The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-01-27
FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE
Beautiful Words of David Should
Find Echo in the Hearts OF
All Christians.

Any one who reads the Book OF
Psalms reverently surely must be i'm
pressed by two things. First, the
spirit of prayer which pervades them;
and, secondly. their great spiritual
ity.
The spirit of prayer which pos
sessed the heart of David. brought
him, without doubt, into more in
innate relationship with, and gave
him better knowledge of God. than
any man, excepting Jesus Christ, ever
enjoyed.
So great was David's experience
that even today, the world loves to
listen to his beautiful words of tes-
timony. We love to listen while he
says with so much feeling: The
Lord is my work and my fortress and
my deliverer." my buckler and the
horn of my salvation, and my high
tower The Lord is my stay" He
shall hide me in his pavilion; in the
secret of his tabernacle, shall he hide
me-" He shall set me upon rock"
When my father and mother forsake
me, the Lord will take me up" Thou
hast been a shelter and a strong tow
er from the enemy. l will trust in the
covert of thy wings" The Lord is
my shepherd" What wonderful words
are these. They show to US that God
was living. potent factor in the life
OF David. In the hour of darkness,
when sorrow came, when doubtings
came, he could raise his eyes heaven.
ward and cry out: The Lard is my
light and salvation; whom shall l
fear?" What the sunlight is to all
natural life, God was to David in his
spiritual life. Absolutely essential
Take sunlight out of the world, and
all natural life will shortly cease.
Take God out of the soul, and all
spiritual life is at once at an end.
But even with all this knowledge
the Psalmist was not satisfied.
knowledge alone was not what he
wanted His desire scared above mere
knowledge of God. He wanted TO
dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of his life; he wanted to behold
the wondrous beauty of the Lord.
This was his one desire. His chief
thought and aim was to be, above all
things, spiritually minded Let me
walk in povertys vale, let me suffer
the Affections of Job; let me be for
saken by all my friends, if need be.
that l may dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of my life. This
was the one desire of David.
But David well knew that differ
ent lot had been appointed him. He
knew that he would one day sit on the
throne of Israel, and go forth as their
leader and captain, to battle. Yet he
would gladly give up the royal dia-
dem and scepter, for it was not honor
and power and glory that he desired,
/ but it was a great spiritual life.
Now, David was determined to have
this spiritual life at any cost. He
says: "One thing have l desired;
that will 1 seek after" I'll not quit,
because of discouragements, but I'll
seek on until find that for which l
am looking. Oh, how often men have
| become discouraged and gone back to
the world, the next day, or week, or
month, after they were converted, be-
cause they failed so receive the wit
ness of Gods spirit with theirs, that
| they were his children. When, If
they had gone steadily on seeking
that one thing, God would have some
time, somewhere, opened the very
doors of heaven to their souls eyes
and they could have beheld the beauty
of the Lord.
The spiritual life never cana to
| any man just as an unexpected gift
from God. Neither do men stumble
upon it by accident. For this life is
the pearl of great price" which must
be sought after diligently in prayer
and meditation. He who would have
this kind of life must have the same
desire in his heart which David had.
He who would be spiritually minded
must dwell in the secret place of the
Most High and abide under the
shadow of the Almighty.
No man has even been greatly
| spiritual who has not been a great
prayer. The worlds greatest spirit
ual leaders have been its greatest
prayers: Paul the apostle, Martin Lu
Their, who faced Romanism alone;
John Wesley, who fired England with
great revival spirit; John Knox,
whose heart was breaking for Scot
land, and who saw her brought to
Christ in answer to his prayer. and
| Gypsy Smith, the marvel of the TWEEN
tieth century. Born in a gypsy tent
in the slums of London, and raised in
abject ignorance, yet the nations of
the world proclaim him today the
greatest evangelist of modern times.
And Gypsy Smiths one desire and
prayer after his conversion was: "Oh,
God, l cannot read your Bible, but fill
me with your spirit"