Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21

anu shOu bnlS RdrOeneE SPEAKS. AAN
Mary, looking at him in the light of the
Easter dawn and through the mist of her
tears hears voice she knows, a voice ia
mi1iar, and dear "Maryr' he says, and she
falling at his feet, cries "Masterl My
MasterP'
IT IS THE RISEN CHRIST.
Away hastens Mary with this wonderful,
this almost incredible good piece of news, to
the Apostles They hear her story as she
comes upon them in their weeping. They lift
no their heads and listen for a moment. She
says "Don't think those sad thoughts any
more. Stop your mourning and weeping.
Yes, He was dead, that is true. But 1 have
seen Him. He Is risen. He is alive for
evermore." And when they have heard her
to the end, down go their heads again. The
cross has cancelled hope. They believe not.
They simply could not believe. They saw
that blood-stained cross and it shut out all
the light of heaven. By and by the ten and
to Thomas. eve have seen Him, -
they say. 1--WE have all seen Him.
He is alive" But Thomas sees
one sight only-the nail points in His
hands and the spear point in His side.
Have you ever seen anyone die in pain, in
such agony and distortion that the sight has
stayed in your eyes for days, and you have
dreamed about it at night? That was the
way the crucifxion had imprinted itself
upon the heart of the Apostle Thomas.
Those piteous, bleeding wounds, that pain
full death there in the darkness-he could
think of nothing else. And yet the Lord
had risen. Even Thomas came to know
that .f
like to remember how the risen Christ
manifested Himself first to one who stood
beside an open grave. and that the very first
Easter message, the very first application OF
the Easter truth to human needs, was in the
voice of consolation.
We look upon the face of death. Here is
terrible fact which forces itself upon our
reason and Imagination. This is the end.
Life has gone out. There is not here even
hint that life has been transferred any
where else. Here is no faintest promise of
any other life. Everything is against us.
Death is terrible fact, and in the presence
of this fact we mourn and weep like the
Apostles. The faces of our dead, the graves
of our dead, shut out all light.
BEYOND THE BLACK wALL-wHATP
'I know not" answers the agnostic. ''No
person has come back from the unseen
world. No authentic message has been de-
Hvered. Through all the centuries not one
whisper has broken the silence that lies be-
yond the grave"
But here is Easter, to set sharp contra
diction against that. Christian people keep
to-day, with flowers and singing, the an
n1versary of the time when One came back
to life again out of the unseen world, de-
l1verlng an authentic message, breathing
with the voice of consolation and gladness
the silence that lies beyond the grave. ST
KNOW" answers the Christian. "I know
that death is door and not a wall. I know
because of this great event which we keep
In memory to-day 1 know because Jesus
Christ came back to tell US"
There are 'several kinds of knowing"
There is a knowledge in the strength of
which we affirm that two and two make
four. There is a kind of knowledge where
by we are assured of the verify Of what we
see. There is kind of knowledge, an as
surance strong enough to be called knowl-
edge, which we possess when one whom we
know and trust tells us what he has SEEM
The Principal of Kings College has lately
stated, in words which two Intelligent op-
ponents have curiously misunderstood, that
the difference between the agnostic and the
Christian 'lies not in the fact that he has
no knowledge of these things THAT is of
the things which concern life alter DEATH
but that he does not believe the authority
on which. they are stated"
Prof Huxley and Mr.. Ingersoll find
text in this very simple assertion for a great
deal of interrogation and declaration,
whereat the principal of Kings College
must be in some doubt whether to be sur
prised or amused. Concerning one "kind
of knowing" the principal of Kings Col
lege quietly states there is no difference be-
tween the agnostic and the Christian. This
is the knowing which the principal calls
scientific" knowledge of the future life.
Whether by the irresistible processes of
logic whereby we affirm that two and two
make four, or by the evidence of our own
senses whereby we take for true that which
we see-this kind OF knowledge no man has,
the principal declares, whether he be
CHRISTIAN Or AGNosTIc.
The agnostic's difference from Christians
lies, not in the fact that he has no knowl-
edge of these things-for herein there is no
difference. Both are alike ignorant Prof
Huxley and Mr.. Ingersoll are shooting can
non balls at shadows, thus far.
But there is a difference. What is it? It
is in the knowledge which we gain by ac-
cepting as true what we are told. 1 believe
that such person as Socrates lived, having
such character as his biographers record of
hi m, and saying such and such words.
know that, not by scientific" knowledge, but
by another 'kind of knowing" 1 believe
that such an event took place in the life of
Socrates as his drinking of a cup of hem
lock. know that by the same ''kind of
knowing. I cannot prove it mathematically,
and certainly cannot obtain" any knowl-
edge of it "though the medium of the sens
es." Nevertheless, 1 am sufficiently sure of
the existence of that person and that fact to
say 81 know" believe the authority on
which it is stated, that is how know.
Now, this is just what Dr. Wall claims
for the Christians. The Christian knows,
because the Christian believes the authority
on which the statements which he accepts
are based. He believes in a person and a
fact. The person is Jesus Christ: the fact is
that which we celebrate to-day. The
Christian believes in this person and this
fact, Just as he believes in any other person
and fact in history. And when the person
and the fact point alike to this great Easter
gospel of consolation and promise. testify
ing alike to life beyond the grave, there isno
perhaps" left in the Christian mind; i'm
mortality is not guess which nobody can
prove or disprove, the Christian is sure
enough to know. Over against the 81 know
not" of the agnostic is set the 81 know" of
the Christian.
The Christian believes the authority on
which the~truth is stated, and so knows.
What that authority is, how strong is the
evidence, how abundant and convincing
the testimony, hope to set down here
another time. GEORGE HODGES.