Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-26

/ suffered for the sake of Christi Paul
was told what great things lie must
suffer for the sake Of his Lord. Max
wells position at Raymond is well TAX
en- when he insists that to walk in the
steps of Christ means to suffer. Where
has my suffering come in2 The petty
trials and annoyances of my clerical life
are not worth mentioning as sorrows or
suffering. Compared with Paul or any
of the Christian martyrs or early disci-
pies, I have lived luxurious, sinful
life, full of ease and pleasure. cannot
endure this any longer. have that
within me which of late rises in over
whelming condemnation Of such fol-
lowing of Jesus. have not been walk
ing in his steps. Under the present sys-
tenn of church and social life see no
escape from this condemnation except
to give the rest of my life personally to
the actual physical and soul needs of
the wretched people in the worst part
of this city
The bishop had risen now and walked
over to the window. The street in front
of the house was as light as day, and
he looked out at the crowds passing,
then turned, and. with passionate ut
terance that showed how deep the vol
canic fire in him burned, he exclaimed:
Calvin, this is terrible city in
which we live. Its misery, its sin, its
selfishness. appall my heart, and have
struggled for years with the sickening
dread of the time when I should be
forced to leave the pleasant luxury Of
my official position to put my life into
contact with the modern paganism of
this century. The awful condition Of
the girls in the great department stores.
the brutal seltishness Of the insolent So
ciety, fashion and wealth that ignores
all the sorrows of the city, the fearful
curse of the drink and gambling hell,
the wall of the unemployed, the hatred
of the church by countless men who see
in the church only great piles of costly
stone and upholstered furniture and the
minister as luxurious idler, all the
vast tumult Of this vast torrent of hu-
manity with its false and its true ideas,
its exaggeration of evils in the church
and its bitterness and shame that are
the result of many complex causes-all
this as Q total fact, in its contrast with
the easy. comfortable life have lived,
fills me more and more with sense Of
mingled terror and self accusation. /
have heard the words of Jesus many
times lately, 'Inasmuch as ye did it not
unto one of these least, my brethren.
ye did it not to me. And when have I
personally visited the prisoner or the
desperate or the sinful in any way that
has actually caused me sufferingf
Rather I have followed the conven-
tional soft habits of my position and
have lived in the society Of the rich.
refined, aristocratic members of my con-
gregations. Where has the suffering
come in? What have I suffered for
Jesus sake? Do you know. Calvin p
the bishop turned abruptly toward his
friend-''I have been tempted of late
to lash myself with scourge. If 1 had
lived in Martin Luther's time, would
have barred my back to self inflicted
torture"
DR.. Bruce was very pale. Never had
he seen the bishop or heard him when
under the influence of such passion.
There was sudden silence in the room.
The bishop had sat down again and
bowed his head, Dr. Bruce spoke at last:
Edward, do not need to say that
you have expressed my feelings also. l
have been in similar position for
years. My life has been one of compar-
alive luxury. do not, of course, mean
to say that have not hard trials and
discouragements and burdens in my
church ministry, but cannot say that
I have suffered any for Jesus. That
verse in Peter haunts me, Christ also
suffered for you. leaving you an exam
pie that We should follow his steps,
have lived in luxury. do not know
what it means to want. also have had
my leisure for travel and beautiful COM
panionship. have been surrounded by
soft, easy comforts of civilization. The
sin and misery of this great city have
beat like waves against the stone walls
Of my church and of this house in
which live. and have hardly needed
them, the walls have been SO thick. /
have reached point where cannot
endure this any longer. am not con-
demning the church. love her. I am
not fcrsaking the church. I believe in
her mission and have no desire to de-
stroy. Least Of all, in the step I am
about to take, do desire to be charged
with abandoning the Christian fellow
ship, but ! feel I must resign my place
rs pastor of Nazareth Avenue church
in order to satisfy myself that I am
walking as ought to walk in his steps
In this action l judge no other minis
tiers and pass no criticism on others
discipleship, but feel as you do Into
a closer contact with the sin and shame
and degradation of this great city I
must come personally, and 1 know that
to do that must sever my Immediate
connection with Nazareth Avenue
church. do not see any other way for
myself to suffer for his sake as l feel
chat ought to suffer.
Again that sudden silence fell over
these two men. 1t was no ordinary ac-
ton they were deciding. They had both
reached the same conclusion by the
same reasoning. and they were toe
thouphiful foo we'll accu stome1 IN the