The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-06-06
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
The International Sunday School Les
son for June II is. Hezeklan ;
Great Passover" 2 ChrOn. 30.
lBy WILLIAM L. ELLIS.)

What is the power that most strong
ly binds a people. or even foreign
nations. together? other natiohs
frankly express their amazement at
the closer relations now being es-
tabIished W canada and the
United States. and between Great
Britain and the United States. Iney
seem unable to explain the phenOme-
ma. Small wonder, for they look no
edeeper than the selfish concerns OF
statecraft, whereas the rOnge cora
in this new international tie IS rell-
gion, just as religion is the greatest
unifying factor in each Of these ma
tons itself. 1t never occur to the
man who is engrOSSed in concerns OF
high politics that such an in~consplcu-
Gus factor as the sun
day Schoo Movement, or Christian
Endeavor, or the Young Mems Chris
tan Association, or the Laymen
Missionary Movement might be con-
siderable focres in this new state OF
mind.
Such. none the less, is the case. me
law that Hezekiah observed still holds
good today. When the old Hebrew
king wanted to draw all his people To-
gether, and even the alienated north
ern kingdom also, he the ap-
peal to d common past in religious
life. 1t was faith in Jehovah, a faith
cften dim and ignored or deserted,
but still the one common heritage OF
the people, that made the Jews a ma
ton. That note was still the deepest
and strongest appeal. There are I'M
mense possibilities OF human welfare
In the truth that the two most power
full nations in the world are unda-
mentally Christian. Teachers with an
eye open for straWs which reveal pre-
vailing currents are not blind to the
deeper meaning of the incident when
the King OF Great Britain entertained
at luncheon Rev. DR.. J.. H Jowett, a
Non-conformist clergyman about to
pastor; or when the same monarch re-
ceived in private audience DR.. Gren-
tell, the missionary to Labrador.
Stirring tho Deep Springs.
Petty divisions and local abuses Of
many sorts tended to separate the
Jews of Hezekiah's time into sroups
and mutually a~nta8onistic commune
ties. This was especially true with
respect to the great division between
the northern and southern Kingdoms.
The king might have taken up these
one by one, and tried to patch them
ap. But he knew a better a He
realized that there was q deep, hidden
sentiment in the hearts Of all Jews, Of
loyalty to the God of their fathers.
Likewise he understood that neglect
Of religion was the fundamental fail
ure Of the time.
All religious visions. and most per
sOnal and national calalnitie5. are due
to an Inadequate loyalty to God. The
cure for all the ills of the church IS
simply a deeper devotion to the
church's Lord The blight of denom-
national rivalry will disappear from
North America as soon as Christians
learn to o Christ more than their
own way and their own past. All the
little ponds and eddies along the
shore are submerged when the tide
comes in. The floods Of God will sub
merge the differences and disagree
ments between Christians.
There is a profound truth here, in
dicated by the lesson story, that needs
close bordering. When the disciples
of Christ find themselves engrossed
In devotion to him they will bs in
realization of practical Christian un-
fty. The greatest Christian Union
meeting ever held did not have Chris
ton Union as it's object; it was the
worlds Missionary Conference at
Edinburg a year ago. In the face Of
g world service, all the divided
branches of Christendom realized
their unity. A young Philadelphia
Friend, who had been q practicing
physician ere he went to Canton to
represent the University of Pennsyl-
vania in the mission there. old me
with a sparkle in his eye. as we
walked amid the graves outside CT
that ancient Chinese city. that he
found himself unable to maintain an
interest in the trivial differences in
the Society of Friends, about which
he heard from home. for they shrank
into significance in the face Of Chi
ma and it's need for Christianity's
fundamentals. Only a very narrow
minded person can retain sectarlan
~prejudices on the mission field. Both
church and nation rise to q higher
unity and loyalty in the face Of the
call to return to the first love.
A REFORM for the Preachers.
Thanksgiving Day is a great ma
uonal asset, a powerful promoter Of
patriotism. AS Hezekiah called to
the Jews everywhere to come up to