Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-06-01

xiv. 34-commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearns.
l. "And when the Sabbath was past.
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother OF
James. and Salome. had bought sweet
spices that they might come and anoint
Him" In Lev. xiii, 10. IL, we read that
sheaf of the first fruits OF the harvest was
TO be presented 10 the Lord and by Him ac-
cepted Cor the people, ION the morrow after
the Sabbath" In / Cor. XIV, %, we find
that the resurrection of Christ was the full
fillment of that type. The women men,
toned in this first verse OF our lesson were
some OF those who followed Him and min
iseered unto Him. They loved Him de-
votedly, but they were lacking I'm faith, for
had they believed His words that He would
rise again the third day (chapters viii. 81;
TX. 81 they would not have thought to
anoint His dead body on the third day.
Without faith it is impossible to please
Him.
2. "And very early I'm the morning, the
first day of the week. they came unto the
sepulcher at the rising of the SUM-" How
sad they must have feltl Who can tell their
thoughtss After all His wonderful works
and teaching concerning the kingdom, 10
have it end this way was disappointment
indescribable. Oh, If they had only believed
lisa. liii and the words Of His own lipR,
what sorrow and darkness they might have
been sparedl Mary of Bethany believed
His words and anointed Him beforehand,
and evidently expecting His resurrection.
as He had said, was not found with the
others at the tomb. What darkness would
be dispelled from sorrowing- hearts IL those
whose friends have died in Christ would
only believe phil. /. 81. %; Thess Nv, 10
49,, and what sums of money might be
saved for better use which are vainly spent
for the dead bodyl
8, "And they said among themselves,
Who shalt roll us away the stone from the
door of the sepulcheri" Ii was real diff
Guilty from their standpoint. yet they moved
on as IL 1t would some way be removed.
Love Is not hindered from acting by ap-
parent difficulties. When IL is work of
faith as well as a labor of love Il Thess. |, 81,
then all is well, but faith should be first,
lest love perform unnecessary labor, and
there can be no faith apart from the word
of God (Rom., X, ~.
4. And when they looked they saw that
the stone was rolled away, for it was very
great" Difficulties vanish as we go for
ward. How often we have found it sol In
Math xviii, Q, we find that the angel of the
Lord descended from heaven and came and
rolled back the stone from the door and sat
upon it, for seals and soldiers were nothing
to him. The angels who excel in strength,
that do His commandments hearkening
unto the voice of His word ops. CHI. 20), know
no difficulties. and nothing is hard to them.
Read the angel stories in Acts xii and Isa
xxxvii, SO. and rejoice that they are still
ministering spirits who minister unto the
heirs of salvation Heb. 1, 14).
8. "And entering into the sepulcher they
saw a young man sitting on the right side
clothed In a long white garment, and they
were affrighted." II we believed in the
ministry of angels, and that they are ever
with us serving unseen and unthanked,
perhaps we would not be afraid If some day
one or more should appear to Us. 1t Is true
that most of the people In the Bible record
to whom they appeared seem to have been
afraid, but we do not read that either
Abram OF Elisha were afraid. and Elijah
was not afraid to have them come for him
with carriage that day that he went home.
Notice that this angel. who must have been
several thousand years old. is called a
young man-oh, the joys Of eternal youth
If spared to the day on which this lesson
shall be taught, will be 81 years old. but
am sure / feel more like Is than 81, and
am perfectly sure that shall feel younger
still 10000 years hence.
9. "And He saith unto theml Be not af-
frighted. Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth which
was crucified. He is risen. He is not here
Behold the place where they laid Him."
The angels always say. Fear not (Gen. xxi,
II; Luke I, IS, 30; ii. 10), and so does the
Lord Himself from Gen. XIV, /, to Rev. 1, IL.
His thoughts to all His people are peace
and not evil (Jer. xxx, H. Therefore let
our hearts say, II will trust and not be
afraid" lisa. xii, p In Math xviii, 0, the
angel said. "He Is risen, as He said" as il
they might also have said, why did you
not believe Hmm" Let us have simple,
childlike, unwavering faith In every. word
Of God. and thus He will be glorified in us.
2. "But go your way, tell His disciples
and Peter that He goeth before you into
Galilee There shall We see Him as He said
unto you" Oh. how Christlike to have a
special message for poor Peter, who must
have felt, because of his awful conduct,
that he was no longer worthy to be one Of
them. But the Lord loved this erring one,
and he alone of all the disciples is mentioned
by name in the resurrection message HE
is risen" go, tellr' may well be called the
watchwords of Christianity. II He be not
risen, our faith Is In vain, we are yet in our
sins, and all who have trusted in Him and
have died have persisted Il Cor. XIV. 1918.
II He be not risen from the dead, then His
spotless life and His death on the cross all
60 for nothing, as far as the work of re-
demption Is concerned. But He is risen,
God hath raised Him from the dead aud
given Him seat at His own right hand,
and, as He said to John In Patmos, He is
alive forevermore and has the keys Of hades
and death (Rev. 1, 49,. The present bust
ness OF every believer is to tell out the fact
to all the world, as far as each individual
may, that through the risen Christ is pro-
claimed the forgiveness of SINS and all who
believe are justified from all things (Acts
Kill, 8S. 39).
g. "And they went out quickly and fed
from the sepulcher. for they trembhed and
were amazed; neither said they anything
to any man, for they were afraid" Mat
thew says that they departed quickly with
fear and great joy and did run TO bring
His disciples word (Math. xxviii.~S). They
would speak TO no one by the way, but
filled with joy because Jesus was alive, and
awed by the facts, the angels message and
their own now manifest unbelief, they
FASTENED to tell the disciples There Is
nothing inconsistent between this kind of
Joy and fear. See Phil. II. 12 and similar
passages We may haze great JOY in the
Lord, and withal a fear Of grieving Him.
Arrest