The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-08-03

ed association in scorn. Their faith
could not stand contacts, but muct be
kept separate from these other folks.
1t is the same case as the young wo-
man who refused to go to college be-
cause she feared her fellowship with
| Christ would be marred by it. How
far may we go in carrying on the
| Lords plans to associate in them
those who desire to help but have
differing ideals in many respects?
Whatever the decision if it is made in
fear either for God or for ones self, it
is likely to be wrong. A sorry situa-
ton came into Judea. Racial hate,
! class distinction based upon the an
| cestral line, and religious exclusive
ness were added to the already many
points of difference. There was moth
ing surpris ng in the attitude which
is distinctly human for if man is
classed as a dog he is apt to bite;
| scorn begets scOrn, and to be told
that one is not good enough to asso-
| ciate with another rOuses bitterness.
1t was not hard to stop the shipments
of mber from the Lebanons and the
Jews were left with material to con-
tinue their work. But this was not
all, for an appeal to the king to look
up the record of that past which made
these folks too fine for association
with the other settlers-there must
have been a sense of humor in the
crowd somewhere-brought the i'm
perative command to stop the work
| by force if necessary, and it is
scarcely probably that it was not
| used and a new source of ill-feeling
added to those already created.
THE CURE OF FEAR
Faith and fear cannot live togeth-
err. One or the other must die. The
story of these years brings the lift
ing of the shadow that lay across
their way. These were perilous days
in the history of the empire with
Darius fighting six revolutions before
finding himself secure. There may
have been a hope that in the confu-
sion Judea might again become indie
pendent, and this may explain the
disappearance cf Zerubbabel of Da-
vid's royal race from the records. But
the main reason for the new advance
was the injection of a new spirit into
the community. Haggai and Zecha-
riah began to point out that the hard
ships of the years when crops were
poor and supplies scanty was due to
their lost grip upon God and the fail
ure to carry out His plan for putting
the temple at the heart of a renewed
life. Faith shook off the lethargy in
duced by fear and the work upon the
Jerusalem hill was resumed. This was
almost the last blaze of the prophetic
fire, but it warmed hearts at its
flame. Had prophets instead of the
priests and politicians led the eXpe-
dition there might have been a diff
ferent story written. So they build
ed and finished it. Faith carries work
with it and found willing hands to
toll long hours upon the rising walls
But faith is more than a worker,
faith is finisher also. Fear never
does. Someone has said that if the
perseverance of the saints was half
as good as that of the sinners the
world would have been saved long
ago. Christ finished the work God
gave Him to do but we as often quit
ours. If the church had done as well
there would be no unevangelized
lands today, there would be no race
hatreds to redden all countries, there
would be no class struggle with re-
suits like those at Herrin, there
would be no war. Our temple is very
far from being finished and there is
too much fear for it to be done this
year. Then came the dedication with
every tribe remembered tho long lost
to the circle. Happy the church that
remembers its lost and dedicates it.
self to renewing their vanished faith
and fire.