Evening star., 1923-06-30

Our studies of the great men and
| women of the Bible during the com
ing quarter are taken from the heroic
personalities OF the New Testament
! 1t is appropriate that we commence
| the lessons for the next three months
| with study of John the Baptist
whose life Is unique In that 1t links
up the Jewish dispensation Of the Old
Testament with the Christian era
Mark, with a historians sense, makes
| "the beginning OF the Gospel Of Jesus
Christ" to commence with the min
| istry of John the Baptist, who gath
cred up the teachings of the past, re-
vived the prophetic order. fulfilled the
ing In a language that aroused the
nation by It's startling and courage
Gus denunciation of sin. We have 1t
on the authority Of the Lord Jesus.
that Among them that are born of
women there hath not arisen a great
er than John the Baptist"
II we are to form a correct opin-
ion of this colossal personality, who
filled such a unique place in the his
tory Of the two religious dispensa-
tions, we must consider his predes-
tined life. Three passages from the
prophets concerning John the Baptist
are referred to In the New Testament
as predictions that weS'e fulfilled in
the life of the herald Of the Christ.
Isaiah prophesied OF THE voice of
him that crieth in the wilderness.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord" Mi
cab told of the coming Of the mes
senger." and the Prophet Elijah. near
ly four hundred years before Gabriel.
the angel of the Lord. startled Zach
arias. while engaged in the perform
ance of his duty as priest. with the
| announcement that his aged wife
call John.
Luke, who was a physician. had
| learned in his professional practice
the significance Of hereditary and the
right of a child to be well born. He
| saw the importance of the prenatal
emotions and parental desires of the
pious parents. He refers to the
! sacred theme. with fervor. yet with
a delicacy as he reverently points out
the part that the ancestry of John
| the Baptist had In moulding the
character of their God given son. who
| was a child OF prayer. prohecy and
promise. His parents had lived a
blameless life for many years in their
| effort to follow the commandments
and ordinances OF Jehovah. They gave
him a physical. mental and spiritual
endowment for his greatness.
George Eliot has well said that "1n
The man whose childhood has known
.aresses there lives the fiber OF
memory that can be touched to gentle
Issues" The home. where John
grew up in the hill country Of Judea.
religion. reverance and refinement
There he received instruction in the
fundamental principles Of the Hebrew
faith, the history of their race and
memories that inspired Johns life
was the recollection of his father s
devotional life and constant study OF
sacred rolls of Scripture, The spir-
itual conversations around the FAMILY
table and the moulding power of the
family altar helped shape the destiny
of the developing boy. who would re-
:The priest-like father reads the
How Abram was tho friend of God
on high;
Or. Moses bade eternal warfare wage
Or. how the royal bard did groaning
Beneath the stroke of Heavens
| Or Jobs pathetic plant. and wailins
VI rapt Isaiah's wild. seraphic FIRE:
sacred Tyre"
There is no record as to when the
ties binding the Baptist to his home
life were broken. Probably 1t came
with the death of his aged parents
Possibly it was at that crucial hour
that young John sought and found In
the solitude of the desert life com
fort from the presence of the Holy
Spirit, who completed the required
preparation of the Baptist for his
coming ministry during those epoch
making desert days. Solitude, sorrow
and suffering had their part in MOULD
| ing the heroic personality of John,
the forerunner of our Lord. Some
have suggested that he became at
tached TO the Essences, reiigious ano