St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-05-14

,$&& 9a1 uR text is taken
1%.>l% ~ from Pauls letter
G1xa14 70 the Galatian
A7d ~ Christians, and
conveys COM
mendation for well
! ! ! ! ] !: !.
doing and then re-
l|NN S3&} N buke for having
31E5 turned aside from
XN9tyE obeying the truth.
V ~ IN They had been pro-
pEX& crossing nicely in
s,SY hAAUf the Christian life,
AVS1 IN following faithful
HIM ly the teaching and
~ ), doctrin e of the
-. great apostle,
Wnen certain conditions and influences
rno INDIVIDUALS had combined to draw
.ueM away from obedience to the truth.
anu raul goes on to tell them plainly
: c ~. tney have not been persuaded of the
st VINO had redeemed them and
caiieo them into His service. It was
something counter to the will and pur-
use OF God which was hindering them
= me Christian race they were run
nlns He Is concerned for them, and
.onss 20 guide their erring feet back into
sae way marked out by the Lord The
uaiauan Christians to whom Paul sent
TINS message have passed away, but
CHRISTIANS to-day manifest the same
tendencies which troubled the inspired
apostle, and the message which he wrote
q the Christians Of that early day is as
much needed now as then. It Is Gods
Word-convicting, convincing, authori-
tauve-for Christians of all time. And
how often God has to say to the Chris
Tain: Ye were rum ing we'll. who him
oered you that ye should not obey the
uutn! This persuasion came not OF Him
mat caileth you" It may not be that
Judatsers are busy among us leading us
into error as they were among the Gala
tians, but the Judaisers Of the apostolic
days have given place to multitude OF
other conditions and influences which
operate with exactly similar results in
hindering the Christian in his obedience
70 the truth, and IN turning him aside
into sin and error. How many, many
Christians there are who have run we'll
and then been turned aside into the way
OF dtsobedience and disloyalty to the
Christ There n hardly follower Of
Christ but has hadsuc experience. Per-
haps even now you, who have run well
and faithfully. have turned aside and are
not now treading the pathway Of obedi-
nj 81
that W should not obey the truth? This
persuasion came not Of Him that calleth
you"
In the thirteenth chapter Of the first
book Of Kings we find striking
illustration Of our text. Read it, for
We shall use the story to illustrate our
text. It tells Of q prophet of God who
did run well. but who was turned aside
and met disaster and death. We do not
know his name or the particulars Of
his life. We only know that, intrusted
with 4. most important mission by God,
he did splendidly for q time, but fell
abort Of complete obedience apd suf-
fered q sad and bitter end. The facts
in the story are these: Jeroboam, the
son 81 Nebat, the first king over Israel
after the disruption Of the kingdom
under Rehoboam. had with wicked
cunning established two places OF sac
rifice and worship-one at Dan and the
other at Bethel 90 that the children OF
israel would not continue to go up to
Jerusalem to make their offerings.
And, regardless Of the sacredness OF
the ONCE, and the fact that the sons OF
TAvf were the Divinely-appointed
nriexts he formed priesthood OF his
an and he himself became the high
nr,est. as we'll as king. He established
regular feast days, and upon one OF
these occasions, while ,he was omciat-
ing It the altar at Bethel and burning
incense. God sent His prophet from
Tra.h "a. utter the Divine judgment
.gs,nst the altar. And in passing we
..ust note the fact that this is one OF
-. most remarkable prophecies in the
c..,rtnres. and. Sin its clearness, cir
~nmstantiaI minuteness. and exact
,,rediction Of an event that took place
seo years after, 1t stands IN striking
.s.,i,.st to the obscure and ambiguous
or.cles Of the heather"
HAVING spoken the word which Cod
Mad commanded him. and having 1t
..r4lrmed BY the rending OF the altar by
....s ., hand, the man of God start
l..ss.rtIv r. return to Judah by q
81 49,. v vay from that by which he
uln1 nnme Jeroboam, who had felt the
LIZ power of Divine judgment
49,. go M arm, and had then Deen eIa-
w. 1877 rastored in answer to the prayer
c cs.ns prophet, sought to stay MIN, ano
OF ~ 80 MINI to the royal palace to dine.
inva' 8. man Of God had his explicit d.
but sns md plainly told the king that
. = 4 should offer him hall OF MS mi KING sad
-. = ne could not tarry, TOT 1pu n4u
acM h,m to neither eat nor drink un.l,
t0iu ~. az. -eturned to his own nome. Anu
DC - arnting his ass, he started. Inus
%, no Ia run we'll. He had oneyeo.
far ne , nns upon theway. He allowed
n.sumatation to overtake MN III sn sancti
nm Who came to him WIN sano
o. ,a,,s face and reverentlai m.nn n,a
mon. .s,d him that he had hao . reve asa
and tola Cod. which countermanoeo
ton no'a ardars Of God. In short tnat
the nIs. Y ~ God was to return TO ms
the man :. 80 and drink with him. And
hou., 10 wanted to De sae w vs was
De.sct-this wicked ms 1..a nr,ests If