The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-04-04
THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.
DIR. PEARSON PREACHEs TO AN
UNUSUAL CONGREGATION.

Church 80 d Rem arkapI9 sermon
Upon Unbelief-Dr. Pearson's Pro
Rramme for This Week.
Every available space in Wesley Monu-
mental church was PACKED last night to hear
Rev. DR.. Pearson's sermon on the Divinity
of Christi Fully 900 people were turned
away. Over 1900 persons obtained seats
or standing room inside the church. The
vestibule and waiting room were crowded.
The peculiar feature Of the gathering was
that the lower floor was occupied entirely
by men and the galleries entirely by ladies.
Such a congregation of masculine faces was
probably never seen in Savannah before,
while no church in the city certainly ever
had so many ladies ia the gallery at one
time.
The services opened with Coward,
Christian Soldiers" followed by "All Hail
the Power Of Jesus Name" by the choir
and the congregation.
Rev. I. II. Blenus Of the Christian cburcn
led the opening services and read the
18th chapter Of John, upon which he gave
q short discourse. This was followed by
PRAYER by Col. c. H. Olmstead.
DR.. Pearson made his announcements be-
fore beginning his sermon. There will be
Bible reading at IL O'Clock this morning .es-
pecially for mothers. There will be discourse
and Bible reading to-night especially for
business men, on the subject of laying up
riches, The main body of the church will
again be reserved exclusively for men, while
the galleries will be appropriated exclu-
sively to the ladies.
Tomorrow night DIR. Pearson will preach
upon the excuses for not seeking religion,
and Wednesday night on faith in Jesus
Christ as the condition OF salvation.
DIR. Parsons TEXT.
DR.. Pearson took for his text last night
Matthew xvii, 40: "If thou be the Son
Of God come down from the cross"
These words, he said we're uttered By the
unbeleviug scoffers who stood around the
cross. Their request. he added, sounds like
a reasonable proposition, logical PROPOSE
ton and fair proposition viewed at first
sight 1t was his task to show that the
proposition was unreasonable and unphilo-
sophical and illogical.
'If Jesus was Christ why did he not come
down from the crossln he asked. He went
on to show how unreasonable and illogical
were the acquisitions Of un0elief concern
ing Jesus Christ. He divided them under
three heads:
Unbelief requires proof Of that which
has had a reasonable demonstration.
Unbslief requires shat demonstration be
made ia such way that it involves a moral
impossibllity.
Unbelief requires such an amount of
evidence as will destroy the ability to
doubt.
In these three heads, he said, are
found the foundations Of all modern and
ancient unbelief.
WHAT UNBELIEF DEMANDS.
Under the first head, he said, uubslief
I,-nn1a6 90 rhak hos
already been demonstrated. Christ's
divinity had been demonstrated, he
claimed, by the fulillment of the Old Testa-
ment prophecies applying Co him.
AS to the doubt cast upon the authenti-
city of the Old Testament be said that 1t
must be accepted. Its reliability has been
proved by all usage both legal and rsligi-
GUS. From leg al standpoint it occupies
the position of an ancient document whose
acceptance has ceased TO be a matter of
Question-as an ancient document in exist
ence for thirty centuries, kept by the proper
custodians and never renounced by those
custodians.
1t was regarded as authentic when trans-
lated by order of Ptolemy $50 years before
Christ. 1t was accepted at the diet of
Worms and later at the court Of King
James, aud at every other civil and religious
gathering OF great Importance at which It
has been called in question. 1t is un-
doubtedly an ancient document In the
legal sense of the term. IL has passed
muster for thirty centuries in courts, both
ecclesiastical and civil, and as suoh, its posi-
ton legally is beyond question. II any one
denies it, 1t devolyes upon him to prove the
contrary.
Consequently DIR. Pearson said be had a
right TO Introduce the Old Testament as ev-
idence in the discussion. He held, first,
that Christ 10 the fulfllment of the prophe-
cies showed that be was the Son Of God.
From Moses to Malachi they had predicted
him.
TWENTY-FIVE PROPHECIES FULFILLED.
He then named twenty-five specific
prophecies with regard 10 Christ in the Old
Testament, with their ful6llment In the
New, showing oonclusvely that Christ full
filled the prophecies spoken Of him. They
were as follows:
Seed Of the woman, Genesis ill.,, Is, full
filed Galatians iv., 4; seed of Abraham,
Genesis xxi, Is, fulfilled Galatians ILL.,, 16;
seed of David, jeremiah lii, Is. fulfilled
Acts xiii. Is; born OF the virgin, Isaiah vii,
IA, fulfilled Matthew l., Is; born at q set
time. Genesis xix, 10. fulfilled Luke H., |
born in Bethlehem, Micah ", 2. fulfilled
Matthew IL, adored by great men,
Psalm Xxi, 10, fulfilled Matthew H., /;
anointed with the spirit, Isaiah Xxi, II, ful-
filed Matthew ill.,, 10; ministry
to begin in Gallilee, Isaiah tx,
2, fulfilled Matthew ~, 80; to
preach in parallels Psalm lxxviii., 2. full
filled Matthew xiii, "a; rejected by his
brethren, Isaiah lix., Z, fulfilled John XIV,
25; betrayed by friend, Psalm xii, 9, full
filled John xiii, IS; forsaken by disciples,
Zechsriah xiii z, fulfilled Matthew XVI, Sc:
sold for thirty pieces of silver, Zechariah XII,
IL, fulfilled Matthew XVI, Is; disposed
of his price, Zechariah XII, IS, fulfilled
Matthew xvii, z; hands and feet pierced,
Psalm xii, 10, fulfilled John Xxx, 25; gar
ments parted and lots cast Psalm xxi, is,
fulfilled Matthew xvii, IS; numbered
with transgressors, Isaiah lii, 10, fulfilled
Luke xiii, 33; an intercession for murder
ers, Isaiah lii, 10. fulfilled Luke xiii. "a !;
forsaken by God, Psalm xii, l, fulfilled
Matthew xvii. 40; not a bone broken,
Psalm xxxiv., 90 fulfilled John XIX, SO |;
buried with the rich. Isaiah liii, 9, fulfilled
Matthew xvii, 81, so; his resurrection,
Isaiah XVI, 10, fulfilled Luke XIV, "a (;
his ascension, Psalm xviii, IS, fulfilled
Luke xiv, 81.
PROOF OF 1T DISPRovED.
DR.. Pearson said the conclusions Of the
document must be accepted or else shown
that il is not what it claims 20 be.
He next instanced, in proof Of the divinity
OF Christ, the fulillmeut OF prophecy in the
performance Of miracles, healing the blind,
raising the dead curing the sick and the
lame, feeding the thousands, which things
he said were done, not 10 the darkness, but