The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-20
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
SOME OLD FRIEND
SHIPS RENEWED.
The International Sunday School Les
son for june p is a Quarterly he
view.
BY William T. Ellis.

70 review a former study is IKE
visiting a familiar city with the larsei
vision of the traveller whose noriZoia
has widened. The yaster reaches OF
the themes studied are perceived III
a review. and what relation eacn
bears to all. There is no subject that
so well repays repeated study as the
Bible; like SolOmOn's s~torehouse, !.
produces treasures new and Old. VI
necessity, the uniform series OF sun
dav School Lessons, which are stu
died-around the. world, cover whole
ranges Of history and moral teaching
bv a few selected incidents and pas
sages. The present years work IS a
survey of the history Of Israel and
Judah. with brief glimpses into the
roDheci which made the periods
immortal contribution to literature.
Two Children Of God.
OF the twelve lessons. the first, the
third and the fourth, give a very hu-
man glimpse Of two little children, IN
widely contrasted spheres-the He
brew slave girl in Naaman's house
hold, and the boy Joash on the throne
Of judah. The great Naaman was a
leper, but because a little girl In his
household was true to her religious
teachings, he was brought into rela-
tons with Elisha, the prophet, and
so was cured. to the glory OF
and the service of Israel. The part
of the two kings, the general and the
prophet, in the beautiful drama ap
peals less to our Imagination than
tina borne by the little Hebrew mai
den. an exile in slavery from her w
land. The truth for today in the
story is that there are religious duties
which even a child can accomplish,
and that the bearing Of witness to
God in reverent, opportune ways.
never fails to bear fruit for the king
dom of heaven.
Like every boy, but in a more tenn
poral and technical sense, Joash was
born heir to q kingdom. He was
kept out Of his rights for a time,
ven as many children today are de-
prived of their inheritance of joy and
education and opportunity Personal
ambition and greed werc factors in
human affairs of old as today; only
We are fain to believe that they are
less unbridled than formerly, and
that virtue and truth nave a better
chance. 1t was religion hat came to
the help of Joash, in the person Of
the high priest n his party, and
the kingdom got back it's rightful
ruler by a fine bit of strategy that
could we'll be copied in all reforms.
Instead Of getting up a revolt against
the uSurper the wise old SIM
ply crowned the rightful king, a pro-
cedure learned from David in the
coronation of Solomon. There is no
way so efficacious, for driving out the
bad as to exalt the good. Do not
harp on the evil which individuals
and society should not do: exalt the
good and make it beautiful. 1t is
both good politics and good pedagog,
to crown Joash."
The boy so dramatically brought to
the throne justified the hopes of his
friends. He became a good king. ana
his reign is notable for the repair of
the temple. He had been brought
up in its courts and that kind of a
boy is the one to be counted on for
the future of religion. The greaI
moral problems Of the day are to be
solved by men who had a definite
moral training in youth. The Sunday
school is doing more than teach boys
and girls about the Bible; 1t is train
ing the future friends and upholders
of religion and righteousness.
Two Sent Men.
Dramatic figures in these stormy
times of the Hebrews were Elisha and
Jonah Both were men of action.
Other prophets we shall study but
they are men Of great words, musers
upon the eternal problems OF re-
ligion. Elisha was so important a
Aoe'oi III MS udy tHdt ne was feared
and pursued by a foreign king. He
was more feared by the Syrians than
was the king Of Israel. So, as no
Syrian plot prospered while Elisha
lived, 1t was planned to capture him
at Dothan. Now that king did not
realize the seriousness of attacking
the Lords anointed. It is a business
which has always had serious con-
sequences. In our own time there is
scant respect for the sacred calling
as such; underpaid. lampooned. SLAM
dered and looked down upon by the
t~houghtless, the ministry is yet Gods
CHOSEN means of making known his
VIII to mankind. That teacher Is
doing good service who inspires in
Inc minds Of his charges a respect
Tor the gospel ministry; and tina,
minister IS In bad business who does
aught to bring his sacred calling into
diSraprta