, they had just as much religion as they were willing to put up in test against the false gods of the blasphemous Philistine giant, and that was a precious little, now wasn't it? How much religion have x-o,, oo+o Tuc+ apo11Uh to lyaaD vO,,