Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1907-07-13

in the crises of his palace as well as
in the trials and Misrepresentation
and struggles of his early life. When
David was d mature, we'll developed
man. with the klngly crown upon his
head and the royal purple robes about
his shoulders. he had Goliath TO
fight more formidable than the one he
when he was rugged
faced shepherd boy. And when DaViu
met this second Goliath he became not
the conqueror, but the conquered. Ana
yet today, as a repentant libertlne ana
murderer, he comes to us ana 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 Il kingly crown
mon your head and with royal purple
a,,out YOUR shoulders, have you never
lccn compelled to shed rcpentant tears
over some spiritual fall. some mean,
disgraceful thing you have done under
trong temptation?
The material conflicts OF Il noDle
youth cannot be compared to the splr-
itial struggles of the human heart
when facing some terrible sin OF mid
die life. Some time ago | saw In the
home of one of my elders most sug-
gestlye picture. Its subject was
"Darkness and Light" In the fore
ground of that picture is the bright
sunshine of the nOontide. young
woman. with baby In her arms ana
sturdy child Of five summers tug
ring at her skirts, has brought weil
filed lunch basket to her young hus-
hand working as a day labOrer lie Is
magnificent specimen of a man.
With his abounding health ana laugh'
ing face he seems to say: Life Is d
hattie. but my bare arm is strong
enough to fight It. Life has its bur
dens. but my shoulders are Droad
enough to carry them" There he
stands holding out his hands TO take
the baby from her mothers arms. Lie
NAV be q struggle, but If triumphant
ioy was ever pictured in a mans race
and I'm a Womans bearing and IN hel
child's smile It IS to be found IN the
foreground OF that picture
A Significant Picture.
Rut hardly has your eye studied tht
four happy figures in the foreground
than YOU look into the background o'
the picture. There under the trees
shadow in a beautiful garden STANDS
voung woman in widows weeds. Sh'
has. an open book in her hand which
she is listlessly carrying. She has Deer
walking. but her mind Is far ava!
with the dead. Suddenly she turns
and catches a glimpse Of that happ.
family group. If her sad, mournfu
ewes and pathetic face mean anything
they seem to say: "Oh, If coul'
only give UP my money and my hom
and my diamonds and my wealth ant
have nv dear ones to love like that
q God. can I ever be as | once wasF
So some Of us seem to be walkln
amid the gardens of our temporal pros
perities. But we are not studying IN
+ pictures upon our walls or the graz
deur of our homes. We are looKln
nj the spiritual wrecks OF our pas
lives. Like David, we see our helnou
sin rising up before us. We are sa!
ing. 20 God, that l might live 10
life over again and be as once was
, But no sooner do our repentant teal
begin to fall than David the libertin'
= David the murderer, comes to us an
saws: Friend, Christ will forgive 20
3 YOUR sins as he has forgiven me IN
, sins If you will only throw yourse
D upon his mercy Weeping may endul
J. for a night, but joy cometh in IL
e morning. Will you believe it, sinner
: Amid the complete destruction OF yoi
= spiritual life will you believe 1t an
: throw yourself upon the mercy OF
S pardoning Christ?
4 But David comes in his old age, as
e broken hearted father, to bring 10
r gospel comfort, just as he once can
e os q voung man and as a middle age
e man. lie comes with his gray hal
g and with tottering feet and leanil
e upon a staff, and says: Fathers al
d mothers. know only too well how "
e are worrying and agonizing over tn
t wavward boy. | have drunk out
l. the same chalice of woe. know VIII
9 II is to sit up night after night, wa
4 ing for him to come home, While y
lr listen for his staggering footsteps. a
Y. no night is so dark as that night Wh
IN q loving parent is listening for I
s. step of a returning prodigal. | ha
n been through it all. God will comic
ID Won even as he cOmforted me an
H. NV boy AbsalOm went astray, 1rt
is him. father. Trust him, mother
is the Jesus who alone can bring y
10 comfort at a time like this. VIII y
~ trust him. you who have dear Oh
H. who are doing wrong? Will you trl
th this Christ even now? Will you j.
at trust Jesus and cling to him for hell
no If you cannot get help from Chr
Mt at this time, you can get help fr'
be no other source. In a masterpit
he painted some years ago the artist tC
Is. for his theme "The Sacrifice OF ID
w xenIa." Perhaps you know the sto
en- Away back in Homeric times a
tn memnon, leader of the Greeks "
Of his wife and daughter, Clytemnes
,ts and Iphigenia, was leading his 81
,et feet to attack Troy. Suddenly
nd feet became becaImed Then Caici
m. the wisest Of the soothsayers' decla
re that the gods were angry and the
an could never continue on its journey
ey less the beautiful princess lphige
ne was offered a sacrifice. So the al
ON nictures all these Homerlc charac
ere gathered about to slay the beaut
Inbigenia to assuage the anger OF
en- gods.
u.s. = thara amOnp the myths q II