The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-06-08

llMEs-beecntI Dhtes 1or tNe ACSeH-
sion Of lothian. Ahaz and Hezekiah are
B. c. 754. 73S and 723, Hoshea becoming
king OF Israel In B. c. 726. Hastings
gives the dates as B. c. 7i9 al. 727 and
| UIoshea) 73O
! PLACE-The temple in Jerusalem.
PROPHETS-IIosea, Micah and Isaiah
Hezekiah was the good son of a bad
father, Ahaz; and Ahaz was the bad
son of n good father, lothian; and
after the good Hezekiah came his b6d
son, Manasseh. But there must have
been reasons back Of these seeming
contradictions. In Hezekiah's case
one may have been his mother Abijah
the daughter (or granddaughter) OF
| Zechariah. Twenty-nine Zechariahs
are mentioned In the Bible. This was
not the author of the book of proph.
ecy, but may have been the prophet
wto had so much influence over King
Uzziah.
Hezekiah did that which was right
In the eyes Of the Lord. Gods ap.
proval is the only wise goal for a king,
president or the humblest citizen.
II is the fatal defect In most forms OF
government that this over.rule of God
is ignored
Hezekiah began his reign by doing
the thing that plainly needed most
to be done first He found the TEN.
Pile, the sacred meeting place of God
and man, with its doors closed by
Ahaz. Its lamps out, its affairs cold, Its
floors and hanglngs covered with dust
and dirt Therefore the young king
summoned the priests and Levites to
the court on the east on the Temple
! opposite the closed porch or entrance,
and In frank and noble address de-
clared his conviction that all the ma.
uonal woes had their origin In neg.
lect OF the worship OF Jehovah, and
his determination to make a new GOV.
enant with the Lord Then he bade
them. as their first task, TO cleanse
the Temple thoroughly.
His reform shows his character II
indicates his zeal. courage and vigor.
He was young. only twenty-five; but
he did not put 1t off till he was older.
II was In the very first month of his
reign, but he did not walt till he had
strengthened his power and won popu.
larity. We can never begin good
things too early. and when we come
into new positions II is always pru.
dence as well as bravery to show our
colors Enthusiastically from the first
Many young man, launched among
fresh associations. has been ruined be.
cause of beginning with temporizlng
timidity.
The Second Step the Worship and
Praise.-Thus far the priests and Le-
vites alone had been purified. Now
the royal house and the people were
to be formally reconciled to Jehovah
How was this done? Hezekah gath.
cred the chief men of Jerusalem, who
brought bullocks, lambs, rams, and he
goats for n sin offering, seven OF each.
The city rulers laid their hands upon
he animals, thus Identifying them.
selves with them. Then the priests
killed the animals and sprinkled their
blood before the veil in the Holy
Place and upon the altar OF incense,
pouring out the remainder at the
base of the altar Of burnt offerings in
The court before the Temple. The fat
of the offerings was burned on the
altar Of burnt offerings, and the flesh
was afterwards eaten by the priests
feeling that arose during Hezekiahs
reign that this offering and those that
followed we're not made for Judah
alone, but for the Northern Kingdom
as we'll
The Third Step. the Wide Invi.
tation.-What was the next step in
the great reform? The holding of the
national feast of remembrance OF
Gods goodness, the passover. This
should have been celebi. ted in the
first month of the year. Nlsan, CORE
spending 70 our April; but because
not enough OF the priests had been
purified and because of the time re-
quired to gather the people, II was de-
clded that the exlgency warranted the
postponement TO the next month, Iyar
or May. As the reform had widened
from Hezekiah to the priests and lie.
vites, then to the chief men OF Jeru.
salem. then to the whole congrega-
ton OF citizens, the next step was to
extend It to the entire nation, from
Beer-sheba, even TO Dan.
The Fourth Step is the Great
Passover-What further publication
was needed before the passover could
be celebrated! Jerusalem was full OF
heather altars in every corner" and
these were torn down and the frag-
ments cast into the Kidron.
The Fifth Step is the Generous
Giying.-What other Illustration OF
their zeal did the people give when
the passover was completed? Their
new ardor for Jehovah blazed out in
burning Indignation against the foul
idols which they had been worshiping.
It was as when Peter the Hermit |
aroused whole multitudes to the wild.
est enthusiasm for the rescue of the
Holy Sepulcher, or even the dour
Scotch Lowlander blazed up like an
excitable Celt at the initiative Of Jen-
ny Geddes. How much more these
fiery Orientals? Jerusalem had been
freed from idols; why should tbs
country districts still be pollutedf'
Thus the people swept like flood
over Judah and Benjamin and The
Ephram and Manassen.
They broke the heather images" or
niIlo o,,t dnu,, Tho ~. ,aIo,