Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-23

tliiN', vi MS Oib't ~ ~
he age of ninety-ive, and Hcper, a
blind old man, writing his Odyssey"
when nearly all of the contemporaries
of his w generation were dead and
gone, were not any greater physical
marvels than this young man who Is
the prototype of this mornings text.
Stronger Than Peter.
But we do not have to turn to Reve-
latlon TO prove that John was phys
ically a marvel. There is another rea-
son why l know st. John had a superb
physical body. When we read the
twentieth chapter of st. John we find
Peter and John running toward the
rifed tomb on the morning of the res
direction. Which was the swlfter OF
foot? There, In Johns own words.
we read. "And the other disciple did
outrun Peter" Now, no IL for a mo-
mcnt 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 a hot sun and
tempest beating down upon Lake Call
Ice. 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 n
heart whose valves are out of rear and
n brain with all its corpuscles white"
He did not say, Here, Lord, are my
weak nerves, too much out of tune to
do anything but call for q medicine
chest" oh, no-that was not st. John!
He came to the Master and said:
Here, Lord, is n fine physical body. I
was born we'll. l promise to take care
Of this body to my uttermOst and
make it a mighty agent to do thy
work. I will keep it well supplied
with food. l will look after it to my
best ability, so that l may live on
earth hvescore years IL 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 II of those clinglng vines. lie
was the gentle John. He never would
say anything to hurt anybody's feel
ings. He would go miles and miles to
tell n pleasant fact. lie would 90 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 q face
which could never belong to a great
urgcon 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 a great commander who
has to lead on his soldiers in battle or
to a great statesman who has to sign q
death warrant when 1t is necessary
and right so to do. We do not picture
him rs a man Of wrath and denuncia-
ton, but only of pardon and Of peace,
whereas, in fact, no human face should
NC ShiSSiCu VIZ vi NIX
cision. He was a positive man through
and through. He seemed to be able to
handle the thunderbolts of heaven as
no inspired writer before or since has
ever beeu able to do. Where can we
find such awful descriptions OF Starnal
punishment as in his book of Rcvela-
ton? Where such denunciation Of sin
! md otarpn1 1nafh nc in hiG Qn0nn-
lypse and his Visions? If you would
be an apostle like st. John you must
be an uncompromising foe Of evil as
we'll rs II who breaches the love and
the pardon and'the mercy and the for
g%iveness Of Jesus Christ.
St. John No C~Ompromiser.
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 ont, up and down, through and
through for the right. There was nc
compromise. Are we going to be like
John in our denunciatiOn of evil,
When 1t Is necessary to Use the knife
upon the deadly cancer a good sur
geon will On driving 1t in and cut
ting down until he gets out all of the
roots? 1t is n dangerous matter, this
tampering with evil. In my Chicago
church there sat Sunday after Sunday
a beautiful who was the
mother Of three fine children. One da!
she came to me and said, The doctor
wants me to 60 to the hospital an(
have a 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 die
his work thoroughly. He made a small
i~ncision and took out the lump. Blu
he did not take the roots away. Within
four months the lump came back. TheI
another surgeon saw it. He said: HAD
| done the first operation l could hav'
saved her life. l fear it is too lat'
now" Then he laid that woman upol
the table and began to cut. He GU
away the fieshy part Of that woman
right side, from the waist up into th'
cords of the neck. But, alas! he begal
his cutting too late. That mother i
now in her grave because the first SUI
geon did moi cut deep enough. Thi
charge can never be made against 81
John. When he uses the knife upoI
the cancer Of sin he cuts clear dow