The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-08-29
Lesson Sunday. September 8, l.
Kings B:t-it.

nthtS Osh~hts
Solomon began his reign by set
ting an example before his people
OF reverence for things divine. Da-
vid had led them into prevailing
pioty of thought but his son
planned 70 give them a house OF
worship that should stand as a re-
minder Of the tribute due Jehovah
from tho people he had set apart
as his peculiar charge. As long as
the peoplo remembered that the
Lord had singled them out from
among tho nations for special and
remarkable benefits, and TO " tho
eonservers a<bng the nations or the
earth OF tho true worship or Jeho-
vah, there was no lack OF religious
zeal md pioua fidelity. But. like
the people OF today, they easily Tor
got their gratitude to the God who
had brought them up out OF Bgyp-
tlan slavery and easily fen into the
habit OF living their own lives with
out taking God into calculation.
That IN the greatest peril OF 10
day. Whenever we stop TO hink
about Il We are bound 20 conoeds
the author OF all good, and thRt
each one OF us In individually under
obligations to him for unnumbered
benefits We do not deny the OBJ
iiration. There n no alarming ten
dcncy TO deny God or to doubt the
divinity OF Christ or challenge the
pian of salvation. Atheism was
never weaker than n ~ today. Mel
thor In there any prevalent desire
% indulge IN wiokedness for wick
.dness' sake. People in their
thoughtful moments do not want 70
live without God, but the trouble ~
they do not take time 60 think about
Il. The contemplation of their
shortcomingg in meeting recog-
nized obligation IN not a pleasing
thought, 30 they disrniss II from
their minds and postpone tho sub
ject 10 some other tirre--which
never comes. They have been 40
oustomed 10 his benefits until thoy
regard them az q matter OF course
and forget TO hold close to their
hearts the duty OF reverence and the
pleasure OF gratitude.
The temple OF Solomon. built and
dedicated as the tribute OF n man
sensible OF these obligations, and TO
keep alive In tho condolences or the
people tho memory OF the debt they
owed TO Jehovah stood for more
than n thousand years the center OF
religious sentiment In the world, an
oasis OF piety In n desert OF pagan
ism, n mount OF spiritualism In a
dead plain of materialism. The
maintenhncc OF the priesthood and
the observance of Mosaic ceremon-
ials, despite occasional iapses, stood
for all these years g. a fount OF re-
Juvenation TO preserve in It's purity
the worship OF Jehovah In world
given over 10 the pursuit OF false
gods.
In an era of human experience
when forms and symbols carried
great weight with the masses OF
people to whom material types were
indispensable 10 u proper under
standing OF spiritual things, In spite
Of times when the real religion OF
Jehovah became TO many dead
slavery TO forms and ceremonies, II
stiIl served to bring back wander
ing sentiment 10 n correction OF err
rorr and new consecration to the
truth. II stood AZ lighthouse on
rock against which the waves of
paganism and atheism dashed with |
out erect lt was beacon nBnt
toward which the soul-hungry OF
every nation could turn for guild
ance and comfort In a world sub
merged In tho darkness OF prevail
irg ignorance and superstition.
There wac no salvation IN the build
ing or It's ceremonials. as there is
no salvation In any material OBJ
servance. hut II wrg constant wit
ness and remomhitnce OF the true |
God through whom alone could
come redemption and forgiveness OF
sin.
And we OF the twentieth century,
with all our boasted enlightenment |
and scorn OF superstition. are still
20 much like little children that II n
only through material evideyoes and
symbols that we retain n faith In
and realization OF whatever concerns
divinity. II is a deception and n
snare to depend on n religion con-
sisting of spiritless performance of
IN wrong TO mistake
the shadow for tho substance. But