The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-07-31

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heads 81 the tribes. and the chief ST
the fathers OF tine children Of Israel,
.cf their bringing Tao tabernacle ami
the ARK ana al the nod. vessels that
were ia the tabernacle, into the tenn
pIe-iuto the oracle at the house. go
the most holy place. ever under tbs
wings Of the eHegubIms. and, that
Wacu the priests. Huo had borne the
ark 20 lis place. had come out 81
that holy place. Il cloud filled the house
IF the Lord, ! ann daupIy assured cot
The fact that the preparations II IT.
thousand years. I'll had refeTene" -
ana focused in that grand event.
What Kingdom SO great 80 Israel,
What King 80 h0uored rs solomon :
What wisdom and greatness aIs ms
And hOW near to God seems tne
throne ON which he sits. Tie talinosI
round III the ladder has been reached.
The eyes of the world are fixed upon
the son Of David, and monarchs We
with each other ia envy OF that great
ness and wisdom unto which they care
not hope TO attain. The sum OF ~Israeas
glory Is al It's meridian.
DID Solomon build that kingdom ?
Did he, with all Of his Wisdom a 10
its strength ana glory Did h leave
the kingdom as strong and As prosper
Gus as he found it,
How sad to think that one whom
God had houored, as no other had eE~
CT been. should have wrecked tae
greatness which il had taken d thou
sand years 70 build up
Proudly rode the ship Of state when
Solomon began his royal voyage upon
the crest of silvery waves in the glow
of a noon days sun, when no threat
ening loud specked the horizon.
Let US pause for a IN and look
upon the scene. There stands the roy
al pilot at the helm of a ship which
lpp PRESENTS in haafJtE and ma i.Gti 49,
proportions. the grandneSs of the pres
cnt as compared with the little things
Of the past. Surely, with such a ship
on such a sea there can be no danger.
The ship is moving. How g%randiT
she rides the seal How joyous the
crew! They are all Of one faith and
above them Iloats the flag of Israel,
which beIrS the name Of the tWelE-
tribes. On board are the sacred relies
Of the long ago, and a history that
runs back to the time when Abram left
the land of III and began q pilgrimage
typical of the Christians journey, Is
by faith, he walks through a bowling
wilderness to Il city u Of sight, whose
maker and builder is God.
What do we see? h means that
jargon of voices? Who are those
strange women? The ship is losing its
bearings. O, horrors, it is in the
Whirlpool it is breaking in pieces on
the rocks!
The great ship which it took a
thousand years to complete, is wreck
cd!
A wall is heard, it comes from amid
the wreck. It is the voice of solomon
so lately put in charge of that grand
old ship and who amid 50 much Of
pomp and glory began u Noyag that
might have added greater glory to his
name had he faithfully obeyed sailing
orders and kept the promises he made.
III = - ,-I 80 - 90. IA- 1rr,i
and mangled amid the W~reckagc? Lis
teni VANITY of Vanities, all is vanity.
* x . | gay my heart to know Wis
dom, and to know madness and folly.
= = | said in mine heart, so to,
now, will prove thee with mirth.
therefore, enjoy pleasure i
sought in mine heart to give myself
unto wine : [ made me pools OF
water, = = | got me servants and
maidens! 8 l gathered me silver
and gold! [ got me men singers and
women singers and musical instru-
mentS OF all sorts.
q was great and increased in riches,
and whatsoever mine Eyes desired I
kept not from them I~.Withheld not my
heart from any joy" y i *"HoW
dieth the wise man as a fool!' VANITY,
Vanity! Nanity!'
Turning himself about and viewing
the wreck he had made We hear him
saying, as if uttering the last wall,
and a warning to generations to come:
Fear God and keep his command
ments, for this is the whole duty of
man
In a day, as it we're. the work Of a
thousand years had been wrecked
lost the result of a vanity that never
fails to ruin, whether in church or II
state. | don't wonder that he wrote
the prOverb: pride goeth before de-
struction and a naughty spirit before
a fall" No wonder he cautioned men
against strange women! Poor fellow,
He evidently thought of some things
when it was too late. In the language
of a very homeIy adage: IF his fore
sight had been as good as his hind
sight, he would no doubt have steered
clear of about 500 wives and of the
whole Concubine menagerie, drank less
wine eat less, fTolicked less and paid
more prayerful attention to the duties
of the great trust committed to his
care. .:~u .ot.
No, in the true sense of the word.
solomon did not build the temple. He
was there when it was built, but she
labors. ana fh~ardships and sacrifices Of
those Nflfd had ~beeArdead hundreds of
years helped to do that for which the
world has given SOl6fff6n the credit.
But this he did do: He wrecked the
kingdom and divided Jacob, thereby
entailing upon the family OF Abraham
eternal shame.
If so great and good and wise a
mar as solomon made a wreck of his
greatness. goodness and wisdom. Paul
did not caution the Romans in VAN
when he said: "AbhOr that which is
evil. choose that which is good" Nor
did he miss the mark in saying to the
Galatians: "If a man thinketh himself
TO be something when he is nothing he
deceiVcth HIMSELF
= =
1t is not often that one has a better
day than | spent in Northampton
county. at Pleasant Grove Methodist
church. of which Rev. 7. J. Sutton is
the popular pastor. Tuesday night L
spent at the hospitable home of Bro.
j. J. Stephenson, mean G~arysburg. He
has a delightful country home. a good
wife and seven children, of which any
MAJ might feel proud.
Wednesday l went TO the church,
where l met four or FIVE hundred peo-
pie. before whom it was my good
pleasure to deliver am address.
Then followed = great dinner tina
was enjoyed by all, after which came