Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-07-14

temples He can 10 wurshipped as
truly In them as IN houses made with
hands. by spirits as refined IL culu-
waited us yours" Fur we may be sure
pealing to their superiority over other
people. Certainly there was Il careful
c~onceallnent OF the second command
ment. These blunt und literal COM
mands OF Scripture We're CLOSED over
but the truth remained to rise up In
Judgment nguinst Jercboam n Israel.
that God hates idolatry. 1t Is II OF
the passions OF the divine nature. God
is SO greatly God that he will not toler-
ate the presence OF other gods before
Him. II he is accepted as Coz ut all,
he must be accepted as God In all, and
over all, II alone. Whether tho Idol
be the golden image Of Il calf or tho
golden image of an eagle he hates Its
worship INC Will punish 1t.
HOME MADE PRIESTS.
Having been so far followed by the
supplemented people, Jereboam went
farther and began to create a priest
hood. Sacrilege never KNOWS when to
stop. Pleased with his own philosophy
and f1attered with his success he was
ready to go to any length. II he
could make gods, why not priests? So
Tom, Dick n Harry were called into
the office that in Israel had always
been held sacred. The high calling of
the Levites was degraded. 1t was d
sorry day for a people when its priests
became other than spiritual, unselfish.
and qualified men. The nation which
does not revolt against this must itself
decay. These made priests OF Jere-
boam, without the training or tradi-
tons of the Levitcal office We're an
insult to the Israelites and a vital blow
at their religious life. A worldly-mind-
ed. jobbing. misunderstanding
m ! N O frNY .nt1r -@.t- -,-.. a,
morality than the sins OF the goddess.
There is not a little lament in the
land that the supply Of candidates for
the ministry Is decreasing. But as one
old and cody t%heologian says: Il am
not concerned about that; but ii men
are ceasing to enter the ministry from
q single-hearted love for Jesus Christ
and Tor human souls. Their l am deeply
concerned. indeed" Jereboam went
farther and initiated a new feast, bor-
rowing the livery OF the true religion
withou its spirit. This was but of "a
piece with his other folly. and in the
long run as futile.
WHEN LEADERS GO WRONG.
People follow leaders.-more so in
ancient lines thai now. In these
democratic days Of intelligence and lib
erty the leaders are more prone to
follow the people. 1t is still in the
power or leaders to corrupt a people.
When lawmakers and men in high
official stations make Sunday a day for
dinner parties, and political confer
ences, and worldly recreations, the in
iuence Of their actions is to be seer
plainly upon the public attitude toward
the Lords day. And when they in
dulge in profanity and In intemper-
ence 1t is not easy to Offset their ex-
amples in the minds of young people
with abstract precepts. When their
morals are loose 1t is difficult to re-
quire probity of the people.
Jereboam's great sin was that he
made Israel to sin. He who leads other
men astray is most closely akin to
satan. Let 1t be written down plainly
that the sin which is above other sins
1 sthe sin Of making Others sin. He
who is a leader in the downward way
has the spirit of the end of thai road
already within him.
~Jereboan's career ended in shame
n failure. There is a way that
seemeth right in the eyes of men, but
the end thereof are the ways of DEATH
Jereboam's doom was pronounced by
the same prophet who had pronounced
him a king. He suffered in person,
in family. in reign and in kingdom for
making Israel to sin. BY a%bdicating
his simple-hearted II lcya! manhood
he abdicated his promised Inheritance
of honor and blessedness.
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