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Harsh 13, 1812J T H ? 1
dark and his heart has no lores, but only bitterness
to feed itself upon?
"All things come to him that waits." This
can not be taken literally. But it is substantial
and very precious truth to all them that wait
on God, whatever may be their need, their burJ?:
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uvu, ui tucix uuaire.
There is a reason for every pain; a need for
every sorrow. But infinite wisdom alone can
perceive the meanings of life's mysteries. The
God-Man said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of
the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not
where to lay his head." "Who his own self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree." "By
whose stripes ye were healed." "For we have
not an high priest, which can not be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in
all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."
He walked the same path that we must walk;
until he came to the dark place, where he had
to cry out, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me!" But his God had not forsaken
him; neither has he forsaken us. And never
does he forsake any who put their hand in his,
and wait to be guided and upheld by him.
. "In peace let me resign my breath,
And thy salvation see;
My sins deserve eternal death,
But?Jesus died for me."
? "Jesus lead me, Jesus guide me
In the way I ought to go;
Help an erring child to serve thee,
Teach me, Lord, thy will to know."
Thou great and good God, I seek after thee;
if happily I may find thee, the very Friend and
Helper I need. Sin and Satan and hell claim
me, but Jesus died for me. Save me, my Father
and my Friend! Save me, 0 my God!
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the
way in which thou shalt go; I will guide thee
with mine eye." "For he hath said, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee."
Berkeley Springs, "W. Va.
WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED.
BY REV. W. I. SINNOTT.
After thirty years of preparation, probably,
the voice of John the Baptist is heard crying in
the wilderness: "Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is near." This voice was like a tire bell
at night that startled the entire nation. The
prophecies indicated that the times of the Messiah
were near, and even heathenism was expecting
a king of a universal empire to arise out of
Judea. To John Hocked the people in increasing
numbers; multitudes were baptized by him, receiving
from his hand water which was a symbol
of the Spirit coming from the throne of Qod as
a cleansing, life-imparting agent. The "dregs"
at the bottom of society?the publicans?universally
accepted the baptism; the "scum" floating
on the top?the Pharisees and lawyers?the
"unco good" as the people regarded them, but
a brood of serpents, as John regarded them, re
fused his baptism.
After six months of increasing popularity
there came from Nazareth to the Jordan there to
be baptized by John the "carpenter" of the little
village of Nazareth, who was now about thirty
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jcura ui age. i ne innate purity ana nouness,
which were without a flaw or a stain, were so
seen probably in his countenance, and his entire
outward demeanor, that John felt his unworthiness
and forbade Jesus baptism. Jesus, however,
removed his scruples by assuring him that
for the present he must be content to occupy
a position of superiority to Jesus, for thus it
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b?cometh us?you and me?to fulfill all righteousness.
God approved the baptism by accepting
Jesus through an audible voice and by
anointing and sealing him with the Holy Spirit.
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Messiah, a supplement to the work of John by
the baptism of multitudes by Jesus through his
disciples, increasing popularity of Jesus and decreasing
popularity of John, whose active work
soon ends in imprisonment by Herod.
Why was Jesus baptized? A correct answer
to this question must account for the age of
Jesus?30 years?at the time; the relation of
his baptism to his preceding and his subsequent
life; the relation of John as the greatest representative
of the old covenant to Jesus as the
Mediator of the new covenant; and a satisfactory
reason why he who was holy, harmless, undefiled
and separate from sinners should be a recipient
of a rite which in its fulness of meaning meant
ritual cleansing from the defilement of sin and
ritual life in place of ritual death.
Two of the theories propounded are: 1. His
baptism was to set us an example; 2. It was to
endorse John and enroll himself as a follower
of John. Neither of these theories embraces
all the facts. John himself gives us the answer
when he says, That he?the Messiah?should be
made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I
baptizing with water. John's work was twofold:
1. To prepare a way for the Messiah by preparing
a people for him by preaching the baptism
of repentence for remission of sins; and, 2, to
point out the Messiah to the prepared people
by a baptismal ceremony of inauguration into
his messianic public work. 1. The Messiah is
coming. Be ye ready for him when he appears,
by a changed life effected symbolically by living
baptismal water with its cleansing power, symbolizing
the spirit of purity and of life, and to
which new life you voluntarily bind yourself by
baptism. Without regeneration?a birth from
above, a birth of the Spirit, symbolized by water
?you can not enter, you can not see, the kingdom
of God. 2. Jesus is the Messiah. His baptism
divinely attested by the audible voice from
heaven and by the Spirit coming down from
heaven in a bodily form and resting upon him
makes this absolutely certain.
