The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-14
Easter Sermons.
generous press

Easter is the most joyful festival in the
Christians calendar of feasts and festivals, as
the resurrection is the browning act of the
great scheme of human salvation Hence it is
becoming that the Church should lay her rich
est floral offerings at the feet of the risen Lord
and send forth her richest strains and her most
harmonious songs of praise to Him who hath
loved us and given Himself for us-to Him who
died for our sins and rose again for our justi-
fication. This the Christian Church did yes
terday, as our religious sketches very clearly
indicate. Local churches and denominations
seem to have We'd with each other
in the profusion of their flowers and
in the richness and grandeur Of their
music and decorations. There u.s. as
might be expected, very great sameness in
the discourses from the pulpit. The general
theme was the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ, which DR.. Spaulding deemed 'the
crowning proof of His divinity and the great
basis of the Christian religion. 1t is tn
umphant elimination Of what the prophets
foretold and a fulflment of the Saviours own
prediction"
This great event in the atonement plan
proves, according to the Episcopal DR.. Hall,
that Christ was human and that Christ risen
was more than human. He rose by His might,
and thus shall He come again, and the great
questions for every one of us to answer are,
"What manner of men ought we to be? and
shall be like Christ2''
Mr. Beecher looked ct the great failure of
human life were it not allied to Immortality.
The lives Of such men as Paul are and would
be the most miserable failures had they no re-
lation to the hereafter. Life is valued only by
its duration and our belief in that duration.
The savage who lives for the day cares little
for life, the barbarian who lives for the year
sets higher value upon it, the semi-civilized
and the civilized who live for term of years
or for time value life still higher; but the
Christian who lives for time and for eternity
has the truest appreciation of its value. But
Immortality is needed for the moral and spir-
itual development Of the human race it is
needed to harmonize the discords that prevail
in the world, and in no other way can the inc
qualities of life be settled. Mr. Beecher, while
not admitting the doctrine of the souls mate
riality, sees no reason why cerebral matter
should not be eternal. Now let him give us
the reasons for this hope that is in him. 1t
may help to overthrow Darwin's doctrine of
descent, which has so many excellent illustra-
tons of its almost absolute truth among men.
1t might disturb some genealogies; but we are
willing to risk it.
We are all too apt to complain that our own
trials and burdens are harder and heavier than
our neighbors'; but we may derive little
consolation from the fact stated yesterday by
DIR. Dix, that ''none of us ever had or ever
could have, o load to carry even Instantly
approaching in heaviness to that which Jesus
bore" Andas His trouble passed away so shall
ours. The resurrection morning will come to
| must have its resurrection now, that the body
may be partaker hereafter in the blessed
| state
DIR. Rogers pointed out the fourfold basis
for hope that we have for the certainty that
we may be taken into the fold of Christ in
| His death, resurrection, ascension and en-
| thronement on high. The Doctor commended
gratitude for the sacrifices of the Saviour as
very appropriate gifts for this season of the
year. DR.. Cooke epitomized the benefits
accruing to humanity through the resurrec-
ton of Christ, and DR.. Chaplin maintained
that Christianity is more than human desire