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God's Promises to David—Sunday-
School Lesson for July 26
2 Sam. 7:4 16.
BY 8. G. HILLYER.
We learn in this lesson that
very soon after David had safely
placed the Ark of the Covenant
on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem, he was
impressed with a desire to build,
in Jerusalem, a Temple which
should be, in some measure, wor
thy of Jehovah and as a fit abid
ing place for the Ark, which was
not only the memorial of his cov
enant, but, with its Mercy-seat,
was also the symbol of his pres
ence.
As was his custom, David
would not proceed in so impor
tant a matter without seeking
divine direction. Accordingly,
he conferred with Nathan the
Prophet, who was his confiden
tial friend and advisor. The
Prophet, at first, judging the case
without awaiting the monitions
of the Spirit, encouraged David
in strong' terms to do all that
was in his heart—adding the as
surance: “for the Lord is with
thee.”
But that very night the word
of the LwdoMne to Nathan, giv
ing him a message for David of
a most extraordinary character.
Mark its tone; it sounds like the
words of a loving father to his
dutiful child. “Shalt thou build me
a house formetodwellin?” Read
er, did one of your little children
ever bring to you some small gift
which he valued very highly, but
which you had no use for? You
did not laugh at the little fellow;
no, you probably patted him on
the head and said: “Dear little
soul, and did you wish to give
papa this pretty toy?” If you
ever had such an experience with
one of your children, then you
can comprehend the full meaning
of Jehovah’s question to David.
“Shalt thou build a house for
me to dwell in?” The Lord did
not need a house of cedar or of
stone. As you may learn from
the succeeding verses, the Lord
had followed Israel for nearly
five centuries with no other sanct
uary than the tabernacle, which
was indeed only a tent. He had
never given, in all that period,
even a hint to the fathers that
they should build for him a house
of cedar. Indeed the tabernacle
was not designed for himself, as
if he needed it; but he caused it
to be built for the benefit of his
people. With this end in view,
the tabernacle, with its furniture
and its ritual, was made the place
where the people of Israel might
draw nigh to God and behold his
glory.
Though Jehovah did not need
a temple built by human hands,
nevertheless he condescended to
accept David’s suggestion ; but,
for reasons explained in adjacent
Scriptures, he left the accom
glishment of David’s purpose to
olomon, his son and successor.
In thus having his pious in
tention postponed, and its accom
plishment transferred to another,
David was, no doubt, disappoint
ed; but not without abundant
compensation. The Lord seized
that opportunity to enter into a
covenant with David, which at
once crowned him with glory and
honor.
The preamble to the covenant,
you will find in the Bth and 9th
verses. It recites the gracious
dealings of God with David from
his boyhood up to the time then
present. These past dealings of
mercy and grace were cited to
confirm his faith and trust in
the promises which were about
to follow.
The first promise related to
Israel in general, and was in sub
stance what had been promised
to them at Mt. Sinai and at other
places. (See verse 10 and part
of the 11th verse.)
Then followed the promises to
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
David personally. - '®, Na
than is speaking: J/ f-
“Also the Lord Je: I
will make thee a house. ' To
catch the full force of this prom
ise, put the emphasis on the pro
noun “thee.” It may be thus
paraphrased: David, thou hast,
in thy love fpr me, proposed to
build a house for me that I may
dwell in it. I now tell thee, ‘ I
will build a house for thee.” In
this promise, the word house is
used, by metonomy, for the fam
ily or lineage that should pro
ceed from him. This appears
from the verses that follow.
The substance of the promises
may be concisely stated thus:
That the kingdom and throne of
David should be established for
ever in his lineal descendants,
and that his first successor should
build him a house. Such was
the covenant of God with David.
As soon as Nathan had deliv
ered the words of the Lord he
retired from the royal presence,
and David was left alone.
“Then went King David in and
sat before the Lord.” Then, to
the end of the chapter, we have
the words with which David of
sered worship, thanksgiving and
supplication unto God. While
he confessed, in deep humility,
his unworthiness of such high
distinction, yet he gratefully ac
cepted the covenant that God had
so graciously offered him.
Now comes a very important
question: Has that covenant been
fulfilled, or is it still fulfilling?
It will help us to answer the
foregoing questions, to notice
that there was in the covenent a
condition. It is expressed to this
effect. If any of David’s succes
sors should commit iniquity, he
should “be punished with the rod
of men; but my mercy shall not
depart away from him.” Bear
ing these words in mind, we are
able to say that the covenant was
faithfully and literally fulfilled
for about five hundred years.
