The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1922-03-30

We ".ay Nc" wet her reward in the
day of Christ
The same spirit, of sanctifying our
correspondence, is illustrated in the
case OF the aged apostle John. as he
writes 10 the "elect lady" whom he
addresses III his second epistle, from
which our text is taken.
First of all. he says he would not
write with l.lper ana ink, implying
the unsatisfactory character OF this
method of communication when he has
many things To say. If we should Ill
10" oui Imagination to run. we might
conclude that, since papyrus which
was used in writing. VAS expensive,
the apostle could not afford To write
long Ieuers Again, we might easily
picture him writing laboriously in his
Old age and SO making his epistle brief.
How human ii makes him and how
neaI TO us it brings him All of which
may cause us to rejoice that, in the
providence of God. the invention of
printing was brought about AT the time
of the Protestant Reformation, thus
enabling the common people to possess
the word of God.
Speaking Face to Face.
John desires to speak TO the elect
lady face To face" 1t has sometimes
been suggested that, because of the
spread of books, preaching will lose
It's popularity. Ii has been well re-
piled that this will be the case when
conversation is supplanted by CORE
spondence. However, communicating
by paper and INK is no more salts
tying now than in the days of the
apostle, and we still yearn to talk 20
one another face to face" And may
we not apply ii to our relations TO our
Lord? Sweet is the fellowship we now
have with Him through His word, but
in His presence will be fulness of joy.
"oh, the blessed Joy of meeting
All the desert past!
oh, the wondrous words of greeting
He shall speak at last!'
In closing, John says: 1.-The chill
dren of thy elect sister greet thee"
This may be considered as a commune
cation by proxy, just as we have had
those by writing and in person. Some
have considered ii trivial to think Of
John conveying the greetings of chill
dren 10 their aunt. But we cannot feel
that way about 1t. Indeed, the sim
plicity, the gentleness, and the power
of attracting the affections of the
young, which are involved, suggest to
us the maturity In saintiness of the
apostle whom Jesus loved Possibly,
some Of these children were small, and
we shall not forget that when Jesus
would illustrate true gentleness in the
kingdom of heaven, He set a little
child In the midst and babe His disci-
plies become like him. John had, by
grace, attained to childlikeness.
Longfelow and the Children.
John T. Trowbridge, the well-known
writer. tells of visit to his home by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. When
Mr. Longfellow heard the children, he
called for them. They were somewhat
overawed by his gray hair, beard and
venerable aspect, but he soon put them
at ease by saying: "Where are your
dolls? / want you to show me your dolls !
Not the fine ones you keep for COM
pany, but those you love best and play
with every day." They had soon
brought their shabby little favorites
with battered noses, and were eagerly
telling him their names and histories,
while ne questioned them with an in
terest which won their hearts. Mr..
Trowbridge could only think of Him
who said. Suffer the little children
TO come unto me-"
May the Lord sanctify all our human
relationships as those of the Apostle
Of Love were sanctified