The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-20

| For the present we are asked by the
committee to pass by the wonderful
thirteenth chapter-why, / know not
| but we will return to 1t in a few
| weeks and have three lessons in it.
Although this lesson today gives an
account of the beheading OF John the
I Baptist, the sad event evidently took
| place some time previous. But now,
| Herod hearing of the fame of Jesus,
| his guilty conscience tells him that 1t
| is John whom he had murdered. He
was perplexed because some said that
Tohn was risen from the dead, some
Jaid that Elijah had appeared and
others that one Of the old prophets
was risen again. Herod said, 'TWho is
this of whom hear such things?" And
he desired to see Him duke tx, 7-9).
Herod's question, "Who is this? Is
an all important one See also Luke
v, 81; vii, 40; Matt. xxi, 10; lisa. xiii,
1; Jer. xxx, q, where the question is
In connection with the forgiveness of
sins, the son of David, the Messiah
and the One who is to judge the ma
tons. AS our Lord put 1t to Simon
Peter, Whom say We that amp
(Matt. xvi, 49, 1t should take hold
Of each one Of us, and unless we can
from the heart reply as Peter did 1t
will be bad for us. what is Jesus
Christ to me?" is the great question.
In a previous lesson we saw mes
sengers coming to Jesus from John in
the prison, but now we have the &C.
count of his Imprisonment and execu-
ton. Herod feared John, knowing
him to be a just and holy man, and |
he heard him gladly and did many
things. But Herod had taken his |
brother Philips wife and was living |
with her, and John had told him that |
had a quarrel (margin, inward grudge) |
against John and would have killed |
him, but she could not. But Herod |
had imprisoned John for Herodias' !
sake Mark vi, 1920. For some idea !
Of what a wicked, INSCRIPTIONS wo-
man can do see Kings xxi, 7-15, and !
II Kings Xi, 1, and consider that Baby
Ion, which is said to be guilty of the
blood Of all that were slain upon the |
earth, is compared to a woman ar
rayed in purple and scarlet and decked :
with gold and precious stones and
pearls Rev. xvii, 4; xviii, 24). The
life of John in prison must have been |
a sad and lonely one indeed were it !
not that he had access to God, with |
whom he had spent so many years in
the wilderness. No prison walls can
shut out God or the angels, and an
eternity of glory will more than COM
pensate for the greatest sufferings of |
the saints on earth Rom. viii, 49,.
Birthday parties should be happy oc-
casions and innocent affairs, but this
one Of our lesson was one of the worst
OH record. 1t was a great affair, be-
ing a supper made by Herod for his |
lords, high captains and chief estates
Of Galilee. On this occasion the |
daughter of the wicked Herodias |
danced so acceptably to Herod and |
them that sat with him that Herod |
promised with an oath to give her !
whatsoever she would ask. Accord
ing to Mark (verse 23), HE sware
unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask |
Of me l will give it thee, unto the
half Of my kingdom What an out
come of drunken revel and a dance!
The result of dancing In our times,
so often accompanied by drink if not
by drunkenness, has never been fully
written, but enough has been written
to lead thoughtful people to renounce
the whole thing and especially the
fashionable dancing school. If you
care to know, write DR.. Sylvanus Stall
of Philadelphia for further informa-
ton. If the church had a 1.-THE of
the zeal of the devil to lead souls
astray, how many might by the church
be pointed to Him who is able to save
from going down to the pit! But
where is the zeal referred to in the
words, 1.-THE zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up" John ii, II; Ps. Xix, 81.
The girl went forth and said to her
mother, what shall / ask?" And, be-
ing instructed by her mother, she ask
ed for the head of John the Baptist.
Quickly 1t is brought to her, and she
carried it to her mother. Did ever a
daughter carry or a mother receive
S. grewsome a gift? Yet this is in
our day made into a play to entertain
thoughtless people. The murder OF
John meant in due time the murder of
Jesus, and the world lying in the
wicked one seeks and applauds this
kind of entertainment. 1t is written
that the king was sorry, but the sor-
row that does not lead to doing right
to nothing, and I fear that
he has been sorry ever since and will
be forever. According to Phil. /, 81,
%, it was gain to John, a very far
better, for he has been well and hap
py ever since. His disciples took up
the body and buried it, but they did
not bury John. We never bury peo- ;
pie, but only the bodies in which they
lived awhile. There shall be resur-
rection of all dead bodies, those of
the just and the unjust, but there
shall be an interval of 1000 years be-
tween duke xiv, IA; XXX, 35; Acts xiv,
i5; Rev. XXX, 81. The disciples of John
went and told Jesus That is the
thing to do always and about every
thing, and then we shall know the
peace of God which passeth all under
standing Phil iv, 6, y. Then also
shall we know what 1t means to be
guided in all things by Him prov.
III, 5, 81.
Stockholders Meeting.