with looks of tender love; so were God to roll up the lids of our inner eyes, we all should see him from the rising to the setting of the sun, and the glory of his presence, the magnificent demonstration of his power would light our whole humanity.

Do these lines come into the hands of an unconverted and unsaved man? What have you been doing all the years of your life? In the Gospel, you have had to deal not merely with an insensible idea, but with a living Person living Person; you have not only refused to entertain the truth, but you have refused a present and appealing Christ. And yet he has never left you. He is ever about your path. No secret of your heart is hid from his eye; yet, knowing all, he does not turn away. He would wash you in his blood, clothe you with his righteousness, and strengthen you by his Spirit in the inner man. He is not far from you now. Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. Hark that knock at thy soul's door! It is he, the Gracious Master. Listen to his words. "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If thou wilt hear my voice and open, I will come in unto thee, and sup with thee, and thou with me." Arise, O sleeping soul, arise and open the door and bid him welcome in! Say, Master, abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And this day salvation is come to thy house.

A. B.-G.

MEPHIBOSHETH AND MAN.*

FROM time to time, as opportunity has offered, we have introduced into our pages illustrations of the Evangel or Gospel, deeming such similitudes not unworthy of a place in our Evangelical Repository, even although its articles lie chiefly along the line of theological literature. And having been interested lately in the story of Mephibosheth as it is recorded in the second book of Samuel, we propose to institute a brief analogy between the kindness shown to him by David, and the kindness shown to man by our gracious Heavenly Father.

And even as we require to go back to the counsels of eternity if we would find the origin of God's love to man, so, in this illustrative tale, we need to go back to the first book of Samuel for the account of that early covenant between Jonathan and David, that was the secret spring out of which all the subsequent kindness shown to Mephibosheth flowed. We read in 1 Samuel xx, 14, 15, where we have the account of the loving interview between these fast friends, that Jonathan,

*We are indebted for the idea of this analogy to a brief abstract which we saw of one of Mr. Moody's sermons; but we have wrought out the parallel for ourselves.-ED. E. R.

to whom it had been revealed that David would be king and not himself, made the latter promise solemnly to comply with the following request: "And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth." What a remarkable expression that is, "the kindness of the Lord"! It denotes something far grander and more true than mere human kindness-something far superior to the love of mothers, or the love of fathers, genuine and deep although their affections are. Now all Christians, whether of the Calvinistic or Arminian type, are agreed that redeeming mercy towards man, whose fall was foreseen, formed the subject of consultation and covenant between the First and Second Persons of the adorable Godhead; and the Father agreed that he would show this unsearchable love-the kindness of the Lord-to all who would be brought to believe upon the Son.

We must now advance to another stage in the narrative. About six years slowly passed away, during which infatuated Saul first waged war with David, and afterwards with the Philistines. At length on one sad day both Saul and Jonathan were left dead on the mountain of Gilboa. Jonathan had only one son, and all that we read of him on the occasion of his father's death is in the following brief notice: "And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled; and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame; and his name was Mephibosheth." Barbarous times were these ancient times. It was a dangerous thing to be a king's son or of the seed-royal; for, especially at the time of the death of a reigning monarch, all the members of his family ran the risk of being put to the sword by the rival claimants to the throne. But what we have most to do with at present is that this Mephibosheth in our little Old Testament parable represents man. It is on him that David's love is to be set, even as the Lord's love is set upon sinners of the human race. And see! he is lame of his feet! Alas! there has been a fall in man's case too, and he also has become lame, and finds it hard to walk in the way of the divine commandments as he used to do in the infancy of the world.

But whither did the nurse take the lame boy? That was a secret. We require to advance to another stage of the history till we find it out. The young prince must needs remain in concealment and disguise till the time of the

revelation would come, even as the saving purpose of the Lord remained a "hidden mystery" till the fulness of time wore round.

We must therefore suppose that other eight years have passed away. The house of Saul had meantime waxed weaker and weaker, and the house of David stronger and stronger. David himself, indeed, has reigned in Hebron seven years and a half, and at length has wrested Jerusalem from the Jebusites, whither also he has piously brought up the Ark of the Lord. At length, one day after God has given him victory over all his enemies, and he has extended his kingdom down from Damascus to the borders of Egypt, he is sitting in his palace, and suddenly a thought strikes him. He has forgotten his vow to Jonathan. He has never asked if any of his family survived. He might have remembered that promise all the time he was living at Hebron. But it had completely passed out of his mind. But the sooner the omission is repaired the better. So he makes immediate proclamation throughout his palace, and, in all probability, also throughout the city, "Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

Now, there is a most important respect in which our Heavenly Father does not resemble King David in this narrative. He never forgets. He is faithful and true to all his promises. But he sometimes bides his time, not only wisely but mercifully, waiting for the epoch, when the richer and yet richer manifestation of grace will be advantageous to the world.

