The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-30

1 occasional leading man IN their peWs-
| have N mind at the moment q
/ preacher whose pulpit ought TO be 3
/ fugerbOSrd for the thinking and living
/ Of his city. q place OF rare opportunity
I This man become 50 impressed with
the social political. and financial
/ dignity OF q few of his leading parish
/ toner's that he devoted all his great
I talents TO winning their approval He
succeeded in this, but he failed as q
minister Never by a hairs breadth,
apparently, has he turned those same
men from conduct which has since
been revealed TO be UNANIMOUSLY scan
! daIous- Woe unto the preacher or the
/ teacher who has abdicated his right TO
rebuke wfCkedneS7 wherever found, or
who dfferentfates between the rich
and the poor in the pulpit
The Benefit OF BOldness-
The unabashed fearIesSuess OF the
two prisoners upset all the calculations
OF the Sauhedr1u- Here occurs a IA
nous phrase which is often used out
of its connection: They took kuowI-
edge of them, that they had been with
Jesus" That is a phrase often heard
IN prayer meetings Why did the
Sanhedriu take knowledge of Peter
and Johr2 Because Of their bold
ness It was when they beheld the
boldness of Peter and John, and had
perceived that they were unIearRed
and ignorant men they narveIIed; and
they took knowledge of them that they
had been with Jesus" Those words
''unIearned and ignorant men" might
be freely and correctly interpreted,
''un0rdained laymen-" The point is
that these men were not trained
rabbits. but plain men from without the
when the unprofesstonaf disciple of
Christ, the Iayman who IS now coming
into 2 place Of power, stands up to
utter clear note of testimony, the
world stops and listens
The holiness OF the disciples is a
characteristic OF this book It may be
called the mark OF the Lord Jesus
Neither the Sanhedrin nor the world
since would take knowledge of weak
kneed disciples that they have been
with Jesus \ trait Of those close to
Christ Is their utter fearIessness in
wftnesS-beartug. It still coufounds op-
position. even as IL did IN the case OF
the Sanhedrin- The courage Of the
prisoners and the presence Of the
healed man brought the persecution
TO 4 staudSriI- The Sanhedrin made
Overrures for a compromise. but Peter
and John would not capitulate- They
demanded freedom without conditions.
To the request that they keep silence
when freed the answer promptly
came. whether il is right in the sight
Of God 10 hearken unto you rather
than unto God Judge ye: for We can
not but speak the things which We saw
and heard" Isn't that an utterauce to
put iron into the blood of every timor-
Gus immortal
The Present Need
According 10 this narrative. the first
recorded prayer Of the Christian |
church was prayer for holiness in !
bearing witness Hard on the heels of
the petition is written the answer: |
And when they had prayer, the place |
was shaken wherein they were
gathered together; and they were all 4
filed with the holy spirit. and they
spake the word OF God with boIdnesS'' I
That still is the greatest need of the
& II or I
speak up with boIdness concerning the 4
things which she cheriSheS most dear
y. The cry OF the hour is for a wit
Messing church. Why is Christian 4
sentiment OVerriddeu in public life /
Because the Christian community does
not speak out body concerning its
convictions Why IS the majestic
march OF the Kingdom Of Heaven not !
because the members OF that kingdom
do not assert their desire and their
right II the ordinary Christian were
to get q grasp OF the truth that II is
MS duty TO bear witness against what
ever in public print or public life
initiates against Righteousness. and
in behalf OF all things true and whole,
there would be at once q transformed
Christian sentiment
There is ominoUs significance in the
tact that Just now the one city in the
United States which has perhaps a
larger religious constituency than |
any other city in the states is in the
-hroes of an investigation OF shame
-uI graft conditions Why IS it that
politicians and corrupt bust
ness men Jointly rule so many states
and communities Does IT mean that
the apostolic power Of protest and
witness bearing has gone from the
church Can II be that, so far from
going TO ian for their faith, modern
viii not even go to the bal
OF box. or to the letter box ~ 70 +r,a
public meeting Of protest2 AssuredIy.
mere IS no hope for the real cleaning
lp or any community, except through
luch militant righteousness as was
lIspIayed by Peter and John before ,
he vested interests of their dav and
inc