The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-04-14

no ROOM TO DOUBT THAT CHRIST ROSE
FROM THE DEAD-CORRUPTlON AND IN
CORRUPTiUN-A NATURAL BODY AND 4
SPIRITUAL BODY-lNSTITUTE MEETINGS.
The subject OF Mr.. Moody's sermon nj the
First Presbyterian church yesterday after
noon was "Thc Resurrection OF the Dead"
| My remarks. said Mr.. Moody, will be based
upon the fifteenth chapter OF that First
Epistle to tue Corinthians, which is The SUBJ
limcSt thing. think, that Panl ever wrote.
recommend it to all young converts. Oh,
how it has comfnred me. As we lay away
our loved ones in the grave, what q privi-
! lege it is TO know that we will meet them
in little while again. | find that there
! are good many in the Church who 90
not believe in the resurrection OF the
dead. It's been pretty well explained and
talked over by many good men. but still it
is in the Church. Panl starts out by tell
ing us wha! the Gospel is. He defines the
Gospel rs meaning that Christ died for our
sins. hut not that only. He defines it IS
meaning that Christ was buried and rose
again the third day. Then he brings on his
witnesses. He says that CcpiIaS tanotber
nauc for Petcr) saw Christ after he had
risen: also, that the whole twelve Apostles
saw Him then. that He was seen by about
| i've hundred brethren at once, most CT
whom were vet alive: and lastly, that he
| (PauD had seen Him "as one born out OF
due tilnc.'' Now, that was pretty strong
testimony. Paul then puts this question:
| Nov. If Christ be preached that He rose
| from the dead, how say some among YOU
| that there is no resurrection Of the dcad:'
| Eve unfortunately met some men in Balti-
more who think that when they are buried
that is the last OF them. If so. hat about this?
| II there be no resurrection or the dead, then
| Christ has not risen, and If Christ be not
risen, al! the preaching and faith oS these
| eighteen hundred years has been in vain.
Tnose who saw and talked with the risen
Saviour preached his resurrection, and
don't YOU suppose their testimony would
have been impcached il it had not been
well supported? The Jews, you know,
started the report that the disciples stole
the body from the tomb in the night, and
that lie has been going through the world
ever since. Fve heard it repeated here in
this very city. You'll find an account OF
how the lie cot out in the 2Sth chapter Of
Matthew and the 1lth verse. Eighteen hun
dred years have fai. ed to floor it, It's one of
the devils best arguments. But il it had
been true, don't you suppose those diSc-
pies would have suffered? That scpulchrc
was guarded by Roman soldiers. Its barred
doors were closed with the Roman seal. 1t
was death to any man to break that seal. DO
you think the robbery OF the body would
have zone unnoticcd? Think Of the stir
when the grave Of Il millionaire was robbed
! lately. The robbery of Christ'S body would
have been seized upon immediately as Il
prctcyt to put these very disciples TO death,
for there were hosts Of bitter enemies all
about them ready to swear away their lives.
No. nv friends, the circumstances attend
ing the resurrection lett
NO ROOM FOR DOUBT
to those then in authority that 1t was some
thing outside OF human agency. II sin
rle disciple had been lurking anywhere
near that tomb he would probably have
been killed anyhow by the Roman guards.
So now. twenty-five years after THIS great
event, which gave to ChrlstlanltN lis lnl-
pctus. we lind Paul down there at Corlnth
nrrachinc it as Il doctrine. Don't you sup
nose that Just about that time, when Faul
and the rest were being so sorely pcrse-
cuted, il there had been anything like a
robbery OF the body, some OF the weak dis
ciples would have turned States evidence
Mol They had almost all OF them seen and
talked with their | isen Master, aud nobody
could beat it out OF them. The empty sepul-
chrc was right there in sight OF Peter when
he preached his PentacostaI sermon, and pro-
bably great many went and looked into IT..
There WAS evidence for you. DO YOU sup
nose few ignorant GalIcan fishermen
could have palmed OF such lie rs that on
these clear aud level-hcaded, questioning
Jews, Yet we find that they were con-
vertcd. tell you, my fricndi, they were
forced to admit that Christ had risen, ana
that was an irresistible power. Some peo-
ple claim that this question OF tcSurrccled
Saviour is not essential, but tell you. my
friends, it is very important. Ii Christ
hasn't risen we must impeach all these
" Witnesses. The Jesus that Paul saw on his
way 10 Damascus was the very same Jesus
that died on Calvary and showed his
wounds to doubling Thomas. Did he
teach his disciples 10 lie Could they
have welded the influence they did il
there had been even the slightest question
about this matter? Since by man'S act
death came into the world, so it happened
that by this mans act came resurrection
from The death. The first Adam, by his
earthjpcs>, brought death into the world;
tl,c second Adam, by his heaveniness. tr-
umphcd over that death. To doubt the rtsur-
rection OF Christ is to say that you VIII never
see more of the loved ones whose bodleS
have been committed to the clay. Ii Chr'st
has not risen, tDlS llc IL TUG o''J oiN' "i'N
we are as the bruies. How cruel 1t IS 10
have any one love you il this be true. HOW
horrible that they should let the tendi7ls Of
your heart twine round them il, when they
are torn away in death, it is to be the last.
I'd rather
p. HATE THAN LOVE
il thought there was TO be no rcsurrccslon'
because then l would feel no panSs at losing
the hated thing. could never feel that IN
LAYING away q loved one Was committing
them to the winds and the waves end the
elements. JOHN tells us how Christ once
SAID. "The hour is coming and now is when
the dead shall hear the voice OF the Son OF
God, and they that hear shall live" dc
also said, "Marvei not at this. for the hour
| is coming In the which all that are
in the graves shall lear His voice
and shall come forth, and they t9at
have done good unto tue resurrection
OF life, and they that have done evil unto
the resurrection Of damnation." There IS
no denying. my friends, that this Is pretty
plain language. Even our bodies will come
forth. God has said it. Just after saying
| = n Rnrr n.