It was laid upon a nameless prophet to leave the highlands of Judea and confront King Jeroboam who was prosperously throne ed at Bethel. He bravely fulfilled his commission, but was perfectly aware of the dangers that would beset him if he traded on his spiritual achievement in any way whatsoever. So he refused the ro; reward and even the royal hospitality. On the persuasion of another prophet, however, he yielded his own convictions, and turned aside from what he felt to be right, and the story goes on that a lion met and slew him, as if by way of punishment.. The story helps us to see that this man won his authority by accepting disin-forestedly an appointment from God. It was only when he departed from his commission that he was vulnerable, and the of the older prophet was that he did not recognize the authority thus bestowed on a younger man.
God still lays duties upon his children, the declaration of some truth, the promotion of some crusade, and however humble a man may be, though he is taken from the shoemaker's shop like William Carey or Sir Henry Jones, he comes to a spiritual authority through his obedience to the heavenly vision. No earthly power can substract from that authority, for men know in their hearts it is of God. Christ had
"it was the first element of this power in its fullest extent end is moral strength that. if was his meat and drink to do the will of the Father.
(2) But there was another element of authority illustrated in a measure in John the Baptist and the spiritual leaders of mankind but above all characteristic of Jesus. Beyond his appointment of God, he enjoyed the consctousness of God. If you read the confessions of saint and psalmist in the Old Testament you see that their lives were open on two sides.—not simply, as with most of us, to the world of sense and ambition but also to the world of spirit and surrender. Their life was shared with one above with whom they had intercourse directly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.