David Williams

“ One day, when the rain had a little abated, David appeared, greatly disappointed to find the girls had gone out, down to the West Sands with Mr. Roy.
"Always Mr. Roy! I am sick of his very name," muttered David, and then caught Miss Williams by the dress as she was rising. She had a gentle but rather dignified way with her of repressing bad manners in young people, either by perfect silence, or by putting the door between her and them. "Don't go! One never can get a quiet word with you, you are always so preternaturally busy." ”

“ Oh, Davy!91 Davy!" the child cried imploringly, sitting up in the bed and clasping his hands in petition; "don't do it, Davy; don't be a thief to please those wicked men; don't go robbing the brown house on the hill."
A fearful fit of coughing racked the little form and David held him gently in his arms until the paroxysm had passed. Then, laying the boy back upon the pillows, he said quietly:
"You mustn't get excited, Patsy, it's bad for you. We'll not talk no more to-night. ”

“ Why do you think David wanted these stones?”
“For to kill the giant,” said Jimmy Prynne, and Tommy was annoyed that he had not thought of the answer.
[Pg 34]
“David,” continued Miss Lavinia, “put a stone into his sling and hit the giant” (here Miss Lavinia lowered her voice and there was deep silence in the room) “right on the forehead between the eyes; and the giant fell back dead.”
“Oh!” murmured the children, and David Williams, in the right-hand corner by the old Grandfather clock, looked as though reflected glory shone upon him. ”

“ Many a night, when the pain kept him from sleeping,96 he would while away the long hours by thinking of the gentle, beautiful girl, and he never said his prayers at night and morning, as mother had taught him, that he did not add a petition for his "lovely lady." And to think that she was his own cousin, his uncle's daughter; she lived in the house on the hill and it was her house that David and those men were planning to rob. For her sake as well as David's the deed must be prevented; her father must not be robbed; David must not become a thief. ”

“ For David, too—the older of the boys by a year—had expected to go to college and till the time came had never doubted the expediency of it. But, as is so often the case, that merry-making force in human affairs that we call Circumstance—or is it Providence?—had it fixed up otherwise. Mr. Waring had suddenly lighted upon chronic poor health as a daily companion on the walk of life, and his time was so much engrossed therewith that David seemed called upon—nay, impelled—to become the main-stay of the farm; Loren was still too young ”

“ Oh! ain’t he strong,” she added; “oh! if you only heard Miles talk of him!”
One day I did hear a little of what David had done, from the boy himself.
“Yes, Miss, he was standin’ by me, when the water came in, we felt it running past our feet, he took my hand and said we’d run for the shaft; we run a few steps when we met Jones and two men, Powell and Williams; they said the waters were up to the roof, then we got into Powell’s stall.” ”

“ They had gone now and Patsy felt that David was standing beside the bed and looking down at him. He opened his eyes and two more tears escaped, which he hastily brushed away. Immediately David was on his knees, the little cripple's hand clasped tenderly in his.
"What's the trouble, kid?" he questioned anxiously. "Is it the pain that's bad to-night?"
"'Tain't the pain, Davy, 'tain't the pain at all," sobbed the child. ”

“ Alone to wait for morning with his dead father.
might. But they had climbed that hill there in a foot of mud, and besides, two men were holding their heads. "'Your wallet or your life!' cried my ancestor, leaning over into the wagon. The servant dropped down on his knees to reach for the wallet. David thought it was for a pistol. 'No, you don't,' said he, and let the servant have it in the side of his head, and over he flopped. With the flash of the pistol the old gentleman reached out toward David, crying 'My God!' 'Bang!' went my ancestor's other pistol. ”

“ But a dead and buried man who would go to corruption would lose those bodily marks of identification. Yes, but an exception made here for that very purpose leaves those marks where they were made--in David’s flesh, the very flesh in which was vested the royal right divine. "Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption" are words that ring and re-echo the sound of an empty tomb and bid defiance to a sinful nation to produce the body they took such precautions to keep in the tomb till corruption should wipe out every evidence of descent from the royal house of David. ”

“ Here they are, "and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Now, dear reader, did you ever find any where in the Scriptures "sure mercies of David" providing for an inheritance in heaven, or a kingdom in the sky? David never was in heaven. How then could he have a kingdom there? David died in faith, not having received the promise, but seeing its fulfillment "in a great while to come" declares it to be his salvation. Has he gone to heaven? Has he gone any where except to the dust to await a glorious resurrection to the realization of these promises? ”

“ Here is the focalization so far as the historical phase up to this time is concerned.
Out of all nations one nation is first selected; out of this nation, one tribe; out of this tribe, one family; out of this family, one man—David. Now from him, according to the flesh, must all kings descend till the one who is the pith and pivot of all God’s workings is reached. Hence David recognizes the proper line of descent when he says, "And of all my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel." ”

“ Instead of bringing peace, He says He has sent a sword; instead of blessing the world of nations, He says there shall be distress of nations with perplexity; instead of filling the earth with the glory of the Lord, the world has passed through the darkest ages of its history since that time; instead of executing judgment, justice and righteousness upon the throne of David, David’s throne is still in ruins; instead of being a prophet like unto Moses, whom Israel should hear, they cry out, "Away with him, we will not have this man to reign over us" ”

