Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-14
A GREAT MAN VS.. A CRATER
The International Sunday School Les
son for October II Is paul
Prisoner Before Felix"
Acts "a.
(By William t. Ellis.)

(By William T. Ellis.)
The imperfections Of the judicial
system in the United States have
lately been pointed out by President
Taft himself. Except in very rare in
stances, these do not include corrup-
ton. At times we learn Of judges
who are swayed primarily by ambi-
ton, social ties and pecuniary con-
slderations by all such the admins
tration of justice Is impossible. Pure
water does not flow from foul spring.
An instance of the effect of bribery
upon the character of Judge Is the
case Of Felix, before whom we find
Paul standing in the course of his adj
ventures.
Felix was CRATER. The graft habit
had so eaten into his whole nature,
that even when he came to consider
seriously the question of personal re-
ligion, he still could not shake off the
desire to make personal gain out of
his teaching; even as many man
today finds the ruling evils Of his life
rising up before him in church, as
veil to shut out the truth Of Cod His
essential corruption had SO distorted
the nature Of Felix (history writes
him down as the worst governor Judea
ever had) that he could not deal just
ily with the prisoners before him.
The high infiexible and even-handed
Justice of the Roman courts was made
a mockery by this debauched and
crafty official. His story is one that
should bring home to the youth of the
ior 10Th In off nc
upon character and destiny Of being
swayed by any other considerations
than those of honor and Justice.
A Giant at the Bar, Pismy on the
Bench.
In this Roman court room at Ces-
area, the capital of the province of
history has often chen called upon To
record-greatness and honor stand
ing at the Judgment bar of pettiness
and greed. Felix was pigmy; Paul
was q giant. Felix was not worthy
10 wash the feet of this prisoner upon
whom his lecherous eyes leered so
superciliously. He was serene and
contemptuous in the delusion that
power and position made him great
an error that has not yet persisted
from the earth. Jesus had to stand
before PLATE; and truth and nobility
often finds itself arraigned before
meanness and time-serving politics. !
Mediocrity often sits in judgment upon
genius. Boorish wealth sometimes IS
served by true gentility.
The Debate in Court.
A stormy petrol was Paul There
Is no denying that wherever he went, |
connections seemed to follow That
was because he was personality, and
preached gospel which. when pre-
scented straight, always makes stir.
Commander Claudius Lysias, of the
Jerusalem garrison, had been glad 10
have his friends free of Paul. after |
reecuing him from mob, he had foil |
ed the plot of forty assassins by |
sending the prisoner on by night to
Cesarea. There, after five days, a |
delegation Of leading Jews, including
Ananias, the high priest, attended by
a Roman pleader named Tertullus, |
followed to prefer charges against
him.
The lawyer was sycophantic. He
flattered Felix without regard to the
facts. He called Paul "a pestilent |
fellow" "a mover of instructions |
among all the Jews throughout the
world" ga ringleader of the sect of |
the Nazarenes,' and profaner of the |
temple. 1t will be noted that he did |
not call Paul leader of the Chris
tians"; it was the pagans who gave
that name to the followers of Jesus,
and not the Jews; to the latter it was
an offense, for Christ" was their sac
red word for the expected Messiah.
So they used the despised name MAJ
arenes," which Is illuminated by their
proverb, Can any good thing come
out of NAZARETH"
When the prisoners turn came to
speak, he showed himself as suave,
polished and urbane as the Roman
lawyer. But with this difference:
Paul, in perfect self-possession, proved
himself the better diplomat and orator
by his self-restraint in his opening sal
utation: he kept within the facts,
which is always the way Of a master.
DR.. w. Smith says, There is scarcely
more striking contrast in the rec
ords of oratory than that between the
fulsome harangue of the hired advo-
cate, Tertullus, and the manly simplic-
fly of Paul's defense. His own atti.
tude toward Roman magistrates was
Invariably that of respectful but in
dependent citizen" The prisoners
incisive mind quickly stripped the
non-essential charges from the essen
tial
@The Way Which They Call Sect"
The notion is prevalent that foreign
missionaries devote great deal of
their time to attacking the beliefs of
the people among whom they live.
Men who should know better have
declared publicity that Is in bad taste
for missionaries to combat idolatry.
AS a matter of fact, the missionaries
are most diligent and tactful in seek
ing point Of contact with the native
thought and belief. l have heard q
missionary in Japan quoting the Jap
anese classics at preaching service
1t is a general rule to follow the Paul
inc way, as the great apostle exempli-
fed it at his trial before Felix He
went into considerable detail to show
that in all points except one, he be-
1ieyed as did his Jewish accusers II