Milford chronicle., 1907-07-12
DAWES second Goliath.

DaVid's second Goliath.
But today David comes to bring u!
gospel comfort which he has fount
IN the crises of his palace as well as
in the trials and mi . presentations
and struggles Of his early life. When
David was a mature, well developed
man, with the kingly crown upon his
head and the royal purple robes about
his shoulders, he had a Goliath tC
fight more formidable than the one he
saced shepherd boy. And when David
met this second Goliath he became not
the cOnquerOr, but the conquered. And
yet today, as a repentant libertine and
murderer. he comes to US and says:
Friend, your earthly success may
have been the means of destroying
your spiritual life. But Christ can
save you yet, for he has saved me, the
chief OF sinners" Has your expert
ence. successful man, been that Of
King David? With a kingly crown
upon your head and with royal purple
about your shoulders, have you never
been compelled to shed repentant tears
over some spiritual fall, some mean,
disgraceful thing you have done under
strong temptation?
The material conflicts of a noble
youth cannot be compared to the spir-
itual struggles Of the human heart
/ when facing some terrible sin OF mid
die life. Some time ago I saw in the
l home of one Of my elders a most sug-
gestive picture. Its subject was
Darkness and Light" In the fore
ground Of that picture is the bright
sunshine of the nOontide. A young
woman, with a baby in her arms and
sturdy child of five summers tug
ging at her skirts, has brought a we'll
filed lunch basket to her young hus-
band working as a day labOrer. He is
a magnificent specimen Of man.
With his abounding health and laugh
ing face he seems to say: Life is a
battle, but my bare arm is strong
enough to fight It. Life has its bur
dens, but my shoulders are broad
enough to carry them" There he
stands, holding out his hands to take
the baby from her mothers arms. Life
may be a struggle, but If triumphant
joy was ever pictured in a mans face
and in a wOman's bearing and in her
child's smile 1t is to be found in the
foreground Of that picture.
A Significant Picture.
But hardly has your eye studied the
four happy figures in the foreground
than you look into the background OF
the picture. There under the trees
shadow in a beautiful garden stands a
young woman in widows weeds. She
has an open book in her hand which
she is listlessly carrying. She has been
walking, but her mind is far away
with the dead. Suddenly she turns
and catches a glimpse of that happy |
family group. If her sad, mOurnful |
eyes and pathetic face mean anything, |
they seem to say: "Oh, if l could |
only give up my money and my home |
and my diamonds and my wealth and /
have my dear ones to love like that! 4
o God, can l ever be as l once was" /
So some of US seem to be walking /
amid the gardens Of our temporal pros
perities. But we are not studying the
pictures upon our walls or the gran
deur Of our homes. We are looking
at the spiritual wrecks of our past
lives. Like David, we see our heinOus
sin rising up before us. We are say
Ing, 20 God, that l might live my
life over again and be as l once wasw
But no sooner do our repentant tears
begin to fall than David the libertine,
David the murderer comes to us and
says: Friend, Christ will forgive you
your sins as he has forgiven me my
sins if you will only throw yourself
Upon his mercy. Weeping may endure
FOR a night, but joy cOmeth in the
Will you believe it, sinner?
Amid the complete destruction Of your
spiritual life will you believe it and
hrow yourself upon the mercy of
)ardOning Christ?
But David comes in his old age, as a
,roken hearted father. to bring to US
gospel comfort, just as he oOce came
is a young man and as a middle aged
nan. He comes with his gray hairs
md with tottering feet and leaning
lpOn a staff, and says: "Fathers and
Mothers, know only too well how you
re worrying and agonizing over that
boy. I have drunk out Of
he same chaliee of woe. know what
t is to sit up night after night, wait
ng for him to come home, while you 4
sten for his staggering footsteps. All,
o night is so dark as that night when e
loving parent is tening for the
tep of returning prodigal. l have
cen through it all. God will comfort E
on, even as he comforted me after
" boy Absalom went astray Trust Y
i'm, father. Trust him, mother. He
the Jesus who alone can bring you
Dmfort at time like this. Will you e
'ust him, you who have dear ones
'ho are doing wrong? Will You trust
lis Christ even now? Will you just e
'ust Jesus and cling to him for help?' y
If you cannot get help from Christ Y
{ this time. you can get help from
D other source. In a masterpiece
I y