The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-04-29
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Satan may drive you into a wilder
ness. but he cant keep you from
growing fragrant roses there. Saul
could keep up a harrying warfare
against the man who had saved his
kingdom. but he couldn't kill the
spirit of courageous gentleness and
generosity that dominated David's
life. Temptation may peep into every
possible crack of your circumstances,
but it can't get inside of you except
by the door. And only then when the
man inside turns the only knob the
door has-the one on the inside.
No man. and no circumstance, is
free from the vicious petty persecu-
ton of evil in some shape, open or
hidden. And no evil that ever attack
ed any man is free from the chance
of being grpped by the throat and
strangled, and then thrown lifeless
into the ditch at the side of the road.
It's a good thing to be put into
tight corner. To be pushed and hem
med in on every side. until you are
forced to stand with your back to the
wall facing a foe at every angle, with
barely standing-room-that's good.
Likely enough you are thinking
that the man who can suggest such
thing doesn't know anything about
tight corners; certainly not about
such one as you are in. But no
man can talk about tight corners in
a way that has a familiar sound ex-
cept from the inside. Only when your
elbows have rubbed the cold, hard,
unyielding wall so close as to serious
ly threaten elbow-holes can you real
ly know the sweets Of tight-corner
blessings.
For one thing, you find out that no
matter how close the fit of that cor
ner may be, it still can hold another
in addition to yourself Its very tight
ness brings you and him into very
close quarters. And only at closest
touch will you find out what a won
drous Friend he is No matter how
tight the corner, he can find room
enough in it to give your vocal harp
a new tuning. Tight corners are IA
nous places for chamber concerts.
The acoustics are wonderful. David's
exile psalms have rung out with
strangely sweet melody down all the
ages and out through all the world,
and into thousands of hearts
Would you like to know how David
looked as Saul was hunting him? List
en-: they looked unto him and were
radiant" (Psa. 34:5). Unto whomf
That other One with David in his tight
corner. Where did the radiance come
from? 1t was reflected. 1t told that
David's face was on an upward angle.
1t caught the l.sl- of his Friends
face, and sent it shining out down be-
low until even Saul caught the light
and acknowledged the beauty of it.
Then. too. tight corners are valua-
BILE for their pressure And it takes
pressure to bring out the choicest
fragrance. Haven't you often held a
fragrant shrub blossom, a bit of caly-
canthus, tightly in the palm Of your
shut hand, and then reveled in the
exquisite sweetness which the pres
sure and warmth had freed out? Bless
ed be the close quarters of tight cor
ners, in money matters, in family af-
fairs, in health matters, in friendship.
in child-trainng in temptations, in re-
ligious experiences. For under the
| pressure so close and hard and trying,
with your Friends warm touch freely
! allowed, the finest fragrance, the clos
est granting of strengths fiber, the
rarest shining of inner lights, the
highest polishing of life's granite,
come, and only so.
Every man who has done some
! thing worth while either in living tru-
! ly, or serving faithfully, has had a
! course in tight corners. Moses found
! his in Egypt, and then, after he got
out, with Israel Hannah had hers in
/ those years of patient enduring in the
| old farmhouse of Ephraim when Sam
uel was a-making. II you hope to be
! of some service better be getting
ready for your tight-corner course, If
! you think you're there just now, pull
out all the stops and sing a bit. for
the blessing that's coming out of it
/ to others and to your self
David was in an inner corner Of his
! corner. For years he suffered the pri-
vations and distresses of a forced ex-
/ ile under the kings persecution. And
keenly he felt it. Just now he is
pushed a bit extra by the sore tempta-
tion to end his exile by a single stroke
within easy reach. The finest fra
grance yet came out of the tightest
tight, as he oyercame his temptation.
Saul gave David a cnance TO requite
good for his bad when he came hunt
ing him with spear and sword. The
chief of evil spirits was giving David
an oportunity to defeat him in this
temptation. He would not willingly
have given David that chance But he
couldn't tempt without giving the
tempted chance for a victory, and
taking the chance Of defeat for him
self.
Every wrong done you is chance
TO forgive. The hand stretched out
TO strike you may be made 10 carry