Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-05-10

OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
The Gospel of Right Living is One
That Appeals to ALI Reasonable
People With Much Force.

R
New York City.-ssA King in the Pill
aory" was the subject of a strong SER
mon preached by the Rev. David James
Burrell, D. D., Ii. D., Sunday in the
Marble Collegiate Church, Fifth ave-
nue.. The text was from 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 chronicles 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 i'll the piilory 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 i'll Egypt. He did not belong
there. He was a Jew: widows son.
distinguished as 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 The 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
CT 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
| say, "They cannot bear prosperity" At
| this time III Israel there was much dis
content. owing to royal luxury and ex-
trava gallce and to excessive taxes and
governmental impositions. The young
| engineer was approached by the NAL
| contents, and beca me involved in a con-
| spirucy, Solomon got wind OF it. the
| conspiracy collapsed, aud Jeroboam
| fed to Egypt where he was now living
in impatient exile.
| At the death Of Solomon the smolder.
Ing fire burst into fame. His son
Rehoboam refused to listen to the
complaints Of the people, saying: my
father chastised you with whips, but
l will chastise you with scorpions. .
The ten tribes assembled and resolved
OH secession The cry was raised: "TO
your tents. q Israel" And we should
be the last to find fault with them
since the state Of affairs was much
what ii WAS when our forefathers came
together in Independence Hall, and
drew up 4 notable protest beginning
"Whan in the course of human events
it becomes necessary for one people fe
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 Jeroboan
was sent Tor.
He had longed for that message, AMI
Fastened to answer it. He was prob
ably not more than fortnight on tn
way. The Israelites had consumes
forty years i'll the same journey, whel
they came up "out of the. house o
their bondage;' but Jeroboam's fee
were winged with ambition as their
were not. What dreams and vision
stimulated him! The crown beckone
him!
He met the assembled people a
| Schechem and was formally inaugt
ratAd. ''God save the King"' Th
hopes of the ambitious youth were rea
lied at last. What an opportunity wa
now before him! What an outlook.
only he would reign in the fear of Coz
i, but, alaS, he uesdH III Tie WloH
!. way. Thinking only of personal al
I yancement, he left God out of tt
reckoning That was desperate blu
( der. His reign of two and twent
years is briefly summed up in thre
sins: all Of them due to what Spens'
y calls 1.-The sacred hunger of an amb
tious minde.'
: His first sin was against God,
setting up the golden calves. From Il
standpoint of a goddess king this W.
good policy He reasoned thus: "Tl
law requires that the people shall {
to Jerusalem to attend the three annu
festivals. If they do this, however.