The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent | Page 9

to Mephibosheth, if ever I get back to Jerusalem
and recover my power."
Not long after there was a great battle, and Absalom was slain, and the
enemies of David put to flight. Then David returned over Jordan from
the wilderness where he had taken refuge, and Mephibosheth met him.
This good man, full of love for David, "had neither dressed his feet, nor
trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes," all the time of David's
absence, to shew his great grief. David at once reproached him for his
disloyalty, and then only he heard how great a lie Ziba had told. Then
David answered, "Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have
said, Thou and Ziba divide the land." Mark the wicked injustice. The
lying, slanderous servant is rewarded with half the property of poor
Mephibosheth,--why?--because David had promised him the whole
when misinformed. David knows that Ziba has acted falsely, yet,
because he had said to him that he should be given the land of his
master, he keeps his word to him, though he knows he is doing an
injustice to Mephibosheth.
There you have a pretty example of an obstinate man sticking to what
he has said, after he is convinced that he has been misled, and doing a
great wrong rather than acknowledge that he had judged rashly, and
condemned on no good grounds.
II. I can give you another example. King Herod was pleased with the

dancing of the daughter of Herodias one evening at a supper, and he
swore to her, when he was half tipsy, that he would give her what she
liked in reward for her display. Then she asked him to cut off the head
of S. John the Baptist, and give it her in a dish. Now, as soon as she
asked this, the king was sorry, for he knew that S. John was a good man,
and he knew also that he had no right to have a man murdered in prison
to please the whim of a wicked woman; however, because he had
passed his word, he was too proud and cowardly to go back from it, and
refuse her what she had no right to ask. Then he sent an executioner,
and he cut off the head of the saint, and put it in a dish, and it was
brought thus to the girl, and she carried it to her mother.
III. A man is right to stick to his word, if his word be right. He is right
to stick to his promise, if he have promised that over which he has a
just right. He is right to stick to his opinion if his opinion be founded on
good grounds, and if he have heard nothing that ought to cause him to
alter it.
But--no man has any right to stick to his opinion simply because it is
his opinion. He has no right to hold a promise which he had no right to
make. He has no right to adhere to a harsh judgment simply because he
has formed that judgment.
When our Lord bids us not judge, He bids us be very cautious in
forming a decided opinion, and in sticking to it through thick and thin.
We know so little here, and so imperfectly, that our opinions must be
formed on uncertain grounds, and therefore we have no right to be
tenacious about them. Yet many persons are as touchy about their
opinions as though it were a sacrilege to dispute them. Some of the
greatest injustices have been done through obstinacy, in clinging to
opinions that have become untenable.
CONCLUSION.--Remember then the lessons taught you by our Lord
in this day's Gospel, and also by the conduct of David. Be very cautious
of forming a judgment, and when you have formed one, do not allow
Pride to stand in the way of confessing your fault, and changing your
opinion, when you are given reasonable grounds for so doing.

XLII.
THE SECRET OF SUCCESS.
5th Sunday after Trinity
S. Luke v. 5.
"We have taken nothing; nevertheless at Thy word, I will let down the
net."
INTRODUCTION.--S. Peter and the other Apostles had been fishing
all night, and had met with no success at all, then Jesus entered into the
boat of Simon, and bade him launch out and let down his net. S. Peter
did not hesitate. He had met with no success when fishing in the night,
nevertheless now, at the word of Christ, he fishes again, and this time
the net encloses a great multitude, so that the net breaks. No doubt our
Lord desired to show those who were to become fishers of men that
there were two ways of doing a thing, and that one way