During that period the line of
kings in Jerusalem were descend
ants of David.
But many of those kings were
wicked and brought the judg
ments of heaven u pon themselves
and upon their people. The Lord,
however, was true to his word;
he would not utterly forsake
them, and when t,hey cried for
mercy he would deliver them.
But at last their wickedness be
came so great that the Lord gave
them over in A captivity to the
king of Babylon. We are, per
haps, obliged to admit that from
that day to the present time no
one of the lineage of David has
reigned as a temporal king upon
the literal throne of his father.
But in spite of this admission we
may safely claim that the cove
nant with David has not failed in
its intent and meaning. While
it had a literal side, it had also a
spiritual side. On the literal
side, the house of David ceased
to reign when the king of Baby
lon burnt Jerusalem and carried
away to his own country its king
and its people. They had griev
ously sinned—they had commit
ted iniquity—and, according to
the terms of the covenant, the
house of David ceased to reign
and the people went into captiv
ity.
The interregnum continued
for centuries. But it was not in
tended tu be perpetual. At
length the Lord remembered his
covenant with David, and Jesus
of Nazareth was born in Beth
lehem of Judea. He was of the
lineage of David and the rightful
heir of David’s throne. But he
was more than the son of David.
He was proclaimed by a voice
from heaven to be also the Son
of God—the great Messiah, fore
told by Moses and the prophets.
In this august character he pre
sented himself to Israel, but they
rejected him. He came to estab
lish a kingdom of which the
kingdom of David was the type.
He came to reign as the King of
whom David himself was only a
type. And “he came unto his
own, but his own received him
not; but as many as received him,
to them he gave the privilege to
become the children of God, even
to them that believed on his
name, who are born not of blood
nor of the will of the flesh, nor
of the will of man, but of God.”
These are, by faith, the children
of Abraham, for he is the “fath
er of all them that believe.”
They constitute indeed that true
Israel which has power with God,
and of which the Israel accord
ing to the flesh was only the type
and the promise.
Over this spiritual Israel the
Son of David has been reigning
ever since the day of Pentecost.
And in this fact we discover that
God’s covenant with David has
not failed. Indeed the sense in
which it has been fulfilled has
given to it a splendor far surpass
ing all the glory of earthly kings.
Had it been fulfilled only along
the lines of a mere human dynas
ty, how tame would have been
its history! But wherever Jesus
reigns in human hearts there is
I W!'. ?".T“::r“:88:1
a glory that eternity itself can
never eclipse. Glory be to the
Son of David, who is the Son of
God.
563 S. Pryor st., Atlanta.
Forth« Indkx.
Baptists and the Saloon.
BY J. ft. GAMBRELL.
No. 3.
“The democratic party is op
posed to prohibition. I am a
democrat first, then a Baptist. I
will give up the Baptist church
any time oefore I will the demo
cratic party—if it does favor the
saloons. I will vote for anything
my party favors, church or no
cnurch.”
I wish I could hope that the
man who wrote the letter con
taining that paragraph had no
Baptist sympathizers in Georgia,
but it is to be proved that his
tribe is practically numerous. I
submit these reflections to the
thoughtful reader:
1. In the two preceding arti
cles I have made no point against
any political party by name,
neither did the Georgia Baptist
Convention, in adopting its re
port at Cedartown in favor of
prohibition. The writer of the
above paragraph evidently
thinks his party was attacked by
the Convention and myself. He
is stirred up over the matter. I
have no harsh words nor unkind
feelings for him. Every thought
ful Christian will feel a profound
sympathy for him. If what he
says is true oi his party then
every saloon hater ought, on his
God-quickened conscience, make
no delay in getting out of that
party. Common sense and
Christianity alike will lead every
thoughtful Christian man to take
out emancipation papers from a
party that stands for the defense
of the saloon. That is the plain
truth.
2. Many of the men who voted
for the prohibition report at Ce
dartown are democrats. Is it
true that these men are giving
allegiance to a party that op
poses their Christian warfare on
the saloon? If it is true, when
do these men think the saloon
will cease to exist in Georgia?
