The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-13

IW1Chout any violence, Tor the dutnoTA-
ties theSelVeS were afraid of the Tree
people Populaces have a way occa-
sionaIly of rising up in vigorous cham
pionship of truth and free speech SUB
sequent to the interview with the ar
rested men. there is tentadveneSS
and fearfulness discernible in the atti-
tude of the authorities Does this not
sound ike a whimper- You have act
ually flooded Jerusalem with your
teaching, and are wishing to make US
responsible for the death of this Mann
In contrast, note the almost belicose
attitude OF the apostles. as they hurled
back the unequivocal reply. with its at
tdched charge We must obey God
rather than men. The God of our an
cestorS has raised Jesus from the grave
| whom you yourselves put to death by
/ hanging him on a cross" It was a
grim fashion of the prosecuted apostles
to throw repeatedly into the teeth OF
! their ecCuSerS the charge that they
were the murderers of the Messiah.
That was not an action of timorous
men. It was possible. of course. for
the authorities TO put the Christians
/ into Jail; but in jail or out, the latter
| had in their hearts a peace and a lib
/ erty to which these ecclesiastical po-
tentates were utterly strangers.
News Too Good TO Keep.
| Sometimes news Just bubbles out of
! a persons lips. He is so full that he
| cannot restrain himself from speech.
| Barrie, in one of his stories, tells how
I
| been accepted by his sweetheart,
| Gavinia- In his exuberance he hailed
| everybody he met and told them the
| good news He climbed a hill to an
| old wOman's cottage, and said. 'Old
woman. I don't know who you are,
but 1 Just want to teHa you that
/ Gavinia will have me-
| That is a lover to whom everybody's
heart warns And the same type of
religion which cannot be repressed or
! concealed but overfows so that in
| the case of the disciples. it filled all
| Jerusalem is the religion that the
| world respects and studies The one
/ supreme business in life of these early
J Christian men and women was telling
over and over the story of the
crucihed Christ Whether they were
/ in prison or at labor. or before legal
tribunal or multitude of the pop
uIace there sprang TO their lips the
good news of the crucified, which is
the heart of the gospel of Acts
Peter made a significant point in his
answer to the Sanhedrin on this oc-
/ casion: I'VE are witnesses to the
/ truth of this. and so is the Holy
| Spirit" With quiet confidence. he
postulated the tremendous assumption
that the Christians were fellow
partners with the spirit of God in
bearing testimony to Jesus Some one
has said that every Christian who I'M
dertakes TO tell the good news is a CO.
worker with God, a co-sufferer with
AlAAE
spirit That should be dignity and
reward and work enough for any
mortal since the very angels in
heaven may not lay claim to so high
spirit of Jesus has the world become
that in the entire realm of in
teIIectuaI life today it is admitted that
every man owes the loftiest truth he
knows to the farthest man who needs
it, and whom he can reach
Some Angry Judges.
Sometimes truth breaks hearts, or
softens them; but sometimes it only
hardens the hearts of the hateful.
The Sanhedrin grew furious upon
hearing the words of Peter They
wanted to put him to DEATH as
illegally as they had a few years be-
fore put to death his master.
Among them was wise man, Doc
tor GamaIiel who applied a test and
uttered a warning that are universally
true He said: Let them aIone-for
If these designs and these proceedings
are only of human origin. they will
come to an end; but if they are of
divine origin, you Will be powerless TO
end them" That test Christianity has
stood The Sanhedrin was powerless
to arrest the growth of the little
church. So was mighty Rome. So
was all heathendom. So was all
fnfidel learning So were the powers
OF darkness themselves
The warning which GamalieI added
babe them to beware lest they find
themselves fighting God. So long as
in any cause or under any banner a
man fights on Gods side. he can be
happy, peaceful and successful The
minute he finds himself. in his heart
or in open conflict, arrayed against
God, then misery and failure are GER
tain to ensue.
ArrOgantly and Unwarrantably fog
ging the disciples the council
grudgingIy discharged them, because
they were afraid to do otherwise.
The apostles left the council chamber,
sore but satisfied. needless of the
f1ogging, and rejoicing that they had
had the honor to be dfsgraced in sup
port of the cause. Without regard to
the impOteut commands of the rulers,
they continued to fulfill their great
life mbition, the narrative runs
Never for a single day either in the
temple or in private houses. did they
discontinue teaching or telling the
good news OF Jesus, the Christ"
The Man of Famous Patience
Terse Comments Upon the Christian
Endeavor Topic. for February Il,
Life Lessons for Me from the Book
of job" Job AIS. 10-17.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
It is not how much one stands, but
how one stands IL, that counts to the
credit Of character