The evening Republican., 1902-09-25
"7HE LOST
BIBLE. F"
A Sermon Preached by the
Rev. John Shape, Sunday,
September 2tst 1902

is separation from Israel. was eight
years old wnen he began to reign.
His name was Josiah, and he sue.
ceeeed his father Anon, to the
throne in B. G. GAO. At the age OF
sixteen he began to seek after the
! God of David; at twenty to pursue
Judah and Jerusalum from idolatry
by destroying the affairs of Banlin
and breaking in pieces the images.
He supenintended in person the
cutting down of groves consecrated
| to idol worship.
Where the young king received
/ such antipathy to idolatrous prac-
tees we do not know. Surely he re-
ceived no hereditary suggestions
! for Jehovah worship. His father,
Anon, not only permitted but him
self practiced idolatry. After his vio-
lent death at the hands Of his own
servants who ,conspired against him
in his own house and slew him, the
the boy king (Josiah eight years Old
ascended the throne with the harm
full heritage Of line of illustrious
idolaters at his back.
His grandfather ManassslI, who
reigned So years, and his great grand
farher Hezekiah both encouraged the
worship of images in tin. very house
of Gol at Jerusalem. which Jehovah
had expressly forbid len.
In the eighteenth year OF bis
reign, when he was but 26 years old,
Josiah prepares to repair the temple
of the Lord at Jerusalem. While
this work was being accomplished
Nllkiah, the high priest, discovered
volume or roll in the SANITARY
which proved to be the then only ex.
isting Bible Of the Jewszthc five
books of Moses called the Penta
teuCh.
Shaphan, the scribe, read the Bible
to the king who was SO aStoniShed at
its revelations that he rent his clothes
in grief as he listened to the law
which in ignorance he had been trans
crossing.
For 81 years the Bible had been
lost, Baalln worship had been sub
stituted for Jehovah worship, while
Jusiah's predecessors had neglected
the reading of the law to the psople.
We wonder that the contents of this
lost Bible brought such startling rev.
elations to the piolls young king.
= In alarm and haste he sends fsf the
prophet tess iluldah to inquire Of the
Lord in this matter aud when he
learns Of the dread penalties 0. the
law that must come he commands a
renewal of the covenant made with
God bv Moses AItcrthis the pass
over is celebrated and once more af-
ter /; neglect Of halfa century, the
words OF the long lost Bible were
read in the ears Of the people. Let
us hope these words were heard and
ODeyed.
1t might be profitable for us to in-
Quire how the Bible Of the Jews got
lost. The answer would be found not
in a single instance Of neglect butin
The idoIaters practices Of the nation,
IN the wckedness in high places, in
the ignorance OF their Young ruler,
in the disusc Of teRp'e worship, and
in AL manner of sin among the peo-
pie. No wonder amid all this array uf
guilt that for fifty seven years Gods
holy law was not read. A nations
+ piety Is often suaged by Ne piety of
the nations rulers. Anon. Mauasseh
and Hezekiah were wholly given
over to ldolalrous practice, encourag
ed the licentousness Of Baallm wOf-
ship and gave no instruction in spir-
itual things.
The place the Bi ble haimay ofteu be
determined by the worsIipfullness of
the people as evidence by their re-
specJ for or neglect Of temple wor.
ship. People ,nat don! 60 TO church
don'tread the Biole at home, though
their unworthy excuse for neglect.
ing God's house Is the statement
Can Worship God just rs well at home.
And this lost Bible OF the Jews was
found, found in the very house Of the
Lord. 1t had to be searched for 1t
is not known exactly how it got lost.
Some think by the carel essncss Of the
priests, Others by the opposition of
the rulers. and still Others incline to
the action that friends of the truth
had secreted this Penlatcuclial roll IN
til. Temple in order to save it. We
can not say about all this, but this we
we may say, that then as now search
for it was rewarded. No man may
expect the Bible to-day to be Of value
to him unless he searches it. But II
with II in his possession he intelli.
gently and persistentiy searches it lie
will find it to be startling IN its rcve-
lations, comforting with it's prom
ises, Inspiring in It's ideals. This Bi-
bic Of the Jews was in the Temple
for a half century but the common
people were unaware OF it. 1t was
lost almost within arms length. That
Bible you have on your centre table
is valucless volume unless 1t is
searched.
This was an exceeding important
find. Imagine it you can, what
would be the CONSERVATION and
surprise Of a man who Tor the first
time hears the Bible read. That
stately frat Chapter Of GeEefs the
wonderful coreers OF Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jocob;the path
etic story Of Esau; the dream of
Jacob; the task Of Moses and :hc
hardening of Pharaoh amid the
places Of Egypt; the offerings had
teast Of Levilic US; the wilderness
wan deripgs, the brazen serpent and
the numberlugs Of the people; The
wonderful decalosue repeated IN
Deuteronomy, the account Of Jeha.
vah's leading of his own pcople.b by
burning bush, and ilamine fire aud
lowering cioud;the sin Of the people