Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1917-01-11

dicted by Noses. How foolish and
silly are those modern ones who pro-
TESS to be the messenger Of the COW
enant or some other fanciful title, in
dicating the return of the witness
which Ii. to precede the coming OF
Christ. John exercises humility in the
way he states his real position though
he does apply to himself the prophecy
of Isaiah lisa. 40:3-5) which sets forth
what his mission was to be. A voice
can be heard but not seen. With our
bodily eyes we never see a spirit. No
man we saw the soul Of his nearest
friend. We do see God, however, In.
his works, in his marvellous deliver
ances and his guidance Of the world
and his answers to prayer. We can
also see him In the only begotten Son
who has made him to be seen. Who
ever sees Jesus as he was and is has
seen God. Truly blessed r the pure
In heart for they shall see Cod"
II. John the Baptixer wv. 1920.
As John had denied that he was the
Christ or Elijah, the priests and Lev
ties made bold to question his author
ity at a later time (Matt. 21-23), and
still later the authority Of the apos-
ties and the priests (Acts 5:2S). John
answers them with another display Of
his humility. His baptism in water
was nothing to the baptism Of the
coming n (See Matt. 3:11; Acts 1:5).
Though Christ was in their midst, they
were blind and did not recognize him.
(See w. 10. IL; oh. SID; 1879.
Johns baptism Of repentance denotes
a baptism which a p%enitent submitted
to that he might receive the pledge
and assurance that his sins were for
given. Baptism meant the cleansing
of the people from past sins that they
might be fitted for entrance into the
kingdom. Baptism is not conversion.
1t is a witnessing and a symbol Of a
spiritual truth that we are dead unto
sin, and have risen to newness Of life
(ROm. $3.50. Like John, u voice
must be not only that Of humility but
1t must be really a voice with a mes
sage from God, n that sounds an un-
mistakable note, n that can be heard
wherever we 60, one that will make
men happier, stronger, drawer, more
like God, to prepare the way for Christ
in the hearts of men.
III. The Witness Of the Spirit wv.
2S-34). The writer is very explicit,
stating the exact time that these things
occurred, for he was an eye witness.
John first testifes that Jesus was the
Lamb Of God, referring Of course to
the sacrificial lamb, the atoning sacri-
fee of the Old Testament (Gen. ,22:7-S;
Elk. u IS: lisa. So 80. As the Lamb Of
God. Jesus would take away the sins
Of the world; thus the thought Is pri-
marily that of atonement, a substitu-
ton Of another and the deliverance
from the guilt Of sin. The next day
after Johns witness to the delegation
from Jerusalem. he saw Jesus coming
unto him, and said to the assembled
people, Behold the Lamb of God"
This refers not so much to his charac-
ter, that Of innocence, meekness and
patience, as to his office, his completed
work Of atonement by the sacriiclal
death wherein he takes away the sins
Of the world. On the ground of the
Precipitation for sin which Jesus
wrought Il John 2:2; Matt. 20:2s; II
Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13) sin is removed
from the sinner as far as the East Is
from the West. God dealt In mercy
with men before Christ's time because
Of the lamb which was slain from the
foundation Of the world (Rev. IS ~.
Here John says that ut first he I'D not
recognize Jesus as the Messiah. but he
does bear record that he saw the
spirit descending at his baptism, and It
abode upon him. Luke adds that the
heavens were opened. and the spirit
descended In the form Of a dove. There
is no difficulty in Johns statement.e"I
knew him not" He lived in Judea;
Jesus lived in Galilee, and 1t issdoubt-
full II they had ever met. What John
probably means Is that he did not
know him as the coming Messiah, but
he that commissioned John In the vii.
derness to be the forerunner Of the
Messiah had given John a sign where
by he should know him, the Son Of
God. John had waited patiently until
this sign was given. He did not speak
until he had the certificate Of God. He
knew that one was to be made mani
fest; therefore he came baptizing with
water, preparing the way Matt. 1920.
As soon as he did see, John gave his
testimony, 'and this Is the lamb that
was to take away the sin Of the world"
literally to bear away and remove the
guilt and punishment Of sin.
The work of Christ Is for the whole
world till all Its SIN Ii removed, =
He provides redemption enough for
every man. He pardons our past sins
90 they are remembered no more
against Us forever.