The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-29
INTERNATIONAL S. S. LESSON FIhIAkIr-T,A1
Studies In the Iife 81 Jes,,s.

carved out OF a mountain side with In
finite toll. Thousands OF tons OF living
rock have thus been wrought Into hu-
man form by workmen dead and for
gotten for millenniums. With a fixed
and fatal look. which is appalling,
those faces, most perfect ever pro-
duced by Egyptian art, peer across tho
sands Of the old hushed l Egypt" A
Greek sister to these strong Egyptian
colosi once stood under the roof Of tho
Parthenon. It was PhidIas's MASTER
piece, the statue OF P;lllas Athene. It
lowered forty feet, was wrought out Of
ivory and sold. and had blazing Jewels
for eyes. The face is described as beau
tlful and serene. worthy OF the serious
Goddess OF Wisdom. Thus 1t would BIO
possible to 90 from one nation to an
other OF antiquity, and describe a
statue typical OF its art and thought.
But when this should be done, samples
only would be given ot>>s.iat incalcurable
multitude of images which genius and
indomItable patience fairly people tho
Old World Of the Far East. There they
are In fresco. mosaic, bas-relief, efigies
colossal and minute, grand and gro
tesque. But It is ignorance only, that
laughs at the sphinxcs. winged bulls,
plnioned lions, hawkhcaded men, and
many breasted women that fill the
ruins of palace and temple. This was
the striving OF the heather mind to
express It's ideal Of the Deity. The
patient scholarship Of to-day has put the
key of ancient mythology in our hands,
and we can recognize everywhere the
symbols OF the attributes. powers and
deeds of the Deity. In spite of all the
boldness Of its striving. however. its
earnestness and the inhniteness Of Its
patience. we are compelled, even In
presence Of its masterpieces, TO pro-
nounce that word failure; for no i'm
age craven by art or mans device can
show forth God. The material can
never satisfactorily interpret to us the
spiritual; but this Unsuitable desire Of
the human soul to have or make some
| VI LGllS--GL ASSlIC
| which expressed Itself In infinite and
| painful, but unsuccessful, striving-at
length had Its satisfaction; not In 4
chiseled colossus. not In an image Of
ivory and gold. not in cold and breath
less marble-but in throbbing, loving
human heart. $3.50 ST. John may well
be called the Apostle OF the Incnrna-
ton. AS In the writings OF st. Paul,
the doctrine Of Justification by faith is
pre-eminent, and in the Episrle OF
james the Just the gcnuineness Of faith
as certified by good works is conspicu-
Gus. 50 the chief teaching OF John Is
that tho Lord was made flesh. John
lays X down as the infailibie test of a
teachers soundness that he shall con-
Tess that Jesus Christ hath come In the
flesh. It Is test OF the believer MS well.
whatsoever believeth that Jesus Is the
Christ Is born OF God" The !ncarna-
ton Is presumably true. The loving
Father will satisfy the aspiration Of
his children for manifestation OF him.
self, That manifestation Will occur at
the earliest possible date In the history
OF the race, when humanity Is able 10
avail itself OF It to the best advantage.
No better form better suited to accomp-
lish the end desired can be IMAGINED
than that which was taken. The man
Christ Jesus exemplfied the moral
qualities which are essential to the
highest type Of manhood. Assuming
that Jeus was an honest and competent
Witness. we have in his own declara-
tons the evidence Of the reality Of the
incarnation. 'lIe that hath seen mo
hath seen the Father" Jesus an
swered, and said unto him, II n man
love me he will come unto him. and
make our abode with him." my Faith
er workcth and I work" THAT nil
should honor the Son. even as they hon.
or the Father" Before Abraham was
am" II am that Bread of Life which
came down from heaven" 1t Is often
asked, why are four Gospels given
hsi Tradition tells Of Kind who. de-
string perfect likeness OF himself
transmitted to posterity, employed four
artists. Two painted the opposite PRO-
files, third the front view, the fourth
u sculptor, carved n statue, This
may represent the work of the evanrel-
lists. They picture Christ from their
various standpoints. Each presents a
mashed picture. But the four together
prlhs out all the features of Jesus. "The
four Gospels are, as It were, the sacred
stercoscope which gives TO us n record
OF our Savior. not In its bare surface.
put In Its living solldity." The en-
plems OF the evangelists early adopted,
and supposed 10 be derived from Ezclk
*, are significant; man for Matthew
oec2use he brings out the human char
acter OF Jesus; n lion for Mark, be-
cause OF the energy with which he
writes; an OK for Luke, to signify the
prie1tly character OF Jesus: an eagle
Tor John, because he scars lnSo the
mysteries Of the Godhead. Matthew.
an apostle, wrote In Judea, and pri-
marily for the Jews. His guiding
thought was Christianity, The fulfill
ment Of Judaism: his characteristic
sentence. That the saying NIGH. be
fulfilled" Mark, representing the
apostle Peter. wrote in Italy, for the
Romans, the 'anccdotll gospel; char
acteristic word. 'straightaway." Luke,
representing the APOSTLE Paul, wrote
from Corinth to Greeks. the gospel of
Progressive Christianity" character
istic sentence. WHO went about doing
good" John. nm apostle, wrote in Eph-
esus. FOR the whole church. "the Gospel
OF Christ rs the Eternnl Son and Incar-
nate Word:" characteristic sentence,
"Thc Word became flesh" The first
three Gospels are called the Synoptics.
bccauce they cpitomize the life of