Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-03-15

SNc't Hdu W SuutT. i've OWNSk OF a D.
botsford had to shoulder 5000, 900 debt.
The son.in-law of Francois Grevy prov.
cd to be n scoundrel Innocent Fran
co.'s Grevy had to resign the pres-
Dental chair of France because his
son-in-law, Wilson. was convicted Of
selling the decorations and the offices
OF the government for cash. The April
shower falls upon the just and the TN
tust. upon the wheat and the tares
alike. The evil deeds Of husband
curse not only himself. but his wife
and his children also. when tho way
ward Hebrew prince was hung. David,
the broken hearted father, went to his
chamber over the gate and wept, and
as lie went thus he SAID. % my son
Absaloin. my son. my son. my son Alb.
salon. Would God had died for
thee, o Absalom. my son, my SON."
The prodigal in his rags and in dis.
grace in the far country tending the
herd OF swine. sharing with them their
fodder and chewing the husks thrown
to the four footed. unclean. filthy
beasts, Is not more pathetic than the
mourning parent waiting and watch.
ing for his youngest boy to come back
home. Yes. yes; sin brings the famines
which afflict the good and the bad, the
innocent and the guilty alike. The evil
deeds Of an Ahab and a Jezebel caused
the poor widow of Zarephath and her
only son to starve
Cannot YOU find any direct connec.
tion between the sins OF Ahab's palace
and the hunger gnawing at this poor
widows vitsls? We ascend the beauti.
full hills Of Samaria. We find there
heather temple. We f1nd there the
kings palace, a place Of RIGHTEOUSNESS
and immoral filth and drunken carous.
ais. Then we hear the prophet say:
"Ahab and Jezebel, on account OF your
sins | will send drought upon the
land. For three long years not a drop
Of rain shall fail" AHA" laughed the
sinful monarch. II am not afraid!
Such beautiful country and such rich
farm land as ours will never be turned
into desert. Threatening prophet
defy thee" But day after day the hot
week, month after month. no rain or
dew. Two long years of drought had
passed over the land. The vineyards
We're gone. The harvests were gone.
The orchards were gone. God was starv.
ing Ahab and JeZebel But while he was
widow and her only aon We're also SUI
fering in the Zarsphath hut. The sins
of the fathers are visited upon the chill.
dren even unto the third and the fourth
generations. The good and the innocent
suffer for the evil deeds OF the corrupt
and the befouled. o man. be not an
Ahab. o woman. do not become a
Jezebe! Avoid the sin which will
bring a curse and blight on the hearts
Of the innocent ones by your side as
well as on your own lives.
Lesson Of the Famine.
This eastern famine teaches us an.
other lesson. God always honors the
men and the women who honor his
messengers. He honored this poor
starving widow Of Zarephath. Why?
She was ready to care for and house
his ambassador, Elijah the Tishbite.
He honored Rahab the harot She Sc.
creted the spies that Joshua sent to
Jericho. He honored Abraham. Abra
ham welcomed to his table the three
angels who came to his tent on the
plains Of Mamre. He bonored Naa-
man. Naaman was ready to obey the
commands Of Elisha. He honored Da-
vid. David wept before Nathan. He
hOnorcd Hezekiah. Hezekiah honored
Isaiah. All through the Bible you can
find this mighty and far reaching law
enuncated and illustrated whereby
God blesses those who honor his repre-
sentatives and denounces those who
despise or turn their backs upon his
ambassadors.
The teachings Of the Old and New
Testament in this respect are one. In
the Psalms we read. Touch not mine
anointed and do my prophets no harm"
Then. as an Endorsement, we find the
following in Matthew in reference to
Christ's missionaries. spoken by Jesus
himself: "And whatsoever shall not re.
ceive you, nor hear your words. when
We depart out Of that house you shall
shake of the dust Of your feet Neri.
ly. say unto you. 1t shall be more ter.
rible for the land Of Sodom and Co
morrah in the day of judgment than
for that city" But though God bids US
honor his representatives, as the Fare.
phath woman honored and cared for
Elijah. yet today there seems to he
tendency abroad to criticise and de-
nounce Gods ministers and 10 patron
lzingly rdicule them a great deal
more than you would any other class
of men. The result is that scores and
hundreds Of young men who ought to
be preaching in the pulpit have been
turned aside because of the way some
congregations treat their ministers.
What They Wanted.
In the first place, many churches are
simply starving their preachers to
death while they themselves demand
all the excellencies Of earth and heay-
en- in their pastors. Rev. DR.. Haven
some time ago told about letter which
Virginia parish sent to Professor
Rice, requesting minister. THE peo-
pie" this letter declared, "want a
man of first class endowments." They
wanted literary preacher. for some
Of the young people were literary.
They wanted q minister who would
visit a good deal. for their former pas
tor had poOlnrtod m do r,,rph 81