Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-22
REV. r. w. JEFFREY OF TIE FIRST
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
FEARLEsSLY OUTLINES HIS
WORK HERE.
WILL PREACH CHRIST
is ENT
GAYS 1T is THE FIRST DUTY OF A
MINISTER TO KNOW THE SAY.
IoUR-146 NEW MEMBERS ARE
GIVEN RECEPTION.

the occasion, the first meeting or 4
new pastor with his congregation, IN
which the minister fearlessly outlined
what he considered the duties Of his
mission, was delivered by Rev. T. w.
Jeffrey of the First Methodist Episco-
pal church Sunday morning to an i'm
mense audience.
"The Minister'S Supreme Purpose
which the pastor stated was the teach
ing Of Jesus Christ and Him cruciied,
was the subject of the m Rev.
Jeffrey stated that it is almost i'm
possible to find a great man in the
world with just one purpose or idea,
and he asserted that while it would be
his pleasure and duty to sympathiZe
with the members Of his church IN
times of affliction; to encourage them
Ia trouble: to advise when in doubt
and to be an aid and comfort to the
members in every way possible, still,
he said, that he considered 1t the first
DUTY of a pastor to preach Jesus Christ
above all else.
The words of Paul in first Corin-
thians, 11:12, 81 determined not 10
know anything among you save Jesus
christ and Him crucifled," were
CHOSEN as the text.
In the large audience were 146 new
members of the church and to these
was given a reception by the pastor
and official members of the church i'm
mediately after the m On ac-
count Of this special meeting, the dis
course of the morning was necessarily
brief, but the entire service was of
great strength and augured a year Of
unprecedented success for both the
church and the new pastor.
The sermon of the morning follows:
~ determined not to know anything
among you, save Jesus Christ and hin
.crucifed."-1 Corinthians 2-2.
Paul casts the largest shadows of
the centuries. No figure looms so
large upon the mental and spiritual
horizons. In girth of intellect and
/ look at him, l do not know which to
admire the more, his head or his heart.
Under the spell of his mighty intellect
ancient systems of philosophy were
swept away and the love of his heart
treated q new literature and a new
prt.
Paul's day was one of great men
had swung their battle line over
mountains and across seas until it
touched the earth's ends. Their states
manship had given them a grip upon
the world. Their poets had made
themselves the masters of the realms of
rhyme, until at the end of 20 centuries
genius pauses for inspiration at their
graves. Their soldiers a mingled
the eagles of Rome with the eagles of
the crags and pushed their imperial
highways to the snow fields of the
north. Rome had girdled the world
with law and had taught civilized and
uncivilized tribes TO respect 1t. And
when Paul lifted his voice in defense
of the dispised Nazarene, Rome was at
the very acme of her greatness, at the
very zenith of her power. Paul was q
big ma among men. Paul Is great by
comparison.
One Idea Cannot Fill World.
It is very unusual to find and admit
edly great man with just one purpose
or committed to just one Idea. Paul
was too big for that. The fact is, the
human mind is incapable of dwelling
upon n subject to the exclusion OF
all other subjects. When God made the
human mind He made 1t to be the play
ground of worlds. BY its open win
dows He would kindle suns and by its
doors, swing wide open lie would belt
I'D the robes OF His glory with innu-
merable stars. He made its mountains
tall enough and resplendant enough tc
reflect His glory and its rivers large
enough and deen enough to bear the
m of two worlds. OF course ii
is not to be occupied with just one
idea.
Daniel Webster has a place in his
torv as THE Defender of the Consti-
tuition" but his defense Of that i'm
mortal document was but an incident
IN this great life, but one act of a
myriad-minded 1t is the CHIEF
act of his life and the one by which
he will be longest remembered. Johr
Wesley called himself a man of zone
book" n a man Of one book he was
and yet he knew books as no other
mar of his generation knew books
ANY one familiar with his works will
grant that he was at home in every
known field OF literature. He loved lit
%erature, but he had a supreme passion
for n book. that Book of books. And
when Paul came to Cornith with a de-
termination to know nothing in that
commercial center Of the word save
Jesus ard hin crncifed he had ir
mind this as the dominating thought
Re did n great n1r2E ts1i2y ~ while ri
CcrtntH bat NsTyEEF2C he did wss
perfectly c1us tEGt WBgA dis higt de-
Terminate ~ t7is 5a wa rsfsd as
gra v-itatier aias the E9Cttat4 Of the
wer DIS ri !a F5vaHesva nurnase e!evat-
ed and s}tifnate6 MS whole life. Al
that be DID srJ all that he said ha6
its incentive here
In comiug T. sos as your pastor
feel that | shn ID have a iyed . rnose
and that YOU have a right to know
what that purnose it, May ] no coms
with Paul this morning saying, IT de-
termine to Know nothing among yol
save Christ and him crucifed?' MY
aim. my rpo my full desire. my
hope is the enthronement of the Lords
Christ in human hearts.
Meaning of Christ and Crucified.
What is meant by Christ and him
crucified? Why does Paul mention
the fact of the crucifixion at all:
Everything relating 10 his ministry
was worthy of remembrance, OF re-
petition, of meditation. He was ten
der and kind. He never harmed {