The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-12-24

First. The Benefits He Conferred on His
Nation.--1. He raised Israel, for time,
to tha highest of its national aspira-
tions and showed the possibility of
splendor and authority to which it
might attain.-Farrar.
He stirred the intellectual life of the
people in new directions. He awak.
ened among them q ssrong desire for
deeper wisdom and higher art, which,
during the stormier ages which fol-
lowed, never wholly died away, and in
some directions constantly developed
itself with more and more power and
beauty.
He enshrined their worship in a
worthy and permanent temple, by
which he Influenced their religious life
down to its latest days. This temple
was idealized, together with the city,
into type of the Spiritual Temple and
the New Jerusalem, the city of God
which came down from Heaven. 1t
was to them perpetual reminder and
visible symbol of Gods presence and
protection, strong bulwark of all the
sacred traditions of their laws, a wit
ness to duty, an impulse to historic
study, an inspiration of sacred song.
He organized the services of the Le-
vites and placed their position on Sc
cure basis.
He quickened their sense of national
position, while at the same time He rem
dered them less narrow in their sympa-
thies. He left them richer in the pos
session of well-fortified city and he
protected their land by towers and fort
resses.-Farrar.
Second. The Evils He Wrought.-He
found a people free, he left them en-
slaved Tin degree); he found them
unburdened, he left them oppressed;
he found them simple, he left them lux
urious; he found them inclined to be
faithful to one God, he left them indif-
ferent to the denominations of the heath
en- which they saw practiced under the
very shadow of his palace and his
shrine.-Farrar. He was like Nebu-
chadnezzar's image-partly of gold and
partly of clay.
Solomon lost (for his posterity) the
kingdom of the ten tribes, and perpet-
uated strife, weakness, debasement and
superstition, by preferring the attract
i've splendors of this world to that God
liness which would in the end have been
rewarded even in the present life.-F.
W. Newman.
Some Lessons from Solomon's Life
It rs never safe to relax our vigilance or
think we have reached the place where
we cannot fall. Age has its own temp.
tations and dangers as well as youth.
Genius and knowledge alone are not
sufficient safeguards against sin.
The way of transgressors is very
ishment at the end, but because so
many barriers must be broken down
and restraining influences must be
overcome in order to go on in sin-the
love of God, the conscience and moral
nature, the Word of God, the Holy Spir-
it, the sacrifice of Christ, the sense of
honor, Gods goodness, early training,
the influences of religion.
There is great danger OF letting
worldly things come between us and
God.
Illustration: The moon, in an eclipse.
complained to the sun: "Why, o my
dearest friend, doth thou not shine up
on me as usual?" do not?" said the
sun. II am sure am shining as al
ways do. Why do you not enjoy my
light as usual?" "Oh, / see," said the
moon; "the earth has got between u.s."
This is the trouble with every back
slider.
The Golden Text, Ecclesiastes 1918,
sums up the conclusion of the whole
matter: "Fear God and keep His COM
mandments, for this is the whole duty
of man." This is all his duty. This Is
part of life, and God will take care Of
the rest. He that has true religious
life within and in his daily conduct has
all the essentials of life. He has found
whatshallprofita man-the way to true
happiness.