The Holt County sentinel., 1911-08-11


PLACE.-Jerussiem The Temple courts
and the kings palace.
Nebuchadnezzar bcsiesins Jerusalem.
NJ year.
Daniel carried away captive.
jeremiah under disfavor.
Jshoiakim an unwise king.
For twenty years jeremiah had
been trying. by oral teachings. to per
suade the nation to repent and turn
to God. but the people and their rui.
srs had been deaf to his warnings.
As O last resort, In the fourth year
Of Jehoiakim. the Lord commanded
stance Of his exhortations. and thus
to focus them In one mighty blow
upon the consciences Of king and PEG
pie. Moreover. for some reason Jere-
miah was shut up. restrained" from
public utterance. being probably for.
hidden by the authorities TO preach;
90 that for the time the written word
was the only way by which jeremiah
could reach the ears Of the people.
The chosen amanuensis was Bar.
uch. the son Of Neriah. q scribe. The
book VAS not like ours. but WAS a
roll Of parchment. consisting Of sew.
eral skins sewed together. the edgcs
cut even. and the whole rolled on
wooden rods fastened at each end so
that the parchment could be rolled
from one to the other. The writing
vas arranged In columns. each like
tho page Of q book. II must have
taken Baruch some months to have
written down such prophecies A.
Jeremiah wished to have read. and
which constituted a considerable part
OF the present book Of jeremiah.
Jeremiah sent Baruch to the TEN.
pie 10 read the book to the Assem-.
bied crowds. Il was . wintry day.
Baruch went up into the chamber Of
q friendly noble. over . new gateway
opening both ways into the inner and
outer courts. There. from the win
dow or balcony Of the chamber. or
from the platform or pillar on which
the kings had stood on solemn coca.
sions. he rscitsd the long alienation
Of lament and invective to the vast
congregation. Reading In this way
Wa almost the only way BY which
the people could become acquainted
with the word Of God. Few could
read. And copies Of the Law cost .
small fortune.
The king sent Jshudi. one OF bis
oihcsrs. to fetch the roll 90 that Je.
hoiskim might learn its contents a
Arst hand and not from hearsay. The
king sat In the winter house.
II seems probable that after Jehudi
had read three or four coiumes. the
king snatchsd the roll fror' his hands
and. taking the knife used for sharp.
sning tho scribe's pens. cut up the
roll himself. and cast II into the IRE.
Some think that only the FIRST portion
was read. when all the roll was con
sumed In the hre. Hut Professor Hen.
nett says that the Hebrew implies
that at the end Of every three or four
columns the king put out his hand for
the roll. cut away the portion read,
threw II on the FIRE. and handed the
remainder back to Jehudi. repeating
the process.
The king commanded the arrest OF
the Lord hid them. by means Of some
unknown providence and guidance:
or. a. usual. by the use OF means In.
spired by God. Shutting the eyes
does not ward OF the lightning's
stroke. Fools. that think that by
wringtng the neck Of the Growing
cock they can proven: the coming Of
the morning.
When the word OF the Lord came
the book was destroyed. but it, con.
tents and Its truths lived. Take
thss . another roll, and write IN
IT," jeremiah knew what he had said
before. and God gave him further
revelations. Professor Brown thinks
that Baruchs second roll contained
the hrst seventeen chapters Of our
jeremiah. Thou shalt say to Jehoia.
kim that the prophecies should Ger.
tsinly come true"
Attempts to destroy the Bible have
been made. When men are forbidden
to read II. and everything 10 done to
prevent its circulation. The fronts
piece OF Wyclifie's Bible represents
the hre Of true Christianity against
which its enemies, Satan and inhdel
ity. are blowing with all their might
trying to put It out: but the more
they put themselves out Of breath.
tho more brightly the hre burns,
Ingersolrs prophecy. twenty.six
years ago. WAS that In ten years the
Bible will not be read" The fact IL
that vastly more Bibles are issued
every year than when that prophecy
was uttered. and In more languages.
Those destroy tbs Bible for some
people. who for any reason S:vs the
impression that II 10 not true. dimin.
ish its authority. and oil the minds Of
the young with doubts. And yet ev-
cry attack has made II read more.
and caused It to shine IN puPsr light.
Those who disobsy and neglect the
Bible. refuse to let n be Q lamp unto