The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-01

Israel was twice written by inspired |
men, first by the prophets in the two |
books of Kings, and afterwards by
priests in the two books Of Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Both re-
cords make David the central figure.
The prophets wrote to show the con-
sequences of Csin, while the priests
sought to maintain the institutions of
religion Of which the were the special
guardians. Last quarter our lessons
pertained to the northern half of the
kingdom, created by the rebellion un-
der Jeroboam, and carried into per-
petual captivity in Assyria, a dreary
sketch of iniquity and disaster made
by the prophets. This quarter we
shall be occupied with selected passag-
es pertaining to the southern half
of the empire, called the kingdom of
Judah which, like its sister monarchy,
was destined to be overthrown. The
difference between the southern and
the northern kingdom was that the for
mer had more frequent seasons of re-
form during which the people attain
| ed to many virtues and much of the
consequent peace enjoined and prom
| ised under the Mosaic economy. one
Of these reforms will be considered to-
day.
| RECTITUDE.-The kingdom of Ju-
dah was cursed by two wicked kings,
| Rehoboam and Abijah, the first and the
| second after the division of the empire.
| Nevertheless, for Davids sake, God
bore with their offenses, Il Kings. XIV,
800 and granted many favors. Dur
/ II.
| reign there was perpetual war with
| Israel, In an attempt to regain the re-
| voting tribes, resulting in a measure
| of success, so that the sovereignty of
| Judah was acknowledged over many
| cities. A new day dawned upon the
land at the death of Abijah, who was
| succeeded by his son Asa, (verse y,
a man OF rectitude, who, abandoning
the ways of father and grandfather,
did that what was right in the sight
of the Lord. Verse 2)It was not easy
to account for the character of this
man. If the laws of heredity We're
to be considered little ought to have
been expected. On the paternal side
there were three generations of sin. On
the maternal side We know little
| save that his mother was a patron Of
Ashtaroth, and therefore a heather.
He is a. rare man who breaks away
from all early influences, resists the
tendency of blood and education, and
becomes a God-fearing and valiant de-
fender and promoter of righteousness.
| ICONOCLAST.-Fo the his
tory does not pause with a
mere reference to the Charac-
| ter of King Asa. He was a
man of deeds, and he employed his
high office in advancing the cause of
| religion. He began with the destruc-
ton of the altars and of the strange
gods that had been set up (verse 81
during the three preceding reigns, un-
doing what Solomon in his later years
began, what Rehoboam and Abijah
continued what. in fact, had received
the royal approval for an entire gen.
GRAFTON. He even deposed his mother
| from the rank of queen mother-a
position of great dignity in the east
0 Kings II: 1D, because she had set
up an idol for impure orgies Il Kings
XIV: 13), and he cut down and burned
her Asherah. and strewed its ashes
on the brook Kedron, just as Moses
had treated the golden calf CEN xxxii;
2O). He cut down the groves in which
worship had been offered to heather
divinities, rendering the places unfit
longer for the devotiOns that had beer
offered. He broke down the images
or, what is a better rendering, the
statutes the public regulations for the
conduct of heather religion.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
j Corner Sumner avenue and Price street
| Rev. l.. r. Foster, NJ. A, pastor. Morn
ing service, prayer AMI praise, at 1913
U o clock Sunday school al p. m. instead
: of .1.S0 "A. m. Evening service at 6 o'clock
| Irea ching by the pastor. Theme, IN
, | CsUlts of a Misunderstood Providence.
L | Senior Christian EndeaNor service at
!. o'clock. Tuesday evening. Band of Hope
u at 7.30 o'clock. Prayer meeting, Wednes
day evening, at 80 o'clock.
i Washburn Street Presbyterian Church.
: Rev John p. Moffatt, pastor. Service
at 1890 a. m. and 7.30 p. m. Bible sChoO
at IL m. Christian Endeavor Junior so
Y ciety at $3.50 y. m. Christian EndeavD
intermediate. 40 p. m. Prayer meeting
Y Wednesday 73O u. m. The pastor vii
g preach in the morning on "SYstemati
i Giving" In the evening the congregatio
will be addressed by a student from Yal
university. The pastor will also he pres
cnt. All cordially welcome to all of thes
s services.