Why was it necessary in fulfilling all righteousness
that the holy Jesus should receive from
John that rite which in preceding ages had
meant cleansing from ceremonial impurity and
life now taking the place of ceremonial death 1
Paul teaches us that the Messiah was a public
person, the last Adam, the second man, the head
of a new, redeemed humanity, and legally identified
with them. As this humanity was by nature
polluted and spiritually dead by reason of sin
the Messiah assumed legally the sins of his people
and was made sin for them, though he knew
no sin. As such he received the circumcision
made with hands, which to Joseph and Mary was
regarded chietly as a rite obligatory on Israel,
but in the divine mind was symbolic of the circumcision
made without hands for his people.
As sinful humanity must not appear in the pres
ence of the pure and holy Qod without the sign
of needed cleansing, so the Messiah as the representative
of sinful and dead humanity must
be symbolically cleansed and made alive, if he
is to be a true representative of his people.
The Holy Scriptures of John's day?the Old
Testament?helps here. From Gen. 3:15 to the
last verse of Malachi it is full of the Messiah,
sometimes presented by words, sometimes by rites
and ceremonies, some times by a historical character
one or more of whose acts prefigure as a
type the work of the Messiah. Three times do
we find the age 30 years spoken of in a noted
period in the life of persona whose work pre
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flgurs the Messiah. Joseph, who in forgiving his
sinful brethren and in saving them, shows in type
these features of the Messiah, at the age of 30
years is manifested or stands before Pharaoh
for this purpose. David, who as king exhibits
typically the greater glory of the Messianic
King, his heir through the act of Joseph adopting
Jesus as his own son and heir, receives the
throne of Judah at the age of 30 years. At the
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who for five years have served an apprenticeship
in tabernacle work, are now presented to Israel
and manifested to them publicly by baptism for
full Levitical work. Moses represented God, as
did also John the Baptist in baptising Jesus,
sprinkles the water of purification upon them.
Levitism in its lowest form "waits upon the service
of the work of the tent of meeting," and
"does the service of the tabernacle." The Levites
are teachers of the people. In the highest form
of Levitism, the high priest offers gilts and sacrifices
and enters into the most holy place. The
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messiuu, me anu-iype 01 ljevitisin in all its forms
ministers first in the worldly sanctuary on earth,
and after the resurrection in the heaven itself.
John, the greatest man of tjfie Old Testament
dispensation as the divinely appointed representative
of God, gives to Jesus as the divinely
appointed and accepted representative of man,
that ceremony which fits him for his Messianic
Levitical work, and transfers to him?the Mediator
of the new covenant everything under the
old covenant that is permanent, and manifests
him to Israel for all time as the Messiah, the
Saviour, the King and the Levitical servant,
prophet and priest.
This is clearly seen when at a later day, after
Jesus had performed the Messianic act of cleansing
the Temple?a Levitical act?and the chief
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pnesus uiiu uie serioes wun tne eiaers demanded
by what authority he did these things and who
gave him this authority, he referred them to the
baptism which John administered, in which he
had manifested Jesus as the Messiah, which, if
from heaven, was God's acceptance through John
of Jesus as the Messiah.
Centreville, Ala.
Scripture Studies in Brief
Newnan, Ga., February 27, 1912.
Editor Presbyterian of tbe South,
Richmond, Va.
Last Wednesday I was summoned by wire from my
pastorate In Elberton, Ga., to come here, as my uncle.
Dr. James Stacy, was very ill. On arriving 1 found
him sutticiently Improved to converse a little, but
soon relapsed into a comatose condition from which
he has never roused, and which ended in his death
February 27th. Members of the family, however,
explained that one reason why he wished to see me
before he passed away was this:: In bis paralyzed
condition, he has been working for over two months
to complete the last of his "Scripture Studies in
Brief" for the Presbyterian. He has written and
re-written it many times, at intervals during these
past two months, but never seemed quite satisfied
with it. At last, in despair and realizing his condition,
he asked that 1 be sent for, saying that I would
understand what he wanted to say, and would finish
the study (or him. This 1 have tried to do, and have
put his Ideas into his own words as far as possible.
I now enclose the result to you as the last message
of Dr. Stacy to the Church, through you, (or the
labors of the servant of God are ended.
Very truly,
C. I. Stacy.
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVICE
MULTIPLIED.
BY REV, JAMES STACY, D. D.
mt. !J i!-1 - /N *
j.ne proviaenual arrangements ot uoa are all
made in wisdom and love, with an eye to the
beet interests of his creatures, as well as the
glory of his own name. In nothing, perhaps, is
this more clearly seen than in the arrangement
he has perfected, whereby our lives may be
doubled, and our opportunity for activity great(Continued
on Page 5.)