The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-18
Easter. 1.-The Power OF His
Resurrection"
Sermon by the Late Rev. Robert A. Lee

Simple words? and long use and familiarity nave
made them almost trlte and commonplace yet III 'i lan1
seek in vain for their parallel. Simple, and yet the Preach-
ing of these words once upturned and reVolutlonlzeu the
world. The first and primitive gospel of Jesus Christ was
the gospel of the resurrection. Inc hrSt message Oh Cnls 5
j tianity to the world was that Christ who had been dead
was alive again. The burden of the apostles preaching
was the great fact Of the resurrection. Christ IS risen
s Thew heralded forth that in all Syria. That message they
& carried to Athens, and found Judgment and acceptance tor
if at Corinth ; across the great inland sea they bore 1t, and
r at Rome, in the ears Of Nero, on the throne OF the C&sarS'
it sounded. Christ is risen that, as St. Paul preached 1t;
3 provoked the contenptuous sneers OF the cultured ana
4 philosophical Athenlans, who worshlPPed a hunuleu sou''
+ but believed in none. That was the stumbling block to the
lew. and f~oolishness to the Greek; and that was the mighty,
4 Thought and vision that urged on the first preachers Oh
the gospel, with such tireless zeal and enthusiasm 10 pro-
4 claim the gospel in all the world. Inc simple anu P lnln-
4 tive gospel of Christ was the proclamation OF the Iesur-
rection it was other things too, for the tact OF Chrlst
| risen implied and included other great truths. And YET,
1 the one thing which beyond all else the first preachers and
missionaries declared and presented was Christ risen. me
very title and qualification of an apostle was that ne shoulu
4 have been a witness of the resurrection. ,
The first Christian, preaching then, that winch had
power, that which conquered the world, was the pro-
clamation of the Risen Saviour. That the hrst aPoStleS
and missionaries of the gospel preached. How many
things are preached to-day as the gospel. Inc dry
bones of human Undergraduates rehnements' ana
subtilties about such matters as Justlflcatlon ana auoP-
tion-mere human specuatlons and theories ABOUT tnese
| q that do not touch lie, llIl 10 Hol lar 10 N'NH NH
faithful. Human speculation; dry and barren husks.
How different the preaching Of the apostles; The rent
and empty tomb the risen Christ that changed, ana
elori6ed Being upon Whom they had looked, Whom with
their hands they had handled-that Joyous ana reSPlen-
dent vision went with them everywhere throughout
the world and how did that truth and vision as these
first preachers of the gospel presented lt-hoW ala II rouse
and stir men lying in sin and hopelessness; gave them new
faith and hope in the unseen and eternal gave them
courage to live, gave them hope in death.
Christ ic risen There is still power and blessing
for US TODAY in that still power in it to help and bless
us could we but believe it, realize it, see 1t, as dld
the early Christians. Let Easter be to US the means
J and aid to do this. There is still hope and conso-
lation in it. We live in the presence of the vast,
apparently unlimited powers of nature so strong, SO un-
changeable, scourging us without mercy II we offend her,
and violate her laws nature, ageless, unendlng SO lI as
we can see, In her presence man STANDS little, leeOle
living for a few years about him, within him, decay and
death this earth but a place for graves everywhere
the unbroken and b~rooding stiffness of death: What shall
man do? Give himself up to gloom Shall ne drown all
questioning in pleasure, and ambltlon' ohal ne ma MS
ioy, his happiness-his life, in getting and amasslng the
creatures of this world? This tiresome, Swallowed, pain
laden existence its unsolved questionings- in the presence
) of this what shall man think and believe, what shall ne 40,
how shall he live? Strike from the worlds history the
first Easter, and what answer shall you make But realize
the great fact of that first Easter, and life is worth living,
something good and divine, because life never ends. his
our existence is not a few moments OF pain, uneasy sensa-
] ton, deep needs and wants doomed to failure. 1t is real
and substantial: and about 1t nOtnnS more Iedl dlu Sup-
stantial than its hopes and aspirations, Tor they shall be
satisfied. Christ is risen in the JOY and dignity OF that
great truth man stands up, and in the presence OF the ever
lasting hills of earth-these hills from which the geologlst
reads US the history of our globe in numbers and cycles OF
ages that dismay and confuse-we men OF a day stand up IN
( the presence of these, and in the hope andtruth OF Chrlsts
resurrection say, | am more than you, everlasting hills.
\ We stand up in the presence of this universe, these stars
that appall and Cypress US with their magnitude and
measureless distance, and in the hope and truth OF Chrlsts
resurrection say, | am more than you, infinite space.
There is peace and hope for this life in the resurrection OF
Christ.
But more than this, there is power and inspiration in
this great fact to change life, to mold it and to perfect 1t.
1t had that power in its first proclamation. Would you see
an example of it? Look at Simon Peter on the day OF
AChrists arrest see him in the high priests palace and a
maid standing by in the crowd points her finger at him, and
B SAYS. Thou also art, one of His disciples. You know
, what he said you know what he did. Seven weeks pass,
| and this same Peter is still at Jerusalem, and on the day OF
Pentecost, in the presence of many thousands, we hear
him saying to the Jews-the priests, and rulers-"Jesus OF
, Nazareth We have taken, and by wicked hands have slain.
What a change! what a reformation what a revolution
Peter denied Christ still living. Why, now that He has
been crucified, does He have the boldness to rebuke the
powerful rulers for their sin ? Why else but that Christ had
died, but now was alive forevermore? The Master risen,
and entered within the veil-that made Feter a new man.
Power to change, to purify, to Il less-the primitive gospel
of the. resurrection had that. Think what it did for the
cause of religion, and faith in God. The world at the time
had its religions, it's gods the highest art the world has ever
known had been lavished in decorating the temples and yet
men had ceased to believe in these gods-or at least all but the
TIo ,+t,t,In Df h. rIlturaI nd taIlaHt