River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-12-30

wise have had. At the same time
these peculiarities made his message
all the more striking to the minds
of the people.
AS an illustration of his boldness,
he challenged some of the promin
ent religionists of his time, who
came to his preaching and baptism.
He declared that they were the off
spring of vipers and that their re-
pentance would not be considered
genuine without certain proofs.
They must rid themselves of the de-
fusion that they could inherit any
share in the Kingdom merely be-
cause they were the natural children
of Abraham, since God was able to
fulfill his promise TO Abraham
| along other lines.
Johns declaration that now the
axe was laid at the roots of the trees
and that all not bringing forth good
fruit would be hewn down and cast
into the fire, was merely fgurative
way of saying that the testing time
for the Jewish people had come,
that it was an individual matter,
and that only such as bore good
fruit in their characters and lives
would any longer be recognized of
the Lord as Israelites and identified
with the Kingdom. All the remain
der, cut off from those privileges,
would go into the fire of tribulation
and destruction with which their
national existence would cease.
He was faithful in telling his
hearers that his work and his bap-
tism were merely preparatory; that
the greater teachings and the higher
baptism Messiah would institute.
The honor and dignity of Messiah
were SO great that in comparison he
was not worthy to be his most mental
servant to carry his shoes. Messiah's
baptism would be OF two parts, the
one upon the faithful, the other up
on the unfaithfu1. "Israelites in
! deed" he would baptize with the
holy Spirit and subsequently the
unworthy, the mountaineering,
would experience baptism of fire,
+, of trouble, of national destruction.
Again he illustrated the character
J of Messiah work in their nation,
| comparing it to the winnowing of
wheat from chaff. The entire mass,
their nation, would be tossed about
by the great winnower, in order that
every grain of wheat might be found
and separated from the chaff. The
wheat was cared for, garnered, to a
new state or condition at Pentecost
and subsequently. The chaff of the
nation was cast into fire of trouble,
instruction and anarchy, which
consumed them as people, nation
ally, A. D. 70. That fire was un-
| quenchab1e in the sense that it was
the Divine intention that the nation
should be consumed and it was not
in the power Of the ablest of states
men and rulers to prevent this-to
quench the fire. 1t burned itself
out, as stated.
St. Paul calls attention to this
matter saying, Wrath is upon this
people unto the uttermost," that all
things written in the Law and the
prophets concerning them should
have ful6llment. Many of our
readers have the Studies in the
Scriptures" in their libraries: we
commend to them a study of this
most inter ssting feature, which is
closely related to to-day's study.
An antitypical Elijah is there shown,
composed of Jesus in the flesh and
his followers in the flesh, who must
do preparation work in the world
in introduction of the Messiah of
glory, Jesus the Head, and the
Church his Body.