Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1900-06-07
Sunday ~ School " Lesson.
DIR. II. X. iIINDE.
DEATH OFJOUN THE BAPTIST

DEATH OFJOHN THE BAPTIST
Mark G:14-2O. June 10, 1900.
Golden Text: BE not drunk
with wine wherein is excess; but
befil led with the pii'it.-Eph. 5:S.
This is New Testament ti'ag-
edy, most wildly portrayed, and II
character study of intense interest
to every Bible student. 1t is in
! tended to be il temperance lesson,
and the sequel shows that drunk
cnness was the real cause of the
tragical end of the Baptist.
KING HEROD.
This was Antipas, the son of
Herod the Great. There seems to
be scarcely redeeming trait III his
character. He had married the
daughter of Aretas, an Arabian
king, and abandoned her for He
rodias. the lawful wife of his elder
brother, Philip. IL was done un-
der circumstances of the baSest
trcachery to his brother whose
guest he was at Rome. He was
living in open adultery with He
rodias, and thereby bringing scan
dial, and great evils, upon his
country.
HERODIAS AND SALOME.
Bad as was HerOd, Herodias
was the worse of the two. She Is
the Lady Macbeth of the New Tes-
lament, and the Jezebel of the
Old. She had married Philip from
motives of selfish ambition, hoping
that her husband would become
heir of the whole kingdom. But
now that Philip was poor, and An
tipaS was rich, and dwelt i'll the
golden house ut Liberals, she
wished to be his queen and to
stand at the head of the court, and
had no scruples in deserving her
lawful husband and living an adul-
ferrous life with his brother and her
uncle.
When John the Baptist publicly
reproved them for their adulterous
life, and Herod hesitated and was
"much perpleXed' what to do,
Herodias "set herself against
John, and desired to kill him, and
was only prevented from doing so
by Herod's precaution i'll throwing
him into prison. But bad wom-
ans hate and revenge never lets
up. She must kill him to shut his
mouth. She waited her oppOrtu-
nifty. She ruled Herod rs Jezebel
did Ahab, and as Lady Macbeth
did her weak and cowardly hus-
band. She laid her plans and an
ticipated every event. The time
at length came. 1t was Hcrod ;
birthday banquet. She prepared
her daughter with cXegent skill fol
the voluptuous dance. Forgetting
or disregarding, Il mothers obliga'
ton, she would sacrifice her owl
child to crafty fiendish revenge
She knew the effects of the intOXi
eating drinks used at these ban
Quets. With all the baser passions
excited by wine, the drunken King
and his high captains and chic
men of Galilee would be i'll Il stat,
of mind to be corrupted by the las
civiOuS and beautiful dancing girl
The scheme, so well and Wicked!
planned, succeeded. Salome danced
off the head of the Baptist, n
many lascivious dance has Sine
led to the ruin of good men.
need not give details. Methink
the angels would have wept coul,
, they have witnessed the scene
, The wicked Herodias was eagerl.
watching the effect and was read,
, for the answer when her daughte
, said, what shall | ask" TIL
, order was given and quickly tn
. CORY head of the man of God wa
brought by the giddy girl, in
charger, have words of condem
nation, not so much for Salome, a
J, for Herodias. That mothe