The Washington herald., 1922-07-03
DR.. H. D. Mitchell. Met
ropolitan M m o rial,
Writes of Prophet.
TELLS WORLD OF SIN
Message Is Regarded as Di-
rect Charge of God to
Present Age.
By REV. HARRY DAWSON MITCH
ELL, ID. D.,
Mefropolifan Memorial NJ. Z. Church


saying: what shall We do? John.
2:2s. The next day John seeth
Jesus coming unto him, and saith.
Behold the Lamb of God which
'aketh away the sin of the world"
John the Baptist was the ad-
sanced courier before the coming
of the King. He burst upon his
age with a startling message. 1t
may be claimed by many that what
is needed in this age is a new mes
sage. yet I dare to assert that the
message as delivered by John to
his age Is the only message needed
In this present one. He gave
living message for all time and all
Seoples- In a sentence 1t may be
thus stated: 1t was the condemna-
tion of sin and the announcement
of a blessed corrective.
Sin is a fact, and as individuals
and as nations we are guilty, but
with God there is mercy. That was
he message of the prophets under
rhe old dispensation. 1t was the
message at the very dawn of the
new dispensation. II has been the
victorious message of the church
during all the past centuries and
Moses Charged I.raeIItes.
Moses charged the Israelites with
having sinned. He was constantly
whipping their consciences. But
that was not the end of the mes
sage. He built an altar. He Of
fered sacrifices. He lifted up the
brazen serpent and then announced
that through repentance they
would find mercy with God.
Samuel. the prophet, faced King
Paul. the SHINING monarch, but
pointed upward and assured him
that IL he repented God would for
give.
Elijah rebuked King Ahab. He
did not use soft words. but as he
cried unto the apostate King and
the rebellious nation he assured
them that Jehovah would show
mercy II they forsook their idols
and returned unto Him.
Nathan uncovered the double
crime committed by King David
and charged him to his face with
his sin. In the same breath he tells
the horrifed King Of the mercy. Of
Jehovah.
John Charges People.
So when John the Baptist came
he put the axe to the root of the
tree and charged the people with
sin 1t is not surprising that 1t
created a sensation. Moral ideals
were low. He said. notwithstand-
ing your SNUG contentment in the
performance of your ritualistic re-
ligion, you are sinners and must
repent. Stricken in conscience.
they came TO him and said. What
IIust we do?" 1t became a great
inquiry meeting and ne dealt with
each class separately as they came
to him.
There were the publicans. They
were the tax gatherers to whom
had been farmed out this particu-
lar bit of business. He knew they
were a bunch of grafters and ex-
tortioners and his message was a
very personal one. He said. "Ex-
act no more than that which is ap-
3ointed you" In other words he
demanded that they should be hon
est in all their business transac-
tions.
There were the soldiers. And they
said, What shall we do?" He did
not tell them to resign from the
army. No. DO violence to no
man, neither accuse any falsely.
and be content with your wages.
You are not trained to be the
butchers of men nor primarily for
the making Of war. but for the pro-
lection of the weak"
He put his finger on the weak
ness and the personal sin of every
class and insisted on the correction
of their living.
Did Not Quit There.
But he did not leave them at that
place The work of the inquiry
room would have been sadly incom-
plete IL he had stopped at the
point of telling them their sin and
falling to show them a remedy.
That would have been true of ev-
cry prophet who preceded him il
they had failed to point out a cor
rective-
So John pointed from himself to
another. He said to every in
quirer. Behold the Lamb of God"
That was far more Ineligible to
them than 1t Is to US. They were
familiar with the slain sacrifice.
They were accustomed to seeing
the blood of the slain lamb
sprinkled on the door posts and
IIntels of the house at the Feast of
the Passover. They knew its mean
ing. 1t was the story of salvation
and deliverance. John said as he
pointed to Jesus, There is the
Lamb" slain from the foundation
of the world. In Him is the cor
rective. Go TO Him. Ny work Is
done. I have told you your sin.
There Is the Savior. Mystery Of
mystery. He was made sin foreus
that we might be made the right
eousness of God. II we confess our
sins He us faithful and just to for
give"
Message for This Age.
That is the message for this age.
Sin Is a fact but Jesus Christ is the
Divine corrective. The need of this
hour Is the fearless unmaskine of
sin How absurd it is to believe
that any law enacted by legislators
can make wrong right. II the law
OF man shields me in the practice
of sin 1t does not relieve me from
the obligation 70 the moral law OF
Snd- An earthly government NAV
-stually protect me In the sin OF
sSultery But Ii I am guilty of that
sin J am still a sinner in the sight
Of God. No act of a legislature can
make dishonesty right. wha,
spectacle we had during the great
war. when soldiers. under the
sanction of their government, stole
the property of a subjugated peo-