images, saints virgins, had taken its place; but when it was found "what carefulness it wrought, what clearing of yourselves; yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge" (2 Cor. 7:11); yea, what a Refor- mation it wrought. The Bible is a wonder- ful book! 1 IV. INQUIRING OF THE LORD. (1) Josi'ah at once sent his messengers to "inquire of the Lord." Wh en a soul finds the Word,' "then the soul seeks the Lord; if the Word finds the soul, then the soul seeks to know "What must I do to be saved?'' (Act 16:30)." Josiah saw the impending judgment; could anything be done to avert it? (2) The prophetess sent him a- "thus saith the Lord." The Book drives us to prayer, and prayer sends us back to the Word. (3) To all who humble themselves to seek the Lord the Word of comfort and salyation is, sent. It came to Josiah (34:27, 28). But to the incorrigible the same Word jf the Lord offers no hope. There is a time when it is too late (34:24, 25). Is it hot ominous, t h at no -one is said to have "rent his clothes" (34:191 but the good, king alone?. ,jC4), The finding of God's Word al- ways wakes a'spirit of inquiry. V. JOSIAH. DISCHARGED HIS DUTY. (1) He sent and gathered" (34:29, 30). To The last lesson was about a boy, and this is about a book and the one has an im- portant relation to the other. The making of a. boy is in a book. The u nma k i ng of a, boy is often in the loss of a book. The Bible is a lost book; it is lost to the ctiil- dren of the land. It was given as a heri- tage by our f a t h e r s; we lost it when we permitted its enemies to eliminate it from Uie public sphools and left our children with- out moral training.- It slipped away so quietly it was not missed for a long time, b ut now we know t h at It is lost to us for- ever in the school room. We lost the Book when we permitted the. scholars to. scissor it until It was meaningless.and lifeless. We lost the Book when we permitted the books and periodicals and papers- to take its place and allowed it to lie dust worn on the shelf or forgotten in the trunk. We lost the Book when we began to chang? its meaning and read into it other than the plain simple HOW TRUE PROPHETS FARE FOR FAITHFUL TESTIMONY. Lesson VI.—Jer. 26. I. JEREMIAH. 1 His home 'and lineage. Jeremiah was of the priestly, or'Aaronic, family. His h o n e was Anathoth, near Jerusalem (1:1).' 2. His Call to orophecy. (a) H e had a supernat- ural ordination in the 13th vear of Josiah (1:21. and (b) prophesied till the downfall of J u d ah (1:3), and (c) a f t e r w a rd (40:1).
the whole assembly of the people he caused those blessings and curses to be read "In their ears." Is it surprising t h at behold- ing how they had broken their national cove- nant, and how low they had been brought as a people, the awful threats of Jehovah" had so little effect? But see the peoples today! the same principles are operative over all nations; the consciences of men a t- test it; t h e• experiences of history 'certify it: and yet the nations still move on, to their ruin. " Preacher, Reformer, the Word of God itself cannot stay them. But Josiah cleared his skirts (Ezek. 33:9). (2) He en- tered publicly Into a covenant to walk after 'the Lord, -*(3) He caused the people to do the same. As the theocratic king ( m was his prerogative and duty. By t h at very "law" those who broke the covenant were to be "cut off.'.' Christian parents, employ- ers, and teachers, should strive to secure the covenant of those under them. (4) He completed the renovation of the land (34:33); VI. LOSING THE BIBLE. The Bible may be lost by burying it un^ der the rubbish of Romanism, ritualism, "higher criticism," "Eddylsm," "scepticism." These must all be cleared away or the Word will never come to light. It may be lost by neglect, by disobedience, by prayerlessnessj by wresting its plain teaching; by all t h at tends to lower In any degree its authority. meaning which God p u t there. Wh en the ; Book is lost, God is lost, for only through the Book can we see the' image of God in the face of Jesus Christ','•; ; .... As a n a t i o n ' we have- lost the Book, but as indiviuuals we can have -the Book. L et us cherish it, - T he B ó a é f ' h ás «orne to us- through the sacrifice of "millions óf lives. It . is a rich heritage. Make much of the Book-and the Book will make much of you. The words of the B.ook are pure,,'P'sa. 12:6. They are sweet, Psa. 119:113. They are tried, Psa. 18:30. Hide them in ymlr heart and they will preserve you, Psa. ''119:11. Whoso despisèth :. tbS Word shall be de- stroyed. Prov. 13:13? Gód has magnified His Word above all His , ñamé, Psa. 132:2. The king rejoiced when he found the Book; he ordered his life - in accordance with it.. He read it to all of - t he people and a great revival followed. If you w a nt a revival of faith in your own heart, find the Book; hear and heed it. (d) His diffidence. Like Moses (Ex. 4:10- 12} and others (Iaa. 6; Eoh. 3:8, c.f.) he shrank from the responsibility. Self-con- stituted preachers, and "advanced thinkers" •who speak' "the conceit of their own hearts" (23:26-28>* have light and easy tongues, and "a mouth speaking great things" (Dan. 7:8); often in the name of "scholarship;" "vainly puffed up by a fleshly mind" (Col. 2:18). But the true., witness is "slow to speak" (Jas. 1:19) the word of "life and death" (2 Cor. 2:16). (e) Jeremiah was commis- sioned to "go," "speak," "what," and "to all" t h at the Lord bade him. The Church
PITH AND PIVOT—T. C. H.
Lesson for August 6, 1911
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