The Tupelo journal., 1908-06-12

when a boy, and nov as word came
that the prophet was dying there
swept over him a sense of loss to the
nation which almost made him trem-
bic. Thus moved. he had gone.
What a scene and experience that
had been. With the memory of the
death of his W father fresh in his
mind he had gone to the death cham
Der of the prophet expecting to find
again that gloom, that despair, that
hopelessness which he had somehow,
come to think was always part of the
death scene, but instead he had found
cheer instead of gloom, expectancy
and hopefulness instead of despair and
hopelessness. Physical weakness there
was, and it was plain to see that the
sands of life were running out fast,
but there was a moral strength there
which told only too plainly that that
fieeting life was conscious of being
linked with the eternal and that
though earth was passing the things
which the life had stood for would go
on after he had passed away.
King Joash had run over in his mind
the comforting things he would try
to say, but as he had entered the
room where the old prophet lay and
had felt those quiet, earnest, search
ing eyes fixed upon his face, he had
forgotten everything except that here
was a man who rose above physical
weakness, and in that instant there
came to his mind a faint realization
that it was the character behind a
man after all, and not physical
strength or worldly position, which
counted.
Intuitively he felt that the true
man stood revealed in the presence
death, and in that first moment
in the prophets chamber there swept
over him the contrast between his own
father, fearful and helpless, and in ter
ror of death, n this man of God
who, just on the borderland of eter-
nifty, gave no sign thai he feared for
himself, but rather hat he was not
only master of himself but of others.
There was that quiet serenity and con
fidence which betokened a mysterious
source of power, and instead of the
king commiserating with a dying sub
ject and speaking words of comfort,
he rather felt like a child in the pres
ence of its teacher receiving instruc-
ton.
To relieve the ~tenseness of that mo-
ment, he burst out with the cry:
20, my father, my father, the char
lot of Israel and the horsemen
thereof"
And throwing himself by the side
of the couch he gave way to weeping.
He wept, but not for the prophet,
as he had expected, but for himself.
There came to his heart a sense Of
personal weakness and need which he
had never felt before, but which the
morally weak, stripped of superficial
self-confdence, always feel in the
presence of goodness and moral
strength. He remembered afterwards
thinking that if the coming into the
presence of the prophet of God could
affect him so, what would it be to
come into the very presence of God?
But that it was not time for idle
tears was evident, for in commanding
voice the prophet babe him rise, and,
pointing to the corner of the chamber,
said, sternly:
Take the bow and arrows"
Submissive as a child obeying its
parent, the king reached forth and
tooL tho how ond orrouc in hic honda
and turned and looked at the prophet
with wondering eyes.
Put thine hand upon the bow"
He did so, and the prophet raising
himself upon his elbow, laid his griz-
zled old hand upon that of the young
er man, and then with a sudden earn
est intensity he exclaimed:
open the window eastward and
shoot"
In a mechanical sort of way the
king shot, little sensing the signih-
canoe of the act until the prophet
cried, eagerly:
THE arrow of the Lords deliver
ance, and the arrow of deliverance
from Syria; for thou shalt smite the
OylldHo III AphCh Ia INV haoI SOu-
sumed them"
The prophet eyed him with a
searching look and seemed disappoint-
ed that the king did not manifest an
enthusiastic spirit, for almost impa-
tiently he exclaimed:
Take the arrows and smite upon
the ground"
Never did King Joash forget the
words of reproach and grief which the
prophet spoke when he had smitten
three times and stayed, and years
after when the third victory over the
king of Syria had been won he real
lied the significance of the prophets
words: Thou shouldest have smit-
ten five or six times; then hadst thou
smitten Syria till thou hadst con
sumed it; whereas now thou shalt
smite Syria but thrice"
High License in San Francisco.
49,