Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-06-07


fine the church's Idea OF tho aScep.lor
quoted the fourth article Of the Fpiseon,
religion Christ did truly rise ssai
from death, and took again s"'
MS hobNl MS Fixsa, BoNrS.
and all things pertaining 10 IN
perfection Of mans nature. whars
with He sscended In heaven and tSsr
sittetn until He returns to Judge men A
u think u necessary to call attantlo,
% TINS statement Of the doctrine. becans,
mere are not wanting now as former,
those who teach that our Lords hoa,
Ky HIS ascension, II not before
lie became a spiritual body, and ma
spiritual body cannot DO said To bgv,
mesh and bones Now hechurch simnl,
declares ''''f''
OUR LORD Assembled
N that body with which he arose aud
showed himself to the apostles ana 6yS
hundred brethren at once; aud that body
we know had flesh and bones.
Tor, said He to His apostles, who wer9
ahrighted when lie came TO them on
Easter day, and supposed that they had
seen 9 spirit, why are We troubled And
why 90 thoughts arise In your hearts,
Behold my hands and my feet that itls /.
myscti Tor = spirit bath not flesh and
benes.'n "'N
Inc speaker adduced further authorl.
Ties, lgnatlus, Iseneus and Eniphanlus.
giving their opinions as To the actnal as,
cehsion OF Chrlst's body OF flesh ana
cones, but Invested Of an that was cor,
ruptiblo or Of the animal.
"Ihe ascension is one OF those hrs,
principles of the doctrines of Christ.
without which the
FABRIC OF IHR FAITH
would be Incomplete"
vt has been the most blessed onica of
our church, more especially since the
reformation, to hold up annually Tor con.
temptation and generation the,great yeri-
ties OF Christianity in their due order. and
SO TO preserve (and IN some cases restore
when II has been losO what we NAV torn
the equilibrium OF the faith. For this
the various bodies Of non.liturgio
Christians about her, owe her (and some
OF them have Of late thankfully confessed
~ no slight debt of gratitude. For
many years her voice was alone heard
among reported Christians, pleading Tor
Christmas and Easter, those feasts that
enshrined the precious
TRUTHS or THE INCARNATION
and the resurrection in the hearts of
those who rightly observe them. And
when her voice was seldom or never
heard, religion soon ceased To teach and
preach OF the life OF God in human
flesh until men, feeling need
for high priest VINO can be
t0Gohej With feeling OF our
and having no authoritative
teacher 70 lead them to the Son of God,
aud cly, Behold the Man, ran into the
opposite error Of pure humanitarianism;
and so the Unitarian and Universallsts'
systems saw the light. But, thank God,
Christmas and Easter have won back the
allegiance of most Evangelical Christians.
NOW the church would lead them on 10
the observance OF ascension and Whit.
sunday. We claim that II is in the due
appreciation Of all the phases OF our
Lords life ANA WORK that we can best
learn how we must be saved. We may
just as well lay It down nrst
ms last as an axiom 10 govern
our religions, thinking and acting, In
these days OF novelty aud change, that
what was cardinal principle of the faith
OF the gospel aud early ages must be
cardinal article Of the faith now; Tor
Jesus Christ Is the same yesterday, to-
day and forever and so like Is the way
Of salvation lie offers to mankind"
SAID Mr.. Sartwelle, "Men in the past
Tor centuries have tried so
IMPROVE RELIGION,
or revise the faith, as they have their ma
chinery, This change is not possible, as
the true faith Is not subject 10 change.
ut makes no difference TO
The humble disciple what various
schools OF Christian theologians and
writer's have promulgated His only con-
,ern must be to see that his is the faith
once delivered 20 the saints" In ibis,
said the speaker, one Is so be guided by
he same rules as apply TO profane his
.ory. Only from cOntemporaneou writer's
foes the seeker after knowledge draw his
In religion we mast 20
10 the fountain head and the Christian
must come with simple faith ready TO
listen and obey. Men have TO philoso-
phize and persuade themselves that
hey have divine revelation. The An.
slican church contends only for the prlm.
tive faith OF the fathers. The inolina- |
lion Of the day towards formulating new
,reeds and dogmati2Ing, has threat
sned the mother church, but she has
DeleI IN tne ancient latin as gathered In |
Lhe apostolic creed and the thirty-nine
articles are no more than the opinion of |
English theologians OF certain epoch,
which were not 'deliyered" as a part OF
.he ancient faith. Ascenslontide doesnot |
breach an absent Christ, but one ever
present, the acceptance OF whose simple
.eachings will be the salvation OF all who
believe. With beautiful peroration,
Mr. Sartwelle closed his sermon. The
having been dismissed, com