Times-promoter., 1908-01-31

plated the great piles Of yellow and
white metal.
/ Yea" replied the aged man Of
God, thoughtfully watching the face
of the young king. "it was the one pas
sion of his life that he might gather
the treasure which should be reared
into dwelling place for his God"
HE hath surely made my task an
easy one,' responded Solomon. medi-
tatively.
.1Then thou dost accept the COM
mission" questioned the prophet, al
most eagerly
YEA, thou knowest that from the
first day that God gave me to sit upon
the throne of David my father, this
thought has been ever before me-"
but it is already the fourth year
of thy reign
sTrue, but what place had the
building of a temple to the God of Is
rael until the certainty of the king
dom was established in my hands?
These have not been idle years"
May hastily rejoined Nathan, II
meant not to chide thee with neglect.
for know how faithful thou hast
been in the discharge of all that God
would have thee do, but my old heart
longs with an intense longing to see
the house of God reared even as
David. thy father, planned it should
be-"
Then am glad that came this
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-
ceiyed 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
"'Tis 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"
sThou art swift indeed, when thou
hast once begun the work.
"Yea, the project absorbs my yeyery am
bition, What 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 1t
shall be an house of gold which shall
be reared to my Lore"
Tn this, then, it will be no different
from the gorgeous temples which are
| reared to the gods whose images of
gold and 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 a 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 whithersoeyer 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