It turned out that there was only one man in Jerusalem who could answer the king's question-Ziba, who had been at one time a servant in the house of Saul. He was now a man of some substance, having as many as twenty servants in his own house. He knew the secret about the lame lad, and let it out to David when he had been closely questioned by him. How David's heart must have smitten him when he learned that a full son of Jonathan's was alive, and had actually been in hiding for fear of him during all these years! Let us never allow near and dear friends to pine in loneliness or starve in penury if we can help it, else our unkindness will sadly pain. us when we come to press a dying pillow.

We learn now where young Mephibosheth had been hidden all this time. He had been sent away across the Jordan into the mountainous region of Gilead, not far from Mahanaim, where the angels of God met Jacob. He had been boarded, as we would say, in some humble style, perhaps charitably kept, in the house of one Machir, the son of Ammiel ; and the name of the town or settlement at which he

stayed was Lo-debar. That is a most significant name, for the word means "No Pasture." Alas! we may say metaphorically, that that is the name of the city in which all men, in their lost and unregenerate state, in this world do live-Lo-debar, No pasture—for this world in itself considered does not afford food for the immortal soul of man. Its pleasures do not, nor its treasures, nor its honours, nor its scenery, nor its society. Only communion with God can satisfy man's soul, and it has been lost. Therefore, the world without it may be called Lo-debar.

We heard a preacher of the Gospel say lately that a young man thus addressed him during a series of evangelistic meetings: "I have sought happiness in vain in many quarters. My father was rich and indulgent, and gave me all I wished. I asked for a racing horse and I got it; for musical instruments, for a yacht, then for a steam yacht, and I got them all. But I would not give one half hour of the pure happiness I have been deriving of late from Jesus for all that hollow pleasure I used to run after." The young man had been living at Lo-debar, but he had at length heard a voice saying, "I am the Door; by me if any man enter in he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

But there is some hope in the very name of the exile, Mephibosheth. It means one who strives with Baal. Though living on the borders of the land where Baal was worshipped, the young prince, if true to his name, would not easily become an idolater, but would strive and contend against the idol. And is there not something in man, fallen though he be, that fights against the usurpations of the wicked one? At least, he is not easy under the tyrant. Conscience rebels against his yoke; and right glad he is when the Heavenly Deliverer strikes the fetters from his soul.

Ziba told King David that Mephibosheth was lame; but that made no difference. Such love to him swelled in his heart for his father Jonathan's sake, that, in all likelihood, the lame feet were an additional recommendation; for he would say, He needs my sympathy all the more that he has such an infirmity, when his father is dead." Now, O sinner, learn here that it is for the sake of the dead Christ that the heavenly Father loves you; and since he knows that sin has made you unhappy, we may say that your spiritual infirmities increase the intensity of God's pitying love.

We are not told how Mephibosheth was brought from his hiding-place to Jerusalem. There can be no harm in a little play of the imagination. See, the king's carriage has dashed through the fords of Jordan, and draws up at Lo-debar.

"Mephibosheth, you're wanted." The poor fellow is engaged at some humble work on the farm, and cannot understand what strangers want with him; for he has no friends that he knows of. So he comes along as fast as he can, and when he reaches the road, and finds that a royal coach waits for him, and that he is wanted by the king, he turns deadly pale; for he fears that his rank has been discovered, and that his head is in danger. You're right, Mephibosheth, in one respect, and wrong in another! Your rank is discovered, and your head is not in danger. Just because King David has found out your rank, you are to go to Jerusalem to live with him! At first the news seem to be too good to be true; but at length the doubter believes, gladly bids good-bye to the home of obscurity and bondage, and suffers himself to be driven off to the palace of the king.

This imaginary scene represents the call of grace that comes through the mercy of the divine Father to man—to man in Lo-debar. He is often made afraid when brought into contact with the living God. He cries, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.' He cannot be brought to believe that the Omnipotent God is earnestly desirous to save him, even him. But see! there is the chariot of salvation waiting at his door, driven by the Spirit of Holiness, and attended by ministers of grace. Yes; God means him, if he will only come. He wishes him to throw all the disguise and disfigurement of his irregenerate state away, and return to the Jerusalem of royal favour an accepted child. And he is the saved man who consents to return on God's own terms, and in God's own way.

When Mephibosheth entered into the presence of the king, he doubtless felt some hesitation and fear. What if, after all, it was but a plot to entrap and kill him? for oriental duplicity is truly unfathomable. So he bowed himself three times before the king. But David soon reassured him with the comforting words, "Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually." It is thus that the Lord reassures the trembling sinner; for the Gospel address to man is evermore "fear not." He shows us kindness for Jesus our elder brother's sake; restores to us the paradise which Adam our father lost, and causes us to eat the bread of life at his table continually; not merely on the Lord's day and at the Lord's table, but every day, in the hour of prayerful meditation. Some people, we know, do not like the expression, "for Christ's sake," but they and Paul must differ, for he uses it in Eph. iv, 32. Paul evidently held such a view of the atone