The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-04-04
The sunday school.
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Their order AID 10 fslaess q detail Up.
% several events josiah came 70 the
throne uhen bot eight years old. b.
& CA. asd reigped thlrty-ons years,
from . G. cal 70 clio aad bis praise
was that be walked 10 III the ways Of
BIS royal ancestor. David. initiating
BIN 10 zeal for a pure worship. HE
felga. hke that a. bis grandfather
Msnasseh. was long. bat bis fathers
rule was brief and very wicked. Like
Manassch be siuned. bat did not repent
ike him Of bis wickedness. He return
"a tie idols which bis father took
away. aud after but two years be fell g
victim % court conspiracy and was as
fascinated 10 bis own house by some OF
bis servants. Bat, although be was %
wicked. the people were offended at
ibc violent death Of their king. and 10
their indignation put hiH murderers to
death Anon was the name OF an
Egyptian god, and ManAsseh may have
called bis son after that idol. Upon
the death Of Manasseb. B. G. 643. the
! iiolatioas party assumed the direction
Of civil aud religious affairs and re.
established idolatry
Josiah was the sixteenth king OF Ju.
dab. and left the brightest record for
pieiy and genuine patriotism that It's
annals contained. Hating idolatry, he
went as an inspired idol.breaker
Throughout the Kingdoms Of both Ju-
dab and Israel, aiming so thoroughly
to destroy every trace and outward
sign 81 Baal worship that il never
again should be returned. From Oh
xxxY: Is il is believed that Jeremiah
wrote drge at his death which is
lnow supposed to be lost. (But see
Lam ".
AZ he was the best Of the Judaic
kings, 80 be was the last good king in
the line. Tho glory Of the kingdom
faded rapidly toward extinction from
/ the time Of his death for the people
were incurably corrupt, and could be
purified only in the furnace of their
long captivity. Accordingly, B. G.
5Ss, only tiity-three years from this
time, the end came (see eh. XVI !:
4 lT2l.C
Jerusalem and the kingdom Of judah
were now tributary to Assyria. Assur.
banipal, otherwise SArdanapalus. was
the fortieth and last king Of Assyria
The prophets of the time were Jere'
miah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zepha.
niah. Psalms xc-cvi were composed
during or near the time Of Josiah
reign and their authorship is ascribed
10 Jeremiah. man Of kindred spirit
with Josiah. and living in the midst OF
the same exciting events. Our lesson
contains
Josiahs noble youth,
His zeal for a pure worship,
His work for the temple,
His course was RICH in the sight oil
the Lord. His heart and intentions
were good-no less than his outward
acts lie declined not 10 either hand
from a steady obedience TO Gods COM
maads, especially in his great work Of
reforming religion. In that he initiated
David, whom God presents ~ modsl
for all kings Il Sam. xiii Il; ! Kings
Ky: 81. But our king is better
model still Il Pet. ii: 30. In the
eighth year Of his reign he began to
seek God, to know, love, and obey him
and to obtain his favor and help. That
was while he was yet young. when be-
tween fifteen and sixteen years OF age,
three years after he had attained his
majority, as the kings OF Judah were
regarded as minors only till they had
completed their thirteenth year --P Re.
!obb1, But others suppose that there
waa no legal limit, or that the more
psobable age was about twenty. when
lie regency ceased and the monarch
acted for himself How marvellous
was the providence and grace OF God,
ihat from so wicked a father should
come SO pious a man and so good d
king
Ia the twelfth year, when but TWEEN
" years OF age, be was zealout
! champion in purging Jerusalem from
idolatfy aud destroying the monuments
d ialse worship throughout the land
That work was prosecuted through six
years Of iuyincible perseverance and
undaunted trust in God, and finished
II the eighteenth year Of his reign "
81. 4 fuller account Of this work il
contained 10 . Kings xiii LA. II
/. ii be was doubtless much sustained
and encouraged by the prophet Jere
tniah. who was called to bis ofIic,
G about this time der. i: p. The higt
places were groves Of trecs on tops o
bills who're The people worshiped idols
: The groves we're wooden pillars. ina.
I ges Astarte the wife OF Baal The
: carved images were Of wood. carved
E from trees. aud frequently covered
: with cold and silver and The process