The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-09-28

privilege of Zacharias but once in
"a years or but once in a life of
service. 1t was while standing be-
fore that golden altar watching the
cloud of insense lift the prayers of
all the people toward God that he
was conscious of a Presence. 1t was
his own prayer hour and he was
carrying the prayers of others with
his own. 1t was a time of vicarious
prayer when he saw and heard Gods
answer to his long appeal. 1t is in
such a moment that Heaven can
break thru to earth. Fear not"
was the first word. Why should men
be scared? Fear is bred of the I'M
familiar and angels had not been seen
about the Temple. Spiritual ex-
altation may have quickened the
priests sight. your prayer is
heard" was the cheering note to the
discouraged man and tho he paid the
price of doubt he did catch the reply
of God to the desire of His child.
Lives like these bring in impossibles.
JOHNS BIRTH.
Voiceless and soundless (v.62) the
priest passed from his hour of Wis
ion into a new werld. Men knew he
had been face to face with God as
surely as they know it today Hear
ing nothing and saying nothing but
with soul athrill he returned to He
bron to make known what was about
to happen. In the interval Mary
visited them and the two women re-
Joiced together and then the day of
wonder dawned when into the child
less home came the fulfillment of the
promise and a boys cry broke its
stiffness. And soon the bonds that
held Zacharias were broken also and
he could both hear and speak and it
is small wonder that he lifted up his
voice in song. And that boy was
Gods own from birth for he was
filled with the Holy Spirit and never
lost it from that day to the bloody
tragedy in Herod's prison. Our
difficulty is in letting the loss come
to our boys. "Wild oats" are the
DEVILS sowing and no part of Gods
plan for any life. Like John there
should be no day when they would
think themselves as not Gods child.
JOHNS EDUCATION.
In that home with its atmosphere
of prayer and peace and song there
would be a perfect normal growth of
the religious life of the boy. He was
taught the knowledge Of the Old
Scriptures. He visited the tomb of
Abraham and Sarah and lived the
days of the patriarchs upon the very
hills where they had walked. He
had the training of a priest for that
would be his life work. He must
have shared the ministry of the TEN.
pie and have learned its life. Father
and Mother dead his fine sensitive
ness to all Goodness could not help
being shocked by the shallowness of
much which passed for religion in
Jerusalem and there came a day
when in revolt against it all he fled
to the wilderness to wash clean his
spirit in the dews Of God Tuned to
the hour of his fathers vision the
sordidness and soullessness of
worship that caused Christ to call
the Temple a den of robbers smote
his spirit like a blast from the pit.
He must get away from it. Out in
the wholesomeness of the Judean
hills, companying with the shepherds
and men of the open, he learned the
simplicity Of living and gained his
clear understanding of Gods require
ments and His hatred of shame.
Here too he caught the unrest and
passionate longing for a new day
and worked out his remedy for all
the existing evils that cursed his
world.