The Topeka state journal., 1909-01-02

BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
The man of books who has no time
for the newspaper is no more mistaken
than the newspaper reader who has
not time for books. The first misses
the meaning of today; and the second
is unable to see today in its rotations
For the present is intelligfble only IN
the light of the past. That is why his
tory is the favorite 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 stir
rings discernible in all churches.
are looking toward the world horizon.
BY such evidences as the recent
Church Federation and Catholic Mis-
sionary congress it is seen that organ
ized Christianity Is girding up its loins
for a fresh struggle with the pagan
world. Opportunely, the Sunday
schools of christendom are to give this
entire year to a study of the early his
tory of the church. The apostolic past
will illuminate this rare present. and
the present will shed light on the past.
when An Things Are Ready.
From hundreds of platforms in these
days missionary speakers are pointing
out the extraordinary and providential
opportunities before our own times.
There Is a wonderful drawing together
of the nations, an increase of inter-
relationship, and quickening of the
spirit OF world consciousness. In equal
ly remarkable degree there was con-
catenation of providential opportuni-
ties confronting the apostolic church.
Rome had conquered the world, ana
had laid the strong hand of her law
upon It.; SO that with reasonable safety
one could travel everywhere. She had
laid down a system of roads, which
made communication easy. COM
mon 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 full,
ness of time
All times are not alike. There are
certain epochs when history. seems
ready to burst into flower. All condi-
tions eonspire 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 the
wide dissemination Of their faith, a
very miracle of propaganda.
The Book of Widening Horizon.
1t is the fashion among some per-
sons who could not do his work to
speak dispara gingly of the reporter
Yet the reporter is merely day-at-a-
time historian. He is fairly in the
line of succession to Herodotus, Jose
phus Xenophon, Caesar, Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John. All honor to
Luke. the faithful reporter through
whom we know them, and who wrote
a peerless history of the early church
without once mentioning his own
pame. The veracfty of no other an
Gent writing, one scholar has declared,
Is so we'll tested as that of the Acts,
because no other has such numerous
points of contact in all directions with
moi biSfnrv- Yn1ffiNz 10
Biography, whether Jewish or Greek
or Roman. May all who write-or re-
late 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 widening
horizon. 1t graphically portrays the
growth of Christianity from a small
and despised Jewish sect to a world
wide religion for Jew and Gentle. The
book is not biography of the apos-
ties, nor is 1t narrative OF the acts of
even Peter and Paul. So the title
men have given it is misleading. The
Acts Is a history of the expansion of
the early church. 1t records what
through his followers. More truly
than It reports 1.-THE Acts of the Apos-
ties" the book is a transcript of 1.-The
Acts of the Holy Spirit
The story opens with the disciples
still clinging to their old, narrow,
Jewish notion that Jesus would restore
a temporal kingdom to Israel. 1t ends
with a discipleship which has imbibed
the Spirits teaching OF a spiritual
kingdom; and, who, consequently, are
preaching the good news to all the
peoples whom they could by any
means reach.
A ContempOraneous 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 a former |
treatlse;" but that was not enough; he |
had to write q second book and prob
ably meant to write a third to bring |
the wonderful story Of Gods work |
ing among men right down to date. |
who are deeply interested in the re- |
vival at Jerusalem two thousand years
ago, but who are Indifferent to the
revivals 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 moth |
der that he, and his seminary, are re-
garded as fossilized?
The Book of Acts teaches nothing
If it does not teach living, contem-
poraneous religion. 1t is redolent of
a present Christ. He Showed him |
self alive" remarks Luke; the dis
cfp1es looked for him in a tomb, |
when he was really standing by their
side A gospel that can be experienced, |
reality" are the days need. A present
realization of Jesus is never-absent
mark OF religious vitality. A Christian |
cannot subsist on last years exper- |
ience, any more than he can live on |
last years breakfast.