The Portland daily press., 1877-04-04

mockery if Christ had not risen. In hope of
olessed resurrection" would be worse
tnan meaningless if this Easter day were
nos raad Ioil m OF meaning. ASLEEP in Jesus" We
.oao a IN Jerusalem that soul would be asleep in
asad % savior, savior powsrless to help.
.h We pass along. Here is marble hand with
Gh,;st ;uue1 S nnger pointing to the heavens If
other way, for all that remained of that hurled
BODY would be forever underground. there
would be nothing to point to above. A wreath
or crown we find on another, but if there were
or wreath for that soul. If Christ had not risen
broken column, Tyre with every string
snapped, faded rose bud, these and such as
THESE would be the only types we could appro-
pria'ely carve on the tombs of cur friends; but
now he has risen and this resurrection has
given joyful significance to the uplifted hand,
to the wreath of unfading leaves and to every
inscription of hope and joy which we can en-
grave on the white marble.
Over the gateway of beautiful cemetery are
the words engraved, 81 am the resurrection and
the life;" but could the theories of Strauss and
Rensn be proved true over this and every other
cemetery might better be written the inscrp-
tiOn at the entrance of Dante's Inferno: "Who
enters here leaves hope behind.'
In some countries, it is said, each of the
mourners throw sprg of rosemary into the
open grave OF their friend before they leave it.
This custom is said to have originated from q
having no thoughts of future resurrection, but
heileVng that the bodies of those who were
dead would lie forever in the grave made use
OF the cypress at their funerals, which is tree
that being once cut never revives but dies away.
But Christians on the other hand having bet
ter hopes and knowing that this very body of
their friend which they are now going solemnly
to commit to the grave shall one day rise again
aud be reunited to his SOUL instead of cypress
distribute rosemary to the company, which be-
ing always green and fourishing the more for
being cropt, and of which sprig only set in
the ground will sprout up Immediately and
Drancn INTO tree, is more proper to express
this confidence aud trust
This, then, is in part the significance of this
Easter day. 1t changes the place of the dead
into the place of the sleeping; it teaches US to
take hope with us into the very tomb; it gives
all their force and value to the million inscrip.
tions and symbols which loving friends have
placed upon the marble which marks the last
resting place of dear ones 1t gives mortality
an unwaveriDg confidence in its blessed immor-
tality; it floods the earth with joy and hope;
it makes us who love the Lord not of all men
the most miserable, but of all men the most
joyful.
Let US turn to the second division of our suit
Ject and consider the importance of the event
which this Easter day commentaries Its i'm
portance is already seen when considering the
significance of the truth. He who smooths
away single wrinkle from the brow Of care is
benefactor of the race. He who brings o
smile to child's face or joy to single heart is
OF Importance; then surely the event and the
doctrine which smooths away multitudes of
wrinkles, brings joy to myriads of hearts, sub
stitutes light for the dense darkness Of the
tomb and hope for utter despair, is of incalcu-
liable Importance, but the resurrection is of
more importance STILL
IF Christ be not raised your faith vain"
say Paul, and here he touches the supreme i'm
portance OF this Easter day. Ii Christ did not
rise the whole scheme of salvation il worthless
foundations m inn strra
structure is raised in fraud. All its doctrines
are false and all its devotees are blinded FOOLS.
II We believed that the foundations Of this
building we're unstable and that breath of
wind might bring the timbers down about our
heads, our eagerly should we press toward the
door and escape from the danger. Yet the fall
ing of this building would be small calamity,
few score crushed or MANNED, nine days
subject of talk in the community.
But if this Easter day means nothing the
foundation of the whole Christian church is rot
ten and unstable. Countless congregations are
to-day worshipping upon a crumbling ruiz.
Millions of Christians are pinning their faith
to a worthless imposter Let us then all look
to the foundation of our faith with infinitely
more concern than we would look to the base
of a suspected building, and il the foundation
is insecure let US treat Christianity as the city
inspectors treat condemned building; placard
every wall of every church, with the words
unsafe unsafe" dissuade all our friends
from entering place of worship, and do what
we can to tear down the mighty superstructure
which the ages have reared on this foundation.
