The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-02-17
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR,
FEBRUARY Fl.
Lesson Text. "Jehoiakim's Wicked
ness" Jeremiah xxxvi., 1e-S1-
Golden Text: Heb. ill.,, Is
commentary.


10. Then said the princes unto Baruch,
Go hide thee thou and jeremiah, and let no
man know where ye be-" Baruch was Jero-
miah's scribe, and lad just been reading in
the ears Of the people, in the Lords house,
upon the fasting day, the words Of the Lord.
which he had written from the mouth Of
Jeremiah tverses g. s.. The Lord gave these
words to Jeremiah in the hope that the
| people might turn and be forgiven tverses
| 8, q, for He is ever seeking to save. Baruch
having read to the people is sent for to read
| the words to the princes, which, having
] heard, they are afraid, inquire further, and
| then give counsel as in this verse, being
| friendly to the prophet.
20. "And they went into the king and told
| all the words in the ears OF the king.n
Jehoiakim was the son Of Josiah the good
| He was preceded by his brother Jehoahaz,
who reigned only three months, and was
then carried captive into Egypt Oh Chron-
xxxvi., 1-5). -.
81. 80 the king sent Jehudi to fetch the
roll, and Jehudi read it in the ears Of the
king, and in the ears Of all the princes~
| This is the will Of God, that kings, princes
and people in all the world should hear His
word. This is the responsibility Of ali who
read it to others; and IL we are only willing
| He will set before us open doors. All re-
suits are with Him. He will see to it.
%. "Now the king sat in the winter house
| in the ninth month"; and there was fire on
the hearth burning before him. Winter and
summer houses, and houses of ivory are
spoken Of to indicate the luxury and self in
diligence Of the people (Amos ill.,, 15. II the
| fasting day OF verse was the fast Of atone
| ment, in the seventh month Nev. xvi, 29),
| then some little time lover q month) elapsed
between Baruch's first reading and this read
| ing before the king
23 HE cut it with the penhnife and cast
it into the fire that was on the hearth, until
all the roll was consumed in the fire that was
| on the hearth" This was his treatment OF
the word Of the God Of Israel upon whose
| throne he sat Il Chron, XIX, 2S and whose
representative he ought to have been. Con-.
trast his fathers treatment Of the word OF;
God QIKings, xii, 1D. And JehoiaAm did
not do worse than the professors and preach
ers Of our day who in the name Of '.hgher
criticism, or Science. " or something else.
| penknife the Bible cutting out what they
please, refusing us anything supernatural,
and assuring Us that even Jesus Christ was
not an infallible authority in all things. An
| such had better heed Isa., viii, 90, r. v.
"a. "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent
their garments" And no more are these
unbelieving critics Of our times, who are
thus fastening on to their own destruction
and leading multitudes with them.
25. Nevertheless Elnathan made inter-
cession to the king that he would not burn
the roll, but he would not hear them. H
any one will not receive the truth God Will
let them believe lie III !Thess IL, 1912, but
fearful will be the result chapter XIII, l5-
~. Elnathan and the others did well to
plead for the word, even though they pleaded
in vain. God will not forget 1t.
26. "But the king commanded to take
Baruch, the scribe. and Jeremiah, the pro-
did he not fear to destroy the Word OF the
Lord, but he feared not to kill His servants
also il he could lay hands on them. Rebel
lion fearfully hardens heart. How safe are
those whom God hides; see how securely BE
hid Elijah q Kings xviii, 10. Compare
Ps xvii. S, xxi, 2, and give good heed
to Zeph. il, 3: Luke xxi, So that you may
rejoice in Col. ill.,. 8.
e. ''Then the word of the Lord came to
Jeremiah after that the king had burned the
| roll" The Lord had seen it all and observed
it; He had now more work for Jeremiah and
K lew just where to find him. The prophet
h Il only to hold himself ready for anything
| til t Jehovah might require, either to ap-
ps IT. or to be hidden, to speak or to be qutef,
| I, do or to suffer.
%. Take thee again another roll, and
| write it in all the former words that were in
the first roll" In verse 50 it is said that
many more words were added. 1t Is Inn
possible to destroy the word Of God All
efforts to do SO have only increased tho num-
ber of copies. The Bible has been compared
| TO a man who has been shot and hung and
| drowned and burned in the fire and scattered
| to the winds, and yet in some wonderful way
| is more alive than ever.
90. .rhus saith the Lord Thou hast
burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou
| the book because it told Of q coming judg-
| ment; so the Bible is now hated by many
because it tells o. a lake OF fire for the un-
| cody, and OF everlasting punishment, and
OF coming judgments. But though many
may penknife these things out of their Bibles,
and hate those who preach them, yet the
81, 80. Therefore thus saith the Lord OF
Jehoiakim, king Of Judah, will punish
him, and his seed. and his servants for their
iniquity. but they hearkened not" His
miserable death and wretched treatment OK
his body, with evils upon his seed and King
dom arc here foratold, and all came to pass
now, but will have renemed body
too, lust like the body Of his Lord, and shall
sit with Him on His throne, and no evil can
befall him Il John ill.,, 2, 8; Phil Ill.,, ~, u,
Rev. iii. 81; Ps. xci., 9, 10j. But the pros
pect before the unbeliever is as indescriba-
bly, awful as the,other is glorious. lSee l
TIess. l., T-10; Math. XIV, Al: Rev. xiv, 8
111 God has provided salvation for all and
is not willing that any should perish,
but how shall any escape who neg
lect so great salvation? And what q
fearful responsibility rests upon all who
in anv way add. to or diminish the
word Of God Rev: xii IS, 19; Deut. W.,
9: XII. >, 80; Prov. XXX, 6l. With many TO-
tday the whole book Of Revelation Is com
pletely" set aside, and preachers tell thetr
hearers not to read is; whereas In this book
all the other books Of the Bible end and
meet. and in it is the consummatlon OF az
previous prophecy. It is the only book OF
all the si1ty-six that contains a SPECIAL bless
ing upon reader and hearer (Rev. l., -.
myself have heard one of the most popular
preachers and Bible teachers Of to-day say
that he would not think Of taking text
from either Daniel or Revelation II he couio
help it. do not wonder that the same man
said that the Jews were no more to God taan
the Indians Of our country. What olner-
ence is there between such man ana tne
king of Judah who cut and burned the Woro
of God9 Is not this man the worst OF the
two.-Lesson Helper.
1T ts now time to call John China
man to a halt. The Chinese rebellion"
appears to be another name for de-
liberate wholesale attack upon civili-
zation, wherever it has taken root in
the miscalled Celestial Empire. II