The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-04-15
Gaturday Digit
TS2IHc By Rev. F. E. DAWSON
Nut1AS Rutland, VI
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DIVINE CREDENTIALS OF THE
KING.
international Bible Lesson for April
II, '1o-(Matt. 11:1-1e).

fault OF which Is they will not work.
| Drawings on paper do not always rep
| resent perfection OF material. Many
man has mining stock full of amazing
promises but upon which he has never
realized a dollar and never will. Gold
bricks are sold every day in the open
market, and to get something for
nothing is the hope of all men.
It is one thing to claim authority
and another thing to prove it. Frauds
and imposters have deceived the very
elect before now. 1t is easy enough
to fake credentials and forge certif-
Gates of good character that will pass
the scrutiny OF the unwary. Many a
man has sailed under false colors, a
reputable merchantmen, outwardly,
but a pirate at heart. Satan himself,
We are told, can transform himself
into an angel of light, and do his in
feInal deeds by hypnotizing his vic
tins into the belief that he is a mes
senger OF heaven.
Credentials Sought.
1t is well, therefore, that our atten-
tion is called in this lesson to the
kings credentials. John the Baptist,
In the hands OF his enemies, after a
wonderful career as revivalist, fell
in,o a state of mind in which was as
sailed by doubts in regard to the Mes
siah. Shut up in prison. his soul fret
ted like a Gagged lion, and as he paced
his cell, the darkness and the
chill struck into his very soul, and
he staggered on the brink of despair
at the thought that after all he may
have been deceived. When great
man gets the blues he has hard time
OF it. No small mind can suffer the
horrors as keenly as he can. And
John was blue. So he sent some OF
his faithful disciples to put the ques-
tion squarely to Christ, Art Thou He
that should come, or do we look for
another?
And when John asked that question
he put It for all the ages 1t is q
straightforward question and it ad-
mits OF but one answer. Christ could
have replied to John in monosylla-
bles. He could have answered yes.
or no. But He did better. He pro-
duced His God given credentials. For
ages it had been declared that the Mes.
siah should be distinguished in eer-
tain significant ways. When He cams
It was foreordained and predestined
that He should be identified by His
deeds Of love and mercy. Moses had
said that Isaiah had drawn His pic
ture All the prophets had minutely
described His career The Old Testa-
ment writings are like that drawing
OF the Declaration OF Independence
which when finished shows the form
of Gen. Washington underneath the
printed page. Open the book any
where and you cannot fail to see the
shadowy form OF the Man underneath
all the prohecy and history.
Credentials Produced.
That is the promise. What about
the fulfllment? The answer to Johns
appeal is simply this: Go and show
John again those things which ye do
hear and see: The blind receive
their sight. and the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them.
These are the credentials of the King.
These are some of the things it had
been said He should do, and He was
doing them. OF what earthly use are
high-sounding claims if the promoter
cannot make good. Jesus as the Mes
siah had been put to the test in every
direction.
Isaiah had said, Then shall the
lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing, and here
they were doing It, The poor OF all
the ages had been neglected and cast
aside as refuse material. But Christ
said the Spirit OF the Lord is upon
Me, because He hath annointed me to
preach the gospel to the poor, and
here he was doing it. The common
people heard him gladly. He brought
a christianity for the neglected, a
christianity OF comfort, a christianity
of liberty, a christianity OF light and
christianity of hope.
Credentials Satisfactory.
The answer was entirely satisfac-
tory TO John. And 1t is satisfactory
to the questioning world. The Arab
said How do | know a camel went by
my tent last night? BY the footprint
in the sand. So when the world calls
for the credentials of the King, the
mightiest argument is His footprints
in Palestine. His footprint on the
Mount OF Beautudes. His footprint
on the shore OF Galilee. His footprint
at the house of Jarius. His footprint
at the grave OF Lazarus. His foot
: print on the summit OF Calvary. His
footprint by Josephs open tomb. His
footprint on Olivet's brow. That foot
} print is better than all the theories,
and all the arguments and all the
, speculations. He brought His creden-
tials with him.
, These credentials have never been
duplicated, There have been false
Christ's and Messiah's in all ages. but
sooner or later the imposters have
been exposed. Plotters and schemers
have now and again arisen and drawn
away some, but their careers have