Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1906-08-25

nave almost reached the century mark
before he passed to glory Now. no
man could hav. lived as long as 81
John lived aud have done the work hs
DID unless he started with an unlimited
supply Of physical health and had care
fully husbanded his health all through
life Lord I,alnerston. governing the
destlnies Of England IN his eighty first
year. aud William h. Gladstone still
vigorous and ambitious ut eighty i've
aud Count won M0ltke the most eml-
rent member OF the German reichstag
ST ninety. aud Dundolo. the doge Of
Venice leading his soldiers In battle NJ
The age OF ninety and Homer. q
blind old man. writing his Odyssey"
when nearly all of the contemporaries
Of his own generation We're dead and
gone. were not any greater physical
marvels than this young man who In
the prototype of this mornings text.
Stronger Than Peter.
But We do not have to turn to Revs-
lation 10 prove that John was phys
ically marvel There Is another rea-
sou 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
rihed tomb OH 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 he that Of yaletudlnarian oh.
no, His muscles were those OF pow.
erfully formed fisherman Ills skin
was bronzed from many hot sun and
tempest beating down upon Lake Cali
lee. When the artists draw his picture
II 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 lie did not have to say. Here.
Lord. Is pair Of wheezy lungs and
heart whose valves are out OF gear and
a 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 n medicine
He came to the Master and said:
Here. Lord. is tine physical body.
was born we'll promise TO take care
of this body 10 my uttermost and
make it a mighty agent 10 do thy
work will keep II we'll supplied
w..ft a
best ability. go that | may live on
earth fivescore years IL possible 70 do
thy work. Here 1t Is. Master Take II
for thy service" Will we consecrate
our bodies to God. as did John? IL we
are prone TO physical ailments. will we
do all In our power 20 win back that
health In order 10 become physical as
well as spiritual athletes In the Mas
ter's serVicesg
"Oh. yes" say some people. John
was cue vi Those lovable men. lie
was Que OF those clinglng vines. He
was the gentle John. He never would
say anything to hurt anybodys feel
Tugs. He would 20 miles aud miles to
tell pleasant fact He would go miles
and miles 10 escape telling an unpleas-
ant truth" In other words. most art
lists paint John with an etfeminate
face He Is supposed 10 have face
which could never belong TO Il great
surgeon who has To drive In the knife
or to a great prosecuting attorney who
has to arraign IA criminal AZ the bar of
justic" or TO "A great commander who
has 10 lead on his soldiers in battle or
TO II great statesman who has to sign a
death warrant when ii Is necessary
and right so TO do. We do not picture
him as man of wrath and denuncia-
ton. but only of pardon and of peace.
whereas. in fact. no human face should
be chiseled with tirmer features of de-
cision. He was positive man through
and through. lie seemed 10 be able TO
handle the thunderbOlts 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-
tloni Where such denunclation of sin
and eternal death as In his apoca-
lypse and his visIonsi II you would
be an apostle like ST John you must
be an uncompromising foe of evil as
we'll a. one who breaches the love and
the pardon and the mercy and the for
gveness OF Jesus Christ.
81. John No Compromiser.
ST. John was one OF the favorlte dis
ciples of Jesus Christ gu account OF his
positiveness When the question OF
right and wrong came up he was out
and out. up aud down. through and
through for the right There was no
compromise Are we going 10 be- like
John Ia our dcnunciation of evil?
When II II necessary 10 USE the knife
upon the deadly cancer good sur
geon will keep on driving II Ia aud cut.
ting down until he gets ont all OF the
roots 1t il 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 10 me and said. The doctor
wants Inc 10 20 TO the hospital and
have u lump upon my breast cnt out"