Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-13

shalt not die: behold, my father will do
nothing either great OF small, but that he
will shew it me: and why should my
father hide this thing from me? it is not so
3. And David sware moreover and said
Thy father certainly knoweth that 1 have
found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let
not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved
but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy
soul ilveth, there is but a step between me
and death.
4. Then said Jonathan unto David, What
soever thy soul desireth, l will even do it
for thee.
5. And David said unto Jonathan Be
hold, tomorrow is the new moon. and
should not fail to sit with the king at
meat; but let me go, that l may hide my
self in the field unto the third day at even.
8. Ii thy father at all miss me, then say.
David earnestly asked leave of me that he
might run to Bethlehem, his city; for there
is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
Z. And if he say thus, 1t is well; thy
servant shall have peace; but if he be very
Wroth, then be sure that evil is determined
by him.
8. Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with
thy servant; for thou hast brought thy
servant into a covenant of the Lord with
thee; Notwithstanding if there be in me in
iquity, slay me myself for why shouldst
thou bring me to thy father?
8. And Jonathan said, Far be it from
thee; for If l knew certainly that evil were
determined by my father to come upon
thee. then would not l tell it thee?
10. Then said David to Jonathan Who
shall tell me? or what if thy father answer
thee roughly?
IL. And Jonathan said unto David, Q
Lord God of Israel, when 1 have sounded
my father about tomorrow any time, or the
third day, and, behold, if there be good
toward David, and I then send not unto
thee, and shew it thee;
Ii. The Lord do SO and much more to
Jonathan; but if 1t please my father to do
thee evil, then 1 will shew it thee, and
send thee away, that thou mayest go in
peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he
hath been with my father.
a. And thou shalt not only while yet 1
live Shew me the kindness of the Lord, that
1 die not.
H. But also thou shalt not cut off thy
kindness from my house forever; no, not
when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of
David every one from the face of the earth.
IT, SO Jonathan made covenant with
the house of David, saying, Let the Lord
even require it at the hand of Davids enc
mics.
II. And Jonathan caused David to swear
again. because he loved him; for he loved
him as he loved his own soul.
IS Then Jonathan said to David, Tomor-
row is the new moon; and thou shalt be
missed, because thy seat will be empty.
49, And when thou hast stayed three
days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and
come to the place where thou didst hide
myself when the business was in hand, and
shalt remain by the stone Eel.
20. And will shoot three arrows on the
side thereof, as though shot at mark
p. And, behold, l will send lad, saying
Go, find the arrows If expressly say unto
the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side
of thee, take them; then come thou: for
there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the
Lord liveth.
%. But If say thus unto the young man.
Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy
way; for the Lord hath sent thee away
%. And as touching the matter which
thou and l have spoken of, behold the Lord
be between me and thee forever.
Hugh Black in his book on 'Friendship''
touches the keynote of this topic in his
chapter on The Miracle of Friendship. He
says 1.-The classic instance of David and
Jonathan represents the typical friendship.
They met, and at the meeting knew each
other to be nearer than kindred. By subtle
elective affinity they felt that they belonged
to each other. Out of all the chaos of the
time and the disorder of their lives there
arose for these two souls a new and beauti-
full world, where there reigned peace and
love and sweet content. 1t was the miracle
of the death of self. Jonathan forgot his
pride, and David his ambition. 1t was as
the smile of God which changed the world
to them. One of them Is saved from the
temptations of a squalid court, and the
other from the sourness of an exile's life.
Jonathan's princely soul had no room for
envy or jealousy, Davids frank nature
rose to meet the magnanimity of his friend.
In the kingdom of love there was no dis
parity between the kings son and the shep-
herd boy. Such a gift as each gave is not
to be bought or sold. 1t was the fruit of
the innate nobility of both; it softened and
tempered very trying time for both JON
athan withstood his fathers anger to shield
his friend; David was patient with Saul for
his sons sake. They agreed to be true to
each other in their difficult position. Close
and tender must have been the bond which
had such fruit in princely generosity and
mutual loyalty of SOUL
Jesus struck the keynote of true friend
ship long ago when He said: Greater love
hath no man than this. that a man lay
down his life for his friends
1t is the law of love this giving of ones
self. The old law of He that loseth his life
shall find it, And without that ready self
sacrifice there can be no true love- There
is much that passes for friendship and even
for love in this world that is but a selfish
desire for personal enjoyment of some sort.
1t is not love, 1t Is not friendship, and when
the testing time comes 1t fails every time.
Many marriages are sadly founded on such
mistaken love as this. and when the first
trial appears In view the husband or the
wife, as the case may be, or both, perhaps,
find they love themselves more than each
other and the result Is broken homes end
sorrow and distress.
Friends have pledged undying fea1ty time
and time again. only to find. each the other,
false In some time OF greatest need. The
kind OF love that makes the only true