Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-07-18
1.-THE POWER OF HIS RESURREC.
TlON.0

Inns StrOnS expression is used by st.
Paul in the third chapter of the Epistle
to the Philippians. in that remarkable
experience in which he sets forth on the
one hand what he had endured in
preaching the Gospel, and on the other
what he enjoyed and what he aspired to
as the servant OF Christ. His past had
been full of toll and full of suffering;
his future would be full of Joy and glory
in the Kingdom of Christ. His abiding
prayer was to '.know Him and the powe7
of his resurrection and the fellowship
of His sufferings being made conforms
BILE unto His death, if by any means he
might attain unto the resurrection of
the dead" This is not the only passage
OF Scripture in which the idea of power
is brought out in connection with
Christ's resurrection from the dead.
The apostle tells the Romans in the first
sentences of his epistle to them that
'tJesus Christ vas declared to be the
Son of God with power by the resur-
rection from the dead" Which is
equivalent to saying that His rising thus
from the dead was a powerful and con-
vincing demonstration that He was
what In life He had always claimed to
be-the Son of God. And once admit.
ting that He did rise, no proof could
have been more pertinent and more
convincing.
What, then, are we to understand by
these brief words-the "power of His
resurrection" Unquestionably they
are intended to set forth the peculiar
and powerful impressions or effects pro-
duced upon the mind of the writer, and
of his fellow apostles, by the attested
fact that Christ rose from the dead. We
can not for a moment look into the his
tory OF these apostles, or into their writ
ings in the epistles that bear their
names, without seeing what special
prominence that fact held. 1t was fun
damental to all their preaching, and
fundamental in all their experience.
There is no n thing that stands out in
such bold relief in every sermon thew
preached, in every line they wrote, in
every argument they made for the truth
OF christianity, as this great and won
dertul fact OF the resurrection of Jesus,
With it. and in its defense, they were
ready to stand and did stand against a
world in opposition. When they stood
before the tribunals of Gentle nations.
as did Paul on Mars Hill at Athens, the
burden OF their story was "Jesus and
the resurrection" When they stood
before kings and rulers, as did Paul be-
fore the Roman Governor of Palestine
and King Agrippa at Casarea, the great
argument OF the inspired preacher a
WHY should it be thought a thing in
credible with you that God should raise
the dead?"
Manifestly the immediate and mighty
effect OF Christ's resurrection on the
minds OF His apostles and all His first
disciples was that of absolute assurance
and certainty as to His own divine
character. When He stood before them
alive from the dead, it was the and of
all their doubts. From that moment of
a personal vision of Him whom thew
had seen die on the cross, now alive and
conversing Familiarity with them, and
even eating with them, until at last
they saw Him arise and ascend to Heav-
en- they could never doubt again. The
historical record is, as given in the Rool
OF Acts, and in all the epistles. that
they. never did doubt again-not a
single man of all their number, Some
OF them like Thomas, had been slow to
believe, both before and after His cruel,
1xlon. Some had said 1--WE thouuht
this had been He who should AVE re-
deemed Israel" Thomas, the corst;tn.
tlonal doubter. had declared with strono,
emphasis: Except l see in his hands
the print of the nails, and put nv finger
lntothe print of the nails, and Thirst
my hand into His side, l shall not he'
lleVe." But from the moment the risen
Lord stood before him and invited him
to test the truth by reaching forth his
myers and his hand, all doubts were
ended with him forever. He was " uot
only convinced once for all, that th;s
was his risen Master, whom he had sean
cruclfied, but he was henceforth satisfied
like all the others, that this man Chr;st
was God. And he at once exclaims
without further tests: INV Lord and
my God" While He was With 1ham ~
the flesh, they had all been slow to he-
leve him, slow to recognize him as the 1e.
Messiah and Son of God. But bow
could any one of them ever doubt aoa;n
when they Nav found all His Claims