Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-04-06
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

10 the First Baptist Church, Rev. G. N
Shot, the pastor, preached from the text, |
CORN hans, Ky. i4-l7. He said: The 10
carnstion OF Christ is the central miracle o.
christianity. He was made flesh and dwel'
among men that We might have an illustra
ton of the divine life in human flesh. To
this past ages looked with louging; upon
this eighteen centuries have built their
faith; on this we must ever build. 1t is
well to study the incarnation critically, for
many nations have proposed their faith ia
some form of incarnation, and our faith
must be confirmed BY the reality Of our
Lord incernate. IF Christ be not risen our
preaching is vain and your faith is also
vain" we are yet in your sins. The res
direction is the browning test aud divine
proof of the reality of God incsrnsts. No
ordinary soul ever rose from the dead. 10
csrnation is the base and resurrection, the
crown Of the Christian system. On these
two principles all true faith must ever b.
built.
Speaking of the proofs of Christs resu7,
r%ection, he said: A false resurrection is i'm
possible. The history of Christ is not a
myth nor is ii a p~oeticsl fancy, but a divinH
reality. Though attacked By enemies on
every hand it stands immutsble as God
himself. The people remembered His pre-
'icfiCn ardH G was carefully buried By
Roman Senators and guarded by sentinels
Lder death penalties. If Christians alone
rsd guarded him the skeptical might well
sY The disciples stole him away" but
Roman law precluded all possibility Of such
IN attack. The world by its criticisms has
ever kept us close to our doctrines aud
made fraud impossible. Regarding the
doctrine OF dis body, friends and enemies
rrove an empty grave. What became of
His body? Some lsy it was re.
moved by his enemies. Did they ever
produce it TO retute the resurrection story?
Il is again said, it WAS stolen BY his friends
This was numerically and c~eremonicslly
IMPOSSIBLE. This would not refute the doc
lrine OF the resurrection, for a dead body
could prove nothing.
The witnesses to this charge are ~selt-con
Trajectory for (s) if asleep they were no
witnesses (b) if awake they were base liars
and untrue to their trust Of defending the
grave.
Some say His body wa disposed Of BIZ
some supernatural trick and phantomized
by the same power. This arrays Beelzebub
against Beelzebub. If this were true we
have one supernatural truth, which is far
better than two faisehoods
The record Of the resurrection is true.
God raised Him up by His power and after
His resurrectei body had appeared to all
who needed and were willing to receive it,
lifted Him up to draw all men to Him"
All subsequent history proves the doctrine
of the resurrection. There we're eleven
distinct and separate appearances. Five
hundred brethren at n time beheld Him,
and Paul in reciing the story OF bis regen-
Grafton says seen BY me also" You and
/ have seen Him bv faith or W are yetiu sin.
Apostles and countless martyrs attest their
faith. Thomas tested the identity Of the
cruciGed one whose body de6ed the mortal
gravity of death and the grave. The doc
Of the resurrection is as invulnerable
as God himself. The resurrection forms
the chief support Of Christianity. The di,
vinity Of Christ is proven-God raised him
up TO prove that he and the Father were
one. The old Testament is reGlled. The
canon Of Christ an orthodoxy
now becomes a blazing temple containing
the flashes of light that reach over
the world to herald the rising sun.
Christianity and civilization are now pos,
sible, and through faith in the resurrection
all may know Him from the least unto the
greatest"
The importation of the divine life is now
and We may have Christ born in
Us the hope of glory" Our faith is not in
vain. The Son Of Man hath power on earth
forgive sins" and our new life in Him is
fellowship and love u~nuttersble. Possessing
the magnetic power Of faith in the
resurrection it is our duty and privilege to
ouch other lives and draw them with Us
INTO the Kingdom. Let US lift up Chris,
hat the people may look and live. Christi
nifty stands triumphant in the midst of Elm
Ind snstches the suing from death add vie
DRY from the grave Hope in the resarrec
ion sends us bounding through the haryes'
ields gathering and cleaning. and sowing
eeds which shall terminate aud rise into
for the eternal harvest He tia;
elieysth In Ne, though be were dead, YET