2 /5 john-k VIVID: Adonijah feared because of Solomon. —
The best way of overcoming: — David did not directly attack this false
kingdom of Adonijah’s. He did set up the true kingdom in the place of the
false. So the false fell because there was no room for it in the presence of
the true. Here is admirable illustration of the best way of overcoming.
Deduce the principle — crown the right, the true, the trustful, and these,
thus resolutely set up, will crowd out and take the place of the bad and the
false.
The triumph of truth: — The way to preach down error is to preach up
truth. Never tackle Satan unless you are sure you can slay him. A great
many men by opposing error have magnified it, have glorified it, have given
dignity to a hitherto unseen and comparatively unknown foe. The most that
churchgoing people have learned of some forms of error, they have learned
from Christian pulpits. Now, the Christian pulpit is not erected to preach
evils, but to preach the glory of God. Infidelity is noisy, but it is shallow. It
is a failure, an ignominious failure. Truth is to
triumph just in proportion as we preach Christ, for as we liberate truth we
will oppose error. (R. S. Storrs.).
