The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-11

despises. The truly beautiful music
he once despised now he loves. My
friends, if you do not love the society
Of Christian people there is something
wrong in your life. You have a dis
eased spiritual appetite. The sooner
you go with the truly consecrated peo-
pie the sooner you will learn to love
their society. DO not make the prayer
Of my text. "'RestOre unto me the JOY
Of thy salvation,' unless by constant
association with ('hristianopeople you
do an IN Jour power to develop that
spiritual joy.
But IN order d Gully grasp the beau
g q the psalnists prayer you aust
relnember that It Is given with che alb
solute knowledge that n his own
strength he was nothing, but hat in
Gods strength he could be everything.
David at this time was standing under
the shadows OF his past sins. God had
blessed him again and again, yea just
after these many manifestations Of the
divine love he had fallen back into sin
because he had depended upon his own
strength Thus David says, Restore
unto me the joy Of thy salvation and
uphold me by thy free spirit" That
means in plain English, 20 God,
bring me back to thy loving grace,
cleanse me from sin and then by thy
power do not let me again wallow In
the quaSinires and the boys and the
filth of evil" After David had played
the fool in King Achish's court and
had murdered Uriah to steal for him
self Uriah's wife, ought he not to have
made this prayer with fear and trem-
bling? After you and I have sinned
again and again when God had re-
stored upon us the JOY Of his salvation,
ought not we to make this prayer in the
same spirit as David made 1t?
Trust In the Father.
1t is only by doubling and continuing
to distrust our own strength that we
are led to rely entirely upon Gods pro-
tecting power l would have US feel
our dependence on God when we make
this prayer exactly as the little adopt
| ed daughter of dear friend Of mine
| feels toward her father. He Is noble
man, made noble through suffering.
He started out In humble financial
| circumstances, but he went Oh and Oh
In life until at last he won position
Of wealth and influence. But after the
| wealth came, then came the sorrow.
! God came to his two little girls and
said: Come daughters; come! | want
you to play in the green field Of heav-
en- And in a night the earthly nursery
was emptied for the celestial play
grounds. Broken hearted were my
friend and his dear wife. The cry OF
their agonizing hearts was, 20 God,
give Ns little girl:"' And God gave
them a little daughter, not of their
own flesh and blood, however, but a
little cir! who came out of a howell Of
Aoverty and filth and sin.
Some months ago this little girl was
in a founding institute In one of our
large eastern cities. BY this institu-
item she was sent west and put into a
low Mexican's home Of ignorance and
6lth. There my friend found her and
said: "She shall not remain here. She
shall come and be my daughter and
1--we in my home" He took her west.
Then he and his wife washed the little
girl and put clean clothes upon her
and put her into a clean, white bed.
They surrounded her with all that
wealth and love could give. Yet
though that little girl Is now only
about two and one-half years old, she
lives in continual terror Of being taken
back to her past surroundings. Every
night before she goes to bed she calls
her foster father to her side or crawls
up into his lap and puts her little
arms about his neck and says, Papa
you won't let them come and take
baby away, will you?" Sometimes she
awakes at night and calls and asks
the same question, You won't lei
them take baby away, will your" And
the great, strong man, with tears In
his eyes, says: mo, baby; no, daugh
ter! I will not let them come and
take you away from me and mamma
Go to sleep now; papa will keep yor
safely by his side!" So David, as
heartbroken sinner, just reaches VI
and puts his arms up in plea to Cos
and says: % Father, keep me. Dom
let me go back to sin as l have done
In the past Keep me, Lord. keeI
me In the power Of thy love- Have
you not, - man, sinned after Goo
has restored to you again and agail
the Joy OF salvation? Can you not say
to him now: Keep me, Lord. keel
me, Father. Keep me-
Thus, my friends, because you have
again and again come to Christ ant
tasted OF the Joy of salvation and the1
fallen away do not let your broker
resolutions keep you away from thu
Saviour today. First get clean sheet
Say, 20 God, forgive" Then make
prayer, an earnest prayer, which will
be continuous prayer for every morn
Ing noon and night. Let this be you
prayer: 20 God, keep me, keep me
O Lord, keep me every step l &c!
And God will keep you. brother. II
will keep you under the shadow Of hi
wings He will keep you as David wa
kept. Will you make the prayer Of m,
| text now? Will you continue to max
the earnest prayer, Uphold me wit
thy free spirit" until at last he delis