The Tupelo journal., 1907-10-25
with intense earnestness:
"Thou art the mani"

his face grew ashen and his form
trembled as though he would fall.
THE man shall surely Diet
Thou art the mani"
He had pronounced the judgment.
upon his own head.
He grasped the side of the throne to
steady himself. and with bowed head
and averted face he listened while
Nathan reviewed all the black record
which ne had written against his
life. 1t vas all true. He did not
seek to deny 1t or palliate his con-
duct. He had kept these things hid.
den in his heart during all these
months. He had thought that his
secret was safe with the few conf
Dental friends; and he had per
suaded himself that it was a closed in
cident. But he had not reckoned
God into the account, and 10 and be-
hold the awful record of sin which
he had been trying to forget was sud
denly spread before him.
He sank into his chair and buried
his face in his hands . How long
he sat thus he knew not, but when he
looked up the prophet had gone, and
he found himself alone.
AlOnei No not alone, for where
there is sinful heart willing to hear
the accusing voice of God, there is
God present to deal in love and
mercy with that soul. And there God
was that day. Not as king but as
guilty sinner did David meet God
Stripped of kingly robes and posi-
ton of state, separated from his
riches and power he stood a naked
soul before the searching eye of God.
All, how black now did his sin ap-
pear unto him. All, who would have
thought that the first misstep into
the pleasures of sin could have
plunged him so low!
Was it possible that this was David
who had professed so much before his
people? Was this the David who.
only yesterday had carried out his
formal obligations before the Lord in
the sight of all the people? Was this
the David who had established the
ark in its place in the tabernacle in
Jerusalem, n had then been filled
with the ambition to build . temple
for the Lord?
Upon the ground before his throne
he threw himself in his anguish of
soul.
"Have mercy upon nae, o God"
was all he could cry.
Was there forgiveness enough in
heaven to compass the enormity of
his sin?
How dark the way seemed? Would
God answer?
Dare he throw himself utterly upon
God and his mercy? He had stolen
another mans wife, and then to cover
up his sin he had killed that man.
He was worthy of death. Dare he
let God do with him as justice de-
manded? Many a man in the king
dom had been judged worthy of death
and been killed who had not done as
wickedly as he. Why should he ask
or expect any less sentence? Yea, and
had he not pronounced sentence upon
himself when in answer to the proph-
ct Nathan's story he had said: "The
man that hath done this thing shall
surely die"
So the struggle went on In the heart
of David as the succession of barriers
of the will were broken down and
true repentance brought him to the
point where he was willing to cast
himself utterly upon the mercy and
justice of God.
True repentance never seeks to
make conditions. 1t seeks not to ex-
cuse of palliate the sin. And at last
when David had given up utterly and
was willing if need be to pay the
penalty with his life for his wrong
doing, he found peace.
1t was in this attitude Of heart
which the prophet Nathan found him
late that same afternoon.
II have sinned against the Lord"
David cried in broken voice. Let that
be done unto me which is pleasing
in the sight of the Lord.
And the prophet Nathan came and
laid his hand upon the head of David,
and said:
1.-The Lord hath put away thy sin.
Thou shalt not die"
THE Lord hath put away MY sin,"
repeated David softly to himself. How
sweet the words sounded. According
to the multitude of the tender mer-
cies thou hast blotted out my trans
g~ressions," he continued to himself.
How blessed it was to feel that
burden of guilt taken away. What
awful months those had been during
which he had kept the sin hidden in
his heart and had remained %unrepent-
ant before God. And now how won
derful it was to feel that he had
been brought back to God and that
the old fellowship had been restored.
And then came the yearning for a
nearer walk with Goo and a share in
his service, and he prayed:
Create in me a clean heart, O
God; and renew a right spirit within
me. Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation; and uphold me by thy
free spirit. Then will l teach trans
gressors thy ways; and sinners shall
be converted unto thee"
When a girl screams when the light
goes out it shows either that she has
a guilty conscience or wants to
have.