Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-06-26

not DT1IS lOIlH SOOu lIulC is " b'
cut down and burned. The judg
ment that Isaiah prophesied is
surely coming.
My baptism is just a symbol, just
an evidence that those who receive
it have turned from their former
trust in themselves and in what
they can do to Another who is com
ing. When He comes He will baptize
with the Holy Ghost and with fire
THEN John became prophet OF
things yet future-2things that have
not yet been fulfilled, which will be
fulfilled at the second coming OF
the Christi He will thoroughly
purge His threshing- floor, gathering
the wheat into the garner, but cast
ing out the chaff to be turned with
unquenchable fire.
Such was Johns message at the
tlrst-a plain, easily understood, re.
Duke of sins in their lives, de.
mand that they turn away frcln them
sins, and seal that act by "a evTnbol
an object lesson to them and to all
And an insistence on the fact that
there was no, virtue in this except
as it made ready the way for Him
| who would come and do the real
work in them that they needed.
Then one day Johns message
changed both in tone and in char
acter. The change was brought about
! by the fact that a young man about
his own age came to be baptized
by him. John had never seen Him
ubefore; he had heard Il good deal
about Him in His early years be
fore his mother and father had
died. He must have recognized Him
| by the look in His FACET was dir.
! ferent from any other face that he
| had even seen. There was no mark
of sin in it at all. John had never
seen such a look of purity and guile
lessness. 1t was so different from all
the other faces that he had seen. So
when He asked for baptism John
demurred. You don't need to confess
any sin, he said. L need to be bap-
tized by YOU rather. But the young
man from Galilee said: permit it
now, for 1 must do it. Although He
had no sin to confess, He was be-
ginning to identify Himself with
His people. If He was to taste death
for them because of their sin, at
the beginning of His ministry, for
them He must identify Himself with
them in their confession of sin, even
though there was no sin in him.
When John administered this rite
to this Jesus of Nazareth, he saw
the spirit of God descend upon Him
as a dove and heard a voice from
Heaven saying, This is my be-
loved Son. in whom I am well
pleased" Then John knew that this
Jesus of Nazareth was Jesus the
Christ, the Messiah, the Amounted
One.
This changed Johns ministry.
Never again do we hear him severe
in his denunciation. He was just
as fearless as before; indeed, he
even told the king that he had no
right to live with his brothers
wife, and was thrown into prison
for it. But before that, and after
the baptism of Jesus and His in
auguration as the Christ, John
softened His message henceforth
was only of Him. He had created
such a stir that messengers came
to him to ask who he was. He told
them that he was not the Christ,
not Elijah, not the prophet like
unto Moses whom they expected.
He was but voice, a wilderness
voice crying, prepare. And when
Jesus came by, he pointed to Him
and said, Behold the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sins of
the world" Later his disciples were
jealous because the New Teachers
disciples were baptizing more con-
verts than they; but John said "He
must increase, but must decrease"
His. whole life was the most won
derful manifestation of true humil-
ity on record. The most popular
preacher of the day, with all kinds
Of people crowding to hear him, vol
unfairly retires, says of himself
that he is not worthy even to unite
the shoes of Him who is coming,
and when He comes. gets himself
out of the way for the Other.
His Promotion
In Machaerus, questions arise in
his mind. Was he mistakep? Is
this really the King who was to
come >and establish His kingdom?
Must he look for another? If not,
why should He allow His herald to
lie in this dungeon? His questions
are carried by His disciples to
Jesus. whose reply is the healing of
sick folks, the restoration of sight
and hearing to the blind and deaf,
the preaching of good news to the
poor. go tell John what you have
seen and heard" And John under
stood then that the Kingdom was
not to be temporal one, as he had
thought.
DIT I0%
misunderstood by any one who
heard his questions or by us who
read them. His estimate of John
was great-John was no vacillating
reed shaken by every wind, nor
was he a spineless courier bowling
and scraping before time-serving
underlords. He was the equal of
any man born of woman up to
that time, and had the greatest
work ever committed to man-to
announce the coming of the King.
His work, however, was done. His
very fearlessness in doing it had
brought it to a close. God made
the wrath of man to praise Him,
and allowed the hatred of a sinful
woman, the lascivious dancing of q
voluptious girl, and the sensuous
excitement of a drunken. king to be
the means, of the ending of the
Herald's life on earth. AS his head
was severed from his trunk, his
spirit left his body to go at once
and forever to the presence of his
God, in whose presence there is
fullness of joy and at whose right
hand there are pleasures forever
more. He had at last received his
promotion.
His Business
Johns business was advertising.
He was born to advertise Jesus.
While he was perfectly natured in
it, he did his work IN such a way
as to attract the attention of the
people and make them know what
he wanted to give them. Rough.
sensational, plain-spoken, true, he
made the people want what he had