3.  Jeroboam needed to have no fear about the perpetuity of his kingdom.  He had an express promise from God. (1 Kings 11:  38.) But his faith in God’s word failed, and hence he sinned.  Thus sin is always the fruit of unbelief.

4.  Jeroboam also put policy before principle; for the sake of temporary success he turned aside from the strictly right course.  This is always wrong, and because wrong is unsafe.  Fasten the lesson deep in your heart; never for the sake of any apparent advantage depart in the least from the truth as conscience and God’s Word shall make it known to you.

5.  It is said in the lesson that Jeroboam devised of his own heart these religious departures which he forced upon the people.  Here was another feature of his sin—­that he presumed to depart from the explicit directions that God had laid down as to the times, places and manner of His worship, and gave the people instead inventions of his own.  To say the least, he had no business to do this, and he exposed himself to the curse that comes upon those who take from or add to God’s Word.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

“On mission ground there was once a prayer meeting held in an idol temple.  A lamp was placed in the hands or lap of each idol around the room, so that the idols themselves held the light by which the true God was worshiped.  So the sins of Jeroboam may light us to heaven.” —­Peloubet.

“Judge a religion by its god.  Judge a people by the kind of god that will satisfy them.  If a calf will do, what must be their intelligence?  If nature will do, what must be their emotion?  If science will do, what must be their moral sense?  The Christian religion pays the highest tribute to human intelligence.  It calls men to a God, infinite in every perfection.” —­Joseph Parker.

“It has been remarked that the two tribes in whose inheritance the calves stood are not found among the number of the sealed in Revelations.  The names of Ephraim and Dan are missing from that list.” —­Waller.

* * * * *

  “Oh, God, our strength! to Thee our song,
    With grateful hearts we raise;
  To Thee, and Thee alone, belong
    All worship, love and praise.

  “And Thou, Oh, ever gracious Lord! 
    Wilt keep Thy promise still,
  If, meekly hearkening to Thy word,
    We seek to do Thy will.

“Led by the light Thy grace imparts,
Ne’er may we bow the knee
To idols, which our wayward hearts
Set up instead of Thee.” —­Harriet Auber.

SIDNEY’S GOOD INTENTIONS.

(A New Year’s Story.)

by FLORENCE HALLOWELL.

[Illustration]

“Sidney, did you leave that note at Mrs. Flynn’s yesterday?” asked Mrs. Dent, as her eldest son came hurriedly into the sitting-room to get the pocket-knife which he had left on the table.  “She hasn’t come, and I don’t know what I am going to do about the washing.  Nora’s arm is still so lame that she must not attempt to use it.”