The Southern herald., 1912-04-19


the temple as tribute to foreign kings
whom he hoped to appease. Chapter 20
tells Of Hezikiah, the good king, who
required the priests to sanctify them
selves and cleanse the temple, who
brought back the sacred vessels, and
who restored the customary routine
OF sacrifice and service within the
temple. Chapter 80 describes the re-
vival which took place throughout the
entire land following the cleansing OF
the temple and the restoration Of the
sacrifice. The background is dark
enough-a polluted temple, the serv'
Ice neglected, God forsaken by the
people, the vessels Of holiness giver
away for unholy purposes, and the
song of the Lord having ceased in the
courts Of the temple.
Music was a prominent part in the
temple service, and 1t is a prominent
part of Christian life. No one has SO
much right to sing as the man or
woman who has been redeemed By
the precious blood of Jesus Christ;
no one can know such Joy as the one
who has a sense Of forgiveness.
There are two or three very plain
and practical lessons which emerge
from the reading of the chapters con-
nected with the text.
1. God cannot use an unclean thing,
So the vital question is, "Is my heart
right with God?" God does not ask
for golden vessels, God does not ask
for silver vessels, but God does ask
for clean vessels. Therefore, those
of>'Ss who have named the name o
Christ may well take the place Of thu
Psalmist and say, Search me, o God
and know my heart; try me, ant
know my thoughts; and see II ther'
be any wicked way in me, and Leaf
me in the way everlasting"
2. God cannot give power to an un
yielded life The temple in Jerusa
lem, magnificent and costly though !
; was, did not have the visible man
!, festation of Gods presence until
} was entirely dedicated to him. Their
is a peculiar sense in which 1t Is true
J "He hath filed the hungry with goo
| things, and the rich he hath ser
empty away"
3. Power is to be claimed onl
upon the conditions of clean heal
: and a yielded life.
Perhaps you have been a Christia
many years, and yet for a long tim
there has been no song in your soul
prayer has been burden, the wor
Of God has had no meaning to yol
and service has been irksome. Why
1t may be:
/. Neglected prayer God mean
prayer to be the greatest power in tn
spiritual world, and although Chri
tians know how to do scores Of othC
things, and although churches us
numerous agencies for making tn
work successful, yet we have lost tn
: secret of the church and the secrt
of victory in our Christian lives-w
do not know how to pray.
2. Neglect of Gods word. Many
I man can find the first step In b
career away from God in his negle'
of the word of God which is mean
not only for his food, but for b
guidance So many Of us object
the Bible, or neglect 1t because !
teachings go contrary to some hab
: which we cherish, or some sin whiC
we commit.
8. Lack Of forgiveness or apolog
II we are too stubborn to forgive pc
.. pie who have injured US, or too prot
to ask forgiveness Of those whom v
have injured, God pity US, for the
can be no song in the soul until v
are right with God and right with Of
fellowmen.
4. Unconfessed and unforsaken 81
This may seem small to the slime
but sin which is not confessed al
forsaken, closes the eyes against Il
beauties Of heaven, shuts the ca
!, against the songs of heaven, and ba
o the way to the soul that would ent
n in. More than that, sin drives ],
G out of the Christian life.
t s. Lack Of complete surrender. Th
u Is the real meaning of the text, +
Q the burnt offering indicated tn
, everything was given up to God; al
l. 1t is only as we make a compile
y abandonment of ourselves to God, tn
e he fills us with Joy In believing al
y happiness in Christian service. MI
d it not be that the years Of our Chr
y tian life have been un!ruitful and i
l. less, and void Of music, because \
e have kept back part Of. the pri
6 which we should have paid to Go
. Do we not know that there has be
. a lack Of complete surrender, a
complete abandonment ta timl