Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-03-05
LESSONS TO BE DRAWN
FROM LIFE OF DAVID
DIR. RYLAND'S SERMON AT TRIM
ITY M. e. CHURCH
PsaImist in Spite of His Grievous
Sin Possessed Qualities That
Marked Him as Man After Gods
Own Heart

"a Man After My Own Heart" was
the subject of Rev. E. P. Ryland S
sermon at Trinity NJ. E. church, south
last evening He said in part:
This is the witness God bore to
David 1t will be profitable to inquire
in what sense David was a man after
Gods own heart. The high measure of
manhood our Lord gave us in the
beatitudes. But we may with profit
study Gods measure OF a man as found
in David. We are not unmindful OF
David's failures and remember that at
times he fell into gross sin. And yet,
David possessed those qualities that
mark him in many ways as Gods
man.
David loved God and men and the
creatures of Gods hand. His great
power to love unselfishly made him
measure up to the words of the text
ten from the Psalms-in which are
revealed the mans inner self
Judged His People UpriehtIy
"His justice and righteousness in
his dealings with Israel mark him as
a man after Gods own heart. Exalted
justice is essentially the character OF
Jehovah and he delights to see it in
his children Personally 1 have al
y
do now count as most honorable an
upright judge; and yet, too often are
our courts travesties on justice. David
judged his people uprightly.
Most strikingly does David show
forth his true and inmost character in
his attitude toward his own gross sin
There can be no eXtenuation for that
sin. 1t was coarse and brutal and
without excuse, and it brought its
swift reward. The king is in despair
He is utterly cast down and unkingly.
His people do not know, but he knows
and their confidence intensifies his own
selfloathiag. The hot consciousness OF
evil was in his blood; his bones were
as though they had been broken. Then
Nathan comes to him with the parable
of the poor man and his lamb-most
tered just judgment. Then Nathan de-
clared. Thou art the man. David
seems after this interview to realize
that his sin, however much it may
have been against Uriah and Israel
was after all against God. 1t was at
this time that he wrote that great
heart-cry, the fifty-first psalm.
This whole psalm reveals deep and
genuine repentance and the determine
ton of great soul to turn away from
the sin into which it had fallen.
But David was most of all mar
after Gods heart in that the whole
effort of his life was to know and
accomplish the will of Jehovah. David
was greater than Saul in that he real
lied that to he king of Israel was but
to be the vicegerent of Jehovah. Thai
characteristic marks the mans whole
life. He seeks to know the will OF
God that he may accomplish it. Ever
while fleeing from Saul he will not
harm him because he is Gods anointed
Thus the man stands before us. He
is no saint; indeed, at times he fel
into grievous sin. And yet these char
acteristics mark him: He loved his
fellow men unselfshly, loyalty and he
loved God with n consuming love; Inc
judged israel with justice and truth
righteousness marking his attitude to-
wards his fellow men; he sinned, but
bitterly did he repent. and with loath-
ing he turned from his sin and CRIED
cut so pitifully for God to forgive
him that men in all after ages have
| found in his words their own cry
when conscious of sin, and through hi:
whole life runs the desire to know
and TO do Gods will. And God sale
of him, "A man after my own heart