What practical good can their
convention resolutions do, since
they veto them with their votes
on election day? Votes put in
the ballot box on
anti these a,
irv’
to authorizingtne sale
A whisky party in power means
the perpetuation of the saloon
curse. A saloon advocate in the
Legislature will vote for main
taining the saloon, n > diffe: e :ce
whether he gets there as the
representative of one party or
another; no difference wtose
votes send him there, he is there
in the interest of the saloon, and
those who for party or other
reasons vote for him are respon
sible for his vote and its results.
Hell is being peopled by the
votes of Baptists, Methodists and
other religionists who live in
Georgia. That is an awful truth
that ought to bring many of us
to Godly sorrow, repentance and
a radical change of conduct at
the ballot box.
3. Against the above quoted
paragraph I put this passage:
“For we must all appear be
fore the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may re
ceive the things done in his body
according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad.” How
the things some of us do on elec
tion day will cover us with con
fusion when we stand before the
great judge of all the earth. Is
voting for a saloon party or man
a thing "done in the body? In
the mind of the judge, is such
voting good or bad? Will the
inflexible judge revise his sen
tence when we tell him we voted
for the good of our party, or did
not vote for the right because
the right had no chance of suc
cess. When the victims of the
very saloons our votes estab
lished confront us before the
judge,will we deny our responsi
bility for thejr woes, as we are
wanting to do now ?
The victims of Georgia saloons
authorized by-Baptist votes, di
rectly and indirectly, will meet
the voters before the seat of the
judge with their record and tale
of woe. There will be no evad
ing the issue then, “Guilty or
not guilty,” which, in the pres
ence of these deeds of wreck and
ruin? What does common sense
among men say will be a just
sentence? Will not the judge of
all the earth do right in the final
adjudication of the affairs of
time? Who has any doubt about
it? Who doubts what will be the
doom of the drunkard ? the
drunkard-maker? those who vote
for the drunkard-maker to con
tinue making drunkards? Who!
“I have been voting for a cow
ardly political party and whisky
candidates for years. The Lord
forgive me for this great sin
against him and terrible wrong
against frail humanity. I will
ATLANTA, GA, THURSDAY. JULY 23, 1896.
vote against the saloons and their
friends, hereafter, if I have to
crawl to the elections and vote
alone. They say -I will throw
away my vote, but right doing is
not loss.”
Compare that extract .with the
one first quoted. They don’t
compare, they contrast, you say!
Even so. Both authors are Bap
tist, they say. Which of them is
the Christian, do you judge?
The latter, you say. What do
you judge by? Eliminate the
question of religion and the
judgment to oome, which of the
two is the man 01 good hard
sense and patriotism? Which
of them do you thnk is a more
pitiable slave than any African
ever was? Friend, do you not
pity the poor Baptfs t who fancies
that he owes so much to a party
that he must insult God and help
damn humanity to pay the debt?
Are you in his.condi :ion yourself?
Are you not sorry for yourself?
You feel sorry, po you? You
feel natural for oif time,l guess.
The Lord forgive you and help
you not vote for the saloon par
ties or men hereafter. The Geor
gia Baptist Convention, in a very
practical way, indorsed the
“Anti-barroom bill” now before
the people of the State. This
measure will, if enacted in law,
close every saloon, distillery
and brewery in the State. The
next legislature will vote for the
bill, making it a law, or vote
against it and leave the saloons,
distilleries and breweries to con :
tinue their work of devastation
and death. Which of these re
suits shall be felt by the people
depends entirely upon the kind
of votes put in the ballot box by
the church members of the State
for representatives or law
makers.
Let these facts be noted:
1. The Baptist and Methodist
leaders of Georgia, in their great
assemblies, have deliberated se
riously, prayerfully, and havj
solemnly called upon those com
mitted to their leadership to use
their utmost endeavors to secure
the passage by the next Legisla
ture of the “Anti-barroom bill.”
No one denies the supreme wis
dom and patriotism of this call.
It honors God and dignifies the
men who make it.
2. The political leaders of
Georgia are every en
ergy to out and
They
otner members
in carrying out their purpose to
keep the saloons open in Georgia.
And they will have the co opera
tion of some of all these classes,
whether they succeed in keeping
the saloon or not. There are
preachers, deacons, stewards and
other prominent church men in
the State who “will vote the
straight party ticket for the good
of the country,” saloon or no
saloon, drunkards or no drunk
ards, crime or no crime, heaven
or no heaven, hell or no hell.
