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he would thrust her away with his foot, “ thus”— and he thrust out his foot— and knocked all his eggs over and broke them. We are always in danger when we think a great deal of ourselves.---r- Arnold’s Practical Commentary, 1922. Reason Story.—We all remember the beautiful story-we had last week about the first Easter. Now, if Jesus had been selfish and always thinking of Himself, there never could have been an Easter, but He always thought of others, and loved the people in the world so much, He was willing to die to save them from their sin, and last week we heard how He rose from the dead and is living today, and getting ready a place for all who love Him, so even now He is think ing and planning for others. Today we are to hear of a- king who ruled over God’s people, whose name was Uzziah. He was only sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and as long as he did right the Lord caused him to prosper. The king had a great many cattle, and had wells dug for them in the fields where they fed, and towers built there for the men who took care of the cattle, to go into and be safe from robbers. He also built towers by the gates of Jerusalem, to protect his people in time of war. King Uzziah had a great army of soldiers to fight against his enemies when they should come to make war against the city. King Uzziah * pleased God by obeying, and God was always with him in all the battles and helped him to win, so he became a very strong and powerful king. Now, we are sorry this part of the story hap pened, for Uzziah, like the man and the eggs, began to think how strong and great he was, and in his pride he dis obeyed the Lord; he went into the tem ple, where only the priests were allowed to go, and was going to burn incense on the golden altar. Then the high priest and a number of other priests, who were not afraid to rebuke even the king for
certain strategic commercial, cities? Was his success due to hds ability in fostering and encouraging agriculture? Does not a nation need all these? Do not some nations have all of these and yet fail? Is not Uzziah’s success due to verse 5? Was he strong enough- to stand oh the pinnacle of success? Are not some men strong enough in faith and character to achieve success but not strong enough to maintain it? What caused his downfall? Is it not strange that he should fall at his point of strength? It was because he honored Jehovah that he ascended in power, now he dishonors Jehovah and descends much more rapidly. Is not failure al ways caused by not putting God first? Can we ever afford to depart from the order of divine worship? Are there some things a king cannot do? Did the priests have sole right to burn incense? Where did his leprosy appear? Was he not heady and the head hit? How long did his punishment last? Did he enjoy the accomplishments of former years? Can any man enjoy the work of his hands and head apart from a conscious ness that he is in and doing God’s will? What was he cut off from in the closing years of his life? Was not the only source of comfort in his declining years denied him? jg-g? The Story of a Proud King. 2 Chron. 26:1-21. Memory Verse.— “ When pride com- eth, then cometh shame.”— Prov. ,11:2. - Approach.-—A poor man once sat in an Arab market-place with some eggs to sell, and shut his eyes and thought what he would do. He would sell them, and with the money BEGINNERS buy something else AND PRIMARY and make more mon- Mabel R. Merrill ey, and so on and on, until he was so rich he could marry the prince’s daughter, and then she would come bowing to him; and to show how great he was,
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