Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-18
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
FINDING THE BOOK OF THE
Law
. Chron. 34i4-33
Golden Text: II Will Not Forget
Thy Word. "-Psa. 1879.
By Rev. II. 7. Stevenson.

The success of great movement fire.
quently turns upon some apparently trivial
incident. 1t was so in the reformation Of
Josiah. which was considered in connec-
ton with last weeks study of his good
OF the temple. Hilkiah. the high priest
while preparing to pay off the workmen
engaged in the restoration of the temple,
found the lost book of the law" The rec
ord of the Second Book of Kings places
this discovery before the Inauguration Of
Josiah's reformation. The crusade against
all forms of iniquity was probably COM
menced before the finding of the book Of
the law. but was not completed until long
afterward. Such drastic reforms could
not be secured inca day. Reformation is
the work of a lifetime.
The finding of the lost book gave spirit
ual strength to Josiah's reformation and
insured it's success. 1t is subject OF de-
bate among scholars as to whether the
scroll found contained the whole of the
Pentateuch or not. Ii certainly must
have contained the essential part OF
Deuteronomy, which had been neglected
during the goddess reigns OF his prede-
cessors. In fact, the neglect OF the Bible
is the seed from which all kinds of evil
spring. NO one can STUDY tne blDle
rightly and continue to live in sin. The
person who lives in sin naturally neg
lects the reading of the Bible. which
tells OF Gods will and commands. Such
neglect Is not only wrong but it Is full
Of peril. In spite of the warnings of the
necessity OF holding fast to the Scriptures
as the sheet anchor of our liberty" one
OF the greatest sources of national peril
is the neglect of Gods Holy Bible.
II copies Of the Scriptures were as diff
10 when
the people. priests and prophets depended
upon oral tradition for their knowledge
OF the Scriptures. the evident lack among
Young Americans Of knowledge of God 8
word which has been revealed by the
answers recently made in college entrance
examinations might be understood. 1t is
a terrible fact that in many homes the
Book of Books has become compare lively
hidden and neglected. II is not without
reason 10 place as one of the contributary
causes If not the main one, for the world
war in which America has been drawn by
the German government. the railroads.&c.
spirit Of their theological professors that
gave birth to the destructive criticism
which caused men to neglect the Bible.
If throughout the nations OF Europe men
mad been guided by the Scriptures as
| America was in the adoption of its selec-
tive draft and in her efforts TO keep ont
of war. there would have been no strife
among nations today Its end will be
/ marked by realizing their neglect and
| turning unto God in pentitence as did
| Josiah when the recovered word was read
to him.
Books were so few in number in those
DAYS that the discovery of the manu-
| script must have created a sensati
among the workingmen. priests and
people There is no record that will
| enable one TO determine how the word
| was lost In all probability the copy
found was the one that the law re-
| ouired TO be placed in the ark of the
! covenant 1t may have been hidden
during the prosecutions of Manasseh
! to prevent its destruction, or misplaced
| in some one of the many rooms of the
| temple, and thus lost for a long period.
| Hiikiah, the priest. was busy trying to
| carry out his knowledge of Gods will
l when the providence of God placed in