News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1915-10-20


who would kill the
giant, not one IN all Israel was found
intrepid enough to attempt it.
Until up from Bethlehem came Da-
vid To the camp of his brethren he
came, bearing his fathers message of
love; and his brethren despised him.
But from their camp he heard the
proud challenge of Goliath as he came
forth from the Philistine army, and he
saw the fear depicted on every face
as that challenge was echoed among
the soldiers of Saul. He was not
afraid!
The story of the encounter is so
familiar that there is no need Of re-
peating it. Having no weapon in his
hand, he drew the giants sword from
it's sheath and cut off his head with
his own sword! And when, at the 9TH
er side of the valley, Israel saw their
triumphant savior with the giants
head in his hand, they shouted and
flict, but not alone in the fruits: the
people share these with him.
For forty centuries, mankind was
confronted with the awful problem of
sin and death. For forty centuries
the challenge of the great enemy, Sa-
tan. in whose hands was the power of
death, remained unaccepted. Until,
from this same Bethlehem, God
brought forth David's son. To his own
brethren, Israel, he came, "and his
own received him not" And thus re-
jected by his brethren he went to the
cross; down into the valley of death,
single-handed, alone, needing no help
from man, and man having none to
give. whittier | co. he said to the
disciples, as he went to the cross, "ye
cannot follow me now Like David
with the giants sword, it was
through death that che made power
less him that had the power of death"
But though alone in death, and in the
awful conflict, not alone at the other
side of it. We now behold him tri-
umphant Savior, crowned with glory
and honor" but we share with him
all he has earned by his death.
Now Jonathan, in common with the
hosts Of Israel had watched the scene
enacted in the valley, had seen the
deliverer triumphant at the other side
And, his soul knit to the soul of David
in love, che stripped himself of the
robe that was upon him, and gave 1t
to David, and his garments, even to
his sword, and to his bow, and to his
girdle." No small thing was that: the
son Of the king, prince Of the blood,
giving up all his robes of honor and
the insignia of his royalty, in order to
place them upon the one he loved!
And the spirit of God has written it
down that it may preach to us of an
other and of our devotion to him. That
which answers to it in the life of the
Christian is recorded in the third
chapter of Philippians. The apostle,
in the opening verses of that chapter,
what he had to boast about as a man
in the flesh, before his conversion,
saying, "If any other man thinketh
that he hath whereof he might trust
IN the flesh, l more" And that was no
vain boast: Paul was writing, as al
ways, by the inspiration of God. And
more than any man of his day could
he be proud of what he was. But one
day he had vision of the triumphant
Savior at the other side of death, a
vision that blinded him and made it
necessary for him to be led by the
hand. Hear him, on the temple stairs,
recounting it, and saying, when l
could not see for the glory of that
light" This is the effect of that
blessed vision ever! The man who
has seen the face of the exalted Christ
has been blinded forever to all other
objects and to all the glory of the !
world, and has found that the only |
safe way for him is to be led by the /
hand.
Now, can we not understand that re- |
iterated consider him" of the epistle |
that tells us of his triumph and ex-
altation? Like Jonathan in his self /
abasing love for David, the soul that /
has seen the blessed face of the one
made sin" for us and now in heaven /
without our sins, will love him SUI
premely and count it his highest joy
to have him magnified in his life 1--WE
see Jesus, crowned with glory and
honor and. because we do we can
say, that Christ may be magnified in
my body whether it he by life OF by
death"