Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-25
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'.BIBLE. STUDIES.
II Chronicles 81: IA -33-July 80
FINDING A LOST BIBLE.


Thy word have hid in my heart, that
/ might not sin against thee. Psalm
1871.
In conjunction with Josiah's reforma-
ton and cleansing of the temple, a copy
of the book of the Law was found. Pre-
suma bly, this book contained the Penta-
teuch or five books of Moses. The long
period of idolatry preceding Josiah's
work of reformation had placed the Tes-
timonies of the Lord at a discount, so
that evidently the king had never seen,
perhaps had never heard of the Divine
Law up to this timei If this should seem
strange to us for the moment, let us re-
member that today we have Bibles by the
million, whereas in olden times books
We're written laboriously with a pen, and
We're very expensive. copy was pro-
vided for the king as well as one for
the temple, but idolatrous kings would
have no use for Gods Word. and the
royal copy was doubtless destroyed long
before.
The king caused the manuscript to be
read in his hearing. 1t detailed what
blessings would come upon the nation of
Israel if obedient TO God. 1t also por-
trayed the penalties which would be
theirs if they neglected the service of the
Almighty and His laws and became idola-
trous. Deuteronomy % is a very clear
statement of what appeared to be the
penalty due Josiah's kingdom because of
idolatry preceding his day The king
was astonished. Evidently Divine judg-
ments We're due Why they waited he
knew not He reflected that possibly
10 a ,sfea
the evil. He sent therefore to make in
quiry on the subject
The inquiry came to Huldah, a proph-
etes of that time, who gave the Lord 5
answer, saying that all the woes foretold
in the Law would surely come to pass be-
cause of the idoatrous course followed
by the nation. But the message declared
that this trouble, this chastisement,
would be deferred and not come in King
Josiah's day because of his earnest re-
pentance and manifestation of sorrow IN
connection with the matter as soon as he
learned about it.
Nevertheless the king did all in his
power to remedy the evil and to bring
back the nation into accord with the AL
mighty. He proclaimed general meet
with the mobiles and representatives OF all
the people He caused the book of the
Law TO be read in the hearing of the peo-
pie and pointed out their shortcomings
and what must be expected, The work
of purging from idolatry was still more
thoroughly carried out, and the work of
reformation made yet more deep-all that
the king knew how to do.
The Bible Lost Today
1t may amaze some when We say that
to the masses of the people today, God 5
Book is lost. What do you say, nave We
not over hundred million Bibles in
Christendom, and are we not printing
more than a million copies every year?
How can you say that the Word of the
Lord is lost today?
Alas! Bibles we have, but TO the ma
jority of the specially cultured they are
Bibles no Ionger-they are the inspired
Word of the Almighty no longer! They
are studied believed and obeyed no lon
ger! 1t is still fashionable to have Bibles;
il is still customary to take texts from
them-this is done even by ministers who
privately confess that they have no faith
in the Bible-that they have no more
faith in the Bible than in Shakespeare
And the number of religious teachers
who have thus rejected the Word of God
greater than the majority of people sur
mise Nearly all ministers graduated
during the past twenty years from nearly
all of the universities, colleges and semi
naries Of Christendom, in Great Britain