Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-25
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON AND
YOUNG PEOPLES MEETINGS
News of Interest to Church Goers By al
Writer Who is An Authority on Religious
Subjects. The International Lesson for
Next Sunday.

accountable fact concerning Christian
1ty. that wherever the gospel story is
told, there things happen. Even one
telling to pagan has been known to
win him to allegiance to Christ Usual
ly, of course, successful evangelism
Is also educational and cumulative.
Always, though, it must be fundament-
ally what went to Samaria- the repe-
tition of the story of the Life.
A "Star" Ecipsed.
Deacon Philip found up in Samaria
one Simon. a sorcerer, who was quite
the vogue, or, as our present COLO
judaism has it, he was "all the rage"
There was abroad at the time gen.
eral expectation of coming Messiah.
These people satisfied themselves
with lesser one in the person of ST
mon Ihey We're not discerning
enough to perceive that Simon invali-
dated his high claim by the very fact
that he lauded himself He was a fore
runner of the modern evangelist who
employs press agents to fill the news
papers with tales of his own great
ness. Discreet men and women wisely
enough look askance at the preacher
with personal press agent. A worthy
bearer OF the message aliases himself.
but exalts his News and his Savior.
He cries with Paul, mot |. but
Christi
When Philip came working wonders
Simon gave up. He knew he was
collapsed. SO he joined the popuIar
movement. No one understood better
than he the genuineness of Philin,s'
work. The unthinking crowd might
compare his achievements with phil.
Fps, but he himself realized which
was true and which was false Presi-
dent G. Stanley Hall recently said in a
MAGAZINE article that the genuineness
or the claims OF all psychic mediums
must be tested by men who are famil-
lar with all the arts Of sleight of hand,
and with the tricks Of the professions
or cla'rVoyance. President Hall himself
possesses this knowledge, and he de-
clares that this is the reason WHY he
has not been impressed or convinced
by much that moves other men. From
this standpoint the value of Simon's
testimony to the miracles wrought by
Peter is doubly significant. Simon
was so deeply convinced as to give
intellectual assent to Philips rropa.
ganda.
Religion Not For Sale.
The Jerusalem leaders had gone
down to Samarfa to aid Philip in his
new propaganda. The strong were In.
terested in the weak. The apostles
We're not so engrossed in the Jerusa.
lem parish that they lost their vision
or sense of responsibility for the
whole cause. We look in vain for any
narrow parochialism in that early
church Peter and John went to Sa-
maria and laid their hands upon the
new believers, who then received the
Holy Spirit.
Simon saw this performance. He had
the business mans intuitive discern
ment of a distant dollar Perceiving
the profit that could be made of the
gift of laying on OF hands for the i'm
partation of the wonderful spirit he
coveted the same power. He was an
example of the not unfamiliar type
OF the man who ever has his eye open
for the main chance. So, awaiting a
convenient opportunity, he sought
an interview with Peter and John, and
offered them money if they would
teach him this gift.
Peters answer, as rendered in the
Twentieth Century New Testament, in.
dicates that there is sometimes iusti-
fication for very strong speech: "rake
your money to perdition with YOU
Peter exclaimed The occasion iusti-
fed the language. 1t was a great
wickedness that Simon the sorcerer
attempted; and equally great, as it
rears it's head in our modern church
life. Whoever attempts to inject mer-
4 cenary methods into spiritual religion
is guilty of that sin which has come
to be labeled with Simons name: the
| sin Of simony
The modern tendency to exalt the
rich layman, simply because he is rich,
is nothing less than sheer simony
4 When shall we learn the obvious les.
son that it is not by her wealth, but
by her spirit, that the church tri-
umphs in her mission? Simon was ter.
iror-stricken by Peters adjuration,
when the latter declared that he had
no part or lot in the message because
his heart was not right with God. The
only place that money has in the King,
dom of Heaven is as a form and token
i of service and allegiance. A man may
honor God with his substance, but it is
always possible to honor him more
with the heart. The former is not pos
sible without the latter The rich man
in religious work enjoys no handicap
over his poorer brother who has only
the devotion of his heart to give tc
his master. To every one who thinks
that place or power in the Kingdom
! Of Heaven can be bought with riches
come Simon Peters words, Take your