The success of the political or
ganizations to which they belong
is a bigger question with them
than the matter of keeping souls
out of hell by closing the saloons;
it’s a bigger question with
them than the proposition
to stop the vast besotted
armies that are being gathered
into the jails, penitentiary, con
vict camps, chaingangs, prema
ture graves, out of the homes of
Georgia. To get their political
friends into office and have silver
remonetized, or maintain the gold
standard are bigger questions
with them now, “this time,” than
the matter of closing the saloon,
so that its victims may have the
way cleared between them and
heaven. Are you one of the
preachers, deacons, stewards or
prominent church members? If
so, it would be a mercy to some
people, many may be, if the
Lord would take you to your re
ward before you can put another
ticket in the ballot box. Is that
too strong a statement? Let the
bloody records of the saloons
your votes have helped maintain
making the mournful answer.
3. The preachers of Georgia,
God's appointed leaders of the
people, need to earnestly plead
with the people for right voting
on the saloon question. They
ought not to silently agree that
political leaders shall, for purely
partisan and selfish purposes,
mass and vote their members
against morality, peace and good
order.
The rule has been the preachers
lead the people God has com
mitted to them on Sunday, and
the designing politicians lead
them the other six days of the
week. Is it any wonder that the
political leaders have been able
to control the people against the
preachers, Conference and Con
vention resolutions, when they
put in six times as much time
and work as the preachers do?
People like to be noticed and
counted on for something. The
Eolitician understands this, and
e is therefore a great hand-
shaker, he talks with them, he
counsels with them, he asks them
to do definite things for the
party and him. He succeeds and
the preacher rises in his pulpit
Sunday morning in bad spirits
to berate his people for lheir bad
conduct. What is the remedy
for this condition of things?
Simply this: Let the preachers
get out among the people during
the week, counsel with them, ask
them to give moral questions in
politics the benefit of their votes,
ask them to vote against saloons
and its advocates, and Georgia
will be delivered from the saloon
power. As sure as God reigns,
and that righteousness exalteth
a nation, this is true. What sober
mind doubts it for a moment?
If any care to know my judg
ment as to the situation in Geor
gia, this is it, briefly stated:
1. The Baptist and other de
nominations in the main are
right on the saloon question, in
their religious assemblies, but
radically and deadly wrong at
the ballot box, where the ques
tion is settled.
2. There are many Baptist
voters who would really like to
see the saloons go, but they are
such intense partisans that
they will vote for the saloon to
stay before they will lessen the
chances for party success by
voting their real convictions.
They will insult God and help
damn souls, out of loyalty to
their party or friends.
3. The preachers of Georgia
are paralyzed by timidity and
partisanship. When people learn
that a preacher is a shrinking
character or is a political parti
zan, without reference to moral
ity, they will not respect him.
They ought not. No preacher
can afford to be a partisan of any
thing but truth and morality.
4. If the Baptist preachers of
Georgia alone would renounce
publicly and emphatically all al
legiance to political organiza
tions except such as stand
openly for morality, peace, law
and order and against the saloon
with its allied evil forces, there
can be no doubt but that the sa
loon will soon be no more in
Georgia. But as long as preach
ers are mere partisans, whether
the saloon stays or goes, we will
be burdened and cursed with the
liquor traffic. The Lord give
his ministers to see their duty to
him and his, people at this im
acrtaiit iunbt'hr.e and give them
■mirage to do that duty hero-'
fbatly and fearlessly and all will
be men!
Greensboro, Ga.
Is It the Better Plan?
It is being urged upon the
Baptists of Georgia that an ad
ditional endowment of a hundred
thousand dollars is needed for
Mercer University. We would not
throw any hinderance in the
way of the raising of this amount.
If it can bedone let it be done. But
we would propound the ques
tion, whether or not the same
end may not be reached in a more
satisfactory way? Would it not
be better for all the churches to
adopt the plan of contributing
yearly for Mercer University,
just as they contribute to mis
sions? A small amount from
each church wculd aggregate five
or six thousand dollars; •which,
added to the present income,
would enable the trustees to en
mploy as able instructors as can
be found. If all the pastors
would interest themselves this,
itwould soon become as settled
thing as are our missionary col
lections. This income would be
as certain as that arising from
This plan possesses several
advantages. It does away with
the raising this large sum the
fearful responsibility for the ju
dicious investment of it after it
has been raised. Perhaps not
many of us have ever estimated
the burden imposed upon the trus
tees in this respect. As endow
ment increases the burden of
taking care of it will be propor
tionately increased. Nor can any
foresight suggest investments
that will not be liable to shrink
age or loss. When it shall be
come a settled rule for every
Baptist church to contribute
yearly for Mercer, the institu
tion will have a more assured re
source than from a large endow
ment.
