Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-07-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON AND
YOUNG PEOPLES MEETINGS
News Of Interest to Church Goers By a
Writer Who is An Authority on Religious
Subjects. The International Lesson for
Next Sunday.

derness, in perils in the sea, in perilS !
among false brethren; in WEAKNESS
and painfulness, in watchings oft, in |
hunger and thirst, In Hastings often,
in cold and nakedness." This was the
price paid for the service of the Cru
Gifted In it all Paul learned the glory, |
for he found himself sharer of the
cross Of Jesus.
A Friend In Need.
In his extremity Of persecution Paul
was cared for by the converts he had
made. 1t was the brethren who sent
him and Silas away by night from
Thessalenica to Berea, for this man
had the royal gift Of attaching men to
himself with steadfast loyalty. For
him his friends were willing to risk
their lives. Wherever he travelled he
made new friends who were ready 70
share his dangers and his sufferings.
Let us not pity Paul too much. Aside
from his fellowship with his Master.
he won the close sympathy Of new
friends. When we consider how few
real friends will stand the test Of the
fires of adversely that come to the
average man or woman in this life we
must count Paul royalty rich.
rades of his from idle companions who
may be picked up on all the great
Broadways of life The latter last only
as long as ones money and gifts OF
pleasing last. But they fade away be-
fore adversely, as flowers before the
frost. Let it be written large in all
teachings, that few friends are one
of life's greatest achievements. Whose
has won them is richer than the man
who has piled up a mountain OF dol
lars. 1t takes more character and 8
higher order of ability to make friends
than it does to make money. These
companions of Paul's life whom we
find with him at every stage Of his
journey are a real proof of his great
ness.
An EARLY Bible Study Movement.
sight better worth seeing than the
pyramids greeted Paul at Berea, for
there he found what was rarer on the
map of his day :han it is at present
and it is still rare enough-a commun-
ity of open-minded people. How exhil-
arating and refreshing to the itinerant
apostle this must have been. Aceus-
toned to prejudice and blind sectar-
!ianism. it was Joy to. him to find
city where the people wanted to know
the truth. The fadeless record of the
Bereans is Now these men were more
noble than those in Thessalonica. IN
that they received the Word with all
readiness of mind, examining the
Scriptures daily whether these things
were So" The synagogue constituency
set earnestly to work to prove the new
| 70 oh org cta NV
writings.
That Berean trait is the modern ten
dency. This is a Bible studying age.
There are probably more popular
Bible classes today than ever before
in the worlds history-B Bible classes
of men, Of women, of young people,
of college students. of workingmen.
Everywhere, at all times, we may find
men and women turning to the study
of the Scriptures. Also there nsver
We're SO many earnest theologians at
work as there are today. Learned men
are giving their best. thought to a
close scrutiny Of these sacred pages,
In the realms of theology, however,
an observer finds tendency at work
which has in it seeds Of great evil. The
old Berean attitude of reverence for
the Scriptures is absent from many OF
the theological studies The new sohol.
astic attitude is not one of reverence.
A man goes at the Bible with the air
Of one who says, my surmise and my
Interpretation are quite as good as
yours For the authority of the in
spired Word there is now tendency
| to substitute the authority Of some be-
specialized German. We hear Harnack
and Wellhausen and Ritschl quoted
with more Difference than we hear the
Apostle Paul or the historian Luke.
This is the peril and the madness OF
modern progressive theology. Let men
study as deeply and range as widely
as they will This is the debt which
scholarship owes to the Bible: but let
them keep o sense of proportion and
a reverent mind. The theological
world Of today Is filled with the clamor
of conflicting and strident voices
Scripture agrees with itself, bM. these
theological savants do not Each dis
credits the other, and the bewidered
student quickly finds himself at sea.
A Book for Plain People.
Beyond all other writings the Scrip
| lures have the peculiar quality OF be
ing plain to the mind of the earnest
every day man. Simple faith can often
apprehepd what is clouded to the the
ologian. God Is his own interpreter
and he will make it plain" In this
unique book the reverent heart ma!
search and find treasures Of wisdom
/ Even more: this book imparts life
OF this there is no doubt. A myried q
witnesses testify to it. In every mis-
sion land there are converts whose
characters have been transformed BY
1 reading this sacred volume.
No other book so carries its jowel
into all TRANSACTIONS. Shakespeare
ceases to be Shakespeare when taker
out of English But in the mere thar
five hundred translations of the Bible
which the world Is today studying
varying. of course in their fidelity *
: the original. there still remains thi
same vital faculty of impartins a iii
: vine life to the reader. That is VIII.
the study in the Sunday school is q
more Importance to the church tliai
the study in the theological seminary
The latter may produce par.;cs alit
] schools but the reyerent study of TIL,