The herald., 1896-01-27
John the Baptist

while it is day; the night cometh when no
man can work.
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was the subject of the
lesson at Friday Morning club rooms by v.
C. Lewis, who said:
Read third chapter of Luke, fifteenth to
twenty-second verses, inclusive. l will
read the lesson from the Rotterdam trans
laton. The subject of this lesson is the
ministry of John the Baptist, and it is pre-
sented to the mind in the light of an evoln-
tionary process. Evolution is an eternal
law, and it ia law that is minds intelli-
gence. In the study of this subject / wish
to show you a little of the method that we
follow. For instance, we study the New
Testament asEwe study any other book; f.;
that is, we separate the tares from the
wheat. The world has studied the testa-
ment, but has not heretofore studied it in
that manner. We have been told that it was
all gospel truth and that we were to believe
the whole of it. When Jesus says we must
separate the tares from the wheat, we
read from the New and the Old Testament
in the same manner. In the first place we
want to see what is true. If no one stadied
the New or the Old Testament until every
question of doubt was set aside they would
not study it at all. AS we are satisfied
that such men as Jesus, Peter and Paul
did live and did teach. we study their
writings for the truth in them that is
applicable to our time. We study science
and health in the same way that we study
the Old Testament; to find out the assist
ance and instruction that it can give lis in
relation TO the New Testament. There is
no use IN studying any book except in this
manner. The whole condition, then, is a
condition of mind. This plan of trying
to believe the whole is best met by
a statement of what is therein contained.
To illustrate: Science and Health, page
SAL, says "John the Baptist prophesied
the coming of the immaculate Jesus" The
question that naturally presents itself to
my mind is: why should we call this
prophecy?" A general statement Of the
facts are: We read that jesus mother
and Johns mother were cousins; that
these two families interchanged thoughts !;
that Mary knew before John was born that
he was to be born; that Elizabeth knew be-
fore Jesus was born that he was to be born /;
that friendly and familiar intercourse
zant of each others condition and work. l
can see that John could have been natur-
ally informed of Jesus. That, per-
baps, when Jesus and John had
conversed Jesus had explained TO
John and John knew that Jesus was
far superior to him in knowledge-knowl-
edge that the kingdom of God is at hand. So
that John prophesied of Jesus coming but
that John was already cognizant of the
fact that Jesus, the teacher, was there.
Now, by that simple process of thought
have eliminated from my mind all super
stition in regard to that event, and it be-
comes perfectly natural-one man coming
to prepare the way for those who are not
prepared.
Herbert Spencer says: "That which in
highest nature is occasional and feeble
may be expected with further evolution to
become habtual and strong, and that
which characterizes the exalted and high
may be expected eventually to character
ize all. For that which the best human
nature is capable of is within the reach of
human nature at large"
So, then. whatever doctrine Jesus or
John taught, no matter how high, it is
something that is human nature and that
human nature can attain unto. Human
nature, however, must attain to it through
this natural law of evolution. The world
has not made SUCCESS of forcing upon
men, either individually or collectively,
thoughts that they are not prepared for.
We are governed by this unchanging law
the law of evolution. Referring to the text
the question naturally arises: "What Is
holy spirit?" When Jesus says: 1.-THE
words / speak unto you, they are spirit.''
that is spirit. What then is holy spirit ?
The same surely, nnmixed with supersti-
ton in any form, that is wholly spirit.
Then one is to baptise men with holy spirit
by teaching them the unadulterated trnth.
This then is capable of being reduced to a
rule of life, of health.