Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-11

ever In thesland of no more sea--this
the vision of himself which the Bible
gives to man. Man outside the Bible
is painted as a slave, in the Bible he
appears as brother to the Son Of God
Man, catching this view of himself, has
cried out, will yet be noble, l will
still gain and walk the heights where
God intended me to go.
Revelation of Society.
SIN its revelations of society. With
this new view and purpose Of indfvid
ual souls has come new hope to so
ciety. No longer Is the ideal of the
state the perfection Of tyranny but the
perfection of liberty. A worldwide
brotherhood in Jesus Christ is the
growing vision Of the world, and this
ideal includes In 1t every relationship
of men. The motto then of society in
civilized lands has become this: BE we
perfect even as your heavenly Father
is perfect. The real. it is true, is far
from the ideal, but the Bible has de-
clared the ideal. The ideal must al
ways precede the real.
"In these revelations of God, of man,
and OF society | see proof Of the divin-
ity of the Bible. When I take in my
hand flower, realize there has been
present in its formation the mysterious
power Of the suns light and warmth.
Gas light and the Illuminating charm
Of electricity are powerless to form a
perfect flower. When | behold the
Bible with its visions of perfect God,
perfect man, and perfect society,
| realize that there has been present
in its formation, perfect Power
"The divinity of the Bible Is seen in
it's influence.
General Lew Wallace, then an un-
believer, was, 1t is said, once riding
with Mr. Ingersoll, who remarked that
If any one would only read the Bible
he would see it's absurdity General
Wallace commenced reading it, and,
as result, not only Ben Hur' has
been given the world, but Christian
author. Had the pen of an angel,
would draw you the picture Of the
Bibles influence. would outline to
you home just formed by the union
of two hearts. would place within ii
a family altar. Every day the Bible is
reverently and prayerfully read. Little
SAiAAoASA SoAAIO W 6LOduCA Gll6 duU
they are taught its precious truths.
Years pass and the father and mother
now aged, sit pouring over it's pages
The dim eyes read: The Lord is my
Shepherd, shall not want and the
dear old hearts are filed with Joy un.
speakable. Out into the world have
gone the children. Out into its temp
tations and its responsibilities, out
from the shelter of the old roof, but
never away from its sacred influence
never to blot out the memory Of faith.
er's and mothers Bible and fathers
and mothers God.
"A youth of II years was leaving
home to go out into the world for him
self. The trunk has been lifted into
the wagon, and the farewells are be
ing spoken. Fathers and mothers
hearts are almost broken to part with
their boy. A hard struggle seems the
battle of life. No money have they tc
give him. No influence that shall
command the attention of others
What can they do? They pray. They
commend him to God. They place
within his hands little Bible, and
as he opens he reads upon the frs,
blank page:
"A mothers present to her son.
O may he prize it high;
In teaching him the way to live,
Twill teach him how to die
"They have done more for him thar
money could do. What gift SO price
less to bestow upon a soul as an exam
pie of faith and to place within its
hands the word of God.
Speaking Life and Hope.
tAnd today, If we could but know
it, the Bible is speaking its message
of life and hope to many soul. The
tempted are reading of way to es
cape; the mourning Of comfort; the
toiler of victory; the youth of service;
the middle aged of strength; the aged
of heaven, and the sinner of salvation
All me, if could but tell you what the
Bible is doing to inspire this world
you would weep for very joy.
"The Bible Is speaking its messages
to society as well as persons. What
would this world be, were it not fol
those reformations which had their
birth in the message of the Bible to
some earnest soul?
ChiCOA SOAhpoSCu VI WdIllhG anu
jealous tribes, with no vision of a flu
ture, placed by Alfred the Great upon
the foundations of the ten comm and
ments and the gospel of Christ, has
come to be England, with her many
and victorious struggles for liberty
with her noble men and great univer
Stiles
"Wycliff and Tyndall's translations
of the Bible gave us at last the pill
grim fathers of America. Savonarola
gets from the Bible his vision of dem
ocracy. Luther gets from that rare
copy Of the Latin Bible the message
that makes his own soul free. The
Wesleys learn from 1t Of works, and
then go forth to help purge the world
Those who toll In other lands today
for a better civilization, those who in
the depths of our great cities spend
their strength and means to relieve
poverty and to lift up the fallen and
encourage the helpless, have drawn
their inspiration and are receiving
their strength from the Christ of the
Bible.
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