National Republican., 1877-04-16
TIE DOCTRINE OF TIE REsURREc.
TION.

Family.
The bright sunshine and warm balmy air Of
yesterday morning afforded ine opportunity
for the ehurch-goers Of the city to turn out in
great numbers. The ushers of the Foundry
church soon discovered that q great concourse
OF people would worship there, and at once
hlled the vacant space around the chancel aud
In the eide aisles with chairs, all Of which were
npd seats. The President Of the United
States, Mrs. Hayes and Mr.. Webb Hayes, to-
gether with some lady friends % guests, oc-
cupied their usual pew, and entered heartily
iuto the solemn services Of the sanctuary.
The hands Of the ladies Of the church had
tastefully decorated the pulpit on either side
which was perceptible throughout the great
cong REG alton.
Rev b. Peyton Brown opened the services
by reading the hymn beginning:
Father how wide thy glory shines,
Known hsa Srsos 4. s:Tss sss ss sn,
BY thousands through the skies"
Tie singing was congregational, led by the
choir, and was full and strong, but to our ear
too slow.
Mr.. Browns prayer wss dsvout, comprehcn-
sive and applicable to the occasion, invoking
the divine blessing upon sll glasses and con-
ditions Of men, upon the church and its min
istry, upon the sick and bereayed, upon the
nation and its rulers, and with Thanksgiving
for all good gife snd for all future hopes.
The choir sang the second piece with ins
artistic taste and evidently to the delight Of
the congregation. Mr.. Brown selected as his
text the 18th verse OF the 9Th chapter Of First
Corinthians "Apd God bath both raised up
power"
The theme of bis discourse was the doc.
trine Of the resurrection. He began By stating
that the heather world to q great extent
have, and still do, entertain vague ideas Of
the soul. This is evident from their mythol-
oey and the history Of the gods they wor-
SHIPPED. They had no idea Of the resurrecs
tion Of the body, regarding the body az clog.
The doctrine Of the resurrection of the body Is
purely one Of revelation, and Is very clearly
GET forth BY Paul in the 18th chapter OF 1st
corinthians. Mr.. Brown here read extensively
Psups teachings upon the subject, and re-
marked In continuance that this doctrine OF
Paul was the key to the whole arch. The
philosophers Of the early day taught that the
body could not rise. Alter It's decay In death
there was no possibility BY which It could
again DO broughtto life: Paul, in rebuttsl of
this idea, said: "lf In this life only We have
hope In Christ, We are, Of all men, men most
miserable" Admitting the doctrine Of these
philosophers to be true, we arc under the re-
straint Of religion without the hope of re-
ligion.
The question of inadslity has always bean,
How IN this bel My text of this morning AZ
fords the only solution that can be given; Il IL
TO be accomplished BY the power of God. Now
In pursuance Of this power, whatever God pro-
poses can be done. Has he, then, in infinite
wiedom revealed bis purpose upon this sub.
jecti All the knowledge we have of the resur-
rection Is given to us by revelation. Philoso-
ply did not discover II, and II cannot explain
u. Nature does not teach It; so far as am
familiar with the operations Of nature, do not
zee any evidence Of the truth of the resurrec
ton. Nature has many emblems, but no in
stance Of . resurrection. There is in nature
no evidence that seed once destroyed will ever
come to life again. There comes not from win-
ter beautiful examples Of life springtng from
the dead. There is no sprig of grass, no open.
ing bud, no expanding hower or sweet perfume
exhaling from seeds that are dead. Thetruth
OF this resurrection Of the body Is that It ID &C.
complished only BY ths power Of God, and Is
given to us a. promise tor fallen man, who,
BY sic, had brought death into the world.
The truth Of the resurrection is revealed In
the Old Testament Scriptures. Not as plain
as In the New, but distinctly TO the eye of
faith. In the Book Of Job, (among the Oldest
on record, far of on the verge of the worlds
history, hear this old man exclaim that
which has been echoing down the vista Of the
past; III man die shall he live again,"
And then, as Il this was not plain enough, he
continues: "All the days of my appointed time
VIII l walt till my change come" By this
change is meant that which is described by
Paul, In the 10th chapter Of Corinthians: SIN
q moment; in the twinkling OF an eye; at the
last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed" The old patriarch Is wait
Ing still for the fulAllmeut Of the promise Of
God, when soul and body shall live again.
When the heavens are rolled up as Q scroll,
then he shall awake from his sleep and live
forever In the paradise Of God. I am not
ignorant Of the contrary views entertained
Clarke is clearly right, when he says: "This
promise was the redemption by Jesus Christ,
and proves the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Job was willing TO wait In hope. David,
the sweet singer In Israel, when he coutem-
plated the atonement Of Christ, said: az will
DO satisfied when I awake in thy likeness"
Various others Of the prophets were quoted in
support OF the doctrine advanced at this point,
Paul declared before Agrippa the doctrine Of
the resurrection. The New Testament ia full
OF the truth Of the same. Christ said DESTROY
this temple and will raise It again. Again
he spoke plainly and declared AZ will raise
him again at the last day." In the New Tes-
lament, both in the Gospels and in the Epistles,
this doctrine Is fully set forth. To get away
from II we must deny the truth of revelation.
We accept the doctrine OF resurrection,
therefore, because 1t Is revealed, not because
We can fully understand the method by
which 1t is accomplished. The power Of
God called ell things into being. At the
command Of his word this world stood forth,
the planets wheeled into their places, and
the stars were spread out upon the beautiful
dome OF night. God Is omnipresent, he Is
strength to the weak, We feel his power. You
may ask how God can gather scattered dust.
answer by another question. How can God
make dustf 1t is no compliment to the
mechanic to saw n Dieca of m machinerv he bas
once made he cannot put together when the
pieces thereof are once separated. We 20 be-
yond tho power of man. He who sits upon the
circle OF the heavens, who holds the waters of
the earth IN his hand, has also said they that
arc in their graves shall hear the voice of the
son Of God, and shall come forth.
Mr.. Brown continued the argument and H.
lustration Of his text for mora than an hour,
to the evident satisfaction Of his large audi,
ence.