Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-08-11
Pastoral Correspondence.

| sS'o' SiIVSHOIlO0I1C0.
MIR. EDIToR:-After saying good
morning; and that 1 am we'll and
fully enjoying my vacation with chill.
dren and friends, and the attendance
OF band concert at the corner of
Oakley Bid. and Madison ST., last
evening, which was good, but not so
good as those of our own band, given
on Friday evenings, 1 think of
nothing more useful and of greater
benefit to the general public--especial-
ly as the general public is we'll dis
posed toward our church, with others
than to give a brief statement of
the things taught in the collect,
epistle and gospel for the tenth
Sunday after Trinity, Aug. 6, the
collect: "Let thy merciful ears, o
Lord, be- open to the prayers of thy
humble servants: and, that they may
obtain their petitions, make them to
ask such things as shall please thee;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen"
1t is quite apparent that the collect
is an appeal to God mercifully to hear
our prayer, and that it may be
granted, to guide us by His Spirit into
the correct line of prayer according to
His will. See Rom. s: 26, 81; and l
John 6: IA, 15. Prayer like action is
an appointed means of ''our fellow
working with God" under His provi-
dence and His grace.
The Epistle l Cor. u: beginning
with the first verse, is the beginning
of st. Pauls teaching, in answer to a
letter from the Corinthian church, on
the subject of the extraordinary
spiritual gifts, which had caused per-
pleXity and contention at Corinth.
The apostle begins first by reminding
them that all such gifts in the church
depends upon, and are tested by, the
fundamental condition of that know
ledge, through the spirit of Jesus as
the Lord, to which they had turned
from idolatry, John 4: l, 3. Second,
the apostle dwells on the unity under
lying all such gifts-a unity of source
from the one spirit-a unity of minis
try or service, under the one Lord
Jesus Christ-a unity of effect, as SUBJ
ordinate of the work of the one God.
Third, he illustrates this principle by
speaking of the various gifts, wisdom,
knowledge and faith, then of healing
and other miracles, next ofprophecy
and spiritual disernment, and finally,
Of the use and Interpretation of
tongues-as all due to the manifold
operation of the Holy Ghost, and
given to be used for practical good.
1t is, of course, obvious that in princi-
pie the teaching applies to all spiritual
gifts whatever, ordinary, extraordi-
nary, recognizing in them the myster-
ious combination of individuality
with unity, of mans freedom with
Gods grace, which is the law of
human life.
The gospel, ST. Luke 1a, beginning
with verse IL, is a mournful illuStra-
tion of the need OF this combination
in the record of our Lords weeping
over Jerusalem on the hour of His
triumphal entry, because in spite of
His gift both of light and grace, she
would not see the things which
belonged to her peace in the appointed
term of her visitation, and so was
drawing on herself an utter destruc-
tion by the hands OF her enemies. or
this incapacity of true spiritual
insight, the proclamation of the temple,
under pretense of conducting to it's
service of God. For.'even the traffic
in the courts of the Gentiles was for
the sacrifice and sacred tribute, but
knew not the true spirituality and
universally of Gods worship. II
lesson therefore is clearly to the
church and not to the world
Respectfully your pastor,
REV. A. V. GoRRELL.