The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-06-26
DR., DICKINSON ON
A VISION OF GOD
Strong Sermon at First Baptist
Church Yesterday
GRAFT, OUR NATIONAL. SIN
Revival of Religion the Remedy for
the Existing Corruption in Our
eovernment-Isiah Teaches
Social Principles.

church on "A Vision of the True King.
He tok his text from Isiah 81: In thu
year that King Uzziah died 1 saw tbs
Lord"
He said in part:
Next Sunday we take up again tn,
| study of the history of Judah, and be
gin with the age of the great statesmen
prophets, Isiah and Micah. In any ade.
quate appreciation of history it is neces.
sary to get into line with the flow oil
events and feel the force of the current
in order properly to follow on to its
issues.
Uzziah had been a great king and
statesman, and under his reign of four
score years Judah had become great and
rich. He had been successful in war
and in extending the commerce of his
kingdom in peace. The neighboring states
Of Phllstia, Edom, Ammon, and South
ern Arabia paid him tribute And the
great cravan road from Babylonia and
Assyria and the eastern states of Egypt
passed his doors and through his Phiiis-
tian province. He was second in world
power only to the kingdom of Jereboam.
with which he lived in the closest SYM
pathy and intimacy
To understand the political life In Pales-
tine we need ever to keep in mind that
there had been since the days of Saul
two parties. One of them held to the
king and desired a kingdom of absolute
monarchy like the other kingdoms of the
earth, while the other held to a theo-
chracy or a monarchy limited by Jeho-
vah's law, as it had been revealed in
Moses and the prophets.
The Theocratlc Party.
Samuel in his inaugural speech at the
browning of Saul had fully set forth the
principles of the theocratic party, which
made the king only the executor of the
constitution of Jehovah. All through the
century the kingdom drifted between these
two political principles and policies uz'
ziah at first, during his years of greatest
prosperity, allied himself with the pro
phetic party.
Under the theocratic view the king was
only the first citizen of Jehovah's land
and chief among his servants. The pal
ace was subsidiary to the temple which
was Jehovahs capitol. But as the king
grew great in wealth and worldly powers
he was not content with his pi.laes bnl
must go into the temple and show his
majesty there before Jehovah's Sbekinah
So when he was strong and lifted up in
heart he went into the temple TO burn
incense and show that his authority was
no longer to be limited by the traditional
law of Jehovah. The act meant nothing
less than the usurpation of absolute pre-
negatives. 1t meant very nearly what II
would IL King Edward would go into the
house of parliament and take the speak
ers desk to rule the realm according to
his will.
The priests therefore resisted his ma
jesty, who became enraged at what SEEM
ed to him the presumption of his SUBJ
jects and he became full of passion
Then he was seized with leprosy and be-
came unclean before the altar. Seeing
the loathsome disease breaking out &c
left the sacred place and the priests
drove him out. After this he was quar-
antined In an infirmary and no longer
being able to mingle with his fellow
men his son, lothian, became co-regent
But we may well conclude that SO long
as the old statesman lived his hand
guided the helm of state and the people
looked on him as the father and protec-
tor of the land.
When the prophetic party was in power
the prophets were court councillors as
was Zechariah in the early days OF w
ziah They had no power over the King
except recognized advisers, but public
sentiment at times was so weighty that
they became a great force. During the
later years the kings life, 1siah was court
prophet and came to have great confidence
and trust in the aged and infirm king.
He grew up under Uzziah's influence and
in his court So when the old king died
he felt that the stay and staff OF his
country was troken lothian was
weaklng and Ahaz, the heir apparent,
was a boy. The glory and majesty of
tbo land bid fair to cease with the death
Of its master.
How many OF us leSi liidt phi 81 ~
men are the creators and preservers
of our civilization; that they are the
sources of the glory and power OF so
ciety? France thought Napolean was
her glory and the majesty of the emperor
shook the civilized world But this Is
all a mistake The world grows great
often with the help of great men, but as
often in spite Of them.
But If the glory and majesty which
make a people great does not reside
in its great men, whence are we to
look for its seat and centre? Isiah came
to find this in Jehovah
Isiah's Vision Of God.
He went one day into the temple and
saw there the king indeed. As he look
ed toward the Sheknah where Uzziah
had presumed to stand and was smitten
with leprosy. he saw with an eye more
penetrating than a physical organ. The
invisible things Of God were clearly seen.
even his eternal power and godhead. He
saw the Lord on a throne high and
lifted up and his royal skirts filed the
temple. Above him Seraphim chapted
his holiness in cadences that shook the
very foundation. And the note OF his
glory filing the earth made the whole
court to be filled with the smoke OF In