The Portland daily press., 1879-04-15

forgiveness impossible; his promises of the
Holy spirit are no help to them. they would
not oeiieve that there is any Holy Spirit; the
oHers OF eternal life and home in his Fathers
mousse OF many mansions, are to them
mere words, they should believe that q man is
put living body and that when the body is
DEAD the man is dead also
For the sake of such men, still more for the
sake OF children, who might grow up into such
men, the church still presents ever anew the
old theme, that Christ is risen from the dead
and become the first fruits of them that slept
ohe still insists that II We will lay aside every
preJudgment and look fairly at the evidence
we must be convinced that Jesus actually re-
appeared to his disciples, animating anew the
once lfeless body, and finally causing 1t to dis
appear without the usual change OF death.
She cannot even assent to the Swedenborgian
view, that It was the spiritual body only that
appeared, because the incident of Thomass
incredulity and its removal is inconsistent with
that view. Otherwise she might admit that
Jesus caused his body to disappear, to be scat
tered into its elements, on his hIss arising:
But at all events the fact Of his reappearance
Is too strongly attested to be denied by those
who carefully examine the testimony unless
they have on some metaphysical ground pre-
determined that it was impossible
The value of the Resurrection of Jesus to as
who with Paul believe in Its reality, is the
confidence and strength which it gives to our
faith in the authority of Jesus,-He was proved
10 be the son OF God with power by his Resurrec.
ton from the dead. We look into his opened
sepulchre, we see him walk out to talk with
Mary, we listen to him as he converses with
those returning from Emmaus we hear his
reproof and his concentrations of Thomas, in
the presence of the twelve; we hear his
searching question to Peter by the lake side,-
we are dazzled by that burst of splendor with
which he arrested the proud prosecutor Of the
church, and turned his wonderful genius and
learning to the defence and building up of the
church; and then we know in whom we have
believed; that he is the King CT rory; that the
mild and gentle precepts OF his religion have
on us the binding force of the laws of nature,
in conformity to them is life alone possible;
that the warnings which he utters against sin
are as real and immutabIe as the operations of
fire or frost; that the offers of mercy and of
help, and of immortal life and happiness to
those who obey him, are more sure and abiding
than the sun and stars.
Let us, therefore, keep this feast with the
unleayened bread of sincerity and truth; not
building on our own imaginations, our own
hopes, and longings and reasonings alone
which may all be sound and good, and worthy
of degree of confidence but which also may
be assailed by doubt, and plausible counter
tions of greater or less extent owing
to our states of health and moods of feel
ing; but let US build our observance
of this feast, and our hope of forgiveness of
sins, and of everlasting happiness among the
redee med, upon that foundation upon which
the Apostles built. Jesus Christ himself, who
suffered under Pontius Plate, was crucifed
dead and buried, but who on the third day rose
from the dead, and by that Resurrection abol-
ished death, poured light upon life and immor-
tality; made that first day the universal Lords
day, which speedily swallowed up the Jewish
Sabbath; and finally made this festival The
most Joyous, Strengthening, and inspiring of
all holy DAYS,