Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-11-24
THE DEVOTIONAL GOSPEL
ST. John, Most Beautiful Book In
The World
DR.. SMITHS LECTURE
DR..

Telling of John the spiritual
genius, the writer OF the book which
bears his name, and which by com
mon consent is called the Deyo ional
Gospel" Dr. c. Alphonso Smith gave
the sixth of his Sunday morning lee
lures on the Bible YESTERDAY a. the
Presbyterian Church. of which he is
Elder. The class grows in numbers
each week. and new members are be
ing constantly added
II Is very difficult 10 characterize
the Book Of John. the lecturer said.
and which he personally thinks is The
most beautiful hook in all the world
1t is beautiful in words, in comb,na-
tions OF yowels, and is musical in its
sounds. Quoting from it he iIus'rat-
ed with In my Fathers house are
many mansions and "Ye believe in
God, believe also in me" John, he
said, is good in monosyllables; it is
musical II is translated the best of
the Gospels. Next to Genesis it is
the best translated book in the Bible.
The high water marks of John are
the II, Is. is and II chapters John
is beautiful in its home conception OF
Christ
The lecturer asked OF John, as he
had OF the other three Gospel writer's.
''Wlrat are his Credentials" We know
more about John, he said. than we
know of Matthew, Mark or Luke
John became the greatest spiritual
writer of the Bible. Luke may have
been more intellectual, but John was
more spiritual. Shakespeare was
dramatic genius, Raphael an artis-
tic genius, while John was spiritual
genius; genius absolute, genius
that appeared before the world as
next to Christ. Himself
John was the son OF Zebedee and
Salome, and commentators have at
tempted to trace the relationship to
Christ through Salome, who was said
to be the sister of the Virgin Mary,
If ST. John was the first cousin of
Christ" said Prof. Smith. I'VE then.
have supreme relationship; some
thing that touches the imagination and
opens vistas through which we can
see the most beautiful things"
John was the Disciple Jesus
Loved" Christ was more chummy
with John than the other disciples,
said the lecturer John was a very
young fellow, the youngest one of the
disciples We think of Matthew as an
old man, but everything about John
points 10 youth, in this disciple that
Jesus loved"
More men and women have died to
the music of St Johns Gospel than
any book in the world John was
more attuned TO heaven. The things
you remember" said the lecturer, ARE
the things that appeal to you. A
. thought that is congenial, with the
same genius) with you; you don't
forget it. A good deal of what Christ
said went over the heads of others
but John was one man who remem-
bered John as a writer was the most
gifted OF the Bible. He wrote three
kinds of literature and all different.
we don't find any other writer doing
this said the lecturer Shakes
peare sticks to the drama. Edgar AL
Z isli rue NiDNt HOCti1 iOiG anu HiOSC.
/ two lotes in his brain following these
distinct lines of thought"
! Dr. Smith dwelt for time. or the
Book of Revelations. written by St
John. who represents himself as the
last of the disciples. giving revela
ton. an apocalypse. He said no litera
ture is like it, He speaks of the end
I ing of all things and at last new
heaven and a new earth. This world
was not thrown out into space with
out a Governor. said the lecturer.
without somebody at the helm. Every
thing was governed by a perfect law.
4 All IS tending to move forward and
upward and in Johns book of Reyela
ton we are lured by flaming pictures,
half prose half poetry. John played
unon facts and beyond facts; always
looking for a CLINT of the sunlight on
the top of the mountain, rather than
at the foot of the mountain. 1t gives
his Gospel beauty and power
John was in a class all by himself |
Matthew wrote facts-Mark. was the !
wonder worker-Luke, the healer, but I
John wrote of the personality of /
Christ, caring nothing for factual I
biography.
The four pillars on which he built |
were Life. Light. Love and Truth. and /
these were the four windows through I
which he saw Christ. John emphas- |
ICES Gods personality and calls him |
Love. the Vine, the Shepherd, the
Sheep fold"
In closing. Or. Smith quoted Emer
sons lines
Il am the owner Of the spheres.
OF the seven stars and the solar
years:
OF Caesars hand and Plato's brain,
OF Lord Christ's heart and Shakes
peare's strain
He also said that he, who would get
the Lord Christ's heart, will get it
through Johns Gospel
10 hx-T