Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-30
Twenty Fine Years AGO
- From The Courier Files

was any one lHluS ldIIHcI lloll 'hS
young zealot's mind than another, 1t
was uncertainty about his cursed. He
was right, absolutely right, and all
who differed with him should sufrer
even as that mad blasphemer Stephen
had suffered. His every breath was a
threat against these Christian dissen
ters.
Then something happened. In few
marvelously clear sentences the story
Is told by the most compact book III the
world:
And as he journeyed, he came near
Damascus; and suddenly there shined
round about him light from heaven:
and he fell to the earth, and heard
voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? And he said
Who art thou, Lord? and the LORD
said, am Jesus whom thou persecu'
test; it Is hard for thee to KICK
against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonlshed said, Lord, what wilt
thou have me to do. And the Lord
said unto him, Arise and 60 into the
city and It shall be told thee what
thou must do. And the men which
iourneyed with him stood speechless,
hearing voice but seeing no man.
And Saul arose from the earth; and
when his eyes were opened, he saw no
man; but they led him by the hand,
and brought him into Damascus, Anu
he was three days without sight. ana
neither did eat nor drink"
What Saul needed was light. and ne
got it, with an intensity and an apun,
dance that felled him. AS a trained
philosopher, the young scholar would
have reasoned that there could not be
any greater light than that OF the sun
at noon But the light Of the face OF
the glorified Christ made the Syrian
sun seem as darkness. great man!
persons are arguing, by what they
call natural laws against the phe-
nomena of religion; yet the experience
of countless saints and, thank Goa,
often Of the skeptics themselves, con
flutes the abstract philosophising OF the
overwise. Saul learned that day. what
myriads of saints in glory alreaag
knew that the Lamb who Is the light
Of the City Celestial is the very bright
ness Of God, before whose face the sun
is dimmed.
Just as If to reveal the foolishness
of mortal wisdom, this young schoiar'
this logician, this philosopher, was con-
verted by an experience and not py an
intellectual process. All through MS
wonderful ministry we find the great
apostle appealing to his experience.
What he personally knew OF CHRIST
meant more to him than all the opel =
tions Of the greatest brain that ever
has worked within human head. That
exnerience on the Damascus road
made Paul a Christo-centr1c Christian
and gave the church Christo-centrlc
theology. =.
The obscure man who energies In
this story is a Christian named An
anias 2 man Of truer quality than the
famous one who was smitten for his
ayarice and falsehood. Let us turn to
the text for description of Ananlas
mart in this great days work, which ar
fected all the subsequent history in the
world:
And there was q certain disciple at
Damascus, named Ananias; and to MIN
said the Lord in vision, Ananlas. Anu
he said, Behold, am here, Lord. AND
the Lord said unto him, Arise and go
into the street which is called straight,
and INQUIRE in the house of Judas tor
one called Saul Of Tarsus; for, behold
he prayeth and hath seen In a vision
man named Ananias coming In, and
putting his hand on him, that he might
receive his sight.
"rhen Ananias answered.: Lord
have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to thy saints
at Jerusalem; and hear he hath author.
ity from the chief priests to bind all
that call upon thy name.
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy
way; for he is chosen vessel unto me
to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel;
for will show him how great things
he must suffer for my names sake.
And Ananias went his way and entered
into the house; and putting his hands
on him said, Brother Saul the Lord,
even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in
the way as thou earnest, hath sent me,