The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-05
"Life's Lessons to Me from
 Book of Romans 1.-The Topic
nv wm.LTAM D. ELLIs.

CT think the Epistle to the Romans
 the most profound work in existence' said the poet Coleridge. That IS trained literary mans judgment or tne hook that the Endeavorers or the world are called to study this week At the present moment, when mere U a deal of flabby. inconseQuential ano undigested discussion of new re lisior and new" thought, 1t IS im- nortant that the stimulus of this tre- mendous essay should be imparted to tha minds of those who are learning | to do their own thinking. Especially valuable should 1t be, in accreuitins
 inc historic Christian faith. to have young people perceive the shaiiowness and inanity of the modern high-souno' | ing pretensions of men who, as tnlhk, CTS. are to this great philosopher. Faul of Tarsus, as the Chinese astroiogei
 {. to the late astronomer, simon New comb. The man who sneers ct the New Testament teaching as being crude. primitive and outgrown. simply writes himself down as unfamiliar
 with the New Testament.
 It is easier to scoff at big book
 than 1t is to understand 1t. A taste vitiated by the reading o' newspapers, magazines and current nc ! tion is likely to find sucn Doox as Romans hard reading" While ruli oi runerb simplicities, and of counsel that inc least thoughtful cannot fall to comprehend, the main argument or the book is on 8 high plane, where tne atnosnhere is rather rare Tor teeole | Constitutions. Paul here sets tortn the line of reasoning which produced the Reformation-justifi py Iain
 Secondarily, he arrays the unansWer-
 able arguments against the Juoalzlns tendency that was abroad in the carry Cbristian Church, showing the univer- salty of the gospel. When a writer undertakes to set forth the nature oi the relation that subsists between man and his Creator, he is on the deepest water that the human intellect mas ever yentured to navigate Admitted ly. this is the weightiest question that has ever engaged the mind or the
 greatest thinkers. In this DOOR, tne learned traveller, philosopher, the theologtan presents the most satisfac- tory treatment of the theme ever ad- duced. So it is strong meat of which Christian Endeavorers are this week asked to partake.
 Until men have succeeded in living up to even the lower levels Of the Book of Romans. there Is no burning need for any new bnoukhS'
 When did Paul write this tremen- dous- letter? He had never been Tn Rome. The church there was not directly of his founding; and surely he had cares enough with his own churches to engross him. There were lesser and greater reasons for the writing of this epistle. Paul had per sonal friends among the Christians Tn Rome; and second. he wished to ad-
 wise the brethren in the city or the Caesars of his purpose to visit them'
 Primarily, though, his warrant was that of every great spirit Wno heels himself possessed of a vital truth. The
 great writers and orators and teachers have never sought any other creden-
 tials than the knowledge that they had a message. Paurs high passion that the truth of Jesus might prevail al
 the center of the empire led him to address this inspired exposition or the
 ways of God to the disciples who | represented the gospel at the very
 seat of imperial government
 The reading public delights to gather
 even scraps of personalia concerning great writers and the makers of their books How we envy Gaius, in whose
 house in Corinth this letter was writ
 ten Little did the open-hearted host realize that his act of hospitality
 would immortalize him, and make his
 home one of the landmarks of litera-
 ture. We wonder if Gaius sat In the room, an interested listener, while
 Paul dictated this great work to Ter
 tius, who acted as his amahuensis. If
 so, we can imagine him rehearsing
 choice portions of it to his wife, and sharing them with his fellow Corin- thian Christians.
 A great stategist was the Apostle Paul. He ever kept his eye on the pivotal places. It was the deliberate policy to try to capture and hold the | centers of Influence for the new faith
 of which he was 6 minister. If he
 were living today he would be leading
 the forces of Christsndom up against
 New York and London and Paris and
 Shanghai and Tokio and Calcutta.
 Even as he coveted Rome for Christ
 that out from 1t might radiate the
 teachings of the gospel, so he would
 adapt the wisest modern methods to
 the Christianization of the great
 metropolises of earth. The Church
 needs to be delivered from thinking In
 terms of parishes. and to learn to think
 in terms of cities. nations and the world.