The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-05-30
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON By
REV. DAVID ]. BURRElL, D. D.
Subjects: A King in the Plllory.

Avn" Aokh SASJs S 49,
Tory" was the subject Of a strong SER
mon preached by the Rev. David James
Burrell, D. D., LII. D., Sunday in the
Marble Collegiate Church. Fifth ave-
nue.. The text was from l Kings xii:2:
"And it came to pass when Jeroboam.
the son of Nebat, heard of it (for he
was in Egypt, that they sent and
called him." DR.. Burrell said:
In reading the chronicleso of the Kings
Of Israel we come upon the name of
Jeroboam, and it is almost always men,
toned in these terms, ~"Jeroboam, the
son of Nebat, who made Israel to SIM"
This is repeated no less than eighteen
times with weary reiteration. Jero-
boam has stood in the pillory three
thousand years, with that placard over
him. Why is he thus branded and dis
honored?
At the time of our context he was
living in Egypt. He did not belong
there. He was a Jew; a widows son,
distinguished as a civil engineer. He
had begun at the foot of the ladder,
lending a hand with pick and shovel
in the repairing of the Notifications
of Milo. fhe eyes Of King Solomon
fell upon the tall, broad-shouldered
youth and, admiring his industry and
cleverness, he promoted him step by
step until he was made superintendent
Of public works, and placed In charge
of thirty thousand men. His ambition
grew with his advancement; and thus,
at length, temptation overcame him.
He was like many others of whom we
~ tEThau nonnnf haor nrncnprifC " Ar
this time in Israel there was much dis
content, owing to royal luxury and ez-
travagance, and to excessive taxes and
governmental impositions. The young
engineer was approached by the NAL.
contents, and became involved in a con-
splracy. Solomon got wind Of it. the
conspiracy collapsed, and Jeroboam
fed to Egypt, where he was now living
in impatient exile.
At the death of Solomon the smolder-
ing fire burst into a fame. His son
Rehoboam refused to listen to the
complaints Of the people. saying: MY
father chastised you with whips, but
I will chastise you with scorpions"
The ten tribes assembled and resolved
on secession. The cry was raised: ITO
your tents, o Israel" And we should
be the last to find fault with them,
since the state Of affairs was much
what it was when our forefathers came
together in Independence Hall. and
drew up a notable protest beginning,
when in the course of human events
it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another" etc.
When the question arose as to who
should be the leader Of the ten tribes
all eyes turned to Egypt; and Jeroboam
was sent for.
He had longed for that message, and
FASTENED to answer it. He was prob
ably not more than a fortnight on the
way. The Israelites had consumed
forty years in the same journey. when
they came up "out Of the house of
their bondage;" but Jeroboam's feet
were winged with ambition as theirs
were not. What dreams and visions
stimulated him! The crown beckoned
him!
He met the assembled people at
Schechem and was formally inaugu-
rated. "God save the King" The
hopes of the ambitious youth were real
lied at last. What an opportunity was
now before him! What an outlook. if
only he would reign in the fear Of God.
But, alas, he began in the wrong
way. Thinking only Of personal ad-
vancement, he left God out Of the
reckoning. That was a desperate blum
der. His reign Of two and twenty
years is briefly summed up in three
sins; all of them due to what Spenser
calls ''the sacred hunger Of an ambi-
tious minde."
His first sin was against God, in
setting up the golden calves. From the
standpoint of a goddess king this was
good policy. He reasoned thus: "The
law requires that the people shall so
to Jerusalem to attend the three annual
festivals. If they do this, however, 1t
is only a question of time when they
return to their former allegiance. We
must, therefore, have III own centres
of worship; and where better than at
Dan in the north and Bethel in the
! south, both consecrated by sacred asso-
Citations. AS we cannot have the ark OF
the covenant, we must devise some
other visible symbols Of the presence
Of God. And what better than two
golden calves, with faces like those
of the mystical figures over the ark?"
The shrines were dedicated accord
ingly and the royal proclamation went
forth, "These be your gods, o. Israeli"
From the standpoint Of mere state
craft this may have been "good pol
ICY" but it was bad religion. Any
form of idolatry is offensive to God.
It is not necessary to set up q golden
calf. We may make an idol out of
wealth or pleasure or honor. We may
frame an idol out Of u imagination.
All gods are false, except the One who
has revealed Himself in His word as
the true God. And anything is an idol
which is served or honored more than
we serve or honor Him.
The second sin of Jeroboam was
against himself. He was warned
twice, but refused to heed it. On one
occasion, rs he stood beside the altar
presuming to burn incense there, an
unknown and unnamed prophet stood
beside him crying, 20 altar, altar! thus
saith the Lord: A child shall be born
who shall destroy the priests Of the
high places and burn mems bones upon
thee!p' And when Jeroboam stretched
forth his hand and cried, LAY hold
upon him" his hand was palsied. so
that he must needs entreat the Lord
to restore it.
On another occasion his son. the heir,
apparent, being desperately ill, the
king, knowing the futility Of praying
to the golden calves, sent his wife III
disguise to the prophet at Shiloh. AS
she approached the prophets door he
cried, "Come in, thou wife Of Jero-