The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-08-10

] NN''i NNhi'H VI JtTNhal'lu -. - Jbo.
Jehoiakim relgned II years. B c. COS
597
Jeremiahs book was written B c. 6N
The Fast day ninth month OF B C. 60a
Jehoiakim burns the book soon after the
fast
PLACE.-Jerusalem. The Temple courts
and the kings palace
Nebuchadnez2ar besieging Jerusalem.
| LIST year
Daniel carried away captive.
Jeremiah under dsfavOr
Jehoidklm 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 rul.
ers had been deaf TO his warnings.
AS a last resort, in the fourth year
OF Jehoakim, the Lord commanded
the prophet TO write down the sub
stance Of his exhOrtations. and thus
to focus them in one mighty blow
upon the consciences Of king and peo-
pie. Moreover. for some reason Jere-
miah was shut up restrained" from
public utterance, being probably for
bidden by the authorities 70 preach:
so 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. scribe The
book was not like ours, but was
roll OF parchment, consisting OF see
eral skins sewed together, the edges
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
was arranged In columns. each like
the page of a book II must have
taken Baruch some months 10 have
written down such prophecies as
Jeremiah wished TO have read. and
which constituted a considerable part
of the present book OF Jeremiah.
Jeremiah sent Baruch to the tenn
pie TO read the book TO the assem-
bled crowds II was a wintry day.
Barnch went up into the chamber OF
a friendly noble, over a 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 occa-
sions, he recited the long alienation
OF lament and invective TO the vast
congregation. Reading In this way
was almost the only way by which
the people could become acquainted
with the word Of Cod Few could
read. And copies of the law cost
small fortune
The king sent Jehudi. one OF his
officers, to fetch the roll so that Je-
hoiakim might learn its contents at
first hand and not from hearsay. The
king sat in the winter house
1t seems probable that after Jehudi
had read three or four columes, the
king snatched the roll from his hands
and. taking the knife used for sharp
ening the sCribe's pens, cut up the
roll himself, and cast II into the fire.
Some think that only the first portion
was read. when all the roll was con-
sumed in the fire But Professor Ben
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 It on the fire, and handed the
remainder back to Jehudi, repeating
the process
The king commanded the arrest OF
Baruch the scribe and jeremiah But
the Lord hid them. by means of some
unknown providence and guidance;
DR., as usual, by the use Of means In
spired by God. Shutting the eyes
ioes not ward off the lightnlng's
stroke. Fools, that think that by
the neck of the Growing
'ock they can preven. the coming of
he morning.
When the word of the Lord came
he book was destroyed, but its con,
ents and its truths lived Take
hee another roll. and write In
t. Jeremiah knew what he had said
'efore, and God gave him further
evelations. Professor Brown thinks
hat Baruch's second roll contained
he first seventeen chapters of our
eremiah. Thou shalt say to Jehola-
i'm that the prophecies should cer4
ainly come true"
Because while they heard the warn
lgs, they hearkened not This i'm
lies that they might have been saved
rom the threatened evil. II they had
epented as In the case of Nlneyeh
nder Jonahs preaching. Otherwise
iere would have been no use in warn
IL them. The warnings were for tho
Attempts to destroy the Bible have
cen made, When men are forbidden
read 1t, and everything is done to.
revent its circulation. The fruntis-
iece of Wycllffe's Bible represents
lie fire of true Christianity against
hich its enemies. Satan and infidel,
y, are blowing with all their might,
wing to put II out but the more
ley put themselves out of breath.
lie more brightly the fire burns.
lngersolrs prophecy, twenty.six
ears ago, was that In ten years thu
ible will not be read" The fact IL
lat vastly more Bibles are issued
'ery year than when that prophecy
as uttered, and in more Languages
ore than $4,000 900 Bibles are issued
'ery year in more than 470 different
nguages and in hundreds of styles
prices from 25 cents to $50. More
'pies of the Bible are sold annually