Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-06

Given a stout heart, one
can get along without many of the
finer accomplishments. For both
life and faith, youth needs boldness
-"boldness and ever boldness."
Just now many millions of young
persons are in process of having
iron injected into their spirits
blood by way of the Book of Bold
ness. In u Bibles it is called The
Acts" often The Acts of the Apos-
tles"-although it might more
truly be called THE Acts of the
J Holy Spirit" Better yet, this rec
ord of heroism deserves the title
The Book of Boldness."
We may well be wary of that type
of Bible teacher who is forever
finding Key words" and Plans
and all sorts of ingenious symbol
isms and verbal significances in the
books of the sacred Canon. God
never meant that readers of His
word should have to possess these
clever, man-made keys" for the in
depreciation of His plainly written
meaning. 1t is quite another mat
ter. though, to observe as any care
full reader may do, the main char
acteristic of a given portion of
Scripture. That is a primary our
| ICoS Va AAiIti1lStilG Ilblt SluhN. II
present six months course in the
Acts will have failed of its full USE
fulness unless it gives a grasp of
the general truth that the idea Of
! boldnesS Is dominant in the ook
h heroisms of Paul and Barnabas
in the present Lesson are in appro-
pirate occasion for indicating this
striking truth.
l.. Real Gree Speech"
Anybody who will take the root
word bold" with its formations
of boldly" and "boldness," and fol-
low it through the Acts, will be
struck by its central place in the
story. Ten times the word itself
occurs; constantly its spirit is ex-
pressed and exemplifed. A Creek
English dictionary will help: for it
will make clea rthat the literal sig
~nificance of this "boldness" of the
Acts is free utterance." That is
to say, Bible boldness is courage in
bearing witness. There is no valor
greater than that of true testimony
The Bible is a book of free speech.
1t honors the disciples who SAY
So" At once it is apparent how
directly this applies to the open
confession Of faith by the followers
of Jesus. To stand up for Him may
take more courage than to face a
machine gun or an artillery bar-
rage.
In a paragraph, let me indicate
the recurrence of holiness in the
Book of the Acts. 1t was when they
saw the boldness of Peter and
John" (Acts 5:13), that men took
knowledge of them that they had
been with Jesus. The first recorded
prayer of the Christian Church
(Acts 4:29) was a prayer for bold
ness In testimony; and it's definite
answer is indicated in two verses la
ter. OF Paul's first preaching at
Damascus and Jerusalem (Acts 9:27
29) this word boldly" is used. In
last weeks Lesson (Acts 13:46) we
(Acts 1913 1--WE find him preaching
boldly" at Iconium. The eighth
use of this sturdy English "ord in
the Acts describes Apollos at
Erhesus (Acts 1926, and in the
same city for three months Paul
"spake boldly" (Acts 1879. AS
,h- first lttCrd of Pall'r preaching
was Of his boldnesS, SO the laat
(Acts 2S-31), shown him in Rome
teaching C: Christ WITH Ill "a
ass"
Such Il study as this-and it may
be pursue,. widely through Paul's
letters--doei more 10 sti.cn a
Christians convictions than reams
of hoInilies and e~Xhortations. If
these Lessons have been character
lied by candor in dealing with the
life OF today, it is because as a
young mar l found for myself the
secret of free utterance' in this
Book of Boldness."
Kicked Out-Smiling Still
This spirit of boldness, born of
faith. is the father of the only sort
of optimism hat is worth seeking.
Those folk who have outgrown the
scriptures but are devoted to
brainly booklets on Optimism"
remind me of the tenement kiddie
who. when taken to the country by
a fresh air fund, refused rich.
milk; he didn't want that yellow
stuff" for he knew hat milk. such
as he got at home was blue.
Real fortitude is born of faith. IT
is the spirit which writes such pas
sages into the record of the timer
ating of Paul and Barnabas, after
they had beer mobbed and kicked
out of Antioch in Pisidia (don't get
your Antiochs mixed) as this
inc ulSClpleS were Hlleu with JOY
and the Holy Spirit" Divine par
adox! Beaten, bruised, spit upon,
cursed, Inundated; and yet filled
with joy" what can conquer such
a spirit?
More of the same-to anticipate
the order of events a trihe;-The
disciples were driven out of Iconium
and Lystra. whittier they went from
Antioch. Paul was stoned and left
or dead, and his friends gathered
round him. but "he rose up"-and
did what? Scoot for the seashore?
Make tracks for a cave in the noun
tains? Seek the protection of the
law? "He entered into the city"
returned straight into the jaws of
the lions. All. there was a man for
you!
Nor is hat all. After continuing
their itinerary to Derbe, making
converts, Paul and Barnabas, ac-
cording to the bald, matter Of fact
record penned by DIR. Luke, return
ed to Lystra and to Iconium and to
Antioch"-not to seek consolation
or to be pitied or coddled. but
confirming the souls of the disciples.
eXhorting them to continue in the
faith. and that through many trib-
ulations we must enter INTO the king
dom of God" That is the matchless
might and magnanimity of the Chris
tian missionary.
All Aboard for the Bagdad Railway!
1t seems as if this lesson is as
appropriate for a class in current
events as it is for a Sunday School
The fourteenth chapter of