The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-20

little IdilH. 81 IG-I
the young mans eyes might be open
ed to see the e~nyironinS angels OF
God. Faith is q matter OF eyes; OF
ability to see and rate at their true
value the spiritual yerities. IL we
could see the forces in all the Woriu
that are active in our behalf, we
should never witness that paradox, a
discouraged servant of o
The other prophet who experienced
strong evidence of ~Jehovah's power
was Jonah. whose dramatic story Is
one of the gems of literature. He
shirked a hard job because he had
little faith. Sent to Ninevah, ne tried
to run away, forgetting what the
PSalmist had said about the futility
of rying to escape from h presence
of Jehovah. God has many messen-
gers, to see that His will be done, and
While he showed Elisha the angelic
hosts, he accomplished His urpos
in the case of the runaway prophet
by means Of a great fish. The enc
was that Jonah went to Ninevah, that
great and wicked city, and learned
thai God can do what He wills to DO.
The effect of nah message was
miraculous; but SO is the enect OF
the preaching of the gospel in all
times. The experience of Nineveh is
duplicated, on an individual scale.
every day in the year.
Prosperity and Peril.
The boy king. Joash, as he will al
ways be called, despite his later reign,
had a good son, Amaziah, who
wrought wonders in extending the
borders Of the Kingdom of judah.
He went clear down into the land OF
Edom, and conquered the wonderful
rock city o f.Sela, or Petra. The next
time you have an opportunity to read
NJ q ~fioln ~ hnor n 1nrf1ro on DnES-
FERROUS Petra, do so, and remember
that Judah once ruled his strong
hold. Even better han Amaziah, at
least for the greater part Of his reign.
was his son, Uzziah, who prepared his
people for war, and promoted the
arts Of peace. His spirit Of the pub
lie welfare was sound; but his success
made him vain. He got to thinking
too highly Of Uzziah. Like plenty of
"successful' men today, he thought
himself big enough to regard Re-
ligion and God patronizingly. He SO
far forgot himself as to attempt to
enter the Holy Place in the Temple.
1t is stirring to consider that spectacle,
when the brave priest 50 fearlessly
rebuked the king, and pronounced the
sentence of leprosy upon him.
After all, a prophet is bigger than
a king. There is no position on
earth higher than being the messen-
ger of the Most High. SO we turn
to a new character who enters the
quarters tudie at the seventh and
eighth lessons. Isaiah, the greatest
Of the Old Testament prophets. He
illustrates the truth that the man
with a divine word is king over all
kings; a curious poem by Rudyard
Kipling. THE Last Rhyme Of True
Thomas carries the same message
Isaiah felt himself unworthy for his
great mission; What truly great man
ever did feel himself equal to his
greatest task. A self-suft1clent
preacher from abroad went to New
York a few years age, but he has
lately retired, confessing his failure
Though blaming it upon others) n
Boosting to the end. It is the man
who feels that his lips are u%nclean,
and needing the purifying fire Of a
coal from off Gods altar, who shakes
a nation to its center. So equipped
Isaiah was able to recall his nation
to it's peril, and to utter such ma
jestic strains Of truth as a never
before come from mortal lips. The
whole world today studies Isaiah be-
cause he realty saw, and realty
uttered the greatest truths.
An Early Peace Prophet.
The press of five continents IS
ringing with articles upon the sub
ject of international peace. That
means that they are now, after more
than two thousand years, coming up
to the level Of a humble Hebrew
prophet who tuned his Tyre to these
majestic strains amid the pleasant
hills and fields of Palestine. His
u~tterances have undoubtedly had a
part in the changed mind of the world
which the days press echoes. There
is an eternal contemporaneousness of
truth, and it is refreshing to see the
modern prophets coming up to the
level Of those Of the Old Testament.
The truth is that this old Bible is
the most up-to-date book in all the
realm of morals and ethics and
philosophy. h Sunday School mem
bers are real progressive in study
ing it. The tribute which the Lon
don Times paid to it on the occasion