In one of the Mosem mosques Of the holy
city, Jerusalem, is an irregular boulder about
five feet high resting firmly on the pavement.
In this rock is round hole made, so tbs Mo-
| hammedan guide tells the traveller, by Moham-
med's head as he passed up through this rock
on journey to Paradise.
1t is one of the cardinal points OF the Moslem
belief that this boulder rests on no foundation
| but is suspended in mid air, and that their
prophet made this bole through it on his ascent
| to the heavens Yet every traveller sees the
firm foundation on which the stone rests, and
1 instead OF hanging in mid air he knows that it
has most substantial bed, but in spite of this
testimony of his senses every devout Musselman
| must discredt his eyesight and accept what
tradition tells him about this rock.
Is the rock of our salvation such fabulous
stone? In regard to that, too, have superstition
| and tradition usurped the place Of credible wit
ness and substantiated faith? No; our
| faith in the event commemorated by this
Easter day is historical faith, and we need
| not fear to go back to examine its foundations.
Let US see who testify directly to the resurrec.
tion, and if their testimony is worthy of Gre
| dence. In the first place the resurrection is
| witnessed to by some loving women who before
the early ray of the morning sun glorifed the
first Sabbath of the new dispensation, came
with spices and ointments to embalm their
Lofd's body. They had forgotten his dim pre-
| diction about rising on the third day. They
| expected to find only his body; they were ex-
| ceedingly amazed and surprised to find the
| grave empty; they at first supposed that the
Romans had taken away his body; they were
| grieved and overwhelmed with sorrow when
| they found it not, as we may gather from the
| anguished wall of Mary when she saw
the, one whom she supposed was the
| gardener: "They have taken away my
Lord out of the sepulcher and L
know not where they have laid him. Oh,
Sir, if you took him away tell me where you
put him aud will take him" Jesus turned
and saith to her, "Mary." Was Mary deceived
after alp Was it indeed the gardener that
spoke that soul-thrilling word to her? Was it
| to the gardener that she clung SO passionately,
and to whom she cried, "Rabboni, o my mas
| ter!' Was it of him she aft tined so strongly,
81 have seen the Lord?' Would such woman
| at such time invent the monstrous fable that
| some have said she invented? But others wit
messed the same thing. Peter and John, too,
| found the tomb empty; they too saw the angel;
they too afterwards talked with the Lord. II
we believe that he rose not, then we must be-
| lieve that they connived at the horrible lie
which Mary first conceived. But would lie
make them bold and brave, would they fight
| and struggle to perpetuate a fasehood? Here
toiore they had not been distinguished for cour-
| age. They did not even dare when their Lord
| was living to follow him to the judgment seat
| After they said that he bad risen they suddenly
| achieved new boldness, and no hardships or
| difficulties could prevent them from proclaim
| ing their risen Lord. This at least-their cour-
| age and boldness-is an historical fact. Would
| fable have transformed timid hares into bold
| lions?
But there is still stronger proof of the firm
ness of the Apostles belief in their risen Lord:
| they were willing to die for their belief. These
timid towards, as they were before that first
| Easter day, were willing to die for their risen
| Lord after that Easter day Would the thrice
| denying Peter have been willing to have been
| cruei6ed with his head down for lie? Would
| James have been beheaded; would another have
been cast into caldron of boiling oil would
| Thomas have been pierced through with
lance, all to perpt tuate the worlds belief in
| gross falsehood?
If honor, wealth and glory had been the an
ticipated rewards of their story we might well
suspect their motives; but cruci6xiop, boiliag
| oil and bonfres, swords and lsnces are hardly
the reward which would tempt men to defend
| an imposture.
| But Paul, too, believed in an Easter day
/ most strongly; and Paul was a sharp reasoner,
clear thinker and an acute logician. He lived
at a time when he could verify the report, that
have come down to US, and he says most EN-:
| phatically, repeating the assertion over and
over in varied words, snow is Christ risen
from the dead;' 'If Christ be not raised then