Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-16
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.

iiS1, LON LII tIS ulSLOTy tndJ IS VIII
ten in books, and in that which is be-
ing written in the newspapers. Re-
markably enough Paul seemed TO
have none of this Not that he was
fla5by or forceless. The manner IN
which he made the Philippian officials
who had beaten him and Silas without
cause come to their knees revealed
the spirit OF the man. So likewise his
refusal to take Mark along on the sec
ond missionary journey.
But he cherished no animosities,
held no grloges. He was great enough
for forgiveness. The iailer who had
held him prisoner he could save and
serve, and Mark he could later re-
celvo as a cherished friend. This buff
feted and prosecuted apostle grew
mellower and more loving to the end
OF his days, because he would not
make room in his heart for hate Like
his Master, he t,rned the other
cheek.
More sublime magnanimity than
raul displayed toward his own coun-
trymen cannot be found, except in the
example of his Master. The Jews
mated and bounded this Christianized
disciple Of Gamalie' Again and again
they sought his life They piled up
persecution, SO that stripes and ston-
lngs and imprisonments were his fire.
quent portion. Withal he loved them.
At every new city, he turned first to
his own countrymen. To the last his
cry was, "My hearts desire and my
supplication to God is for them, that
they may BE- saved"
The Word That Makes New.
That person reads tie days news
paper in vein who does not perceive
that these experiences of Paul have /,
direct bearing upon the present ten
dency OF thought, which is toward a
vague ard nebulous naturalism in re-
ligion, with no need for . divine Re
deemer. The one essential work
that this little band of missionaries
were doing was the preaching Of the
gosnel that changed mems lives, They
held the word which made character
new. All the tnmult that logged
their steps was due to the disciple
creating power of their testimony.
Their Good News, accepted turned
men from necromancv and from idol
airy. 1t hurt some big business, -
but it helped men and women.
That is the great apologetic for
Christianity. It's power to produce
saints is the supreme Christian evil
dence. There is no answering that
argument. One convert made over
into holiness Of life confounds all the
rationalism Of blind scholasticisin.
Some Of us see in the triumphs of the
cross on mission lands today new
infusion of vitality and confidence
for the church at home The exported
gospel IS returning, to save those VINO
sent it out.
Culture and Religion.
A big question in modern Japan.
and in many other places besides, is
whether the educated man needs a re-
| ligion. Is not culture enough? AMI,
even granting the necessity for a re,
ligion, should ii be one which makes
! so much of sin and a cross and 4
heart at peace? Paul faced that con
dition in cultivated Athens, where
| liberal ideas were all the rage, 50
/ that men. in their eagerness to show
| intellectual and spiritual hospitality
| to all beliefs. erected an altar ito the
unknown Cod" Undoubtedly it is
harder to convert an educated man
than an untutored one; yet Athens
needed the gospel as sorely as Cor.
NTH or Ephesus.
] The sufficiency OF Christ for all
classes was. Paul's great platform He
had Good News for the slave girl for
tune teller, for the rough Philippiar
| jailer, and for the rabble; and it wor
Crispus, the ruler of the Corinthiar
synagogue and Dio.ysius, the learned
| Areopagite and Apollos, the polished
/! AleXandrian orator.
a Ilero's Reward.
| Back of all adventure, back OF II
controversy. back Of all travel anC
teaching and t:.ffering, there looms II
grandeur the figure of the human
Paul. The man oveEtops the wore
and the deed. In all these various
experiences he was winning to him
self the allegiance of devoted friends
and lavishly pouring out his soul''
richest treasures of affection. W.
do not have to look long at him be
fore we see that this man lived a roya
LIE. For him existence was neve
tame or stale or profitless.
So the truth energies that life.
sweetest satisfactions are to be fount
in the pursuit of great and settles
goals. Paul was at TO point to b.
pitited, but ever to be envied, for h,
doing q mans work nobly-nay, HI
was doing Gods work diVinely. H.
found life supremacy worth living be
cause he merged his life and his la
bors into his Master, crying, For t.
me to live is Christ"
VANITY FAIR.