The National tribune., 1890-02-06
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught BY Study of the Int
national SUNDAY school Lesson Appointed &

1t is supposed by certain chrOnologists st
John Baptist was born in the month of March
b. Q. 6. He began his work as forerunner oil
Christ when no was 90 years Of age. He be-
| lOnged to the tribe of Levi, being the son of q
priest. We learn from NJ, A 3, that priests
began their services as such at the age of 30
years. 80 st. John Baptist took up his work
March, b. G. %. st. Luke g.: /, q fixes the
time historically. Tberius Cesar was Emperor
OF Rome; Pontius PLATE Governor of Judea
| Ierod Antipas, of Galilee and Perea Herod
| Philip, of lturea and vicinity, and Lysanius oil
Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were high
priests. At the time St. John Baptist began to
preach Christ was about POI years old. He
followed st. John Baptist in about six months
Compare ST. Luke, 3: 23) Hence, in V. 2, it is
said, The Kingdom of Heaven is Mt hand"
| The Prophet Isaiah wrote about $50 years b. g.
Add the age of st. John Baptist to wit, 30
years, and we find the prophecy, alluded to in
| V. ;, was fulfilled about $50 years later.
The home of st. John Baptist during child
hood and youth was Juttah, small place in
the interior of Judea. He began preaching in
the vicinity of his home, up and down through
| tho wilderness of Judea. The word wilderness
in the Bible means place thinly inhabited,
unicnccd, uncutivated, resembling llanOs or
| stcppes, open fields pasture lands. He extcnded
his work on up northeast into the vicinity of
the lower Jordan, preaching and baptizing on
both sides the riverifrom about opposite Jeri-
cho to the mouth Of the Jordan.
| st. John is styled the Baptist to distinguish
| him from st. John the Evangelist He was tho
son of Iacharias and Elizabeth. He was six
months older than Christ. The two were first
cousins. He was officially the herald of Jesus.
| (Bal., B : /; st. John, /: 49, He was ascetic.
His raiment was of cancels hair. A leathern
| girdc fastened his apparel about the body. We
| do not judge he wore garments made direct
| from camel's pelt or raw hide. They were
| probably cut from goods made by spinning the
shaggier hair of Camel-a kind of drugget or
carpet-appearng cloth. The poor in the East
and monks still wear garments manufactured
from camePs hair and wool mixed 1t seems
the prophets were accustomed to rament thus
made. (2 XII, /: g. So false prophets initiated
such garments. (Zac., ID: A. Garments of
men in early days were long and flowing re-
quiring grdles To bind them close about the
waist. The girdle of st. John Baptist was
made of leather. Elijah the Prophet wore
such grdle. y XII, l. 81 Girdles were made
of linen, silk, gold and silver Leather was
indicative Of austerty. In st. Mark s account
of st. John Baptist q 81 the English version
has the work skin instead Of leather, but the
original Greek is the same in both cases.
" His meat was locusts and wild honey"
Jews were permitted to eat locusts. (Lev.. IL:
22) Bochart enumerates 10 kinds. Modern
travellers tell US these insects are a common
food in Asia and Africa. where they greatly
abound. The Greeks would eat locuSts, but
they did not particularly relish them, looking
on them as inferior food. The wings aud legs
were torn of and the entrails cast away, lcav-
ing the rest to put on spits for roasting
Sometimes the people dried and pulverized
them into meal for making bread. They also
cooked and dressed them i'm oil. In such cases
they often packed them in salt and cut off
slices as were required. Throughout Arabia
ocusts were strung AS dried apples often are in
America and brought TO market for sale. At
times they were boiled.
ST. John Baptist elso ate wild honey. There
was much such honey found in trees among
rocks and elsewhere. (Jud II: 8 +; Sa., II: 26 /;
Ps., 81 16.) Many have thought we are TO I'M
dcrstaud kind of substance which exudcs from
palm, fig, date, etc, trees. Rahbincal writers
mention palm honey, fig honey, etc Lange
says that perhaps ST. John Baptist ate honey
from bees and also from trees. As to his drink,
see st. Luke, l 4: 10. We see the changes of
dishes for the foreruuner OF Christ There
were different species Of locusts and various
kinds of honey. If he could not get the one,
he might the other. Adam Clarke, the Com
mentator, thinks no fried dried locusts in
| honey. We are not alone in our theory that
the meaning of the account is that he was
! obliged frequently to resort to the above diet,
and not that verse gives the entire bill of
fare.
"In those days" (Y II refers TO the times
covered by ~. Luke, 3: /. 2. Then Jesus was
| living at Nazareth. tSt. Matt. 2 23l
The work of ST. John Baptist was to preach
and baptize. BY preaching we understand her
aiding. herald preceded his principal to
prepare the populaCe for the on coming person.
age. He cried aloud to the people, command
ing them TO make everything ready, to clear
| the roads, TO remove all obstacles, and To show
due honor. Jesus was the Principal. st. John
| Baptist was to Christ simply what courtier is
to prince What was coming requiring a her
| aid 2 The Kingdom of Heaven" Who repre-
sented that Kingdom Christ. What prepare
ton was necessary on the part of the people
Religious preparation. spiritual receptiyeness,
heart reformation. Hence the message, Re-
pent.' This word refers 10 change of mind.
But modification of opinion must lead To
reversal of conduct. Hence reformation fol-
lowed the preaching. ST. John Baptist merely
voiced Christ AS Jesus is Gods Word So for
"A time, st. John Baptist was the word of Christ.
The work OF st. John Baptist was foreseen to
be 40 important as to call for the attention of
prophecy. ". 81
Besides preaching, st. John Baptist was to
baptize. Water is a symbol of purity. it may
DO used, some say, in the act of baptism merely
in symbolic way. The person i'll such case
is baptized. not to make him pure, but because
| he is pure. Others think baptism is not only
| symbolic but instrumental-that it becomes an
avenue of grace-that il is one of Gods chosen
ways of imparting tho Holy Spirit This last
view gives 10 baptism an additional signid-
canCe and Importance. IL becomes u means
of initial grace while the Holy Communion
becomes channel for constant streams of
holy influence As to the nature of the baptism
OF ST. John Baptist, students are not of quite
unanimous opinion. Some hold it was Chris
tian baptism, and, hence would not be repeated
whom Christ came. Others believe il was a
mere symbol of purity resulting through the
Holy Spirits influence from confession aud re-
pentance. Nor are all of one opinion as To the
method. The rite was performed in the JOr-
dan. Many hold this implies immersion. OF
these some think the method important, and
insist on this rs being the only way to baptize;
others, that the method was not the significant
| feature, but the water the significant element.
All Christians may yet see alike rs To doctrines
OF our holy religion; till then there will be
diversity of opinion. One must not be so set
to be persuaded of his own mind AS determined
10 be- led by the Spirit and convinced by the
Word of God
st. Marks account states the object of the
preaching and baptism. IL was the remission
of sins. They who need to repent have call for
| reformation But how of sins committed be-
fore repentance? They need pardon. Ii is
evident st. John Baptist had reference To
Christ in his preaching. acts, 10: ~ Christ
brought light salvation, immortality, forgive
ness. So the heralding and baptism of st. John
Baptist had reference to our redemption
through Christ
condition of baptism was the confession of