Morning journal and courier., 1891-03-30
THE BRIGHT EASTER DAX

Yesterday in the Various
 Churches - Immense Crowds at
 Trinity and St. PauHs - Excellent
 Music and Beautiful Flowers.
 At First M. E. Church. FINE EASTER SERMON BY REV. DIR. CHAP
 MANA LOVELY DISPLAY OF FLOWERS.
 A large congregation was at the First M. E. church yesterday morning. The tasty display of flowers and ornamental plants gave an unusually attractive appear. ance to the speakers desk. Inside the or gan railing were two stands of Easter lil- ies, and inside the front railing were many beautiful flowers, among which were two stands of full blown calla lilies, on each side of which were other floral decora- tions. In a large mound of flowers a prominent color was red, which formed a pretty contrast with the white and green colors of the other decorations.
 The singing by the quartette choir was fine, and solo by Mrs. Eltz was delight fully rendered. As the service consisted largely of singing the sermon was neces- sarily short, but it was an excellent and pleasing Easter sermon by the pastor, Rev. Melville B. Chapman. His text was from First Corinthians 18th, 17th, ,20th verses, as follows:
 ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ m are Perished II If in in men most miserable
 "The death of Jesus," said the pastor, "was the despair of the disciples. At his 4lo;, ,b; hut q a flash from midnight to monday the glad tidings spread that Christ was risen. Gen. turies and generations have caught up the good news, Now is Christ risen from the dead,' and it has been reiterated over the ages up to the present time. The disciples had renewed courage by the resurrection; their faith was strengthened and in their preaching the fact of the resurrection was made prominent part of their teaching. They declared him riser. Wherever they went they declared that "Jesus, whom ye crucifed, is risen."
 The resurrection of Jesus was the pivot of their preaching. It was the keystone of the arch of their glorious belief. They proclaimed Jesus crucifed because they could proclaim Christ risen. Jesus, by his resurrection from death, has not only shown himself savoir of sinners but g savoir from the lair of death. The resur rection of Jesus is the basis of the Christ ian morality.
 Jesus saith, '1 am the resurrection anc ] the life," and it is only as we enter into his life that we understand the value of the human soul and the importance of oul opportunities. It is by study of the lift l of Jesus that we perceive the distinction l between the life of man and the life of
 heart. It is the rolling of the stone away
 from the sepulcher that marks the differ
 ence between the lives of mankind and th
 lives of brutes. How can Jesus b.
 the life if he did not rise superio
 to the law of death. Death claim
 everyone. The leaves have their time t.
 fall Up to this time only one has dare'
 to say, ''I am the resurrection and tn
 life." Only one has said ''I am the vine ye are the branches because I live ye liv
 also." If the vine has perished wha chance has the branches? If Christ be no
 risen our hope of immortality is vain
 Jesus lived after he died-the grave wa! not the last of him. The mortal put ol ! immortality. The resurrection of Jesus the tangible evidence of the life hereafte | in which we desire something more thal l continued existence-we desire a continued personality. After the resurrection O. | Jesus he was different in some respect 1 and in some respects he was the same, ant herein is the foundation of our belief tha our personality will be continued. w
 may be changed but we shall be the sam substantially.
 To those who feel that they are not 1on
 for this life-those who feel that they ar
 fading-those who imagine that the mar
 gin of life is snall-let them get som
 new Easter hope. Let them realize tha they are nearer heaven-let them SC
 heeven in it's true light-the glorious ligh l of Easter