Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-12-16
Calnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. d. ID.

far reaching Importance to society at
large of individual character and a con-
sistent, conscientious, Christian life.
The text is Acts V, 10, THAT at the
least the shadow of Peter passing by
might oyershadow some of them"
The struggle of the chronic invalid
after health is woefully, heartrending-
ly and Overwhelmingly pathetic. To
see child born TO a life of inevitable
physical pain and torture; TO see a
young man in the grip of cancer or
with bones and joints twisted out of
shape by that fiend of inquisitorial
torturers, infiammatory rheumatism;
to see a young woman slowly fading
away with consumption, going from
place to place for a change of climate,
trying first this doctor and that doctor,
and then, finally, as drowning man
grasps at a straw, going to the 'sure
patent medicine cures" and trying the
nostrums of Quack doctors-ah, these,
to me. are among the saddest of all
the sad sights of human life.
Yet we may see these pathetic trag-
edies everywhere. az cannot lie here
and die without making an effort to
be cured" said once great lawyer to
me in the city of Brooklyn. There
was time when 1 had a large income
and many friends. But now that ! am
Old and without money and dying with
II cancer nearly all my friends have left
me alone. The doctors come and say,
Judge, how do you feel todayF Then
they propose to cut me with knife,
saying: The cancer is growing, judge:
the cancer is growing. 1t must be cut
out Then when 1 say, Doctor, if 1
submit to the knife will l get wellT
they simply shake their heads and an
swer. Judge. you must die 1t does
not seem strange that when man is
fatally Ill he will go anywhere and to
anybody who promises TO make him
we'll"
Poor Robert Louis Stevenson! The
doctors said he had to die. But Steven
son said. ''If can only go to a warmer
climate shall get we'll" SO he went.
He travelled south. He Travelled west.
He lived here and there He was
travelling not for pleasure, but for
health. He tried to fee his fatal Ill
ness, but sickness kept on his track.
1t crossed the seas with him. 1t dwelt
with him in boat, in hut, in tent. At
last, in faroff Samoa, it climbed the
mountains with him. and among those
tropical woods Death said, "Come, Rob
ert. come" 1t was n hemorrhage, n
little gasp. and poor Robert Louis
Stevenson was no more.
Health IL n Treasure.
The health - what treasure IL IS!
When ii Is once lost. how men strive to
regain it, In every age the medical
profession has been honored and its
members held in high esteem. 1 sup
pose there was as much disease in
Judaea in apostolic times as we have
In our day; perhaps more. for diseases
which our physicians can cure were
then pronounced incurable. We can
imagine what n sensation there would
re In those times, in every home where
there was n lame child or cripple or
n father or mother suffering from dis
case. when II was told that Peter, who
had cured the lame man OF the temple
gate. was curing all who came 10 him.
No wonder that sick people sought him
and that those who could not leave
their beds begged their friends 10 carry
them TO him, for we read that they
were healed, every one"
These crowds OF chronic sufferers in
stead Of decreasing kept growing larger
MI the time. At last the numbers of
the sick became so great that they
could not get near TO or have an audi
ence with the famous apostle. They
were too many. Then the friends OF
the sick said among themselves, 'If
sufferers are cured when Peter lays his
hands on them perhaps they may be
cured when his shadow passes over
them" So the Bible says these be-
iievers brought forth the sick into the
streets and laid them on beds and
couches that at least the shadow OF
Peter passing by might overshadow
some OF them. There came also n null
dtude out OF the cities roundabout
into Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and
them which were vexed with unclean
spirits, and they were healed, every
one"
The Bible does not distinctly state
whether the sick were healed by Pc
ter's shadow; kut reading between the
lines or these two verses. il implies it.
We know that under the power OF the
Holy Spirit it would be no greater
miracle for Peters shadow to heal the
sick than it would for the handker-
chiefs and the clothes which had once
touched the living body OF Paul to heal
the sick. We read about this miracle
In the nineteenth chapter Of Acts and
of the miracle OF Peters shadow in the
fifth chapter OF the same book. think
that cures must have been wrought in
this way. Perhaps Peter himself was
unconscious OF 1t and did not know
what his shadow was the means OF do
ing until he was told OF the cures aft
erward- As he passed through the
streets touching this one and that and
rejoicing that through his touch heal
Ing was given his influence reached
farther than he knew. We know it is
so with our lives. The Christian does
not know how far his influence does
reach. There are some whom he strives
to help. but farther off there may be
some with whom he never comes IL
contact who are affected by his very
shadow, by the unconscious influence
OF his Christian life.
Results OF Christian work.
Examine first the direct results of a
Christians work. Every man, if he is
true man, has consecrated his mental
and physical and spiritual energies to
some great purpose The Christian
man, as a minister, is trying to build
up church; as lawyer, to build up a
courtroom or an office practice; as
physician, to have large number OF
families as patients; as merchant, to
nave big store. That pulpit or of
nee or store is to the man his chief
thought He works for it by day; he
dreams OF 1t by night. If he goes off
ON summer vacation his mind and
heart are still anchored to that work
shop, even as ship out in harbor tugs
at its chains, though it is unable to
break away from its mornings. But
uhougn Christian man may work