The Raymer enterprise., 1920-06-10


grimiy endured
the gnawing Of unconfessed sin.
Such was the case with King David.
His body wa clad In the royal purple.
and seated on a throne; but his soul
was In hell, and had been there more
than a year. He had sinned, griev-
ously sinned In the matter Of the wife
Of Uriah the Hittlte. In ldleness upon
the roof Of his palace the lust Of his
eyes awakened an Illicit passion for
the wife Of another, whom he took.
and by craft rendered a widow. With
cunning cleverness he attempted to
conceal bis crime, thinking all would
be well. But David penned no psalms,
and his harp awakened no melodies
IN the royal palace all that year. He
thought to prosper. but his prosperity
was turned into the drought Of sum-
mer.
Made Coward by Conscience.
But that year of agony dragged on.
during which. as be afterwards con-
fessed FPS. 32:3). his "bones waxed
old through his roaring all the day
long" all because his "tongue kept 81.
lence." Then Nathan came. David's
old friend. the prophet Nathan. We
can well imagine how his knees smote
each other as the chamberlain an
nounced Nathan at the door. Ordl-
narlly David would have greeted the
old prophet with a hale and hearty
welcome, but not today. OF all men
he cared to see It was not Nathan. But
he must not be discourteous; let him
come In. Dignified. clear-eyed Ma
than stands before the king. David's
eyes are shifty; his face Is pale. and
his whole bearing is III at ease. Now
he's In for 1t. But imagine his relief
when from the lips Of Nathan fall. not
words of denunciatIon, but a COM
plant about man losing his sheep.
All, how Immensely relieved Is Kin
David! The blood comes back to his
facet he Is alert and all attention
now, his old self-relinnt, righteous
self. Sheep; why he knows all about
sheep, having grown up with the
focks out Bethlehem way. "Say on.
Nathan; what was 1t you said about
a sheep" Ito HIMSELF: "My. I'm
glad he isn't going to talk about sin"
"Found Out" BY His Sin.
inen follows Nathan's story Of the
rich man stealing the only sheep Of
the poor neighbor to feed a chance
gust. and the king Is furious. "As
the Lord liveth, the man that hath
done this shall surely die" Hold on,
David. you are going too far. The law
grants only four sheep for one. but
you would take the mans life But
how like him we all arel What sac.
rifice will we not undergo. what serv.
ic' will we not render. rather than
get down.
Thou art the man." thunders the
prophet and David crumples into a
heap before his merciless uncover
ing Of that sin, and weakly says: "
have sinned." But now the food.
gates are open, and with body shak'
ing with sobs. he pours out his soul
In that matchless penitent Psalm 1.-THE
fifty-frst). which has been the beaten
pathway back to God for millions Of
sinners since.
| Forgiven.
But that isn't all. David find,
mercy, MS our text guarantees. for Ma
than Immediately replies, "The LORD
hath also put away thy sln."
Once again David seizes his harp
and the palace walls ring with the GLAD
refrain Of the thirty-second Psalm
''Blessed ID the man whose transgres
sion is forgiven, whose sin Is GOV
ered!" Blessed be our God; when h.
covers sin beneatlBthe cleansing blood
Of the Lamb Of God. there Is nbund
ance Of prosperity assured. "for who
no confesseth and forsaketh his sir
shall have mercy"
i "Let the wicked forsake his way
and the unrIghteous man his thoughts
and let him return unto the Lord, AMI
he will have mercy upon him; and I,
our God, for he will abundantly par
don. For my thoughts are not you
thoughts, neither are your ways m,
ways, saith the Lord."-1saiah U:7, &
III we confess our sins he Ia faith
fui and just to forgive Us our sin
and to cleanse US from all unrIghteoua