The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-03-11
} PLEASANT f|EI DS
! OF HOLY WRIT
Save for my daily range
Amongt the pleasant fields
OF Holly Writ,
might despair. -Tennyson.
International SUnddu-SchOOI Lesson
First Quarter: Lesson NJ: Hebers NJ
| l, 32-NII =: March II, 1916.

First quarter: Lesson al: HeOerS al
/, 32-NII 2: March l., 1916.
Heroes And Martyrs Of Faith.
However widely dispersed the
Jews always Kept in touch with the
temple. For them it was the very
heart of their religion. Its stately
and magnificent service continued to
weave the spell of mystery about
them and they never omitted the
Temple tribute by means of which
those services were maintained. The
Hebrew converts to Christianity
could not easily free themselves from
the spell strengthened as it was by
dear family relations and memories.
Messianic forgiveness stood first in
their creed and experience OF course.
but they naturally continued to de-
pend upon the Temple service and
the "intercession for all Israeli for
and omission. Great danger lurked
here. Peril was of increasing de-
pendence upon forms that had no
place in Christian faith. This spiri-
tual crisis in the evolution of the
JeWish-Christian consciousness is
superbly met by the Epistle to the
Hebrews. 1t lays bare the essential
eXternalism of the Temple service
and it's spiritual inefficiency. 1t en-
phasises the reality and supremacy
of Jesus as the only and abundently
sufficient High Priest of the soul. 1t
ardently presses to definite and fl
nal choice between the two-Moses
and Christ. 1t solemnly warns
against apostacy from Christ and
vehemently exhorts to Christian per-
severance. The ANONYMITY of the
epistle is possibly an accident Incl
dent to transcription, but instead of
depreciating it rather makes it more
effective. Ones attention is not de-
verified from the substance of the
writing to the person of the writer.
Without the slightest preliminary in
timation glorious, transcendent
truth flashes upon the reader. 1t is
so noble that it instantly challenges
attention and provokes thought.
That fact Is the continuity Of the di-
vine revelation: God, who at sun
dry times and divers portions, piece
meal, kept speaking to the fathers in
times past by the prophets" Prom
Use in Eden, words to the Patriarchs,
Mosaic law, Aaronic ritual, the pro-
phets-such were the progressive
stages of revelation. Another char
acteristic is that it is cumulative.
Jesus Christ in his person and work
is contamination and conclusion of
the age-long process of revelation.
The progress is from evening star to
moon, to stars of first magnitude and
! finally to morning twilight and at
length to sunrise in which all pre-
monitory lights are merged. Over
against Moses, the prophets and the
angels under whom the Old Cove
nant was administered stands the
Son of GOD as the sole Minister OF
the New Covenant. God spoke by
prophets, now by his Son whom he
hath made heir of all things. They
were shadows. Jesus is substance.
The kingship of Jesus is greater
than that of David. The priesthood
of Jesus is greater than that of Aar-
on. And this is so because they are
/ universal and eternal. The writer of
/ the Epistle is in dead earnest for
practical results. He is not build
in CUP a system for the sake of a
system. He is not bidding for adj
miration. He has an end OF supreme
importance in view. 1t is to unveil
the Son of God as Savior of the
world and show the three attitudes,
one of which each soul of man must
assume. The first is neglect. What
escape is there for one who fails to
pick up Qiterally) the transcendent
treasure lying at his very feet. The
second attitude is apostacy. Here
follows the most earnest, comprehen-
sive, effective warning to be found
in the whole Bible. The third at
titude is that of persevering faith,
which in view of the cloud of wit
nesses lays aside every weight and
keeps running the race, looking to
Jesus who is both starter and judge.
In the very midst of this epistle, apt
! ly called the first treatise OF Chris
tian theology, rises a tall obelisk
deeply incised with the names of the
heroes of faith. Who shall ever mea-
sure the inspirational power of this
shining roster, not in the writer's
day alone, but in each successive
generation. 1t is singuarly appro-
pirate that the first legend on this
memorial to the faithful should be
the definition of faith. No literature
creed or symbol gives such an axio-
matte, comprehensive, conclusive de-
scription of the precise meaning OF
this sublimest act of which the ra-
tional soul is capable.
| The Teachers Lantern.
One of the old conQuerors of
Greece, who in his boyhood had Wis
tied the battlefields where Miltiades
had won victories and had set up his
trophies, exclaimed when he himself
had achieved an historic victory and
was accounting for it, these trophies
of Miltiades would never let me
sleep!" So the Eleventh of Hebrews
like a granite trophy should never let
the Christian soldier sleep. II should
keep him alert and always at his