The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-08-18
INTERNATIONAL LESSON

4 5ls < Al ';i5s y I'll
INTERNATIONAL IS. s.. LESSON
August y, 1900: John *, III. n
TIE Man Born Blind. Il
To the thirty-thrse parablas the thlr-
ty-three miracles Of Jesus may well be
added; for the latter we're in fact para
bies too-deeds packed with an inax-
haustiblei symbolism..PS The up:
lifted stones the glaring faces Of those
who thlrstea FOR his blood, had tust
forclbly reminded Jesus OF tho rapid
APPROACH OF the night Of death. in which
he must cease from these symbolic
deeds. He will crowd the few remain
Ing hours full of them. :. " Among
the lazzaronl crowdins the5approach to
the temple stands the we'll known bsg-
gar blind from birth. Pfcnnlngcr, with
the instinct ola post, ilmasines dis
cusslon among the apostles as they haif
halt in passing: Judah began, His
parents must have heavily slnned..
Thomas replied. Or God foresaw great
sin In him.. John adds, I know not
what TO think thereon Peter finally
breaks out, Master. tell US who e,
- The words Of Jesus may. have
fallen upon the ears Of the unfortunate
man, all the more alert because the
other sense was lost. These words may
have been the Seeds Of that faith which
WIS so soon to shake like Lebanon.
Neither this man nor his parents!" =.
What JOY TO be rid of the odi-
Gus lmpntation cat at him from child
hood. that his phenomenal suffering
must be the penalty OF phenomenal sin.
Now that he is In this sad and, hu-
manly speaking. remediless plight, he
furnishes a rare subject for the display
OF my Divine power. 1 will make him ii
new, indubitable. and lustrous seal
upon my claimfto Messiahship." i.
It pleased the Master to condescend to
the use OF the crude materia mcdIca OF
the day in order to strengthen the
growing faith Of the unfortunate man.
and to make the cure the more con-
spicuous. Across the city he goes, hcld-
Ing the ponltlces OF clay to his sight
less eyes, followed by. an ever-incrcas-
ing crowd Of curiosity -mongcrs; Some
of whom, no doubt, gbe at. his gcredu-
lity. He went; he washed; he saw. AS
the clay lozengers dropped, slloam's
mlrrored surface reflected for him the
betting crass Of the temple-crowned
mount, and over all the azure dome. =
What wonder this his very
nelghbors doubted the identity OF the
man upon whose expresslonless face the
light OF the soul was now pouring
through his open eyes! The man him!
self has passed into new world, but
has no doubt about his being the same
man who once cried on the temple
steps: Pity one born blind" Nor has
he a shadow OF doubt as 10 who
wrought his cure. Mayhaps some hired
and over-alert emissary, of the Sanhe-
drim hales him before that august
body. 1t was, for them, the most un-
fortunate catch" they ever made, Tha
mad deposes like self-possessed Wit
ness. He rests the Irresistible. LAYER OF
his logic upon an lndisputable fact, and
bears down upon 1t with the vigor OF
true manliness. Behold YOU, the an
rinnt younfed cntncs, cuparut -, ,,,,r,
ofan cflete ecclesiasticlsm topples to Its
fall! There is Wild scurrylng to its
rescue. 'ast' The attempt Is made
TO terror!ze the mans parents into the
lie TINT his blindness was not congeni-
tai. Their very tlmidity enhances this.
value OF their testimony: The man him.
self is now recalled. and, as II In his alb
scnce foul plot had been discovered to
/, foist Jesus upon tho nation BY means OF
fictitious miracle, he is adjured by all
the pains and penalties at discretion OF
the Sanhcdrim to deny the validity OF
his cure. . Like n pillar OF Her.
cules this humble man stands while the
highest court of his nation frcts itself
Into q foam of rage against him. lie
ls overborne atlength. and swept con-
temptuously out like so much filth and |
oftscouring. But no lslQuickly found OF
Jesus, and ensconced in that church
against which the gates of he'll shall
ne'er prevail. So
.. q. I