Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-29

skill Of science can discover the scorers OF
our future. The wisest man, looking along
the path of his own life, and seeing grave
dug deep across it at the limit of his sight.
cannot tell whether that path goes on upon
the other side or not. All our pro-
foundest Knowledge is but guesswork when
it looks beyond the grave. The life to come
lies outside the intellectual circum ference.
Not only is it true that nothing but
revelation is adequate to answer this supreme
question, but it is true also that the one
adequate and satisfying revelation must be
made not in a book, but IN life. Some
body who has lived our life, and died our
death, must come back out of that undis-
covered country and tell us. Just that
satisfying and adequate revelation God has
given. Christ, with the naii-prints, stand
ing in the upper room, brings the message
Of the life eternal. 81 was dead" He says,
sand behold, 1 am alive foreyermore, and
have the keys of the grave and OF death"
because l live, ye shall live also."
No Room for Doubt.
Is it true? Did it happen? behold"
He says, "My hands and nv feet, that 1t is
1 myself" The men in that upper room
knew that they looked upon the living body
of the dead Christ. There was no
room FOR doubt. They touched Him, ther
talked with Him, they beheld the prints
of the nails. He sat down and joined them
at their supper Evidently here Is no revival
after death, which was not quite dying
but only narrow approach 10 it. There is
no room for such an explanation. He who
stands with His apostles three DAYS after the
woes of that tragic Friday, after the scourg-
ing in Pilates palace, after the six hours
agony of the cross, and the piercing of the
soldiers spear. He who stands among them
holding out his hands with The print OF the
nails upon them, stands in His strength.
Here is so many wounded, cripple, pitifuily
creeping INTO the company OF the apostles.
Here is the victorious hero who has met
death and won the battle gloriously.
Evidently, again, here is no vision, no
creature OF a loving imagination. That re-
quires the preparation of expectancy. And
nothing is clearer in the whole record OF the
resurrection than that the apostles were not
expecting Christ. They were bowed down
with the grief OF their bereavement. Their
hopes were
Buried in His Tomb.
Everything was in the past tense with
them. They had no future at all. They
thought they saw vision when Jesus came
among them. That was what gave them
that dreadful fright. 1t was ghost. But
He who held out His nail-piereed hands
and feet was no ghost, no vision.
behold My hands and My feet" He
said, ''that it is 1 myself. Handle Me and
see, for spirit hath not flesh and bones as
ye see me have. And when He had thus
spoken, He showed them His hands and His
feet And while they yet believed not for
joy and wonder, He said unto them: Have
ye here any meat? And they gave Him
piece of broiied fish and OF an hOneycomb.
And He took it, and did eat before
them"
There was no room here for any question
about the reality of the being of the risen
Lord. 81 am He that liveth, and was dead"
No wonder that we keep the anniversary
with flowers and singing and glad heartsl
Christ with the aii-prints who, as on this
blessed feast-day, opens the gate OF death
brings us the
Revelation of the Life Eternal.
Beyond the grave are the many mansions
which he pTomised and our own whom we
love and have for time lost sight of, are
there with Him, waiting for our coming.
Death is the veil which we who live call
lie, we sleep and it is lifted"
Christ being raised from the dead dieth
no more; death hath no more dominion over
Him." Christ is risen from the dead. 'In
Christ shall all be made alive" Christ
with the nail prints is also the revelation of
eternal love. How significant this abiding
of the marks of the nails and the spear! All
the weakness is gone which bowed Him
down under the burden of the cross. All
the death Is gone which held Him prisoner
in the tomb. Here is a body living, strong,
unwounded, with mystery about il, too, I
beyond our fathoming. But still abide !
those nail marks in the hands and feet, and
this spear mark in the side. We know very
we'll what is written here in the hands and
feet and side. 1t is the story OF the cross.
And the cross is the supreme
symbol of Eternal Love.
This He bore, this shame and pain, this for
saking of all men, this hiding of His |
Fathers facial this Christ bore for love
OF Us. behold my hands and my feetP'
1t is the same Christine Christ who |
walked in Galilee, and healed the sick, and |
helped the weak, and comforted the sad
the Christ vino prayed in the garden, aud |
suffered on the cross-the same Christ who |
loved us, and loves US now eternslly. See |
how simply and naturally He comes, not in
any blaze of celestia! glory. not with any
retinue of attendant angels. not in any
strange and splendid garments. but Just as
He used to come, with the same love in His
eyes, aud the same benedictiou on His lips, !,
saying, "Peace be unto your and holding
out His pierced hands.
1t is said that one night the brave and
good st. Martin, in the DAYS long ago, had
a strange vision. A sudden glory filled his /
room as he was praying, aud there stood be-
fore him "a figure of serene and Joyous as
pect," clothed in the garments of king,
with jeweled crown upon his head and
gold -em broidered shoes uDon his feet" And
the wonderful visitant said: 'Martin. be-
hold me. 1 am Christi and waited for his
alteration. But Martin looked and hesi-
lated. "Where are the prints of the nails"
he said. And straightway the vision van
shed. 1t was but the tempting devil.
1t is Christ with the nail-prints who
is risen and is alive forevermore; not our
King only, but our Redeemer; not our
Judge only, but our Savior; not the Re
vealer only of eternal life. but of eternal
owe. Behold my hands and my feet"