Evening star., 1940-05-25

HnQ q return 10 S
the Land of Promise. But Israel
was never again the same, even dur
ing the short reign of the Macabees
AT the time of Christ they were sub
aect to Rome. They rejected Him
who offered Himself as their prom
ised Messiah; and in another gen.
eration the city of Jerusalem and all
outward forms of nationhood had
been destroyed, and the Jews were
Wanderers upon the face of the
earth, as they have been ever since,
and actually are today. Despite
present-day Zionism, which is a
political, social and economic prof.
ect, rather than religious, the Jews
do not possess a single site of their
ancient history, except the Tomb of
Esther, at Hamadan, Iran. AS a
people, they stand today as path
etc problem, one Of the worlds
gravest.
Last week we tried to impart the
spirit of jeremiah as he denounced
false prophets. It would take a
whole newspaper page to tell in full
the story of this heroic, steadfast
prophets personal eXperiences-his
prosecutions, his imprisonments and
his other adventures. A great and
human figure was jeremiah, who
dared to tell unpopular truth: and
who kept close to God for his life
and his message. He lived to see
his grim prophecies fulfilled, and to
survive the siege Of Jerusalem, and
to watch his nation carried into
captivity. He was proved right and
his enemies wrong.
Jeremiah's whole career Is a SER
mon upon patience. message to
those in our time who want to see
the good and the desirable accom-
phshed overnight. This Is the day
of quick panaceas. But God does
not work that way. Real philoso-
pliers and prophets, while they "act,
lact. in the living present" also take
long views and plan for distant
future. Our children's children
should be the beneficiaries of our
today's thought and effort.
Prophet of gloom though he was
called, jeremiah yet foresaw a good
time coming. Within the sweep of
his vast vision he encompassed
renewed and transformed people,
and q Messiah to fulfill their hopes.
Every great message eliminates in
good news. The prophet who turns
into a common scold is definitely
false prophet. Ali the resourceful-
ness of God is pledged to the tri-
umph of righteousness and peace.
{ Just how far we are to take Jere-
miah's reputation of the old cove
nant Of legalistic forms and enact
ments as an abolition of the agree
,ment between Jehovah and His
chosen people may be a matter for
argument. But certainly he does
announce a new covenant, a spir-
itual religion, a heart experience,
which puts foremost mans personal
relations with God.
Every agreement between two
parties must be kept by both. 1t
takes both to keep it, but one may
break it. Israel had broken the
Sinai covenant. 1t has gone back
on Its bargain. Repeatedly, persist
emily and shamelessly it had been
false to God, despite His patience
and forgiveness. AS married life
may not be maintained successfully
as a series of patched-up quarrels,
50 the relationship between man
and his Lord may not continue as
q succession Of backsliding and be-
trayals.
So the heaven-lighted eyes of
jeremiah saw afar new day,
wherein the will of God would be
written on the f1eshly tablets of the
human heart. as personal expert
ence. After all, nobody really has
any more religion than he expert
ences within himself. Nobody is
saved by a church, or by system
of theology. Salvation is per-
sonal transaction between a soul and
!, it's Redeemer. Each of us must do
business with God alone. This Is
the mystery and crown of our hui
manity. AS boys and girls, men and
women, come, one by one. under
the new life and loyalty which God
promises to all seekers. the whole
lump of society is leavened and
changed.
Our day is more troubled about
world conditions than any other
time in history. There are literally
thousands of organizations, projects
and schemes afoot to bring in some
thing like the millennium. No pro-
posal for .mending matters is too
wild to win adherents. Economists
and statesmen lend themselves to
grandiose plans for a new world
order. Billions of dollars are poured
out in muniflcent streams to allevi-
ate contemporary ills.
All the while the truth which
jeremiah taught, that change comes
by way Of the individual, is stupidity
overlooked. We've got to have bet
ter people before we can have a
better world. Those forces which
are at work to shape character are
the real revolutionary agencies-the
homes wherein godliness is the basis
of all child-training: the public
schools which still adhere to the
moral basis of education; the Sun
day schools, wherein the reality and
supremacy of God are postulated,
and His word is studied; the Scouts
and ell kindred youth movements.
A man recently said to me that the
Sunday school and the Boy Scouts
had had more to do with shaping
hts life than his home training.
As a practical man of affairs,
marvel that so many concerned citi-
sens give themselves to new organi-
cations, when such potent and de-
terminative agencies as the Sunday