The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-05-11
SABBATH READING.

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The EARLY TRIUMPHs OF CHRfsrlAnrrr.
AT tho time when opr Lord Jesus Christ
appeared upon earth the church Of God
was lamentably corrupt Her best esteem
ed teachers are reproached as whited sep
ulchres-hypocrites. Every thing like spir-
ituality seems to have died from the church.
and religion was at lev ebb, when our
Lord Jesus appeared as teacher, clothed
with authority and spiritual in al his teach
lings. Yet the Saviour did not gather many
disciples He came unto bis own and his
own received him not. His complaint was
II have hbored in vain and spent my
strength for nought But few followed
him-a few trusted that he should redeem
Israel, and they looked forward to glorious
days in the church through Messiah that
had come But suddenly he was taken
from them by treaeheTy -deliycfed intOtke
hands OF his enemies--bound sc0nrg-
led condemned er4cfed, 5iHirg Ant
where now is the hope Of the faithful ih *
trael. The rising light sets on the Saviours
tomb and darkness more gloomy settles up
on the prospects of Zion. He has left his dis.
ciples and his instructions behind him: but
what can his diciples do? May they not
return to their homes? They are as sheen
withouta shepherd. They have no power
to guide themselves. The best of them ara
poor, weak, ,illiterate fishermen. They were
timid too. When their Lord was taken by
the soldiers every one Of them forsook him
and fled. Notwithstanding all the protes-
tatioas of fidelity the boldest man among
them denied him three times on the morn
ing of his crucifxion. What could be ex-
pected then, from this feeble and dispirited
band? Look back over their past history.
Remember how slow they had been to learn
how slow to believe, how dependent up
on Lord Jesus-how much discouraged
they were when he was laid in the tomb,
and then ask what could these men do to
spread abroad in the world the truth of the
glorious gospel?
Better ask, what did they do? A day or
two after this, there was an excitement a.
mong them. Something strange had hap
pened. They We're no longer gloomy
They tarried in Jerusalem silent, but no
longer dispiri;ed; and every week they had
their secret meetings and some ONE came
and stood in their midst with pierced hands
and wounded feet and side, and they cal
led him LORD; and few weeks afterwards
they stood up fearlessly in the midst of Je-
rusalem's crowded streets and before the
mul.itudes assembled to celebrate the feast
Of Pentecost, they boldly charged the Jews
with crucifying, by wicked hands, their
Lord and Master-they called them to re-
pentance for their sin in putting him to
death; and they asserted that he had risen
from the dead Forgetful of their former
timidity, they preached Christ crucifed.
arisen, in spite of threats and scourgings
and imprisonment, yea in the very face Of
death In the ternpls and in the streets
and from house to house, they ceased no.
to teach and preach the gospel. Nor did
they teach in vain. Nor was their preach
ing confined to Jerusalem. Samaria heard
the word and there was great Joy in that
city. Antioch and Damascus heard the
word. 1t went forth jeyond Judea and
Galilee and Samaria. In less than twenty
years the gospel of the risen Jesus was pro-
claimed in the proudest cities of the civil
lied world. Its teachers had seized on all
the great points of influence, and were
found in all the great thoroughfares of the
nations. The gospel was heard to lift
its voice in the very presence of Diana of
the Ephesians-it reclaimed many in IL
centious Corinth--it was known and its
power felt in the the very presence of the
Roman Emperor. Its converts had borne
it to India, Ethiopia, and perhaps to Spain
And never vainly. Wherever thecross of
him that had been esteemed crucifed
malefactor was proclaimed. men forgot
their sacrifices, forgot their idols, forsook
their temples, and gathered about that cross
to bow to him who hung upon it as their
Lord and Master. What meaneth all this?
Is this mighty revolution the work of the
fishermen of Galilee? Look for reply,
back to that hour when the disciples were
assembled with one accord in one place
Remember thatmysterious wind that shook
the house, that mysterious influence that
rested upon them. They went forth com
missioned by the Holy Ghost! 1t is not
by might nor by power, but by mySpirit.
saith the Lord of Host.