Brother Kline was actively engaged in preaching and visiting the sick professionally as a physician to the close of the year. He traveled in the year 1853, 4,411 miles.
I find it impossible to trace all the visits to distant churches and families made by Brother Kline, and keep this book within the limits of a suitable size. I therefore omit much which might be of interest.
Friday, March 3. Council at the old meetinghouse above Harrisonburg.
Saturday, March 4. Council closes. Night meeting in Dayton, Virginia. I speak from Psalm 144:11, 12: "Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace."
This is a wonderful prayer from the heart of one who was both priest and king of his people. As a priest, David had the care of the spiritual welfare of his people; and as a king, the civil prosperity of Judah and Israel. The prayer of my text is offered in behalf of both these interests, the spiritual and the temporal. Probably no man ever felt more deeply the truth expressed in his own words, elsewhere recorded, "Happy is the people whose God is Jehovah," than David did. The lofty consciousness, which is the orderly outgrowth of correct knowledge of God's love, wisdom and power, and man's utter lack of all these attributes, accounts for the dependence and trust he reposed in God. This called forth the prayer of my text. It contains three petitions. The first is for deliverance from strange children; the second, that the sons may be as plants [olive trees] grown up in their youth; the third, that the daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.
David comes into the presence of the Lord-as the representative of his kingdom. His watchful eye has seen the tracks and his listening ear has heard the steps of strange feet. They are the feet of the surrounding idolatrous nations. He calls them strange children, for such they are; because in language, manners and dress they give proof that they are not of Judah and Jerusalem, but of Sodom and Egypt. More than this, these strange children are enemies. They would break up the self-denying worship of the true God and rob the sanctuary of all its sacred garniture. They would corrupt the morals, debase the manners, and deprave the tastes of the young. "Their mouth speaketh vanity." They boast of their liberty. Their sinful indulgences are not restrained by law. They are free to do whatever the lust of the flesh and the eye may incline them to do. "Their right hand is the right hand of falsehood." This figure is very strong. The right hand in this place is figuratively put for knowledge, wisdom, power, and whatever else they may vainly boast of having. But they are destitute of all these. They have no knowledge of that which is good, because they desire it not. They have no wisdom, because they have never lifted their minds and hearts to the high plane of desire to do justice and judgment. They have no power save that which is of the natural man; and that power, unless properly restrained, is always to be feared. No wonder that he says of these idolatrous, licentious people that "their right hand is the right hand of falsehood."
But how is the Lord to rid him of and deliver him from the hand of these strange children? By causing fire to fall from heaven and consume them? By causing a flood of water to drown them? Or by making the earth to open her jaws and devour them? No, no; in none of these ways; for in such destruction of enemies there is no trial of the faith of his people. Brethren, do you know that it is, has been and to the end of time will be the pleasure of our heavenly Father to try the faith of his children? This cannot be done independent of means. Do you know that a tree standing in a stormy place takes deeper root than one that grows up in a calm, sheltered spot? Do you know that a child shielded from every trial, and kept out of the reach of all temptation, will grow up with a very weak moral development? The back that is never made to bear a load will forever stay weak. The hand and arm unused to toil will lack strength and skill. God does not want a kingdom made up of imbeciles. He wants a people strong in faith, who can make a good fight, "the good fight of faith; lay hold of eternal life;" and if needs be "take the kingdom of heaven by violence," the violence that resists the devil and makes him leave tracks which point away from where his people stand. The track always tells which way the fox has gone.
This strength of faith, Brethren, is included in David's prayer for his people, and he puts it in this shape: "That our sons may be as plants [olive trees; see Psalm 128:4] grown up in their youth." We all know that plants, including trees, make their best growth and yield their best results in the open air, where they are exposed to the sun, wind, rain, storm and drouth. And it is there they can receive the tillage they need.
You see how readily this beautiful figure applies to the rearing and education of children. "That our sons may be grown up in their youth." Their manhood as to faith, virtue, obedience, wisdom, intelligence and piety is largely developed while they are yet young. How many mistakes are made by parents right here! They say of their sons: "Ah, they are young. After awhile they will be through with sowing their wild oats, and then I expect better things of them." The better things may come, but David prayed otherwise. He wanted the better things to grow up with their growth, and strengthen with their strength, so as to be perfect men even while yet in their youth, as lambs may be perfect in form and quality before they are fully developed into sheep.
But more. He prays that "our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Many of us, no doubt, have seen palaces built of polished stones. David almost breaks me down under the weight of his strong and significant figures. He wants the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to be fruit-bearing trees with strong roots struck deep into the ground. But the sphere in which the daughters are to move, the part they are to act, the place they are to hold in the social and religious life of the church and the world, is different from that of the sons, and so he uses a very different figure. They are to be corner stones, polished and set into a palace. Corner stones, from the ground to the roof, are those upon which the strength and beauty of a building greatly depend. A defect here mars the appearance and detracts largely from the permanence and value of the structure. David wants to see the daughters strong and solid as corner stones, in faith, virtue, wisdom and all else that helps to make a woman strong: and at the same time polished with all the refinements of taste, modesty, beauty, gentleness, tender-heartedness and love.