The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-04-08
RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.

RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.
BY REV. J. o. COUGH, MANNING, S. G.
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.
An Easter Sermon Delivered in the Cole
giate Institute Hall, Sunday, April 5th,
and Placed in this Column by Request.
Text: Cor. Is. "A. And if Christ be
not risen"
The fact that Jesus arose from the
dead on or about April 9th is believed
by many; the exact date, however, is
unknown. It is certain, however,
that be arose the 3rd day after his
crucifizion. There are many things
as touching the resurrection OF the
dead that we must be content to
know only in part. All human theory
is but mere guess. We are shut
up to the bible, and TO it alone. But
here we find a stream of light reach
ing from the early dawn of creation,
growing brighter and brighter until
it shall end in the glory of the consu-
nation of all things. We find the
idea OF the resurrection bursting out
through the dim vision of human
reason almost at the very dawn of the
world.
Job, while in the hour of his deep
solitude, thought of the resurrection
until his revolving thoughts broke in
to an Interrogation aud he asked:
"If man die, shall be live again ?"
There was the first CLEAN of hope;
the first signs of the breaking dawn.
Gradually did the great thought pass
on down the corridors lof time until
David awoke in the twilight of a new
revelation and exclaimed: II shall be
satisfied when I awake with thy like
ness"
On and still on rolled the thought
through the centuries until the
prophet, Isaiah SAW the truth in its
beauty and spleudor and said: "Thy
dead men shall rise, together with
my dead body shall they rise"
Still the thought as the years
passed by, passing from patriarch to
prophet until the day passed on into
the fuller meridian.
Daniel exclaimed that "many that
sleep in the dust OF the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting con-
tempt"
80 my brethren. this great truth
has come on down the ages from the
early dawn of creation, passing from
under the grasp of the old dispensa-
ton, leapins across the gulf that in
tervenes, and breaking forth into the
dawn of the new.
john tue Baptist caught glimpse
of the truth as he saw Jesus, who
himself was the resurrection and the
life, and said: "He must increase
but I must decrease"
Christ himself while nlingling with
the throns often spoke of his own
death and resurrection. So this
mighty doctrine which was pro-
claimed by the prophets, and heralded
by the apostles, was taken up by the
disciples and carried into all the
world, or as far as their influence ex
tended. But with all the light that
revelation could flash around this
doctrine, with all prophecies which
pointed to this hour, Notwithstanding
the emphatic words Of Christ himself
that he should be cruciied and the
third day rise from the dead, there
we're some who believed not il the
resurrection of the dead, who said
that "tLe dead rise not" This led
the apostle Paul to the meditation OF
the text, "And if Christ be not risen."
I Lave taken the analysis of the
apostles discourse as my own and
give it 10 you as we find it. All who
have ever existed in this life, with
only two exceptions, have passed out
into the realms Of the unknown
through the gate of death. They
will continue to pass this way until
time shall be no more. "And if
Christ be not risen" says the apostle,
/. OUR PREACHING is VAIN.
Can it be true that all the eloquent
aud soul-inspiring sermons that have
been the means in Gods hands OF
saving the world, aud The turning OF
thousands upon thousands to the
glory of honest living, is in vain?
Can it be that the preaching of the
cross OF Christ is nothing but sound
ing brass and tiukling cymbal," "
void of the presence and inspiration
of the Divine Christ? If it be true
that our preaching is vain, then the
bible around which the greatest
thoughts of the age have ever clus-
tered, is absolutely false and is no
more than a dime novel, and the
cross of Christ has lost its beauty
and power. "lf Christ be not risen,
then all the preaching of all the
prophets, of ali the apostles of all
tie disciples, of all the ministers, OF
all the ages, has been nothing but
vain display of idle words based upon
! book that is false.
Can it be that the preaching Of
Tohp Knnv uho noovo3 oil Scotland