The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-11
Bethel Union Church Services.

The services at this church were con-
Quoted in the morning by the pastor,
Rev. E. C. Oggel. The subject was, &c An
Unusual Scene in the Streets" The text
SD and SD verses Of the 9th chapter of
Matthew: "And the graves were opened
and many bodies of the saints which slept
arose. And came out of the graves after
His resurrection, and went into the holy
city, and appeared unto many"
The preacher said Aristides, Greek
writer, relates that when the city of Rhodes
was overthrow by q terrible earthquake,
the graves were torn asunder, and they gave
up the dead that were in them. At the
Savior's death the earth shook and the
rocks rent and the graves were opened. The
grave of Jesus opened on Sunday morning,
and from it came forth the Prince of Life,
Lord of the Sabbath. His resurrection is
the keystone of the arch. If Christ be not
raised, your faith is vain We are yet in your
SINS But who are these witnesses that
appear in the streets of the holy city The
earthquake may have been the result of
causes in nature, but the coming forth of
saints out of their graves and appearing
unto many, surely was more than the result
of natural forces. Questions may be asked
here that we cannot answer. Who were
these persons We're they patriarchs and
prophets of olden time, or contemporaries
of Jesus Christ and the men of his time
We are disposed to accept this latter idea,
for the reason that the fact of their having
been known by those then living, would
make them, restored to life, strong wit
nesses to the truth of Christ's resurrection.
The identity of the persons was an import
ant factor. Thsse appearances then in the
streets of the holy city are powerful wit
nesses to the resurrection of Jesus. After
He himself had risen, the dead came forth
from their resting places in the tomb. They
appeared unto many, and doubtless testified
to the risen Christ and His resurrection
power.
Why does not the Evangelist tell us who
these persons were; how long was their
stay, and what subsequently became of
them? Particulars such as these you might
expect to find in the Koran of Mohammed.
But the object of the Bible is not to crafty
our curiosity. The silence of scripture is as
sublime as its utterances.
The practical points are: First-A risen
Christ can raise the dead to life. Does any
one deny or doubt it q? In Fulton's time,
1907, the wise men of his day said that his
invention of steamboat was worthless. The
plan was faulty; the engine was defective
it would not work. But as the boat glided
out and cut its way through the placid
waters of the Hudson, it spoke for itself.
OF what use were the arguments of the wise
men? The steamer worked that was
enough. So with Christ and His gospel. In
redeeming from sin and raising to life the
gospel does the work, and objections and
criticisms become null and void. Second
We shall be held responsible for gospel
privileges. Third-A risen Savior is one to
be trusted. Fourth-We have here pledge
of our own resurrection and immortality.
We shall rise. We shall enter the holy city
of God and tread ils golden streets.
Notices were given as follows
The officers and teachers of the Sunday