Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-07
RELIGIONS GREATEST MYSTERY.
The International Sunday School Les
son for January 10 is, "The Descent
of the Holy Spirit Acts 2: 1-21.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.

| son TOR january ~ vs., - ne OeSCenI
of the Holy Spirit Acts 2: 1-21.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS.
! Ii used 10 be the fashion to try TO
explain everything about Christian
' ity. The wisest men have got over
that. since they found themselves liv-
! ing in a maze of simple phenomena
that are inexplicable. The physical
scientist has to say, Il don't know as
often as the theologian. He gravely
! admits that he does not know what
/ life is, nor matter or air or light or
electricity. He says man has mind
and brain, but he cannot tell you
what the former really is. Man is a
spirit and a body, admits the scien-
fist, but lie gives up, or guesses Wild
ly, when asked TO define the spirit.
If man is a mystery, how much more
so God Here the Sunday schools oil
the world are brought face to face
with the impenetrable mystery of the
Holy Spirit; the most ineXplicable, and
supernatural truth i'll all the realm OF
religion. What may be said in answer
TO eager, puzzling questions upon this
profound mystery? Assuredly not the
cheap and easy answers of unthinking
emotionalists who glibly profess to
have mastered the secrets of the God
1 head Moving softly and reverently,
and admitting all the way that our
knowledge is very human and our
theme altogether infinite, we may at
least grasp some OF the elementary
considerations involved in any study
OF this miracle OF the descent OF the
Holy Spirit upon the infant Christian
Church at Pentecost. Always, too, 1t
lis to be borne in mind that some
things which may not be explained
may yet be experienced. The Holy
!. Spirit may not be defined intellectual
~ but he may be known experiment.
ally.
The Orphaned Band.
When the little company OF orphan
ed disciples stood gazing UP toward
the cloud which had received theil
Master 1t verify seemed as if the end
, OF all things had come. The whole
I vast scheme OF things had tottered
. and fallen. All their hopes had come
TO naught They were only a small
band of laundering Galileans, untutor
! ed prorincials. 1t was, humanely
, speaking, impossible for them to carr,
: on the work of Jesus So there haC
/ 10 be somebody to take the place o
; the assembled leader. The situation alb
soutely required this. Somebody mus
5 come to be at the head Of the new
+. church.
5 That somebody, the case required
]. had to be everything that Jesus hat
been. This was u seemingly Impossible
. condition. The basis of the disciples
a faith was that no other man existed
or ever had existed, like unto thei
y Lord. Yet his successor must be hi
= Alter Ego. And such a one had beei
I ! promised by Jesus: in phrases no
0 vet clear to his friends. There was t.
Y come new leader who would be tn
! other self of Jesus, standing in hi
/. stead and filing all his offices.
Z. One last instruction had been lai,
j upon the bereaved and mystitied heat
5 they We're to wait for that some
i body's arrival. More important thai
c the telling OF their story. or the organ
5 ization of the church, was the neces
e city for waiting for this coming one
+ Evidently, i'll the mind OF Jesus, TIL
Il advent Of this somebody whose cor
e ing justified his going, was all-impol
V tanJ. And the event proved that Pei
d tecost was The birthday of tn
S church.
u Oneness and Waves.
That somebody's arrival was spec
;, tacular, mysterious. mighty Til
:. friends of Jesus had been waiting az
= cording to instructions, in one min
. and one place. Now that the world |
y beginning to get glimmering of
!, conception of ether waves and though
q waves, and spiritual corces, the powe
n of concerted, common prayer ma
o seem less contrary to nature. Enoug
& to recall that it was when the disc
4 pies were all with one accord in on
>. place" that the wonder occurred.
l. AS from the impalpable air Their
e came rushing torrent Of sound lik
j. a mighty wind. Scared and wonderin;
" the disciples had scarcely time to u,
e alize this force which filled all til
II room to tenseness. when a still stran;
l. er sign appeared: for distribute
g above the head OF each appeared
h ouivering tongue Of flame. That unpr
Il cedented symbol was followed by a
IT equally strange experience. Thrille
n and filled to ecstacy by this new poy
d er. the humble Galileans found the
II tongues loosed i'll new speech. IN
y they spoke with other languages tina
" their own.
6. We thumb the books in vain fl
IS any precedent to this. The phenom
Il. non is battling. veritable miracl
e. That dav marked the advent of ne
IL somebody 10 reign over the hearts
s. men. and to loose powers hitherto III
SUSPECTED. He is the only explanatio
Of subsequent phenomena equally wo
derful. Some commentators try to e
plain away these strange events
Pentecost. because they are outsid
10 the pale of their experience. Simila
y ly, a traveller recently wrote plai
q careful. narrative of extraordina,
!. spiritual manifestations which he ha
u witnessed in India. Other eye wi
. lnesses. like DR.. Charles Cuthbe
u Hail. had testified to exactly the san