The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-25
The Teachers Lantern,

A splendid career was possible to Saul He was every inch king, physically His majestic form and stature awed his enemies; gave courage to his adherenta He was modest at the start; showed self control and tact; had some generous inn pulses, undoubted courage, and genius for tactics.
 What ruined him was his lack of con- secratlon to God. He never rose to any adequate appreciation of his high calling He could never bring his will into align ment with Gods will He never learned obedience. His self-wlll ended in making him hypocrite, traitor to God an in sane foe to his fellows and to himself
 The rejection of Saul was not an arbi- trary matter or piece of caprice on the part of Providence. It was just as nec- essary as the expulsion from the orches- tra of the musician who will not observe the directors baton. Saul indignantly persisted in striking false notes, and spelling the harmonies of divine sym phony. He was repeatedly admonished and given new opportunities; but he was bent upon striking such notes as he pleased.
 To each rational soul a Kingdom is committed. It may seeip a small affair in the sight of man. Not so in sight of God and angels! The moral qualities re- quired are the same as those demanded of Saul. i'll our tiny kingdoms each be ruled tccording to the Divine ideal? That question is now solving in all human hearts, The event is for veal or woe eternal Saul is a colossal wreck, but ne is not the only one on the shore of time ODodianCR-intalliRPnt is indispensable. There is no substitute. The perfection with which we do some thing else is no mitigation of the offense. There is no scale of equivalents The consrious deviation of a hairs -brea tn spoils all. The fat of rains can not take the place of obedience
 We are inclii ed to resent it. But Saurs onense is really very common. Total surrender to God is the hardest lesson of lifetime. Most of us are on the hunt of what we dtem equivalents. The life too often gives the lie to the consacra- tion hymn which we sino quite sturddy. Some geese betrayed the Gauls in theIr night attack upon Rome. A cock gave the lie to Peter, Bleating sheep and low ing oxed moCked Israel's king when he | asserted that he had performed the Lord $ commandment. The animal kingdom of- ten takes the witness-stand against the sinner
 Jefferson of Broadway Tabernacle. ut ] ters trenchant words when he says: And Samuel said, What meaneth, then, this hleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? l That is an embarrassing question for a ! sinner to ahswer You a- sert your inno. cence and vet my senses take knowIedyt of the evidences of your guilt. You say | you do not drink too much; what menn. eth. then, ths reckoning of the eyes ! and trembling of tho hand? You say
 your heart is clean; what meaneth then
 this rottenness that trickles now anC
 then into your ak? You say you are ar , honest man: what meaneth, then. thi. 1 style of living which runs beyond tn, 1 limits of your income? You say you ar, ! Christian: what mean these scores (, cuties unperformed, bleat,ng evidenec, of your Lnfaithfuness? Why prate db u
 your innocence when your. sins are nul | lowing in my ear? No guilty man car safely deny his guilt until he teacne! /, steers not to below. and learns how [, 1 keep sheep from bleating."