The Portland daily press., 1896-08-31
THE ASCENSION.
Rev. DR.. Krantz at Chestnut Street Church
Yesterday.

Rev. DR.. John Krantz of Patterson.
N. j., filed the pulpit at Chestnut street
church yesterday afternoon and was
listened to by large congregation.
DR.. Krantz was introduced by Rev.
Mr.. Luce. DR.. Krantz regretted exceed
ingly that he had been unable to meet
the. pastor, DR.. Parsons, who was one of
his oldest and strongest friends. He
knew it was the vacation season but he
had supposed the glorious air and beauti-
full scenery of Portland and it's surround
ings, in July and August, would have
kept him at home and that he would be
found away in January and February.
The speaker then took for his text Luke
XIV, 5O-51. "And He led them out as far
as Bethany, and He lifted up his hands
and blessed them. And it came to pass
while he blessed them He was spared
from them and carried up into the
heavens The idea conveyed BY the
preacher was that Will 9 the orueifxion
and tina resurrection are both most i'm.
portant faots in religion it is the asoen-
sion of our Saviour that makes our re-
ligion what + is. The Christian re-
iigion is not formulated creed or a
philosophical speculation. 1t is belief
in historical fact when we believe that
Christ rose from the dead. No man can
be Christian. Christ man, unless he
believes that Christ rose from the dead.
II the statements that Christ made that
H.
Christ is yeritable impostor, and we
have no use for Hin, for the church nor
this service.
Therefore, said the speaker, want to
call attention this afternoon to the ascen-
sion as most important factor in our
belief, of no less consequence than the
resurrection. The resurrection WIS not
| the last act OF Christ on earth but the
| ascension was. st. Luke gives the true
| account of this event. Christ assembled
| from Bethany surrounded by his dis
oiples. Stephen when stoned to death
| with his last words said. ~ see the
| heavens open and Jesus standing on the
right hand of the father" Men don't lie
at their last moments. Evidences of
others like Nio0demus and Nathaniel
were cited to enforce the speakers posi-
| tion. The return of the Holy Ghost at
| Pentacost proves Christs position with
| the father.
Christ assembled SO as to be accessible
to all. The spiritual presence of Christ
| is far more important than his bodily
| presence. The Roman Catholics teach
| that the sacred wafer and the wine are
the flesh and blood of Christ. Thess are
but mere symbols. The physical presence
| OF Christ is of no consequence, but his
spiritual presence arouses the love of
| mankind. History has shown that it Is
| impossi BILE to rule the earth from any
one center as the Pope tries to do. The
Lord must be SO located that he comes to
the center everywhere. There is too
much idolatry of sacred places and
church rites in the world today Places
| in the Holy Land are sought and wept
over by the superstitious. Why even in
the city OF New York there arc
thousands of people. not servant girls or
| poor ignorant deluded creatures but
people OF wealth and refinement and
culture who ride In their carriages and
pay so to see a little piece of bone In
| glass case that is claimed to belong to
| the grandmother of Christ Christianity
| is not a graveyard. 1t is house full Of
warnssouls. Nobody can point out the
exact localities that were marked by our
| Lord IS presence and 1T was intended that
| it should be so. God is to be worshipped
in spirit and truth and not in relics.
The trouble with the church of today
| is that it is not aggressive enough, We
| forget as preachers that we have been
commissioned by God on high. Before
| we accept a call, we ask what kind of a
| church building the society possesses,
| have they good choir. are the church
| people cultured or refined, are they rich
1t is the physical man we depend on
rather than our great spiritual captain.
| The preacher closed with an impas-
stoned appeal to all to bear the true
characteristics of Christ in their mind.