The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-01-04

First Quarter, Lesson !. January 8, 11os
A pREvrEW.
LESSONS OF tho next six months arc In tho
Go,pei and Revelations OF 81. Jon.l
| a fisherman, yet having social access to tlie
high priests pnlaco; unlilenr, yet init.
inalcly familiar with Judea; Of none OF tho
| schools, yet pennlng. 1.-THE hoblcst thing IN
literature; gentle TINT sacred nrt has PIC.
tured hin, us eftemlnnte. yet II son OF thun-
der and s h1s nsry temper occasion
aro.hhsr;" yet the nex. seeing a herctis q
IL bath running from IT. and crying, "Fiy
lest tho house full upon us, for Cerinthus,
enemy Of the truth. Is .withlnl' 1t would DO
ar Interesting study In psychology to fnd
tile making OF IN ideal character.
But all curious Incidents fade when com.
pared with Johns Immortal achievement.
70 DO standing upon q narrow neck betwesr,
TIM. and sternity. ST. Paul had already
made his last missionary Journey and writ
thirty years before. The Benjamin Of the
sl,o a y the only one now alivo. The
elders e,. Of Ephssus arc urging him. to put IN
heard from bis lips "eg ge,tatera ent o'ss Of
apostoic doctrine seems necessary subse.
G it sn ,S tho complete severance from judd
Johns pen Is tho last with apostolic author.
ity He Yields. He writes
,sts o, experimenting OF the Other evansel:
II not an accident. 1t In true John omitted
many important matters. probably because
W., was i. far from his purpose TO merely bring
up the rear and CLEAN what they passed by."
lnstend OF Intending minute biographical
monograph. his writing Is an argument. He
states proposition and addresses. himself
20 the maintaining OF It. Ills noble motif is
t that the reader may believe that Jesus Is
the Christ. and that believing, he may have
life His method is to take scenic incidents
and typical persons and report Jesus words
!. W 80 that there
reader 10 halt that he may reflects he
gives the argument In epitome, shows VIII;
follows. makes application. and rarely falls
to swing the censor OF praise.
John and his Gospel defy criticism. The
SOU 'n tran exea Tim This !, pv' hsa
&C spel. the gospel Of the world. He Himself
has IS been called the seraphie apostle The
his emblem. He soars high! He sees far!
THE WORD MADE FLESH.
Bird OF God with boundless flight
Soaring far beyond the height
or the bards or prophets old;
Truth fulfilled and truth to be-
Never purer mystery
Did purer tongue unfold.
a. u.
There is not in literature finer example
OF adaptation OF style to subject. The
nobiesi and protoundest thought Is here
tho Sisttne irescocs are In art, this para
graph is In written speech. Yet with ali this
sta q, there Is an inherent simplicity
Tho similarity between tho opening OF the
Iook OF Genesis and the opening of Johns
Gospel Will be readily recognized. The pro.
iogue is in the form OF Hebrew poetry. which
consists largely OF the recurrence to pre-,
viotslY expressed thoughts, with altered
phrase and added meaning.
II may be paraphrased as follows: AS the
articulate word drops from the lip OF tho
SPEAKER on ear OF nearer, SO the Messiah
comes from God to man. He is the vehicle
sctcus and Involuntary vehicle. For the
word had an eternal existence with Col
he vas God RON the beginning. SO far
from being asmere of mir, an artl-
ststins, too. Infinite power and intelligence,
for all things were made by Him. and apart
from Him not even one thing came into be-
ing. This Logos IL source OF life and light
Int the moral. darkness OF humanity. but
1t Gould not apprehend Him. II was like
q lamp trying TO penetrate = fog
In the fullncss of time, however, there
came a herald-John Baptist-in ali respects
worthy OF his transcendent Office. His mis-
sioi. was to announce the coming OF the
Llfht who has already impaired something
OF Himself 10 men, one by one as they had
come into the world. For He was all the
while imminent In the world which He hal
made although unrecogniSed.
Now, at length. In tho incarnation. lie
came visbly In a form most easily recos- |
n:3able TO n people prepared to apprehen1
Him by lonG-continued and gracious dspei,. /
setlons. AS far as the mass was concerned. |
1t was a failure. ~ their obdu- |
RAGS OF heart they received Him not.
But to such as did take OF Him." ap- |
proprlatins Him by faith as Saviour. lie |
gave the right to become inheritors of the
Divine nature. Such as are beeotten OF
he privileged above others