This plan, too, has the advant
age of being one in which all can
help. Many a man will be able
and willing to contribute a dollar
would not give the fifteen or
twenty that it would take to yield
one of interest. He could keep
his principal and use it while the
college would have the benefit of
it.
Os course it will require a good
deal of effort to get our churches
to adopt this as a regular prac
tice. But it can be done just as
easily as the hundred thousand
can be collected all at once. It
will require no small amount of
persuasion on the part of those
[who are most interested in the
matter to accomplish either.
L. L. V.
When I Have Time.
When I have time, »o many thing* I’ll do
lo make life happier and more fair
For tho»e whose live* are crowded now wqh
care,
I’ll helj to lift them from their low despair,
When I have time.
When 1 have time, the friend 1 love so well
Hhall know no more these weary tolling
days.
I'll lead her feet In pleasant paths always,
And cheer her heart with words of sweetest
praise.
When 1 have time.
When you have time! The friend you hold
so dear
May be lieyond the reach of all your sweet
Intent.
May never know that you so kindly meant
To All her life with sweet content,
When you had time.
Now Is the time! Ab, friend, no longer wait
To scatter loving smile* and word* of cheer,
To those around whose Ilves are now sodear,
They may not need you In the coming year—
Now Is the time.
—Medical Missionary Record.
Tolling Hopelessly.
“Hopelessness” is only another
term for “despair,’’the two words
being really synonymous; and
we are prone to feel that despair,
or hopelessness, deprives effort
of any possibility of good. Our
thought, indeed, is, with the
poets, that
“Hope springs eternal in the human
breast
that
“The miserable have no other medi
cine
But only hope;”
that
“The wretch condemn’d with life to
part
Still, still on hope relies,
And every pang that rends the heart
Bids expectation rise:”
and that
“Hence the most vital movement mor
tals feel
Is hope, the balm and fife blood of the
soul.”
Yet, as a matter of fact, there
is a constant call for hopeless or
despairing effort in this world as
it is; and the truth stands out, in
spite of our feeling, that there is
often a direct gain from hopeless
or despairing endeavor, beyond
and above all gain which is pos
sible where hope is an element of
the struggle. At the best, how
ever, hopeless effort is a phase
of tribulation.
It is a pitiful .sight to look into
the vacant eyes of a hopeless
idiot, or into the glaring counte
nance of one hopelessly insane.
It is hardly less pitiful to look
down upon the tired face of one
hopelessly racked with pain,
which must continue with in
creasing force while life lasts; or
‘to watch the hopeless wasting
away of & form which is under
the power of an incurable dis
ease. It is sad to see an aged
parent, a helpless object of hope
less effort, with paralyzed limbs
or deadened brain, living on only
as a burden and a tax in a home
which was once lighted and glad
dened by the presence that is
now a source of unintermitted
discomfort. There is a gloomy
aspect to those institutions for
the incurable, which actually
close their doors against any who
do not utterly despair, or who
are not utterly despaired of; so
again there is to those wards for
the hopeless cases in other insti
tutions, where diseases of the
body or the mind are objects of
treatment and of ministry.
But, with all the sadness or
gloom of such an outlook, would
any of us say that, because in
these instances there is no hope
of cure, there is therefore no
gain in the loving ministry
which is demanded for them?
Could we question that, apart
from any possibility of result to
those who are cared for tenderly,
these is a gain, unspeakably
great, to those who thus minister
in loving tenderness to the ne
cessities of the hopeless objects
of despairing endeavor —a larger
and a nobler gain through the
very fact of the hopelessness of
the effort demanded?
Hopeless endeavor brings finer
possibilities of unselfishness, in
its immediate exercise, than can
show themselves in effort which
is prompted and cheered by sub
stantial hope. So long as hope
is an element of the struggle,
there will be the thought of
coming gain or reward as an in
centive to correspondent action;
but when hope is excluded, the
chiefest inducement to struggle
on in the line of loving ministry
is the unselfish affection which
makes such ministry in itself a
delight.
