The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-08-05
FROM TUESDAYS DAILY.
THE GOVERNORS GUARD.
DIR. LOwbcr's Interesting Sermon
Thereon Sunday Night.

DR.. !. w. Lowbcr preached ut the Cen
trail Christian church Sunday evening on
"The Governors Guard He stated
that the people of Austin justly felt
proud of the Governors Guard on &C
count of its victory ut San Antonio TO
night" said he, Il speak to you of the
| Governors Guard appointed in the first
century to guard the tomb of Jesus. 1t
was Roman governor who appointed
| the guard. The most terrible thing that
| ever trod the earth was Il Roman army.
| 1t was IL great human machine, designed
| for the subjugation Of the world. 1t was
| shielded from assault by an almost I'M
pcnetrablc armor, and il possessed
| courage which was most 1T home when
| in the midst of battle. When we study
| carefully the character of the Roman
| army we are not surprised that it carried
! conquest from the sands of Africa TO lh'
borders of Scotland. and from the straits
| of Gibraltar to the sands of the Arabian
desert. ''Thc enemies vi Jesus had sixty
of these brave Roman soldiers placed To
guard the grave of Jesus because He had
| predicted that He would rise from the
| dead. His body disappeared. and they
were hired to tell the unreasonable story
that the disciples had stolen the body
while they were asleep. We urge the
following objections to the position of the
skeptic on this subject.
First-lf they were asleep they c0lld
| not know that the body was stolen. y
man can not be II witness to anything
| when he is asleep. A rational court
would at once dismiss all sleeping wit
nesSCs.
Sccond-Roman military discipline was
very strict. No modern army was ever
| under more rigid law. 1t was certain
death for Il Roman soldier to hc found
asleep on guard. The Romans divided
their guard into watches. and each
watch was only required to guard six
hours at Il time. so there was ne necessity
for Il guard to become sleepy. 1t must
he remembered that the governors
guard consisted of sixty soldiers. and it
is not probable that all would have gone
to sleep ut once. Besides. the Roman
army was not composed of that kind of
material.
Third-"Wc do not read that they were
ever brought to punishment for violating
the military laws. They were strictly
commanded 10 watch the tomb, on ac-
count of the prediction of Jesus that He
would rise again. His enemies said that
the last error would he worst than the
first. and they wanted no mistake. If
the guard had gone to sleep it would GER
tainly have been brought to punishment.
"Fourth-rhc disciples of Jesus were
completely in the hands of their enemies.
and if they had stolen the body their en-
cmics could have compelled them to give
it up. 1t is certain the enemies knew
that the disciples did not have the body.
and they did not believe the story them
selves.
"Ffth-Thc disciples could not have
any motive for stealing the body. They
knew if it were found in their possession
it would only serve TO expose them. All
skcptical writer's claim that the disciples
were honest men, and of course they
would not have stolen the body, even if
they could.
''SiXth--It is quite evident that the dis
ciplcs themselves did not ut that time be-
licve in the resurrection. They thought
His kingdom would be an earthly king
DOM the same as in the days Of David
and Soloman. After His death they
went fishing and seemed to have given
ND all hope. Even after His rcSurrec-
ton they had not given up the idea of
civil government. and they asked Him to
restore the kingdom to Israel.
''Scvcnth--It was impossible for the
body to have been stolen. for it was the
time of full moon and almost az light as
day 1t is not at all probable that sixty
brave Roman soldiers would have gone
To sleep that bright night. De Wcttc.
one of the greatest Servian rationaists.
claims that the evidence of the resurrcc-
ton of Christ is as strong as the evidence
of the assassination OF Julius Caesar.
Klein. one of the most recent of German
ratonalistic critics. positively states that
Jesus must have appeared alive To His
disciples after the terrible catastrophe of
the cross