The Angel of the Lord went out, and smote,

In the camp of the Assyrians,

One hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers, annihilating the entire army of the Assyrians.

Now we notice the conduct and attitude of the messengers sent by the king to meet Rab-shakeh, and of Hezekiah upon hearing the message:

1. The messengers returned to report with rent clothes. 2. Hearing the message, the king rent his clothes.

3. They covered themselves with sackcloth, both king, prelates and priests.

Did they amuse themselves by attending theaters and picture shows? No, no, no. Indeed, no.

Did they amuse themselves by attending baseball games, races, excursions, and picnics on Sundays, desecrating the Sabbath Day, and trespassing God's Commandments?

No, no, NO! Indeed, not.

If they had persisted in these things, God would have delivered them into the hands of the Assyrians, as he did with Samaria, and the ten tribes, the entire north kingdom eight or ten years previously.

Then, what did they do?

They went to the prophet of the Lord broken hearted and in a contrite spirit, and asked his intercession.

And Isaiah, the prophet interceded, prayed for them, and they received an answer directly from God.

What else did they do?

Dressed in sackcloth, and in a contrite spirit, they went into the house of the Lord, right into the Temple, and Hezekiah, the king and natural leader, spread the letter before the Lord in the Temple, and prayed, asking God to see and to hear the boasting, blasphemous words, written and uttered by the Assyrian king.

In Hezekiah's prayer, we notice:

1. Devotion and adoration, an acknowledgment that the God of Israel is the only God, the creator of heaven and earth.

2. That the Assyrian king had subdued other nations, because they did not know, did not acknowledge, did not worship, did not adore the Lord Jehovah, the God of Israel, the true and living God, therefore they had no advantage, but here were face to face, weapon matching weapon, heathen meeting heathen-no supernatural meddling, guidance, force on either side. Hezekiah, an old dispensation Christian, knew this, and he appreciated this.

3. That Hezekiah appeals to God's honor and assiduity. "O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us of his hand,

"That all kingdoms on the earth may know that THOU art the LORD GOD, even Thou only-no one else but thee, and no one else beside thee.

There is a special force in this kind of prayer. It appeals to the majesty of God, to the promises and assurances of God, and to the rectitude and honor of God.

Prevailing Prayer-Consecration.

"Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." Moses. Ex. 32:33.

"I say in truth, in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost.

"That I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart, "For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Paul. Rom. 9:1-3.

We notice here, in these prominent leaders of God's people, an unconditional surrender to God-Consecration: a sanctified, subordinate, susceptible, subtle mind and disposition, the essence of the NEW LIFE, begotton and born from above, by the Word of God through the Holy Ghost, nurtured and disciplined by the Holy Spirit in the fear and love of God.

Fear of God to do anything to offend God, to displease God, to do anything to dishonor God, to be an obstacle in the way for the promotion, development, and the coming of the Kingdom of God; to be a stumbling block in the way of others; or to be negligent and careless-sins of omission—in the charges submitted and the obligations entailed.

Fear of God's wrath and punishment in hell?

No. NO, NO! Does a good obedient child fear its father's wrath and punishment? No; but it fears to displease the loving father. It fears to see a veil of gloom on his face, or to hear a sorrowful sigh from his heart.

Here comes the king with his queen and children. Is the queen afraid of her husband the king? No. The royal children, are they afraid? Do they fear their royal father, the king? No. See the older ones lean against him and that little one hang on his neck kissing him! Does that indicate fear? What does it indicate? It indicates submission, confidence, intimacy, LOVE. Hear the cannon thunder, and see his life-guard in uniforms, armed with swords and guns; does that scare the queen and the royal children? No, for they look upon this as their protection, arranged and equipped for their safety. Over yonder see a large assembly of loyal citizens waving flags, shouting and hurrahing a welcome to their king and his family. Are they afraid? No. They are loyal, law-abiding citizens and love their king and are being loved by him. But look over there to the left! Another assembly of men. But they don't wave flags. They don't shout a welcome to the king? See the guard with pointed bayonets and drawn swords around them. See an expression of contempt or dismay in their faces. What's the matter? These are rebels. They have rebelled against the king and their government. Do these fear the king? Yes. Do they fear to displease or to offend the king? No. Then what? They fear his wrath, his righteousness in law-enforcement, his power and determination

to mete out punishment. See-they are ashamed to look at him. See-they blush when the king looks at them. Behold, a difference! Behold, the difference in effect the king's look has on his queen, his children, his loyal subjects-respect, homage, reverence love. His look on the rebels on the other hand-shame, contempt, dismay, despair.

In this find a picture of the condition between a true and loyal servant of God and all true children of God, and the world, the unconverted, the carnally minded. Differentiation in appearances makes no difference, for a corpse is a corpse whether shrouded in elegant costly garment, and placed in a silvery or golden casket, or wrapped in the simplest fabric, or having none at all. There is no difference; either for or against, with or apart, gathering or dispersing, on the straight narrow road to heaven, or on the broad way to hell. * *But we return to our text.

*

The love of God. Herein is Love not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. John.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-Jesus.

Love to God, so that we are willing to give ourselves and our lives for God, for home and for our beloved country. Then we do not dread the sacrifices or evade responsibilities or shirk our duties, but we do it willingly, cheerfully and bounteously.

Fear and Love. These are the requisities. Fear that I would not. Love that I will. Fear that I would not be a thing, think of a thing, say a thing, do a thing that would displease my God or my friend or friends. Love that my being, my thoughts, the expression of my countenance, my words, my doings at all times and in all respects shall be pleasing to my God and to my friends.

Yes, this is the REQUISITE, this is the state of mind and disposition; and this requisite, this mind and disposition is a condition, and qualification for prayers in spirit and in truth, so approaching the God of heaven in supplication and prayer that can and shall be answered.

Hezekiah Measured up to these Conditions and Qualifications, therefore his prayers were heard and Jerusalem and his people saved from the overwhelming power of the Assyrians.

God's Certificate of Merit. "Twenty and five years old was Hezekiah when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. His Mother's name was Abi, daughter of Zachariah.

"And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did.”

Reformation.

"He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent." 2 Kings 18:1-7.

"He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them.

"And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together in the east street, and said unto them: 'Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify yourselves and SANCTIFY THE HOUSE OF THE LORD GOD of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place."

Sins of the Fathers.

"For our Fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord, and turned their backs.

Note This is the condition in all civilized countries and among all the nominal Christians to-day or was before this war. Of this we have evidence and have heard complaints. Sunday papers, novels, moving picture shows, theaters, baseball games, Sunday picnics and excursions-everything exciting, sensual, funny-have attracted the people, and distracted from the house of God. Is it to be expected that God will tolerate such contempt for his Sabbath and his houses of worship? If this thing were to continue satan would eventually claim the whole human family, and cheat Jesus Christ of his reward for His suffering and death to save it; it would people hell instead of heaven; it would prove the weakness of God and the power of the devil; it would deride and scorn the living God, and crown the devil lord of all, and elevate hell.

Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and have put out the lamps, and have NOT burned the incense, NOR offered Burnt-Offerings in the HOLY PLACE unto the GOD of Israel.

Note This hits the church, and especially the ministry. And this is Germany's greatest, and vilest, and furthest reaching sin. German philosophy and German higher criticism have contaminated Christendom by undermining faith in the Bible as the divinely inspired word of God. "Incense" here has reference to prayer and praise, and the "burnt-offerings" have reference to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross on Calvary. Denying the divinity of Jesus is to deny the atonement, and to deny or even to question the inspiration of the Bible is to deny its authority as a standard, containing the revelation of the will of God, His ordinances, His precepts, His judg ments and His promises and His rewards. The confession and perception of a God and Jesus Christ as a model, a beautiful example, an ideal man, is merely a sham, a shadow without personality, a husk without kernel, a deceptive mirage in the desert, a misleading ignis fatuus in darkness.

The results of this the German "KULTUR" are now in evidence world over in the intrigues, atrocities and cruel treatment of innocent girls and women and the remorseless mutilation even of innocent, lovely little children.-Back to the Holy Bible, acknowllege its holy pages as the WORD of GOD, preach the Gospel as Peter, John, Paul, Augustinus, and Dr. Martin Luther did, is the only remedy. .

"Therefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes."

Note-Notice here the words: "and he hath delivered them to trouble." That's all the Lord needs to do; just to DELIVER them, to withdraw His restraining, protecting hand, that dams the flood of viciousness and criminal propensities, and evil influences, and satanic, diabolical, hellish powers, the pent up evil forces will and do roll forth to destroy everything in their way. God delivers by with rawing His protecting hand, when an individual, a community, a state or a nation forskes God, disregards His commandments, desecrates His Sabbath. Can anyone reasonably expect God's protection and blessings, when we openly rebel against Him?

"For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughter and our wives are in captivity for this.'

Note-Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, a miserable weakling, tried to please the people, and walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, the northern kingdom, and neglected the temple of God's worship, as ordained by Moses. Wherefore the Lord, his God delivered him in to the hands of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them, captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel. For Pekah, the son of Remaliak slew in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; BECAUSE THEY HAD FORSAKEN THE LORD GOD OF THEIR FATHERS

And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethern two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. (The captives were shortly returned by the intercession of a prophet, Obed). Even the Edomites and the old arch enemy of Israel, the Philistines, harrassed the poor God-forsaking Jews at this time, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.-O what a calamity to any individual, any community, any state or any nation, when God has delivered. Are we awake to, conscious of similar conditions and circumstances in this world war?

What does it signify that in a late census in France eight millions registered as atheists? A prominent statesman in France, M. Briand, said a few years ago: "We have banished Jesus Christ from the army, the navy, the schools, the hospitals, the asylums, the orphanages, but we must banish Him from the state also." That's the reason why France has been delivered. That's the reason women with naked breasts, high heeled shoes, slit dresses, and attending to toilet, fashions and preventives, now have to be dressed in overalls, using the plow, the pruning knife and the sycle."

And this wicked king Ahaz died, and it was well that he did, so he could do no more harm, but he was buried in disgrace, not being allowed in the sepulchres of the kings of Israel, nor will he be found among Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David in Paradise. "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

My sons, be not now negligent; for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense."

Note This charge concerned the priests and the Levites, representing the spiritual leadership and ministry of the church; and this is the charge of the HEAD of the church, Jesus Christ, to all prelates, bishops, ministers and deacons of the church to-day. in particular, and to the entire church membership, in general. Observe this, and we shall see glorious results. The priest and the Levites went to work at once unhesitatingly, without asking any question, restored the temple, the house of Goo and sanctified it. Shall we, the ministers of the new dispensation, stand ashamed by the ministers of the old dispensation? Shall Sodom and Gomorrah, which only had one, Lot, among them, shame Capernaum, who had both Jesus Christ and his disciples within its embrace, and had the power of God exhibited, as in no other place in Israel? There is something terrible in store for recreant ministers and Christians.

"Then they (priests and Levites) went to Hezekiah, the king, and said: "We have cleansed all the house of the Lord, and the altar of burnt-offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.

Note-A whole-souled, cheerful report, for the things reported have been done in a thorough manner in all earnestness.

Moreover, all the vessels, which king Ahaz in his reign did cast away in his trangression, have we prepared and sanctified, and, behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.

Note This is the exhilarating, the triumphant portion of this most laudable report. For not only were the things neglected cleansed and put in order, but things desecrated, cast away by the transgression of predecessor had been diligently searched for, found and sanctified, replaced and utilized for divine service.-Shall also, we, the New Dispensation ministry, in like manner, be able to report to our king, Jesus Christ, that all things desecrated, Bible criticism, profaning of the Sabbath, all the Means of Grace, have been diligently searched, found and replaced and utilized in the service of God?

The Temple-Worship Restored.

Note-Now, the preliminary work being done, the proper worship of God was in order, but not until then. For as long as there is the least taint of doubt respecting the divine inspiration of and divine revelation in the Bible; as long as there is any doubt concerning the divinity of Jesus, the actual performance of the Bible miracles as recorded in the Bible itself; the actual atoning death of Jesus for our sins, and actual resurrection of his wounded body, the same as was placed in the grave of Joseph of Atihmatia, out of that grave for our righteousness; the resurrection of all, good and evil, to be placed before the high Court at the judgment seat of God, "that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10)-so long as there remains a vestige of doubt respecting these essentials in worship, we are utterly unfit to approach God in worship, for we have not the confidence in Him, we are unqualified, unprepared and unworthy, and incapable to perform ministerial duties.

Jesus said: "Not every one that saith unto me: Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.

"Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name, and by thy name cast out devils, and by thy name do many mighty works? "And then I will profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23.

My brethren! Are we willing and ready for the closest self-examination. To be right with God, and efficient and acceptable to God in our service-is that our greatest concern?