Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-09-21

mother would not even let your SIS
ter wear a low necked dress, because
she said it was immodest. But tell
me. do you not today glory In those
strict ways Of your old home? Those
old folks were so strict that they
would never do anything they thought
the statutes of the Lord forbade them
to do. But did not those strict laws
of God bring a peace to your old home
stead which not any of the 80 called
liberal ideas Of the present. time have
ever produced? Yes, think we have
a right, like David, to sing, Thy stat
utes have been my songs in the happy
days Of my childhood"
Singing to Keep Step.
But the statutes Of the Lord were
more than a sacred memory OF the
scenes Of Davids boyhood. They were
the songs by which the young man
and the middle aged man kept step In
the journey of life. Just the same as
the German soldiers when on a line or
march invariably start up one Of their
national airs and sing as they tramp
along and all In unison keep step to
the music, so this marvellous man Of
my text kept step to the laws Of God
during his journey Of life and sang
as he walked along. l am very much
impressed with this figure by an ex-
perience / had some years ago In the
German capital.
At that time 1 was young boy and
physically very much fatigued from
sightseeing. 1 had crawled into bed
thoroughly tired out and almost In
stantly had fallen into one Of those
deep sleeps which come to healthy
boys and girls after a long days
tramp. Suddenly awoke In the early
hours Of the morning. Like Paul In
his vision, knew not at first whether
l was in the flesh or out Of the flesh.
From everywhere and yet from no
where there seemed to roll Into my
room great tidal waves Of harmony.
The volume was so great and yet the
time so perfect that the voices sound
ed like the chorus Of many waters.
Louder and louder swelled the song.
I leaped out Of bed to see what was
the matter Then | heard the tramp,
tramp, tramp Of long line Of soldiers
marching AS these soldiers marched
they sang with their deep, powerful
Teutonic voices. AS they sang they
kept step to the music. SO In David's
tourney of life the laws Of God were
the songs by which he kept step after
he had left the old homestead.
David the Anointed.
In the first place, there was that
Overwhelming bugle call by which Da-
yid was set aside when yet mere lad
as the future king Of Israel Oh, could
David ever cease to praise the law OF
God for that tremendous day In his
history when Samuel came into the
home Of his father Jesse and poured
the amounting oil upon his head? For
days and weeks and months do you
not believe he pondered over his COM
ing glory? When he was an aged
king. with his hair white as the al
mond tree in blossom, do you not be-
Iieve he still gloried in the fact that
God had set him aside as one to I'LL
throne? And yet has there no
amounting come to US? Has not each
one Of us been set apart to do some
special work which cannot be done by
any one else? We have not been called
to fill a throne, but we have been call
ed. as David was, to serve our genera
ton and to testify to others that 1t Is
good to obey the statutes Of God.
Then. like David, we should glory
In the fact that God has not only de-
tailed us for an especial work OF life,
but also because God has cared for us
and guided us and protected us while
we are doing that work. That would
be a careless father who would tell
son to 20 and do something and then
not care for the welfare Of the child
while he was carrying out the paren-
tai orders. SO Gods divine protection
during all of David's life and during
all of our lives has been lowering over
us and helping us upon our feet when
we have fallen and bringing us back
to the straight path Of virtue when we
have wandered away and been caught
in the entangled thickets Of sin. DO
you wonder that David gloried In the
old divine commandment which said,
This book Of the law shall not depart
out of thy mouth, but thou shalt medl-
tate therein day and night that thou
mayest observe to do according to all
that Is written therein, for thou shalt
make thy way prosperous and then
thou shalt have good successr
II Does Not Pay.
And today | would especially I'M
press upon the young the fact that
God still protects and cares for those
who obey his laws. Sometimes the
young are so nearsighted that they
cannot understand this. Life In Its
earlier days seems to be such a strug-
Yle lOI uOol yOuhS PS'PiN N~ ~
times they do not think 1t pays to be
good. Thus some of them play the
!6ol, as did David down In King
Achish's court. But, my young friend,
I have a wide and varied experience,
and I want to tell you that it never
pays to break one Of Gods laws. And
| also want you to know that some Of
the trials and troubles of life Of which
you are now complaining are yet to be
the keynotes which are to sound forth
your most glorious and happy songs OF
praise.
But there Is one word in reference
to my text to which I want to draw
your attention. 1t IS the last word:
'Thy statutes have been my song In
the house of my pilgrimage" Now,
what is tie pilgrimage? oh" you
answer ~ pilgrimage Is Il journey; 1t
II long tramp; 1t IS Il long, weari-
soma. trcsome trip" Is that your
defn ton Of Il pilgrimage? Then, my
fri,rI n ic - r-rcnr definition for Won