Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-04-13

L->tcr AHseoHf csNufS eS&7V7< -~--Fs
Golden Text, 1 Cor. xv. -comanen-
tary by the Rev. ID. NJ stearns.
g. For delivered unto you, first of all,
that which also receivcd-how that Christ
died for our sins, according to the Scrip
lures. Various sections Of this epistle are
easily recognized by the words NOW con
cerning' or now rs touching Chapters
VII, l, viii, !; xii, /; xvi u. The section
in which we find eur lessen begins with
xii, !, and concerns the diversities Of gifts
which exist in tho one body Of Christ, the
church, showing the supremacy of love
and exhorting to be always Astounding in
the work of the Lord XIV, 5s)-
4. And that lie was buried. and that
He rose again the third day, according to
the Scriptures The death and burial
and resurrection of Christ, which consti-
tute the contamination of His finished
work and may DO summarized by the
phrase 6 His blood, " were plainly foretold
and may be readily seen BY anointed eyes
in Ps xvi and xiii, lisa. lviii and else
where.
s. And that He was seen Of Cephas
then of the twelve On resurrection day
He was seen ON five different occasions
first by Mary Magdalene, then by the other
wcnlon, after that by the two who walked
to Enimaus. also by Peter, and in the even
ing by the twelve. as they were called, but
that evening Thomas was not present. and
Judas Iscariot had gone to his own place
See Luke xiv, SO, 81; John Xxx, "a. That
He should honor Peter with special ap-
pcarance, and also with special message
MARK xvi, -, should bc anlatter of special
interest TO any one who may have, through
temptation, wandered away.
G. After that He was seen of above 800
brethren ut once, of whom the greater
part remain unto this present but some
are fallen asleep" This must have been
the largest numbcr to which He appeared
at one time and may have been In Galilee
OF ON the mount Of the ascension, proha-
bly, the former. If two or three witnesses
could establish matter, such company
ought to make 1t very sure. We have no
record OF His ever appearing after the res
direction and before the ascension to any
but brcthren--that Is, belieyers-and
when He comes again, as believers only
saw Him ascend, so only believers will
meet Him on His way Il Thess. Nv, Id, ~.
7. After that He was seen OF James,
then Of all the apostles. We would not
have known Of this special appearance to
James If Paul had not told us, and it may
be that both Peter and James talked with
Paul Of these special appearings when he
saw them during his visit to Jerusalem
(GaI. i, Is. 49,. There were ut least 10 or
II appearances, including tho ono at the
ascension; then after tho ascension He
was seen by Stephen and Paul and John.
That He rose from the dead and is now at
the right hand Of the Father Is fact well
established.
g. And, last OF all, He was seen of me
also, as OF one born out Of due time.
This was the last appearance up to Paulis
time, for the appearance TO John in Pat
mos was full 30 years later wonder why
Paul did not mention the appearance to
stephen. Perhaps it was too sore recol-
lection. Paul speaks of his conversion
when the Lord appeared to him as birth
before the time, and also pattern OF
those who should hereafter believe (I Tim.
i, 16) for The conversion of the nation OF
Israel will be when they look upon Him at
His coming in glory. We are now saved
~ looking to Him, not upon Him. Com
pare lisa, xiv, 90, and zceh. xii, TO-
8. For am the least of the apostles
that am not meet to DO called an apostle,
because prosecuted the church Of God"
Paul's growth in his own estimation was
true growth in grace. 1t was very lowly
to call himself "lcast of the apostles" 1t
was moro lowly, ut later period, TO speak
of himself Ms "less than the least of all
saints (Eph. ill, 81, but it was lowest of
all, at q still later period to call himself
the chief Of sinners" Il Tim. l, l5).
This is the work Of the Spirit to magnify
tho Lord in all His loneliness and to in.
oreasingly expose the hidcousncss Of the
natural man. May we all grow thus.
10. But by the grace of God l am what
| am, and His grace, which was bestowed
upon me, was not in vain, but / laborcd
more abundantly than they all, yet not /,
but the grace of God, which was with me. .
Paul was forever magnifying the grace OF
God, by which we are saved, in which we
stand, which is yet TO be more fully re-
yealcd, and which Paul felt was In his
case Exceeding abundant (Eph. II, s,
Rom. V, .; ! Pet, /, IS; Tim l. IA
This abundant grace constrained him to
abundant lab0rs, but he wholly renounces
all thought Of his doing anything, and, as
in Gal. ii, 90, emphasizes his mot /, but
Christ, not !, but the grace Of God Z"
IL. Therefore, whether 1t were l or
they, SO wo preach, and so yc believed. "
Whether Ii was Paul or Apollos or &c.
phas, they were only ministers by whom
the Lord wrought I Cor Iii, 5.1l, so that
the members cannot and must not glory
only in the Lord, for no flesh shall glory
in His presence. Let us glory only In the
Lord
IL. Now, II Christ be preached that He
rose from the dead, how say some among
you that there is no resurrection Of the
dead?' The Sadducces did not believe in
any resurrection (Lukc Xxx, 27l Some
gentiles Knocked at the idea (Aets xviii
32); but, worse still, some protesting
Christians OF our time say that at death
we get our resurrection body, and they
have no further use for the body that Is
laid in the grave Yet it is plainly writ
ten that all that are in their graves shall
come forth. They that sleepin the dust
Of the earth shall awake, and when Jesus
rose from the dead many bodies of the
saints which slept arose and came out of
the graves and went into the holy city and
appeared unto many (John v, 2s 20, Dan
xii, 2; Aiath. xvii, b. 53)
10 But If there be no resurrection Of
the dead then is Christ not risen' This
which porp.exes many The question
which Paul is arguing is, Has Christ
risenY Now, al believers werc baptized In
the name Of the Lord Jesus, but II He IS
dead Christ, and not risen, why baptize
for the dead. Why baptizc any one in the
hamc of dead Christi
II. And ii Christ be not risen then Is
cur preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain. He goes on 10 add that II Christ
be not risen all preachers are false wit
nAsscs, and all living believers are still In
their sins, and all dead believers have per
isbod Tie great faot Of the resurrection Of
Christ is not truth merely for Easter,
but for every Lord day. His life aBI
death would be Of no avail to us had He
not risen again, bur He IS risen tserse
20l, and thus with power declared to be
the Son Of t,,u Rom !. ~
-