The farmer and mechanic., 1915-11-02
4 KING WHO PUT BUSINESS INTO
RELIGION.
The International Sunday School
Lesson for November is '.Joash
Repairs the Temple"-H Kings
f1:21:12:16.
(By WILLIAM II. ELLIS.l


world in this present unequalled cri-
SIS in human events, there are three
or four fundamental things that I
would set the people to doing Chief |
among these L would require that all !
the churches and religious societies |
throughout the land receive fresh at
tention, and that as many may be |
necessary, they be rebuilt in their ply
sical equipment and spiritual orga nj
zation. Wherever there is a breach in |
thc walls of the church-litarally or |
metaphoricaly-it should be quickly
repaired. The fashion of young king
loash, Of long ago, whose experience
an rebuilding the temple is today's
Sunday school lesson, is a fundamen-
tal fashion to follow.
The reason is clear; such crises in
nations life as the present are to
be met first Of all by spiritual forces
All the armies and navies that milli-
taTy genius could devise or command
cannot safeguard a nation whose peo-
pie have lost their vision and their
noblest purposes. Ideals are ulti-
urateIy the defence Of a nation No
graver issue is before our time than
that of rehabiiitating in the minds
of the multitudes the great Old con-
yictions and purposes which first made
US strong. Nobody need lose sleep at
night from fear of a hostile invasion:
but there is real reason for sleeplesS
concern over the steadily undermin-
ing Of the integrities OF faith and duty
may be detected i'll process.
The nation looks to the Church for
spiritual strength ard for the vision
that will meet the new duties of he
high hour that is upon us. What
help remains if, in this time of times
instead of Church with clear,
lofty. ringing message to mems souls.
we have merely an agglomeration Of
petty, contending, Smali-minded and
sordid ecclesiastical orga mutations, SO
engrossed with trifling politics and
the material needs of self-subsistence.
that they are deaf and blind to the
heroic summons of God and human
ity?
Life Mirrors Religion.
Ike every other national leader
WHO has had wit enough TO know
anything about his business, Joasl
understood that the prosperity OF
Judah was bound up with the wei
fare and fidelity Of religion. No ma
ton ever comes to it's height apar
from the inspiration and support O
religious faith. Both France ant
Germany year ago, were the sub
lect OF many articles concerning thei
religious decline. Now, in the seven
times heated furnace Of war both hav
the nations had subordinated spiritua
concerns to material values that w
have this world war Life mirror
religion. When religion become
perfunctory, mechanical or secondary
then we have soch collapSes of civil
zation as that which is today stagger
ing humanity.
Is it too much TO hope that afte
the awful obligations which this wa
is creating have been laid upon tn
survivors, and accepted Open-eye(
some nation will deliberately under
take to give religion the right OF wa
III it's life? Can we imagine a peopl
dedicated whole to Cod
highest purpose? What could &c
such a nation do in this re-mad
world Occasionally mankind la
seen what one wholly. dedicate
Christian could accomplish Whe
Dwight l.. Moody was a young ma
be heard a speaker say, The Worl
Is yet to see what God can do with
wholly consecrated man.. Mood
resolved that he would be that MAJ
And Moody, whose bones are molt
ering on Little Round Top in Nortf
field. still lives as one of the world
greatest forces
Making Clean Sweep.
II anybody asks why the temp
at Jerusalem so sorely needed repal
ing. there is one sentence in the ie
son which makes answer. After u
record of Joashs loyalty to God. '
read "Howbeit the high places we
not taken away; the people still sa
rihced and burnt incense in the ms
places" That is good picture
modern life. Theoretically, we ha
a Christian civilization, actual
materialism. pride, arrogance, crue
~. selfishness and avarice have ke
the incense burning their hll
places. There is no room even IN 1
circuma mbient either for the sIno
OF the rival incense from the alta
OF Jehovah and the affairs OF ldt
airy and self-indulsence. God q
mands that He be God alone.
A queer notion is lodged firmly
certain piouS minds that the passl
virtureS are all that are needed |