The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-01-07
rrz -uv,Ay
i.etsnB IN the lptrrunt
Tor January ~. ~ t~+t
ofJohn the pfp.i.
THE LESSON TENT

I IN those days came John
preacl ng IN the wndrrn, t
2 Aud saying Repent ye; lor
dcm Heaven is at'Eand
g. For this is He that was
the prophet Esaias. saying. ~
One crying in the wildern, S.
the way OF the Lord. make las
straight
a. And the same John had hi rain
OF camers hair. and leathcrn
about his loins; and his meat was .'ri.
and wild honey.
8. Then went out to him Jerusalem. and
all Judea, and all the region round about
Jordan.
6. And were baptized Of him in Jordan.
confessing their sins.
T. But when he saw many OF the rhar-
isoes and Sadducees come TO his baptism,
he said unto them, o generation OF vpcrs,
who hath warned you to fee from the
wrath to come?
s. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance:
Q. And think not to say within your
selves. We have Abraham to our father:
for / say unto you, that God Is able of these
stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
10. And now also the ak Is laid unto the
root of the trees: therefore every tree
which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire.
II. I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but He that cometh after me
is mightler than I, whose shoes / am not
worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost, and with FIRE:
12. Whose fan Is in His hand. and He will
thoroughly purge His floor, and gather
His wheat unto the garner: but He Will
burn up the chan with unquenchable fire.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Repcnt ye; for the
kingdom of Heaven IL ut hnnd.-Mntt
3,2.
| OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
Preaching OF John the Baptist. Matt S:1-1G
/ Preaching of John the Baptist. Mark 1:2-s
/ Preaching of John the Baptist. Luke 3l-ls
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Last Sundays lesson practically GOV.
| cred the years from b. c. (the birth o
Jesus) to A. d. &C. The young manhood
of Jesus was spent at Nazareth. Every
Jewish father was expected to teach hi!
son trade. so. as Joseph was carpen
ter, we may be sure Jesus spent these
quiet home years at the carpenters bencl
! with His father Here He continued tt
grow "in favor with God and men," Thii
is all we know of His life till the time o
His baptism. Matt. 3:1--4-11 takes III
the history again and we study this mex
as the prelude to the public ministry o
Jesus.
"In those days." the expression Of on
writing of things that happened loni
ago: Luke gives exact dates tLuE
3:1-2). John began preaching In tn
summer Of A. D. &C. "The wilderness q
Judea:" the thinly Inhabited parts q
NJ g
pent:" The keynote Of Johns preach
ing. John said. Repent; Jesus said, Be
lieve; John warned bad men Of th
wrath TO come: Jesus welcomed thos
who were willing to live II, to the nnhl
life OF children Of God. For this is He:
The words of Matthew, not of John th
Baptist Spoken of through Tsaiah:
Is. 40:3. These verses. in the origiua
refer to the return Of the Jews from thel
Babylorlan captivity. "Nfare we read
the way Of the Lord" The thought We
: of q triumphal procession Of cnptives RI
turning under the leadership Of Jehr
vah, before whom the herald and "pic
neer corps" prepared the way. IRA
ment OF camel's hair" A garment {
coarse. rough cloth. Compare the d.
scription of Elijah in Kings l:S. 'Lc
Gusts and wild honey" Food still ca
; on by the poor Of the cast.
.. "They were baptized . conressin
| their SINS" Johns converts must ha,
needed his message % repent" and III
confession OF their guilt-hurdcns
souls was natural The significance
!, this rite lay not in itaelf--the manner
! applying the water nor even in the me-
. who officiated-but In the state OF hea
of which Il was a sign and a symbol
"Pharisoes:" A sect deyotirp then
. selves to the study, Interpretation al
observance of the law OF Moses. The
!, were the strictly orthodox party. "Sa
= ducees:" A sect broader In their viey
Of the law than the Pharisees TIL,
: constituted something like a polite
!, party and practically controlled Il
: high priesthood under the Romans. Tht
;, found no ground in the Old Testament Fl
!. belief in immortality and so denied
a Fruit worthy of repentance" Coz
:. ancestors will not save bad men. Jof
taught that men should trust to nothil
but personal righteousness
John plainly says that his work is pr
paratory and subordinate to that of
Coming One, who was almost at han
. These verses show Johns idea of VIII
that One was to be. THE whole ba
tism of the Messiah, as John conceiv
It, is a baptism of Judgment '-Brut
8 How different from the reality W
y Johns idea! 'In the Holy Spirit and
It fire." Johns baptism was external,
3, symbol of an internal reality. The ba
le tism of Jesus was not external at a
% He baptized no one in the ordina
sense IT was a spiritual thing. who
fam" Or winnowng shovel. The
strument with which the wheat "
thrown into the air that the wind mig
get at it and blow out the chaff. 10
thought the work that was needed a
therefore the work that the Coming o
would do, was to separate in a summa
way the good from the bad, 1t is doul
full whether he thought of his success
as trying to make bad men good--g
ing, as II were, the very chaff chan
. sharps and Flats,
The Gospel of another life gives |
to this one
n This life may be for our passage, bu
90 Is not our port,