This it is that so often renders
the dependent and helpless pa
rent a new power for good, in
the home where his hopeless
needs are a means of evoking and
developing the truest and noblest
traits of character in the chil
dren who are doing for him.
This it is that causes many a
hopeless invalid to be a center of
light and joy in a home which is
purified and cheered through the
added necessity of forgetting
self, and of living for one who
can never rise up to return or re
quite this ministry of love. This
it is that brings a spirit of sur
passing tenderness into the man
ner and ways of the best of those
VOL. 76-NO. 30
who attend upon the incurable,
or upon the hopelessly imbecile,
in institutions where such cases
are an object of special attention.
When, in fact, every prompt
ing is outward, and every incen
tive is away from self; when
there is no possibility of attain
ment or of requital; when the
only gain which can be thought
of is the gain of continued doing
in the line of hopeless endeavor
—the effort which is demanded
cannot but be noble and enno
bling, and cannot but have its
reward in the uplifting and the
enlarging of the heart which is
thus nobly exercised.
We are not likely to undervalue
the benefits of hope, but we are
in danger of overestimating its
advantages; and it is well for us
to consider that, unless we were
sometimes called to hopeless en
deavor, we should never know
the highest gain which is possi
ble from a generous and self-for
getful ministry of affection. Hope
even imperils our spirit of rest
ful contentment with what we
have, by tempting us to look
away from present good, in long
ing expectation of better things
to be attained to. Thus it is that
hope is sometimes peace-destroy
ing, that
“Hope, eager hope, th’ asHassin of onr
joy.
All present blessings treading under
foot,
Is scarce a milder tyrant than despair.”
In this light it is that hope may
deceive us by its very truth, and
that its surest leading may be
misleading. And here is the
point of Carlyle’s satire:
“What is hope? A smiling rainbow
Children follow through the wet;
’Tis not here—still yonder, yonder;
Never urchin found it yet.”
In this sense, hopeless effort
may be more gainful than effort
that is full of hop©; and the re
turn of good may be largest
through the very fact that no re
turn is a possibility. And so we
have reason to be grateful that
there are calls upon us here to
struggle hopelessly in loving
ministry to others, and to be con
tented with what is already ours
in that struggle.
Os course, it is only with ref
erence to the life that is, that
any hopeless endeavor can be
called for, and it is only in lov
ing ministry to our earthly fel
lows that a loving ministry can
ever be in hopelessness; for all
God-waid love is full of hope,
and is sure of both reward and
return beyond its uttermost giv
ing or deserving. And it is be
cause there is something of God
likeness in a love which goes out
and goes on with no hope of re
turn, that all hopeless ministry
of love is so ennobling and so en
riching, and that its gains tran
scend the gains of any love that
wins return.
Love seeking and finding re
turn is very beautiful; it is one of
earth's brightest blessings. But
love which loves on without
thought or hope of return is still
more beautiful; it has a touch of
Christ likeness in its moral beau
ty. It is this of which Whittier
reminds us:
“Love is sweet in any guise;
But its best is sacrifice.
He who giving does not crave,
Likest is to him who gave
Life itself the loved to save.”
And Helen Hunt would have us
know that this is ever the spirit
of the truest, worthiest love:
“When love is strong
It never tarries to take heed
Or know if its return exceed
Its gift; in its sweet haste no greed,
No strifes, belong.
It hardly asks
If it be loved at all; to take
So barren seems, when it can make
Such bliss, for the beloved’s sake,
Os bitter tasks.”
And when a human love recog
nizes the fact that it is hopeless
love, yet lessens not nor swerves
because of its hopelessness, that
love has added power in refining
and purifying the heart which it
fills; and its giver has a gain be
yond all that any return of love
could bring to him.
A mother’s love is never more
saintly, never nearer divine, than
when she loves an unloving son
hopelessly. And the highest
reach of human friendship is
where one is lovingly and loyal
ly an unswerving friend, with
never a possibility of -love re
turned or of love comprehended
as it is. “It has seemed to me
lately more possible than I
knew,” says Emerson, “to carry
a friendship greatly, on one side,
without due correspondence on
the other. Why should I cum
ber myself with regrets that the
receiver is not capacious? It
never troubles the sun that some
of his rays fall wide and vain
into ungrateful space, and only a
small part on the reflecting plan
et. . . . Thou art enlarged
by thy own shining.”— ln Tribu
lation. —Trumbull.
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