The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-04-28
INTERNATIONAL S. S. LESSON.
April 90, 1900. Luke vii, 1928,
Jegus and John the Baptist.

The Bible pictures its heroes just as
they are. II uses neither veneer nor
varnIsh. We see Noah drunk, Abraham
tImorously prayaricatlng, Moses angry,
Elijah flying. David with homIcIdal
blood upon his hands. Solomon most
"pxorious of kings" II the Btbte were
a man-made hook, 1t would have given
us a series OF Ideally perfect charae-
tiers. On the contrary, 1t deals with
heroic fidelity with its principal heroes.
-. Even the dauntIess fore
runner of Christ faltered in his faith.
The unyieldlng despotism of Herod; the
sudden and complete change of his en-
vironment, from the unconstralned and
wholesome atmosphere Of the wilder
ness to the narrow, mIasmatic cell Of
Afachaerus, whose only outlook was to-
ward the sulphurous Sea of Death;
from tlraless activity to enforced idle
ness; from sunlight to shade-together,
1t was enough to rive heart Of oak.
So we find the voice
that had so unhesltatingly cried, BE
hold the Lamb OF Cod" now sending to
Jesus to know whether he was that
Lamb or no. So far from treating the
captive prophets embassy with harsh
ness or indignIty, Jesus welcomed, 1t.
He attached the messengers to his per-
son, and made them observers of his
Messlanlc miracles When
they had seen enough to convince them,
Jesus dismissed them with the simple
Injunction that they should tell the i'm
prlsoned prophet what they had OBJ
served, knowing that the oppressed
heart would fame up once more before
these indubitable marks OF the Messiah.
,.... With Divine constituencies,
Jesus forestalls any unfHvorable i'm
preston which Johns lnquIrIng en-
bassy was likely to make. He hastens
to shelter his kInsman and herald from
adverse criticism. He said: b.
You nil were OF that mighty throng
that went out to Johns preaching and
baptism. Did you find character as
pIlable as the reeds on Jordan's bank?
No! no! rather giant oak unaffected
by veerlng gales. Or was 1t to see a
dllettante and obsequious courtIer car
Ing only for luxurious garments Of the
kings wardrobe, or the dainty viands
OF his buttery? If that was what you
sought you had better gone to the
kings court than to the wilderness. The
leathern girdle. the tocusts and wild
honey, are evidence Of the self-deny-
Ing character of John Baptist. Had he
been a crInglng. currying time-server,
Machaerus walls would never have
closed upon him. $3.50. You went to
see prophet. You saw that and more
even Jehovnh's messenger-the last Of
the line the only prophet to whom
prophets themselves had borne witness.
The character was fitted to the Office.
and the office To the character, Like
every dnuntless enunciator OF truth, he
was a wedge splitting society nsunder.
People and publlcans needed him, JUS
tIliPd God and were baptized unto re-
pentance; but Pharlsees and doctors Of
law, welded rs they were to the old
regime, needed not the inward divine
monltlons which chorded exactly with
the prophets spoken word 49,. This
illustrates well the outward character
Of the present generation. They are
like children at charndes, one party Of
whom, with obstinate pettishness, re-
fuses TO respond alike to the lively
notes of the wedding march or the lug
ubrlous cadonce Of funeral procession
al. SO my forerunner came, prince
Of ascctics, wearing the grating sack
cloth, woven Of the harshest kind OF
camels hair, eating nbstemiously of
the fare of the abiectly poor. At John
YOU shook your heads knowingly and
parted his nagellantal blows by affirm
ing him possessed. / catna and mingled
In the sweet amenities of yoursooinlilfe,
npd you pronounced me lIbldlnous, But
in the ANAL analysis this wisdom. which
is from above. Is trIumphuntly vlndl-
cnted In the lives and characters Of
those who really possess It,"
The Teachers Lantern
Many a noble martyr has weakened