The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-01-17

o Solomon made affinity with
n Pharaoh, king Of Egypt, and took
I Phsroah's daughter and brought
Y her into the city of David" Here
@ waa the first step In a course
4 which was TO work the ruin Of
solomon's life.
7 BE ye not unequslly yoked to-
2 gether with u~nbeIievers," is the
d Scripturai admonition. Il was
one Of the laws Of the Jewish
dispensation IN which great I'm
Y pr asis was laid, and IL Is n Of
@ the admonitions Of the Chris.
= tan dispensation which is clear
I Iy and positively set forth by the
Y Apostle Paul.
. Why should this be sof Why
O cannot we have happy, success.
ful union between the Christian
= and the non-christian? This apos-
. tie answers the question when
@ ne goes on to ask: "for what
= fellowship hath Righteousness
with unrighteousness? and what
. communion hath light with dark
G ness7"
{, There is no relationship in life
so intimate and close as that of
= husband and wife, and hence II
q .nnb al,tinnebin In %a he apdur.
@ ing there must be fellowship and
communion between the lives
thus linked together.
y II is then a question as to
@ what direction such fellowship
q and communion shall take. viii
the Righteousness dominate the
y unrighteousness, the light, the
Q d~arkness7 Or will the heart Of
a the wording lead away from
! God the one who has pledged
y himself to God? Will the world +.
9 Illness stifle and quench the light
q OF Gods truth which has shined '
4 in the heart?
Y Almost Invariably the mar {
Q riage Of the Christian with the ,
@ non.Christian works disaster to '
4 tie faith Of the former.
T SoIomon's union with Phara- {
? oils daughter was a brilliant :
Q political marriage, with every !
;, reason from a human and world :
I y point of view to commend it. {
: It gave him a powerful ally to Z
, the south, assuring not only pro-
lection from attack from that !
quarter, but strengthening his {
= hands with the nations to the :
, north and east. II gave a bril-
!, liant aspect to the reign of King !
/, Solomon and was the beginning 6
T Of that splendor and magnif- &
? cence which marked his entire
) reign, And further, il brought !
. into the national life Of Israel a {
| liberal, progressive element 6
I which was broadening in its in =
} fIuence, commercially and so. 7
, ciaIly. =
| And yet In spite Of all the TEN. {:
: porary advantages which were !,
, to accrue, it was an unwise, IN |
, safe, and unhoIy alliance. =
Unwise, because counter to {,
; the explicit command Of God, Z,
} and certain it is that violation |
, of Gods command ultimately Y
brings ruin. 9
Unsafe, because II was not {,
only weakening the national
Ideals Of a people wholly set 7
apart to God, but a weakening 9
also Of the individual ideals {,
which were going to make the
second step away from God T
easier, =
Unholy, because a violation @
Of a righteous principle absolute n
iy essential to the moral and 7
spiritual upIift Of the human =
race. Not even a king could @
transgress the sacred obliga- n
tons to God and escape the /
consequences. =
"Be not unequally yoked to- o
eether with unbelievers." Is a a
command as binding upon those
who occupy the exalted places =
Of life as II Is upon those of G
more humble station. 4