Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-12-17
Calnnage
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmage, d. d.

usual theme ana shows the value and
far reaching Importance To society ut
large of individual character and a con
sistent. conscientious. Christian life
The text is Acts V. IL. That ut the
least the shadow of Peter passing by
might overshadow some of them
The struggle of the chronic invalid
after health is woefully. heartrending
ly and overwhelmingly pathetic. To
see Il child born To life of inevitable
physical pain and torture; 10 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:
10 see young woman slowly fading
away with consumption. going from
place TO place for change cf climate.
trying first this doctor and that doctor,
and then. finally. as n drowning man
grasps at straw. going TO the sure
patent medicine cures" and trying the
nostrums of quack doctors-ah. these.
10 me. are among the saddest of all
the sad sights OF human life
Yet we may see these pathetic trag
edies everywhere. Il 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 had large income
and many friends. But now that l am
old and without money and dying with
a cancer nearly all my friends have left
me alone. The doctors come and say.
Judge. how do you feel today 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 say. Doctor. IL
submit TO the knife will get well"
they simply shake their heads and an
swer Judge. you must die 1t does
not seem strange that when man is
fatally i'll 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 i'm faroff Samoa. it climbed the
mountains with him. and among those
tropical woods Death said. Come. Rob-
ert. come" 1t was a hemorrhage. Il
little gasp. and poor Robert Louis
Stevenson was no more.
Health II a Treasure.
The health - what a treasure il is,
When it is once lost. how men strive to
profession has been honored and its
members held i'm high esteem. | 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 sensation there would
be in those times, in every home where
there was a lame child or cripple or
u father or mother suffering from dis
ease. when il was told that Peter, who
had cured the lame man of the temple
gate. was curing all who came to him.
No wonder that sick people sought him
and that those who could not leave
their beds begged their friends TO 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
all 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
levers 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 a null
titude 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 We're healed by Pc
ter's shadow: but. reading between the
lines of these two verses. il implies il.
We know that under the power of the
Holy Spirit it would be no greater
miracle for Peters shadow TO heal the
sick than IL 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 il 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