The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-09-22

/ u Is peculiarly up TO cate, ana mas an
application to current affairs. st.
James might have said, He was a
man oflike nature with us.n Strength
and weakness both are exemplified.
/ The whole gamut of human passions
| is run. The inevitable denouement
of various courses of conduct is faith
fully depicted. We are taught by ex-
ample in this instance, and it is pro-
verb, example is better than precept.
That is a crude and hasty Judgment
which relegates these incidents to the
category of mere Old Testament story
and to a far-away land. They show
human life, its motives, fair and foul;
its sutferings and successes and pos
sibilities. Elijah and Obadiah, Ahab
and Jezebel, and the rest are alive
to-day, and will reappear in every age.
They are human types, and as such
are 1.-The chief study of mankind"
Rehoboam, the prince of blunder-
ers, first appears upon the scene. He
precipitates the division of the king
dom. When called by the national
assembly to plight his faith as con-
] stitutional monarch, he took counsel
of the gilded youths of the empire
and gave his subjects, already on the
point of revolt, recklessly ,insolent
answer. He threatened to add to his
fathers yoke and to exchange his
whips for scorpions. He parted He
brew history thatdaY into two streams
which were never to be reunited. The
Upper Kingdom, the kingdom of Is
rael, was composed of ten tribes. 1t
survived three centuries and hadtwIce
the territory and population of the
southern Kingdom, and most of the
prophets and historic sites. 1t ended
in the AssYrian captivity. The king
dom of Judah, composed of the tribes
of Judah and Benjamin had the tenn
pie, the priesthood, and Isaiah among
the prophets. 1t was interrupted by
the Babylonian captivity, but surviv-
ed until a. D. 20.
Jeroboam, the first king of Israel,
was man of splendid genius. His
speciality was military architecture.
oyer against the dreary incompetence
of Rehoboam the practical and force
full spirit of Jereboam appears to best
advantage. The moment he took up
the scepter he began the fertilization
of the key cities, and we'll earned the
title Of fortress builder of Israeli
But in spite of noble qualities the key
to JerOboam's character is found in
the somewhat odious word, policy
He buttressed his throne and perpet-
uated his dynasty by confirming the
separation of two kingdoms. He ac-
complished this by separating the
nations religiously as we'll as political
ly. He set up symbols of religion at
the most sacred shrines within his
own territory, and excused his sub
Jects from their religious pilgrimages
to Jerusalem. In the place of the Lee
vltes, who had all deserted to Judah,
he created new and popular prizes t.
hood, in which all sections and classes
were represented. AS piece of state
craft this is to be commended, but if
the supernatural elements of Hebrew
history are admitted, then Jeroboam
was at fault in throwing himself dead
against the fundamental principles of
the Mosaic law and ritual.
The idolatry of Israel began in mild
form. But it was start on a down
grade. Velocity augm ented. A few
decades and total apostasy was reach
ed. Such disease needed heroic treat
ment. Elijah was the Lords physi-
clan in this instance. Now the accep-
ted idea of a prophet is too mechani-
cal. We have been accustomed to
imagine one called to this office as so
possessed by the Divine Spirit that
personal will and judgment are prac-
tically supplanted. He is moved like
an automaton. A verse in st. James
Eplstle turns strong light upon the
prophetic office, and corrects our mis-
apprehension, Elijah was man of
like nature as we are.n In and out of
his special function, he was a perfect
ly normal character. Over in Tishbe
of Gilead he contemplated the dis
grace and impending ruin of his coun-
try. His heart was stirred with pa
triotic feelings. Do not take Elijah
out of the category of perfectly norm
al human life. st. James says his
feelings and emotions were just such
as ours would be under similar cir
cumstances. In his distress he COM
muned with God. Is the evil iemedi-
less? Can not the people be chasten-
ed? Will not drought and famine
bring them to repentance He be-
lieves so. He prays that it may not
rain. Can he aspire to be Jehovah's
ambassador to the court of Ahab? If
so, he places himself unreservedly at
the disposal of the Almighty. So, of
his own will, with use of his own