St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-07
on a few moments notice, as Hans
Jung, who had been engaged to sing,
was suddenly taken iii and could not

do Luc OISdll accompaniment u btlc IlldSS
is very elaborate for the organ. Mrs.
Mclver and Miss Shave sang exQuis-
itely, and Mr.. Gehan was in splendid
HafIelujah chorus produced grand eff
feet on the audience, as it always does
when rightly sung. 1t is suggested that
Mr.. MacLachlan will repeat the mass
next Sunday, as it must be heard more
than once to be thoroughly appreciated.
The choir have every reason to be proud
of their great success. The sermon by
Father O'GOrman was masterpiece of
ioratory, a synopsis of which is as fol-
lows:
I The resurrection of Jesus Christ is
fact, recorded in the Gospels. The
GOSPELS are records of our Lords life
from the persons who were either eye
witnesses, or who were in direct COM
lnunicaIiOn with eye-WitneSseS on the
very scene where it was passed. The
assertion just made is the latest result
of the critical operation Of this century
on the New Testament by men not at
all favorable to Christianity. 1t is the
office and duty of reason to prove or dis
prove that the Gospels were in fact
written and published at the time
that is assigned to them. that
they are at the present moment
substantially identical with the oldest
known text, that is to say, they are not
adulterated, that the writer's of them
could know what they were writing
about and had no motive to deceive the
world. That much done by historical
criticism, we accept them on this evil
dence as trustworthy documents in re-
gard to the facts they relate. To want to
explain such extraordinary facts as are
explained by the usual facts of human
history. to introduce into this sphere
the critical tests of reason and human
science, to eliminate as mythical and
legendary what is given as miracles and
preternatural, is to beg the whole ques-
ton in debate between the believer and
unbelieyer.
The Gospels are trustworthy history.
In the Gospels is related great fact, a
supernatural fact, the resurrection OF
Jesus Christ. What should be our
mental attitude in regard to it? 1t is a
physical fact within the competence of
the senses. He was seen dead, buried
and afterwards alive. 1t is doctrinal
fact. connected with system of doc
trines of which it is the seal and COM
plement. 1t is a social fact, the basis
and foundation Of worldwide society.
In the same sense the final victory and
ending of the American revolutionary
war at Yorktown was physical, doc
trinal, social fact; as being within
the competence of the senses, connected
with political declaration, and setting
on a sure basis the republic of the
United States. About such fact three
questions may be asked: What GER
tainty invested it? What publicity was
given to it? What acceptance did it
meet with?
Physical Fact-Certainty.
During three years twelve men have
been in daily companionship with
another thirteenth. They knew that he
had been cruelty tortured, crucified,
dead, buried; that his tomb had been
sealed by the state and guarded by
soldiers. These twelve affirm that he
came out of the tomb, that they saw
him aliYe, heard him, touched him;
that they put their hands on the wounds
made In his crucifixiOn; that for forty
daysithey held frequent converse with
himi that he was seen by 500 other
mens Now if they knew that all this
was not true, that Christ was not risen,
what more wicked than to originate and,
spread among men so mOnstrouS a
falsehOod, what more foolish than to
make the assertion in the face of world
who would answer with Scorn, nay, with
the death of the foolhardy liars; in the
face OF a God who could have in reserve
for such an impoSture only the severest
chastisements in future life which the
feOlhardy imp0Sters preached as an I'M
doubted truth? Who will say that the
apostles were such monsters of lniquitY?
fl1nt inttC lixTnC To- lot
and sufferings in the cause of their
Master, the painful and heroic deaths
byswhich they sealed their preaching
all go to show that they were sincere,
honest, holy and could not have design
edly conspired to deceive the world.
Doctrinal Fact-Publicity.
Did they keep the fact to themselves
within their own restricted circle. or
did they give it wide publicity? They
did. They gave to the Resurrection the
publicity they gave to the Christian
creed, which they were charged to
preach to every creature. The largest
theater of publicity Is the people. On
the Feast of Pentecost, when Jerusalem
was filled with Jews from many nations,
Peter rose and boldly preached that
Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had
crucified, was risen from the dead.
Now behold them on another theater OF
publicity more restricted but more
severe. What is boldly asserted to the
crowd is cautiously and guardedly
affirmed before the officials OF govern
ment: a rumor among the masses is
usually brought to very little, or vanishes
entirely before the bar of justice. You
may read in the fourth chapter of the
Acts how,in the presence of the princes,
ancients and scribes OF the people,
all the people OF Israel that by the
name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God had raised from the dead,
even 10y Him, this man standeth be-
fore you WHOLE" But still more crit
ieal and dangerous bar is a scientific
body. The most renowned learning Of
the day was to be found in Greece, in
the city of Athens. On Mars hill stood
st. Paul before the philosophers of that
famous school, who thought him to be
setter-forth of new gods, because he
preached to them Jesus and the re-
surrection, and he said, Passing
through your city so full of temples
met an altar to the unknown God.
Him whom you adore without knowing
Ipreach to you. He is the God who
made the world, who in the fullness of
time sent into the world His Son. giving
faith to all by raising him up from the
dead.' Now two things are certain
about st. Paul. One is that he had been
in the confidence of the enemies of
Jesus, the Pharisees, and had been
their trusted agent in prosecuting the
Christians; and the other is that he was
afterwards In the confidence of the
apostles and knew all their side of the
case. The fact was given the widest
the apostles did not fear, they
courted investigation.
Social Fact---Acceptance.
Did the Resurrection find credence?
Was it to any extent accepted on the
testimony of the apostles? Look at the
thousands that in Jerusalem lmmedi-
atety after the ascension of our Lord
believed the preaching of the twelve.
Those thousands had known Jesus of
Nazareth, had witnessed his death, and
now they admit his resurrection. Think 1
of the multitudes throughout the en-
pire that in the first, second and third
centuries lived as followers of the cru 4
Gifted, and died as martyrs. The vast
est and most persistent society that