“And Ittai answered the king, and said, "As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.” — 2 Samuel 15:21.
SOME men have a very remarkable power of creating and sustaining friendship in others. David was a man brimming over with affection — a man, notwithstanding all his rough soldier-life, of an exceedingly tender heart — a man, I was about to say — the word was on my tongue — a man of vast humanity. I mean, there was a great deal of manhood about him. He was all that other men are, had suffered their sorrows, and had tasted their joys, and, therefore, I suppose it was that he had a large power of attraction about him, and brought others to himself.
But there is one Man more than man, whose attracting influence is greater than that of all men put together. In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ we see gentleness, meekness, and tenderest affection, and we see the most hearty sympathy with everything that belongs to manhood. Such a vast heart has the Master, such boundless, disinterested affection, such human sympathy; so near is he to every one of us in his life, and in his experiences, that he attracts the sons of men to himself, and when he is lifted up he draws men unto him, and afterwards, by the cords of his love, he draws them unto himself.
It is in the hope that some here may feel the sweet attractions of Christ that I have selected this text, anxiously praying that some here may so give themselves to Christ as never to leave him: and that others who have already done may be confirmed in their solemn resolution that, in whatsoever place their Master, the Son of David, the King, shall be, there also will they be as his servants, whether in life or in death.
From a sermon entitled "Following Christ," delivered August 22, 1889.
Photo by Maciej Lewandowski; some rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment