Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-21

Yet it was but few weeks ago in Allie
gheny that men who are fully much older
| than these people of Palestine did just what
Syria and Ephraim did The men who
were determined not to have peace set upon
the men who were contented to accept the
former conditions and stoned them. Syria
and Ephraim made up an army and marched
down on Judah.
Judah Confronting the War.
Immediately all was confusion. The
King of Judah was Ahaz, man of weak
will and no judgment. At once there arose
those two parties of which I spoke. One
said, Let US get the help of Assyria- To
this party the King belonged The other
said, No, let us stand still. We have the
right of it. God will surely bring the right
into victory. Let us trust God. The leader
OF this party was Isaiah.
1t was under these circumstances that
Isaiah had his famous interview with Ahaz.
The interview took place Just outside the
city walls, sat the end of the conduit of the
upper pool, in the highway of the fullers'
field Ahaz had gone there. probably, to
make preparations for a supply of water in
the city in case of seige. Isaiah, taking
his son with him, went to meet the King.
1t is great thing to have somebody brave
enough to go and meet the King. We think
sometimes that we have no King in this
country. But that is a great mistake. We
have King as autocratic as the Gar Of all
the Russias. The name of our King is Public
Opinion. 1t is a great thing to have some
body strong enough, and brave enough, and
above all, wise enough, to go and meet
public opinion. Public opinion Is still too
much inclined, like Ahaz, to look with
favor on foreign alliance, on alliance with
the devil
The Danger of a Friendship.
that the alliance between Syria and
Ephraim could have but a temporary sue
cess. Their kings were but smoking fire.
brands, soon to be extingulshed. The day
would come when they would be no more
people. 1t was not worth while to be afraid
OF Syria and Ephraim. But that great
power in the East, whose favor Ahaz was
planning to invite, was a power indeed to
be in fear Of The friendship of Assyria
was more to be dreaded than all the en-
mites of the allied powers.
Ahaz listens but says nothing. He has
already made up his mind to call upon AS
syria, 1t is i'll arguing with people who
have already made their decision. Isaiah
urges him to ask sign from God, to judge
In this matter by the measure of the will of
God. The King, with "a show of reverence,
refuses. He does not dare to ask the judS-
ment of God. He fears that it will go
against his preconceived resolution.
How true that is to human nature! Who
is there that has never hesitated to reason
his difficulty out, to measure it by the
actual right and wrong of the case? Every
day in the shop and on the street men walk
about with eyes shut lest they may chance
to see; making alliances with the devil, but
looking another way, and so persuadlng
themselves that there is no devil at the
other side OF the bargain, at all. How
many people resolutely abstain from think
ing, lest they should make
Some Uncomfortable Discovery
about the honesty of their transactions
Ahaz, with derby hat instead of a gold
crown on his head, lives here in Pittsbu1g.
Then Isaiah speaks out with all plainness.
This great Assyrian power which Ahaz pro-
poses to invoke will be the ruin of the
country, And SO he goes away; and the
King, too, goes his way,a as men go after the
strong appeal of a sermon, trying to forget
all about it.
And Ahaz called in Assyria. And the
Assyrian fell upon the rear of the two
kings, and the allied armies had to be re-
called. The war was over. And then what
happened? Why, the land was more peace
full and prosperous Yes; for time. The
prophet seemed contradicted and dis
credited. But wait. There are two kinds
of success, the temporary and the per-
manent And only permanent success is
worth anything. This success of Ahaz,
which he had won by disregard of the wishes
of the most High God, was only that sort of
success which means but failure. Like all
such avoidances of right, like all such re-
fusals of the will of God, the policy of Ahaz
ended in disaster. Isaiah's word came true.
GEORGE HODGES.