The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-10

like, Prof. Palmer's life Of Alice Free
man Palmer, of DR.. George Adam
Smiths life OF Henry Drummond. or
James M. Barries life OF his mother.
which u - written from the heart
that II makes Its subject TO live agan.
1t 10 love that sees most clearly. The
hest friend mskes the best biographer.
So the life Of Jesus penned by John.
''the beloved disciple" fairly opens the
Inner life OF the Master. Il 10 more
than ., record OF His acts: II reveals
Hts spirit The clearest apprehension
OF Christ is gained f,vm the writings
Of the friend who leaned bis head up
on the savior's bresAt.
In the whole sxpaanse of the Old
Testament. the enty-third Psalm
rears its head like some snow capped
mountain. In the New Testament. the
MI. Hermon of the sacred landscape Is
the fourtsenth vhapter OF Johns Cos
pei.
Zebedee's son. the fisherman. became
John, the beloved apostle. and one OF
the greatest and tenderest figures of
all religious history. through his assoc
citation with Jesus. This IL q conspici-
uous instance OF the abiding truth that
ones life II largely determined by ones
choice Of friends. His great Teacher
made, John great.
The most human writing is the best
form OF literature. John sprang from
the plain people. and he loved to depict
the simple. homeIy. domestic and every
day scenes In which Jesus figured. 1t
II John who, above all other. limns the
individual portraits Of the New Testa-
ment. Through him we have Nicode-
mus and Lazarus and the calling Of
A. ~ 80 Oar 81.
the blind man at the Pool Of Sloan,
the woman at the cross and sepulchre,
the denial OF Peter and the doubling
OF Thomas. As q literary craftsmen.
Luke probably was Johns superior.
but John had . genius for the clear
delineation OF human personalities.
and Of profound spiritual philosophy.
which has given him a foremost place
In the bail OF Immortal authors
--
One Of the favorite traditions Of tha
early Church we'll. typifies the charac-
ter OF this bosom friend OF Jeusua
After he had become John the aged.
and was living In Ephesus. he was
regularly borne on chair into the as
sembiy OF Christians. Feebly lifting
hts hand In benedictior. he would say
Little children. love one another"
After time. feeling that this exhora-
tion was rather monotonous. some OF
the elders ventured to suggest, "Fatehr.
hast thou no other message for us?"
There 10 no other message" came the
calm reply; and again the exhortatton,
Little children love one another"
John In youth was n "son Of thun-
der6 but such is the power of the In.
fiuence Of Jesus that this frey. impetu.
GUS, militant spirit became the mellow
ed apostle of love. He IL a high ex-
ample of the truth OF the modern say
ing. "If religion has done nothing
for your temper. 1t mas done nothing
for your soul"
The most familiar and the most
popular potent text In the whole Bible
is found only In Johns Gospel: For
God 80 loved the world that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believsth In him should not perish.
DntD h w lsSysrlastiPE lifessD
The Character fs OF an s'i sIlithor is re-
veaied even. by the passages he quotes.
who recorded the utterances Of Jesus
upon the Good Shepherd, and upon
Himself as the Light Of the World
The prologue to the Gospel Of John
Is one OF the rare passages Of litera-
ture which should be memorized by
everybody. 70 rits dignity. simplicity.
literary beauty and vastness Of con-
tent:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God. and the
Word was God. The same was In the
beginning with God. All things Were
made through him; and without him
was not anything made that hath been
made. In him was life; and the life
was the light OF men. And the light
shineth in the darkness; and the dark |
ness apprehended 1t not. There came |
a man. sent from God. whose name
was John. The same came for witness, |
that he might bear witness of the |
light, that all might believe through |
him. He was not the light. but came |
that he might hear witness OF the |
light. There was the true light. even
the light which lighteth every man |
coming into the world He was In the
world. and the world was made |
through him. and the world knew him |
not. He came unto his own. and they |
that were his own received him not. |
But as many as received him, to them |
gave he the right to become children |
Of God. even to them that believe on
his name: who were born, not of blood. |
nor of the will Of the flesh. nor of the |
will of man. but of God. And the Word |
became flesh, and dwelt among us |
(and we beheli his glory. glory as of |
the only begotten from the Father), |
full OF grace and truth. John beareth |
witness Of him, and crieth. saying. |
This was he of whom I said. He that |
cometh after me is become before me; |
for he was before me. For of his full |
ness we all received. and grace for |
grace. For the law was given through |
Moses grace and truth came through |
Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God
at any time; the only begotten Son. |
who is in the bosom of the Father. he |
hath declared him"
The wonderful farewell discourses |
of Jesus, wherein he barred his heart |
to the inner circle of his friends. and |
which have been the comfort ami in |
spiration of his disciples of all ages. |
came from the pen of John. He most |
clearly understood their Significance |
and most wildly remembered them. |
They were photographed upon the SEN
sitized plate OF his spirit, and after |
ward produced for the instruction and
delight OF the ever-w widening circle of |
the frienis OF Jesus.
The miracle of the feeding of the |
5000 is reported by all of the evange-
lists, but the discourse relating it's
Significance is reported only by John.
who is ever more concerned with the |
inner meaning OF an event than with
the details of the event itself.
John stood by the cross and received
his Masters dying bequest. That Is
Il