The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-04-04
ONE CENT.
TEE APOSTOLIC ANSWER.


Rev. PowlclCs sermon In the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
The Methodist Episcopal church was
tastefully decorated with flowers on Sunday
in recognition Of Easter, and music especially
fine and appropriate was rendered by the
choir. The congregation was large. The
morning sermon was from Acts 13. HE
showed himself alive after his passion by
many infallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days, and speaking Of the things per-
tanning to the kingdom Of God" This is the
apostolic answer TO the foolish account of the
resurrection given by the soldiers: His
disciples came by night and stole him away
whilc we slept" As the resurrection of
Jesus is the corner stone of our faith it is a
matter Of importance that it should be we'll
authenticated. We do well upon this
suspicious day to review the proofs upon
which it rests, Happily we have proofs
infallible."
1t is agreed by all that he died. The Jews,
who did not scruple to kin the Prince of Life,
could not endure the thought Of prolauing
the Sabbath by allowing his body to han g
upon the cross on that sacred day so they
besought PLATE that his legs might be broken
and his body taken away. But we have the
testimony Of the soldiers that they fou d
him dead already so they brake not his
legs" but did pierce his side and bring forth
proof for all ages that he died. No one
doubts his burial. And that his foes were
more alert than his friends is shown by their
memory of his predicted resurrection and
! their request for a guard of soldiers. None
have ever denied that on the third day the
tomb was found empty. The only question
that has arisen is as to how the body disap-
peared. The angel said "He is risen the
soldiers said "His Disciples came by night
and stole him away while we slept" How
the handful of towards, who forsook him and
fled, suddenly became so courageous does not
appear. What use they had for his dead
body we are not told, How sleeping wit
~nesses could know what had taken place
while they slept" is as deep a mystery as
the resurrection itself. And why the soldiers
were not punished for sleeping at their posts
| nor called to refute the declaration Of the
Apostles can only he explained upon the
assumption that nobody believed them.
The iuflllible proofs are the frequent ap-
pearances of Jesus after His death. No man
can consistently credit human testimony
/ concerning any fact Of history who denies
d the resurrection of Jesus. Men may bubble
! bout it because it is contrary TO the course
u of nature, but we have neither more nor
i better testimony to the uniformity of nature
han to the resurrection of Jesus, The
e freezing of water is contrary to nature as
r men in the tropics know her. What reason
d have we to suppose that we know the utmost
boundaries Of the course Of nature? Argu-
Y ments founded upon ignorance are worthless.
&c No murderer was ever convicted who could
m not have summoned a thousand times more
witnesses who did not see the crime than even
D. the prosecution could get who did see it
t. We rely upon the evidence Of men who di.
see rather than the doubts of those who did
not. One clear and unimpeachable witnes
IS. 10 what he sees and knows will upset all tn.
ell circumstantial evidence and philosophers
e, skepticism you can pile up. When Pau
Wrote to the Corinthians he could summon
~ five hundred witnesses who had seen Jesu
n after He rose from the dead. 1t is too late t
refuse evidence that satisfied so many com
mt petent witnesses of the first century. n
he less than ten or twelve distinct appearance
vs.. to different persons under widely diierer
circumstances are clearly recorded in tn
he New Testament. These appearances WEI
ell then described in detail. The resurrection
ON Jesus is the pledge and pattern Of ours. W
shall be like Him for we shall see Him as L
-he is, But the doctrine of the resurrection
he not an unmixed blessing to all, for 'son
shall awake to everlasting life and some
NJ, shame and everlasting contempt" Our CO.
duct here fixes our destiny hereafter.
tin "