Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-01-03

FIRST LESSON or THE INTERNA-
TloNAL s. $. SERIES. JAN. /, 1883.

ttSt*ft< =. = O~ttt-~s 49,. - t~~
Comment. BY Rev. wiHiam Newton.
D. D.-Texf Of Lesson. Matt. xiv. ia.
Golden Text. Matt. xiv, Ie-sIemorize
verses $40.
fFrons Lessor, Helper Quarterly. by permission
Of H. $. Hoffman, Philadelphia. publisher-l
Notes. AT that time, l. e., Of the preced-
fng chapter. Herod the Tctrarch, or Herod
Anfipaa son Of Herod the Great; Tetrarch
ia strictneSs Of meaning, is the ruler of the
fourth part Of a kingdom. but sometimes, as
here. the third part, or Galilee and Perea-
Fame, or reports about his mighty works.
Ills servants. or the officers Of his court.
,IIeroIas. granddaughter of Herod the Great.
Charger a large dish or platter. The
dainseI. or Young woman, came, l. e., TO the
prison where John had been confined. Told
Jesus, l. G., of the death Of John.
Y 4 These words seem to intimate that
Ucrod had just then heard of the great
works Of Jesus. II seems that now, at last,
the officers OF his court had just begun TO
talk ai,oat him. and wonder who he could
be. Now. Ms Jesus had been going about
doinz his great works and speaking his won
serfui words for about eighteen months this
ignorance on the part of Herod and his great
men shows very clearly at how great dis
tanco they were living from all high and
holy Influences.
=. .. Clearly his courtiers were discussing
Jesus, and Hero1 undertook 90 enlighten them
about Him This great teacher, with whose
fame tie land was now ringing. was not
Jesus at all Ii was John the Baptist whom
he had bcicaded, who was risen from the
dead, and who therefore had power TO do
a.aasase great works. Now this declaration of
clssd shows:
Thef sower of guilty conscience; and the
wide Spires 4 belief III the resurrection; and
His conscience would not let him rest. He
knew that re wasa murderer He knew that
john was an upright and holy man, and that
truth and right were on his side. Yet he
knew that Is please an adulterous woman he
had shamefully put him TO death Is it
wonder he could not restg If such man as
Herod could hold the doctrine of the resur-
rection, its place in the popular mind must
We been well assured At least it must
been widely discussed, as indeed the
listcnce of the Sadducces, who denied
trine. proves il to have been.
s. Here lies the secret of Herod's
quiet And the links in the chain
~ these Herod had repudiated
wife and was living in adult
&c of his brother Philip. John
4lSed him for his great sin,
incurred the bitter en-
knat day he was q
fear of the
ing him to
licViiyii.-
y and
e him.
nd so must
cards he must
Us And so must
wfow. He must not only
~ ne must 'reprove and rebuke, u
Zoo "with all authority
how ready was Herod's response. s'He
pave killed John" No thought of
pif his sin by Righteousness or bis
ion by turning TO the Lord. John
hnsgrcssor here. And so the burn
mining light in Israel must be put
q the greatest of the prophets of the
VI borne to bloody death in order that
an adulterous woman might be gratified in
her revenge
Yet all through John was stronger than he
thought. Herod feared John. He knew he
was a prophet, and the sanctities of spot
less character shut him in on every side
va The tbirthday,n here, probably
means the anniversary of his accession to
power. 1t was usual for kings to observe
this day with great pomp-as Herod doubt
less did on this occasion. This daughter of
Herodiasa was Salome, her daughter by her
FIRST husband. She must have partaken of
her mothers character, for no modest female
would have made such an exhibition of her
self before such an assembly. Knowing him
rs she did, was this all planned by Herodias,
70 bring about her long plotted revenge on
joint Inhamed by wine, by music, by the
brilliant surroundings Of the feast and the
dancing girl, the king bound himself with an
oath TO give her whatsoever she desired
Mark adds, "even to the half Of his king
tom.a
v $40 Hero was the opportunity do
sired. And it was well improved, too; for;
instructed by her mother, she demanded
the head Of John the Baptist. What re
quest for Young girl to make. What sa-
tanic hate>lnust have ranked in the heart
flasrfompted it What aptitude in hateful
things in tho lips that uttered it. No doubt
Her0d was beyond measure surprised. Even
he had not expected it. But in the madness
Of his folly he had bound himself by an oath
which he thought he could not break, and
the presence Of those invited guests forbade
him to do even If he could. And so the COM
snand was given: John was beheaded and his
head presented to the ianlsel, who in turn
presented it to her mother. The whole ghast-
ly business is done, and John lies headless in
Che prison
V IL. The news was not long in spreading.
His disciples heard of it. and with reverent
and affectionate sorrow took up his body and
buried IL, and ''went and told Jesus Now,
there is something very beautiful in this.
Their former jealousy Of Jesus, for Johns
eakc, seems to have died away; and they told
him Of the danger that might reach even to
him. OF course they knew not the secret tie
that bound them together. They knew not
that as il Jared with John SO it would with
him. whose coming John hcralded. They
knew not that Johns bloody death in his
prison was but the index finger pointing to
Jesus on the cross Still they went and told