Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-02-25

to continue the martyrs work, 70 the
chagrin of Herod. Jesus was one Of the
many who we're baptized by John, who
saw in the youthful enthusiast the man
in whom Gods spirit was well pleased,
who should continue and bring to per
fection the work begun by John-the
restoration of the kingdom of heaven
and the redemption Of Israel. Jesus
had commenced his public career as a
popular teacher in Galilee, and en-
braced the cause of the anti
priesthood and theocratic associ-
ates. He was too young to lind
acknowledgment and admirers. A few
disciples of the lower class of people had
congregated around him, who loved and
admired him. He had succeeded in
gaining even the confidence Of the Ro-
man agents of the lower class, namely
publicans, foreign harlots, and Sodom-
ties; but he did not succeed among the
masses. Therefore the notices concern
ing his early sojourn in Galilee, are few,
meager, contradictory, and overloaded
with miracles, stories of exorcism, and
Essenean cures. The death of John
naturally alarmed his disciples and com
patriots, and Jesus with his small band
of followers fed to the thinly inhabited
outskirts of the land, where he justly
envied the birds for their nests when the
Son of Man had no home in this world.
From and after that time Jesus was a
fugitive. We meet him on the Jordan;
then on the other side of the land in
Phenecia; then again in the northern
mountains; but never more in the inte-
rior of Galilee. The fugitive sage and
patriot with all the great pain in his
soul which the misery of his people, the
decline of Zion and the rise of Rome,
Inspired with the enthusiastic zeal on
his lips to save Gods people and God s
word, to verify Gods promises, attracted
the attention of the multitude which fol-
lowed him to his distant retreats, caught
sparks from his fire, and the spirit Of
John was resurrected with tenfold vlgor.
" / must save my people and its sacred
heritage; | must restore the kingdom
of heaven in Israel was the great
thought, the sublime ideal which elevated
persons to that high standpoint where
the earth and her charms are Tor
gotten, peril, danger and death lose their
terror, manhood and Godhead meet as
closely as the finite and infinite can
touch, and man excels himself. This
thought grew rapidly in Jesus as his pop
ularity increased and as his scheme
ripened into definite shape. This is the
idea of the TRANSPORTATION scene. How
shall the people be roused2 How shall
everybody be inspired with that fervent
enthusiasm which Jesus and some of his
disciples felt2 Peter undertook to solve
this important question. While in the
northern mountains Peter proclaimed
Jesus Messiah. There was always q
Messiah mania among the Hebrew peo-
pie when the political status was most
oppressive and unpromising. This was
the most popular watchword. Peter
must have thought this would rouse the
patriots and captivate the attention and
confidence of the masses. Jesus pro-
tested loudly and emphatically against
this appeal to the people. But the word
was spoken, the spark had been thrown
on combustibles and against his will; with
almost certain death before his eyes, the
Son of Man was proclaimed the Messiah
among his disciples and followers. The
scheme was ingenious, but eminently i'm
practicable. Fast and undiscovered
they travelled down the banks of the Jor-
dan as far as Jericho, to appear sud-
denly and unexpectedly before Jerusa-
lem shortly before the Passover feast,
when the myriads of Israel are assem-
bled in the capital. The Messiah has
come was to be the mighty signal to
inhame the enthusiasm of the masses to
support the Master, surprise and con-
found the priests and the Roman officers,
take possession of the temple, proclaim
the Kingdom of Heaven, change the
temple service or close it altogether, and
regenerate the whole government before
priests and Romans recover from the
surprise; and by the demonstration of
the masses oblige the Roman masses to
acknowledge the new state of affairs.
The scheme was splendidly carried out;
the Master was proclaimed the Messiah,
and riding on an ass, as Jewish superstl-
ton wanted the Messiah to come, he was
led in triumph to the city and to the
temple; the disciples shouted hosannah,
waved their palm branches, and poured
forth all the enthusiasm of their souls.
But it was in vain; the masses remained
Indifferent and cold; the learned did not
believe in the Messiah mania of the vul-
gar; the wealthy citizens were afraid of
PLATE avarice and heartless cruelty;
the demonstration proved a failure,
although it took with thousands of pow
erless pilgrims; and Jesus did not ven
ture to stay over night in Jerusalem.
The demonstration was failure, and
death was certain to the Son of Man.
The mere attempt to elevate the Jewish
people, to ameliorate its condition, to
proclaim any new idea, was sufficient at
that time TO rouse PLATE to bloody ven
aeanoe. The word Messiah, however,
associated with the idea of restoring the
kingdom of heaven in Israel, was intol-
erable TO Romish ears Jesus himself
having become aware Of the failure which
the Messianic proclamation proved could
not and would not expect to escape the
revengeiul jealousy Of Rome. Herod
and the High Priest were probably the
only persons who might have saved him,
but neither of them had the independ- |
ence or, probably, the desire to do it;
both were slaves of Rome. Jesus was to |
Herod no better, but more terrible than
John; and the High Priest could be no
particular friend Of one Who had come |
to carry into effect that which theoeratic I
opponents Of priest aud prince preached !
and desired So the doom of Jesus was |
sealed; after a few days, giving him |
scarcely time enough to expound his |
scheme of salvation, the Romans cap
tured and crucified him. as thousands of
Jews were crueifed in those days by the |
same PLATE.
The Fruit Cabinet at Washington.
The Emit Cabinet Of the Arricnltnral |