The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-08-24

Stronger Than Peter.
But we do not have to turn to Reve'
lation to prove that John was phys
ically a marvel There is another rea-
son why know st. John had superb
physical body. When we read the
twentieth chapter of st. John we find
Peter and John running toward the
rifled tomb on the morning of the res
direction. Which was the swifter of
foot? There, in Johns own words
we read "And the other disciple did
outrun Peter" Now no one for mo-
ment would judge the physique of Pc
ter to be that of valetudinarian. Oh,
no! His muscles were those of a pow
erfully formed fisherman. His skin
was bronzed from many hot sun and
tempest beating down upon Lake Cali
lee. When the artists draw his picture
it is always with the swarthy neck and
the deep chest. Yet this other disciple
did outrun Peter. When John sur
rendered his life to the work of the
Master he did not have to say, Here,
Lord, is a pair of wheezy lungs and
heart whose valves are out of gear and
a brain with all it's corpuscles white"
He did not say, Here, Lord, are my
weak nerves, too much out of tune to
do anything but call for a medicine
chest" Oh, no-that was not ST. John!
| He came to the Master and said:
"Here, Lord; is fine physical body.
was born well. promise to take care
of this body to my uttermost and
make it a mighty agent to do thy
work 1 will keep it well supplied
with food. l will look after it to my
best ability, SO that 1 may live on
earth fivescOre years if possible to do
thy work. Here it is, Master. Take it
for thy service" Will we consecrate
our bodies to God, as did John? If we
are prone to physical ailments, will we
do all in our power to win back that
health in order to become physical as
we'll as spiritual athletes in the Mas
ter's services?
"Oh, yes" say some people, John
was one of those lovable men. He
was one of those clinging vines. He
was the gentle John. He never would
say anything to hurt anybody's feel
ings. He would 90 miles and miles to
tell pleasant fact. He would go miles
and miles to escape telling an unpleas-
ant truth" In other words, most art
lists paint John with an effeminate
face. He is supposed to have a face
which could never belong to a great
surgeon who has to drive in the knife
or to a great prosecuting attorney who
has to arraign a criminal at the bar of
justice or to q great commander who
has to lead on his soldiers in battle or
to great statesman who has to sign
death warrant when it is necessary
and right so to do. We do not picture
him as a man of wrath and denuncia-'
ton, but only of pardon and of peace,
whereas, in fact, no human face should
be chseled with firmer features of de-
.Saxpn I1nwas q positive man through
Seemed to be able to
die Ne t6underbolts. of heaven as
no inspired writer before or since has
ever been able to do. Where can we
find such awful descriptions of eternal
punishment as in his book of Revela-
ton? Where such denunciation of sin
and eternal death as in his apoca-
! lypse and his visions? If you would
be an apostle like st. John you must
be an uncompromising foe of evil as
well as one who breaches the love and
the pardon and the mercy and the for
giveness of Jesus Christ.
st. John No COMPROMISED.
St. John was one of the favorite dis
ciples of Jesus Christ on account of his
positiveness. When the question OF
right and wrong came up he was out
and out, up and down, through and
through for the right. There was no
! compromise. Are we going to be like
! John in our denunciation of evil!
! When it is necessary to use the knife
upon the deadly cancer a good sur
geon will keep on driving it in and cut
ting down until he gets out all of the
roots? 1t is a dangerous matter, this
tampering with evil. In my Chicago
church there sat Sunday after Sunday
beautiful woman who was the
mother of three fine children. One day
she came to me and said, 1.-THE doctor
wants me to go to the hospital and
have lump upon my breast cut out"
The next day she had this operation
done. But the surgeon was one OF
those vacillating men. He never did
his work thoroughly. He made a small
incision and took out the lump. But
he did not take the roots away. Within
four months the lump came back. Then
! another surgeon saw it. He said Had
done the first operation l could have
saved her life. l fear it is too late
now" Then he laid that woman upon
the table and began to cut. He cut
away the fieshy part of that woman's
right side. from the waist up into the
cords of the neck. But, alas! he began
his cutting too late. That mother is
now in her grave because the first sur
geon did not cut deep enough. This
charge can never be made against st.
John. When he uses the knife upon
the cancer of sin he cuts clear down
to the root. He was a man of positive
characteristics. His lip was a smiling
lip, but it was a firm lip. May God
help us to be like John. May we
learn how to denounce evil, as well as
to preach the pardoning love of Jesus
Christ.
But as we come into the banquet hall
ana find the twelve apostles gathered
arouAd Jesus for the last supper there
is another characteristic to which l
want to call your attention about this
same St John. He was not only dis
ciple who saw visions and dreamed
dreams, but he was one Of the most
practical Of men. All his castles were
| NOT mir cnStles All his ILtnninS were