Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-31
a YEAR WITH HlsToRY.MAKgRs.
The International sunday-ScI1ool Les
son for January is, "The AS
eension Of Our Lord Acts
i:i-14,
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.

taken than the neWSpdpeT-Ied'lsi ~
has no time for books. The mrs.
misses the meaning of today and the
second is unable to see today IN lts
relations. For the present is lntelil
gible only in the light OF the past
THAT is why history is the faVorlts
study of the wise and the great
This new year OF 1909 bids fair TO
be one of the great years in the Annals
of the race: it holds promise, also, OF
being one of the expansion periods OF
Christianity. There are strange sur
rings discernible in all churcnes
Protestants and Roman Catholics
alike are looking toward the world
horizon. BY such evidences as the re-
cent Church Federation and Cathoilc
Missionary congress it Is seen that or
ganized Christianity is girdlng up us
loins for fresh struggle with the
pagan world. Opportunity, the sun
day schools of Christendom are 10
give this entire year to a study Of the
early history of the church. The
apostolic past will illuminate this, rare
present, and the present will shed light
ton the past
When.AlI Things are Ready,
From hundreds Of platforms IN
these days missionary speakers are
pointing out the extraordinary and
,proyidential opportunities before our
own times. There is a, wonderful
drawing together of the nations, an ~
crease of inter-relationship. and a
euickening of the spirit of worid-con-
seriousness. In equally remarkable de-
gree there was concentration OF
providential opportunities confronting
the apostolic church. Rome had con-
auered the world, and had laid the
strong hand of her law upon 1t; so
that with reasonable safety one could
travel everywhere. She had laid down
a system OF roads, which made conf
munication easy A common speech
Greek, was understood by people
everywhere. The dispersed Jews and
Judaized Greeks could be found at all
centers. giving favorable opening for
the missionaries of the new faith. 1t
was in truth "the fulness of time"
All times are not alike There are
certain epochs when history seems
ready to burst into flower. All cond!-
tions conspire for the production of
great events Such was the case in
the apostolic age: and such. careful
observers declare, is the case at the
beginning of this twentieth. century.
That little band of Christians had the
vision and the courage to meet ths
conditions: the result was the world
wide dissemination of their faith.
very miracle of propaganda.
The Book of Widening Horizon.
IT is the fashion among some per-
sons who could not do his work to
speak disparagingly of the reporter.
Yet the reporter is merely a day.at-a,
time historian. He is fairly in the line
of succession 10 Herodotus, Josephus,
Xenophon, Caesar, Matthew. Marx,
Luke and John. All honor TO Peter
and Paul; but al honor. too, to Luke,
the faithful reporter through whom we
know them, and who wrote q, peer
] less history Of the early church with
out once mentioning his own name.
The veracity OF no other ancient writ
ing, one scholar has declared, is so
well tested as that of the Acts, be-
cause no other has such numerous
points Of contact in all directions
with contemporary history. politics
and topography, whether Jewish or
Greek or Roman May all who write
--or relate by word of mouth--be able
to stand such tests as Luke has tri,
umphantly met.
There is a dramatic progress in
Luke's story. It is a book Of widen
ing horizon. It graphically portrays
the growth of Christianity. from
small and deepised Jewish sect to =
worldwide religion for Jew and Cen
tile The book Is not a biography OF
the apostles, nor is it narrative of,
the acts of even Peter and Paul. So
the title men have given 1t is mis-
leading. The Acts is history of the
expansion Of the early church 1t re-
cords what Jesus began TO do and to
teach through his followers More
truly than 1t reports THE Acts of the
Apostles the book is transcript of
THE Acts of the Holy Spirit
The story opens with the disciples
still clfnging to their old, narrow, Jew
ish notion that Jesus would restore
temporal kingdom to Israel. It ends
with a discipleship which has imbibed
the Spirits teaching of . spiritual
kingdom; and, who, consequently, are
preaching the good news to all the
peoples whom they could by any
means reach
A Contenporaneous Religion.
Real religion is not shut up in a
book, or behind mysterious clouds 1t
is something for the present time and
place. Luke wrote former
treatise; but that was not enough; he
had TO write a second book and prob
ably meant to write a third to bring
the wonderful story of Gods working
Rnong men right down to date There
are plenty of persons living who are
deeply interested in the revival at
Jerusalem two thousands years ago,
but who are Indifferent to the re-
Yivals In India and Korea and China
today. A certain eminent theological
professor remarked TO me one day,
with great positiveness, There is
nothing new that is true. and nothing
true.tsss n ssw.... Is it. any wonder