The Irish standard., 1915-11-27

struggles of the wounded and the con-
vulsions of the dying and the dead:
and in all the nations fame and fear
are the tribute to his name: he sings
no warriors song of course marked
by devastation and slaughter, but gath
ers the princes to announce that the
Ark of the Covenant of his people is
to find an abiding home. There is
faint touch of regret in his message,
that to him whom Winged Victory had
taken to her side, the supreme honor
of his nation should be given. The
temple was to be the great glory of
Solomon, Prince Of Peace.
David was not unmindful that his
wars were. in the course Of Gods
Providence, but incidents, necessary
perhaps, but harsh and cruel, leading
up to the fulfilment, of the promises
made to his fathers of that happy time
when the chosen people should JOY
ously worship the God of Abraham, of
Isaac, and of Jacob, without fear and
without restraint: when the fig tree
and the vine should burst and blush
in gladness: and on Carmel, looking
over the sea, and in the vinelands of
Engaddi, from Dan to Beer-Sheba the
land would tremble at no clash Of
armed hosts, but would echo to the
folk song that timed the plough-share
and the pruning hook with hearts
made merry in the blessing of God.
"Theocratic by immediate divine in
tervention as was Israel's constitution
and for that reason, holding to essen
tials Of democracy, its Sovereign knew
that it was indeed, in it's aims and pur-
poses, spiritual enterprise; before it
looked at all to commercial aggrand-
izement, it regarded mans character
and the happiness without which mere
wealth is but dark recess that shall
never see the light of day.
"No one can studiously follow the
inspired story of Gods fostering care
over His nation, without discovering
that such material happiness as would
bring the highest spiritual content,
was planned for race that had a
definite and distinct mission to the
world. From the day when the herds
man from Horeb, yet occupying the
post of Ambassador from the Highest
Court, presented the ultimatum: Let
my people go; the rights of man and
the rights of God are intertwined in
the history of the advancement of the
Twelve Tribes. To violate the one
was to injure the other, so that when
taste of governing power developed
despotic tendencies, many in authority
learned the nature of their tenure of
Office by suffering the penalty for en-
croachment. When a divine message
came, it was a message to the peO-
pie. When a danger was to be averted,
it was the people to be saved. When
a ruler was faithless, the wrong was
done to the people. There is some
thing trite, sceptic might say dog
matte, cnly it shows the brooding of
the Holy Spirit, in the reiterated con-
cern for what Gods love manifest in
the fatherly expression My People!
The blessing of Jacob was not so much
for his sons as for his children's chill
dren, and every chieftain was to show
forth a dominant quality that was to
! contribute through his clan the gifts
that make nation great.
"But the chiefest boon was the bene
diction of peace and plenty that should
come from national vigor and persona
industry, in the wholesomeness of pa
triarchal home life, and the inexhaust
ible resource of corn and oil and wine
that which peace in strength ant