“ For whatever is true of David, a man after God’s own heart, is certainly true of all the ancient worthies, and if David did not go to heaven, but still lies in the dust awaiting his salvation and his desire, surely we have no right to expect to go there or to enter upon our salvation before David does. ”

“ I'm well provided for, whoever aint."
"But how long are you to stay?" said David. "You can't always be on a visit with folks, even if they are the friends of Mr. Williams."
"Of course I can't stay always," said Grannie, "but Mr. Williams has arranged that I am to stay for a good two or three months at least, and by then, why, we don't know what 'll turn out. Now, chil'en, for the Lord's sake don't let us waste time over an old body like me. ”

“ The only solution which the truth will admit of is that the "planting" spoken of in the covenant with David is yet in the future. If this is in the future, then the promise concerning David’s seed, or his royal son who is to sit upon his throne, in whose hands David's house and kingdom will be established for ever in David's presence, is also in the future. And if all this centers in Christ, then you can see that the world's redemption is provided for in the covenant with David. ”

“ This covenant is made the subject of David’s last words, which shows that he viewed it as a matter of the future: "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, * * * He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. ”

“ That David understood this to refer to Christ, we need have no doubt whatever, because the matter is settled positively by Inspiration. Why try to get rid of the Messianic application of such prophecies by saying that they found their fulfillment in the history of Solomon? But how can one satisfy himself with such a claim, when David says of the matter, "Thou hast spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come." And according to his dying words he saw in the promise "all his salvation." ”

“ Notwithstanding they have been many days without a king, and without a prince, he declares that a time is to come when "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man to offer burnt-offerings and to kindle meat-offerings, and to sacrifice continually." ”

“ You'll have no one to light the lamp and make the tea for you in the evenings. You'll come home here at night and it'll be all dark and lonely with no Patsy to meet you.102 But remember, David, I'll be lookin' at you from Heaven. Mother and I'll be waitin' for you there and I'm thinkin' even Heaven won't be just right till you've come to us. Promise me you'll come to us some day; promise you'll never go with them wicked men no more. Let 'em alone or they'll make you as bad as they be, and then you won't never see mother and me. Promise you'll let 'em alone, Davy ”

“ Come now, tell your own Davy what's troubling you, there's a good boy."
"David, how long is it since mother was taken away from us? It seems so long. I was thinkin' of90 mother, Davy, and wishing she was here with us this night."
"You poor kid, poor little crippled kid," muttered David, patting the small, thin hand. "It's natural, I suppose, for you to pine for your mother, but ain't Davy been almost like a mother to you, Patsy? He's tried hard, that he has, to be father and mother and big brother all in one." ”

“ Christ did not see corruption, but was raised from the dead and went to heaven, but David having gone to corruption, had not gone to heaven and there is no promise that he will ever go there. What! asks the astonished inquirer, David not gone to heaven? We have always been taught, some will say, that every good man goes to heaven when he dies, and surely David was a good man and would go there. ”

“ Let Him answer. "After this," that is, after visiting the Gentiles, "I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down: and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up." The question is settled. There is no room for dispute. Ah! but says the one who spiritualizes God's words to suit popular creeds, you are too literal. You are looking for a literal kingdom with Christ as its personal ruler on the earth. Yes indeed we are. What else can we look for? When it was said of David's throne, "I will overturn, overturn, overturn it" was that literal? ”

“ Once, when father lay dying (Patsy could not remember it, but David had told him of it) , mother had written to their uncle imploring a little help in their misery. It was not for herself she had asked but for the dying husband and sickly baby. Her letter had been returned to her with these harsh words written on the back: "Some mistake here. No woman has the right to call me brother. My only sister died years ago." David had kept the letter ever since ”

“ How can heaven be the eternal abode of the righteous, when it is so positively said that the meek shall inherit the earth and dwell therein for ever? If good men go to heaven at death why did not David go there? ”

“ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David ”

“ And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2: 2-4) . All this is said concerning Judah and Jerusalem (verse 1) . Thus will Christ be the King of the kingdom of Israel on David’s throne to rule over the house of Jacob specially and the whole world generally. ”

“ For a more elaborate and clearer prophecy of this memorial system of offerings, in the rebuilt and beautiful temple which is to adorn the land of Israel, the reader is referred to the prophecy of Ezekiel, where a description of the temple and the Divine Service is given, which has never yet found its fulfillment in the history of the world. The description is there by inspiration. It is there to be fulfilled. ”

“ Seeming to anticipate modern methods of applying these Scriptures to spiritual Israel and Jerusalem to the church, he adds, "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations, and strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen, and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. ”

“ Who that looks out over this sin-cursed earth, and sees its masses burdened with sin, sickness, sorrow, pain and death, oppressed and trampled down by tyranny and despotism, might triumphing over right, the rich against the poor, crushing them down into the very earth--who can view this spectacle and not yearn for the time when the government shall be put into the hands of a righteous King of kings and priests to administer to the wants of the people, whose work, first of all, is to "bring down the mighty from their seats and exalt those of low degree ”