The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1891-01-07

The lesson for Sunday, January IL, may
be found In Kings IL; 1888.
INTRODUCTORY,
| This lesson I'm "Idolatry I'm Israeli will be
valuable to- US according as We apply IL 10
ourselves. The tendencies toward idolatry
| In America, and In Christian America at
| that. are too marked To be overlooked. The
| teacher should warn against these dangers
and point out, from Israels career where
| the bad issue begins The eccentric Nom
| such professor has a two-fold division for
| text work which we regard as most wise and
| sagacous. IL Is, briefly stated, nTst cut
| out your garment then put IL on. In our
| Explanatory" we endeavor to do the first,
and I'm our "Expostoryn the second. 1t is
! To the teacher and pastor, however, that we
must look To make IL fit
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Jeroboam. A widows son. II Kings IL:
| 26.) The responsibility put thus upon him
doubtless helped to develop his strong char
naturalization. Its name meaning
strength. Strong also In historical prestige.
Abraham made IL sacred (sichem), Gen,
~: @. IL was City OF Refuge, Josh. 81 81.
Ii was the scene OF the promug alton OF the
law, Josh. "a: 20. In the New Testament
days ii was called Sychar John 4: 81. Nab
lus, city OF 5000 now occupies the spot.
Built Penuel, 1. O., built up, strength
ened. This is that Penuel or Peniel face
OF Cod where Jacob wrestled with Jehovah
| Gen. 80: 80, 81.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Now shall the kingdom return. He Il be-
ginning To doubt SO soon. And right here
begins his own downfall. reter walked the
wave right bravely and Justify till he took
his eye away from his Master and fastened
IL upon himself and his own efforts. Then
no fell. 40, thou OF little faith wherefore
dost thou doubtI"-that tells the secret OF
his downfall. 1t is the weak point I'm Jero-
boam's character. He was u strong man,
well fitted to rule. with splendid possibtli-
ties before him. There was the trouble.
lie put his thought and effort upon him.
self He forgot that all he was or could
hope TO be was through the purpose and by
the grace OF God, meekly accepted He
overlooked that promise made TO him back
there ain the feld.n "And IL shall be, IL
thou wilt hearken . - that will DO with
| thee and build thee a sure house, 1t shall
be and here he IL saying in misera BILE skep-
ticism, Now shall the kingdom return.
Faith with the kingdom does begin 10 re-
turn from him because of his unfaith. y,
| let us be careful lest with the very next
breath after We say "thy kingdom Gomez
| in the Lords prayer, we be found saying
doubtfully, self-dependently, now shall the
kingdom return; aud what shall L do TO
prevent II? Right here we lift an alien
altar. Gregory at Rome, Henry VIII. in
England, was each a Jeroboam in his way.
And this became "A sin. No, II WAS not in
tenueu as sln III just became One-Inat
| was all. So do all sins arise. Eve did not
mean that the taking OF the apple should be
| transgreSSion. 1t speedily became such,
| mistrust and disobedience bearing their
| early fruit. Abraham did not intend that
| his prevar.cation, whereby his wife should
be called his sister, should be a sin. 1t was
| simply word OF convenience, IL enabled
| both him and his wife, forsooth, TO live, for
| the time being, comparatively unmolested,
| in the enemies country. But IL soon be-
came a sin, and Abraham was rebuked for
| IL, and before the eyes OF the heather, ~
| often Gods people are to-day. Solomon did
not intend that his adoption OF the fashions
and customs OF the nations should be a
menace To God. He merely wished to es-
| tablish his realm and reign in the good
esteem OF the kings around about. But
even now, in the lesson before us, we begin
| To see the bitter fruits OF such compromise
| The first cigar. the first glass the first
! game OF cards-O. no, they were not meant
| for sin. Just for amusement, or To pass a
pleasant hour, or to make ones self agree
| able To the people Of the world But this
thing has become sin, fearful sin. An APP
J parent trifiing departure from Christly
command and apostolic procedure Just for
| convenience. IL you please. Alas, alas, the
| sin IL has put upon Gods own Zion.
Even unto Dan. They go the whole road.
! Yield an inch, and IL will presently be an
ell. When Lot starts down the way toward
| Sodom he does not stop till he reaches the
end OF the line Presently we find him
| leaving his pitching tents and verify dwell
| ing in the city OF destruction Perhaps
JerobOam fixed upon Bethel as q slight de-
parture, then yielded Il little further to
cOnciliate the northern tribes, giving them
! provisional or perhaps tentative place
OF meeting. one which could be used in
time OF extremity when IL was exceedingly
| difficult or painful TO push the way down TO
the farther city. Now behold he sees the
! people preferring the farthest point. They
have wholly swung off. They are thorough
| going latitudinarians. Doubtless il was a
| tender, kindly thought that first suggested
| clinic baptism and all other substitutes for
| the true and original ordinance. Now see,
even Bethel is not enough. The confeder-
ated tribes OF Israel have gone clean over
TO Dan. And they verify think by so doing
| 20 worship God. Worship IL may be, through
Gods cOndescensiOn, but q, why not come
back 10 Zion? Thus only unity.
He placed in Bethel the priests Yes
you can always find priests TO watch the
| high places. First sinful departure. Then
| that departure organized, for we read that
she made IA house OF high places.n Now he
| puts his priests there to. establish and per-
! petuate the iniquity. There Is never an
| apostasy SO pronounced and atrocious but
| that prurlent priesthood can be found TO
| give IL apparent sanctity and so to mis-
| lead the very elect MOTmOnism has done
| vilely, but with all its viciousness 1t has
never been pricstless. Indeed, its high
| priests have fosterod and promoted its
misdoings. Man-placed priests, Jeroboam's
| brotherhood OF the high places, beware Of
| them. Only tho servants whom God
| anointed are to be trusted, "By their
| fruits 20 shall know them" O, that the
| priests and prophets were all Gods men,
to lead the straying flocks back TO God
| housed Luther started out from Dan to
| Jerusalem, but he got no further than
! Bethel. Cranmer Also but he halted part
| way; and Anglicanism has Its altar to-day
| somewhere up among the Mills of Samaria.
| So he offered upon the altar which he had
| made Men are always ready to do that.
| Let them make their own altar. and how
| easy the sacrifice! Affairs of fashion, affairs
| of selfshness, affairs of worldliness sin 3
| affairs all, but o, how many are making
| offerings, some Of them toifu and painful
| and to the very giving OF the life. And yet
| what does IL amount TOP Sacrificing upon
| the altar which he had made. goes tho
| wild, rehellious world. And alas, too often,
| so goes the church. How far high church.
| ism is to go i'm this country, as in England,
| no one knows But II has gotten far as
| Bethel already and some OF its priests are
| already lifting their eyes toward popish
/ A. al. -.