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

Dy MS prayers ana MS preaching, Is
false? Can you believe that the
preaching of Martin Luther, who,
battling with the reformation, kin
died blaze OF religious awakening
that swept over the continent like
the fury of raging storm, arousing
the world, as it were, to religious
thought and Christian living, is vain?
'If Christ be not risen," then Peters
sermon on the day OF Pentecost was
but the display Of a raving maniac,
whose preaching thrilled and filed
no one with holy zeal and eternal
inspirations, and the record given to
US is as false as the bible upon which
it is based. '1f the dead rise not,
then all the sermons, my brethren,
that have moved you to Cody life,
all the words of comfort ever spoken
by your minister in church, or in the
home in the glad hour of prosperity,
or in the dark hour of adversely and
aflliction when he knelt by your side
and prayed for and with you at
'throne Of grace" and cheered you
along life's rough pathway, has been
only the signing of the wind, void of
its holy principles.
But bless God that Jesus has risen
from the dead and "become the first
fruits of them that slept" GAS his
precious body went down into the
dark chambers of the grave, and there
struggling in his grave clothes with
the grim tyrant, death, wrested from
his brow the black diadem, snatched
from his hands the cruel scepter, and
by one single blow shattered into
fragments his skeleton empire, and
rising victorious over the grave,
death, hell, brought life and immor-
tality,light."
| 2. YOUR FAITH IS ALSO VAIN,
and ye are yet in your sins. There
have been men in all ages Of the
world who have trusted in the merits
of the Lord Jesus for salvation. But
if the dead rise not, the woman who
pressed her way through the anxions
throng and with her exhausted and
trembling hand reached out and
touched the hem of His garment" is
to-day miserable lost wretch. Not
only so, but Mary Magdelene, out Of
whom he cast seven devils, is the
same unregenerate, unredeemed, un-
saved soul, as when the devils were
raging within.
But how idle the thought, my
brethren, that all the faith OF the
ages is lost in the darkness of the
night. If it be true that your faith
is vain, then all the faith of Job, OF
Abraham, of Joseph, of Moses Of
David, of Daniel, Of Paul, of Timothy,
and all the apostles and martyrs who
marched through the foods and
flames to a glorious Immortality, and
who, Through faith, subdued king
doms, wrought righteousness, Oh
tanned promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenchei the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of
weakness were made strong, turned
to flight the armies of the aliens
women received their dead raised to
life again, others were tortured not
accepting aeliverance, that they
might obtain G better resurrection" :"
All these says the writer, obtained a
good report through faith, but if
Christ be, not risen, then ali is lost,
and not one star shines upon the
midnight OF the tomb; not one hope
cheers the dying; and not one note
of victory falls upon the ear Of the
lost.
Oh, what was it as you took the
precious dying babe by the hand ard
felt it cold in death! You held on
as long as you could and then low
cred its little form down into the
mansion of the dead, while over the
grave you wept "for the touch of a
vanished hand.' Was it not hope
that in the resurrection morning
mother would find her lost babe and
father would join the happy reunion
in glorious Immortality?
But thanks be to God which CIV
eth US the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ. This is the victory
that 1overcometh the world, even our
faith. Cup from the grave he arose,
with mighty triumph DER his foes,
and he lives forever With his saints to
reign; hallelujab! Christ arose" Not
only is our faith vain, but
8. We ARE FOUND FALSE WITNESSES
OF GOD.
God seems to have made almost
everything witness the resurrection
OF His Son. On that memorable oc-
casion an angel from the realms of
glory came to earth aud with his an
gelic fugers rolled away the stone
from the mouth of the sepulchre and
sat upon it. Hence, God would first
of all witness the resurrection by the
presence of angels, w@'h the shak
ing earth, amid the chaos and confus-
ion of the keepers Of the tomb. There
was another strong witness in the
persons OF the two women who went
to the sepulchre as it it began to
dawn toward the first day of the
week. As they drew nigh into the
silence of the death chamber a voice
greeted them, saying: aye seek
Jesus. He is not here, be is risen;
come see the place where the Lord
lay" But to see au empty grave as
proof Of his resurrection was dull
and unsatisfactory. Thev must have