Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-01-09
he SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments For
January 10.
Su5jee.: The Preaching OF John the Baptist.
Matt. Ill. liz Golden Text. Matt. lii, 2
Memory Verses. <.e-commcn.
tary on the Days Lesson.

those days" The time is defined in Luke
!: j. IL was time OF moral dearth. All
Israel had become barren wilderness
The Roman emperor was despotie AMI
cruel. Herod and Plate were little bet
ter. The priesthood WIS filled with cor
rupt men, and even Caiaphas. the high
priest. was coarse and brutal. Under
such leaders the peopie had sunk into a
very low and de .raded moral condition.
1t had been four hundred wears since they
bad heard prophetic warnings. when sud-
denly John appeared upon the scene.
and Luke and by IosepSus. who mentions
his great influence and speaks OF the
crowds that Eorkcd to hear him preach.
Preaching. lleraldinc. word suggest
i: The proclamation OF a king. John was
great rcformcr I'm the wilderness"
John preached in the wild. thinly in
hahitcd region lying west OF the Jordan
and tie Dead Sea as far rorih As EHnr.
two-thirds OF the way to the Sea of CAL
lee. and on both sides OF the lower jor-
dan"
2. "Rercnt yc" Repentance includes.
I. Conviction. ,. Contrition. 2. Con-
fession. A. Reformation, and leads to
al preached repentance. Kingdom of
Heaven" As Jesus Is the Messiah, that j..
the Amounted. the King. 50 His gospel ia
law and His dispcnsatoa Kingdom
The kingdom Of Heaven and kingdom OF
God in the New Testament mean one and
the same thing and generally have reier
cnce to the spiritual KINGDOM which Christ
sets IN in the hearts OF HIS followers. AZ
hand" The Jews expected great national
9clivcrer The nearing here is that the
coming OF the Messiah 10 begin His domin-
ION IN earth. under the Christian economy,
is ut hand
.. "Esaias." The Greek form for Isaiah
.. a. =
see Luke .: 40. The Voice" The rrnnh
ccy draws attention to the work rather
than 10 the worker The voice of the
pronhet was iord ard distinct 'Prerarc
vc." The idea is taken from the practice
of Eastern monarchs. who. whenever. they
took a journey. sent harhingers before them
to prepare the way. The Jewish church
was the desert country. Paths straight. :"
This is ignrativc langraee The wor.;s
Illustrate the Strengthening force OF the
gosrcl. There mast he Il thorough prep
ara:on before Col. orr Kir" will cn-'c
to rs. The self-ine must he 'hroucht
low" The crooked dishonest life Eir.t
h. Strengthened. Let Us remove the OBJ
s:ructions of unhciici and carna. desires.
g. Had his raimcnt" Gle The a.
pearancc of JOHN was like tina. OF TIC
great pr0phct Eiiah in the popular mind.
He was clothed in the coarse. rough cloth
called sackcioth in the Scriptures. II
vas cheap. hnt admirable for keeping ont
the hrat. cold and rain. This mantle was
girs'cd around him with a leather grd'e OF
addressed hide His food consisted of
lor,,sts. closely resembling orr crasshop-
pcrs. and of wild honey. All this was a
natural a well ~ sirip,c mode OF 'ivin.
il those days in the wilderness. Meat"
Food 'I.ocusts" The law ri Moses CAV:
permission to eat locrSts lev II: 2O.
John here represents the symbols OF the
ha ,.raarkc= arnnr1inr n ~.
c'ent customs. The hair or sackc,otn.
Tie fasting and the solitude. were the
ordinary outward signs OF deepest humi.ia-
t:or.
II. Many confessions ma,lc Us :. 81.
). Went out" Lett their homes and
preaching. He was very successful and
the heart Of the who'c nation WAS stirred.
tvan Herod. the Kiag heard him gifilv
aud did many things" Mark G. 20l. M
the region The crowds must have heco
enormous. John WIS very popular. tut
opularitv had 70 effect upon sueA a. he.
:. Contrasting. Confession OF SIN i GA.
Of the marks OF true repentance. See l
John /: Q.
III. 4 thorough reformation demanded
Tvs. 7-l0l. :. When ne aw.' Ntea
honor lefty end fear.ess soul. secliin:
no selfish object. but bray.ng all oppose
ton for the MODEST ends. IONA had moth.
ing to lose or: his lie. and cared fog moth.
in. but the faithful discharge OF his Grtv.
"Ph1riseesr The name signifies sen
aratists They he'd tenacious,y II n liz
eral obedience OF the written Jaw and an
unwritten tradition 'Sadilcees.' They
adhered 10 the written law oi Moses bat
refused TO give muci weight to tradition.
They did not believe in futnge life. an.
ec's or spirits. said unto them The
thr.. leading religious sects At that time
were the Pharisees. SadduceeS and -
sencs. and he handled them with terrible
severity. He came into the forest OF bad
laws. absolute customs social inequalities.
religious bigotries. Righteousness and IN
temperance. swinging his gospel AK and
frying. Reform. Repent We brood nt
vIpers.' The reformer was thorough.
There was no compromising with the
worldly influences around him. Genera
tioa OF vipers. Brood OF yipers. Tins
denotes persons deceitful and malicious.
Q. Think not to say etc The natural
impulse of the unregenerate heart Is 20
seek out excuses and subterfuges when
the conscience is touched. John skaters
two common errors: The FIRST. that pap
tism would be sufficient to turn the wrath
OF God away. and second, that because
they are safe. These stones" Undoubi-
eddy a reference to the calling OF the Cen
tics. Out of these hard. uaregcneTGte
hearts God is abe to make hearts OF flesh
and children OF Abrah1G. 10. The az
is laid" There is an ailusion here To
a woodman, who. having marked a tree
tor excision. lays has Az a its ROOFS. while
he lays of his outer garment. in order that
he may WELD more powerful blows. The
Jewish nation is the tree. and the Romans
the AK, which. by the just judgments eli
Cod. was speedily to cut il down"
". John points to Christ Tvs. II, lal.
II. Unto repentance John was a re-
pentance preacher. This was "a baptism
requiring and representing an inward spir-
itual change" lie that cometh.' The
preaching OF John was preparing the minds
OF the people for the coming OF the Mes
siah, and they began to ask themselves
whether he were the Christ. But John
was not SOW to undeceive them regarding
himself. lis mightier." John clearly out
lined the work of the coming Messiah.
| His baptism will effect what mine Is pow
erless to do. Not worthy" John shows
his greatness by his ESTABLISHMENT. l..
Whose fam The fan, or the instrument
for the purging. IS the gospel. Floor
His church wheat" True believers
Garner The kingdom OF grace here
and of Heaven hereafter. "Unquenchable
fire." Nothing will be able TO extinguisll
the awful fires that will kindle around
- r Al