Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1908-02-06

morning to speak with thee concern
ing the beginning of the work" Solo
mon responded, heartily.
And | see by thy face that thou
hast some good news in connection
Herewith"
THAT | have. thou good Nathan.
and thou shalt speedily know that the
thing which my father David so
earnestly desired is to come to pass.
See!' he exclaimed, thrusting into his
hands the message which he had re
ceived that morning from Hiram,
king of Tyre. See, the timbers OF
cedar and the timbers of fir are even
now being hewn and prepared for
their place in the temple"
Ills well. | knew that Hiram's
heart was toward thee in this thing
And even now the workers in
stone are cutting out the blocks which
shall be used in the building
Thou art swift indeed, when thou
hast once begun the work"
Yea, the project absorbs my every am
bition What a great privilege that
to me should have come the task of
building a dwelling place for the great
God of Israel. My heart does magni-
fly him this morning. No treasure is
too great to be used in his house, and
so | rejoice as | see these heaps upon
heaps of gold and silver. Verify it
shall be an house of gold which shall
| be reared to my Lord"
I'm this, then, it will be no different
from the gorgeous temples which are
reared to the gods whose images of
gold 7and silver and precious stones
are the works of mems hands"
Thou hast but spoken of the thing
which is upon my heart and about
which | have come to talk with thee.
The mere wealth of cedar timbers and
gold and silver and precious stones
cannot provide suitable dwelling
place for the great God of Israel.
There is none like unto him among all
the gods of the nations round about,
and the house which should be built
unto his name and for his dwelling
place should be different from those
reared to the names of these other
gods"
True" responded the old prophet,
fervidly, entering whole-heartedly into
the spirit which evidently possessed
the young king.
But in what respect can we mark
the dwelling place of our God with
the reverence and devotion which is
| due his great and exalted name? For
the power and majesty of the name of
our God has gone out into all the
earth, so that whithersoever any of
| our people go they are known as the
chosen people of the one and mighty
God"
True" again fervidly responded Ma
than, and then added in appreciative
tone, as he laid his hand upon the
young mans shoulder: And thou,
my son, by thy loyalty to the God of
David thy father, and thy care to
walk in all his statutes, hast exalted
the name of the Lord whithersoever
the fame of thy kingdom hast gone"
4 glad light sprang into the face of
the young king. These words of the
prophet sounded sweet in his ears
and without any thought of personal
pride he responded;
Yea, the Lord hath been much to
me, and his blessing hath surely rest
ed upon me and my people. And for
this reason would | rear his temple
so that it shall be known through all
the earth as the temple of the only
and true God the God of Abraham,
and of Isaac, and of Israel
And shall not this be brought to
pass by the spirit of devotion which
thou dost bring to the work? For
thou must know that the work which
we do becomes marked and glorified
by the spirit with which it is per-
formed"
Thou hast uttered just the thought
that is in my heart and what could
show more clearly the reverence due
our holy God than that his temple
should be reared in silent dignity and
grandeur"
Il do not catch your meaning,
think"
TT is just this. Each stone and
each timber and all the fittings there
to snail be so Shapen ana htted that
there shall not be sound of hammer
or saw or other tool heard upon the
temple site. To that lofty rock over
looking the beautiful valley shall be
brought all the materials fitted and
prepared to grow into building
where our God shall be pleased 10
dwell in the midst of his people. No
building before has been reared in
this way, and the people shall know
that the temple of the God of Israel
is indeed holy"
1T will be marvellous calculated
Nathan, earnestly.
Yea. but possible, for the Spirit of
God shall move in the work to the
enlightenment of his servant in plan
ming the work and in his workmen
who shall prepare all the parts to fit
one within the other