The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-11
.sTRE LORD Is RISEN INDEED
The Text OF ,Ir. Brittinsham'a Discour
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z The Text Of ,Ir. Brittinsham'1 Discourse
81. Luke, Church.
The Easter services at ST Luke's P. E.
church, Island. were held at the usual
morning and evening hours, and large
congregations were attracted. The
church Mas beautifully decorated with
flowers aud palms especially for the
Gladstone occasion, this work being done
z by the ladies Of the Chancel Chapter,
who made pretty and cosy st. Luke's as
. attractive church interior as one
would chance to see anywhere The
: rector. Mr.. Birmingham, delivered two
impressive and appropriate discourses.
In the morning he took for his text the
words from st. Luke. The Lord is risen,
= indeed" Mr.. Birmingham said:
This Is declaration OF intense and
i thrilling joy to those who appreciate It's
e fullest meaning. 1.-THE Lord Is risen In
deed, Is glad news which has echoed
and re-echoed In joyous cadences all
= down, the centuries. Religion. and mo-
Z raiity. and art and poetry, and history
have all and each in turn tossed back
! the message OF this glorious fact. The
9 mourner who believes 1t cries out OF his
tears, 1.-The Lord is risen indeel." The
,penitent shouts out of his captivity the
I. same glad fact, and the world itself
Keeps Easter to-day. There Is a spring
feeling in the air; n joy thrills through
q the services; and the heart feels lighter
as after the tension of q great effort.
We may not have the same exuberance
Of Joy that the apostles had on the first
Z great Easter day; for theirs was the
JOY of glad message heard for tho first
time. but ours Is none the less true be-
cause we have heard It so often, and 1t
z may be 1t will awaken some OF that old
time gladness. IL we will but try to ap-
preciate some OF the reasons for their
resurrection joy.
First-1f We believe the fact we re-
! joice in the first place because It is an
assurance OF the forgiveness Of sins.
-! sat alone with my conscience.
In a place where time had ceased;
, And we talked of my former living
81. In q land where the years increased;
g and felt should have TO answer
The question put to me,
And TO face the answer and question
~ Throughout eternity.
THE ghost OF forgotten actions
Came iloatinE before my sight,
And things thought We're dead things
% 0
~ And the vision Of all my past llfo
Ri. Was an awful thing TO face,
Alonewith my conscience sitting
~ In that, solemnly silent place"
X This was q dream which some ore
I; has put in verse, but we need no dream
II TO tell us that our consciences are
against US. no dream to convince us We
are sinful; for III We say that we have
r. no Sin we deceive ourselves and the
truth Is not in U.s." Surely we do know
that we are sinners and need atone
ment and this Is exactly what. was
wrought out for us on the cross. The
resurrection Is the pledge that the
RtoHement has been accepted. The es-
tabltshment OF the fact of our Lords
resurrection !s an assurance OF our for
: Siveness through Him; for IL Christ be
not risen Their IL our preaching vain.
4 and Your faith is vain. Yea, and we are
Etound false witnesses OF God; because
We have testified OF God that he raised
3 up Christ: whom He raised not up, it
go be that the dead rise not. For Il the
! dead rise not, then Is not Christ raised;
Y anu IL Christ be not raised your faith -
Il vain; ,yc are yet In your sins" On this
Z factS rests the pledge OF our pardon out
( OF WHICH springs peace and Joy and be-
3 liev!ng. ~
III secoRd-But We rejoice In the fact
50 OF Christs resurrection because It Is
also q pledge OF the resurrection OF the
body. This Is n doctrine affirmed by
4 Christ and His apostles again. and
y again, and It Is also shown by reason
81 m analogy that the resurrectIIn is by
n no means improbable. The man who
\ possesses any reason ut all cannot helm
v recognizing, however, the mystery OF
n this great doctrine. st. Paul boldly
y aYows 1t and yet though mystery, he
n certainly declares 1t to besa truth,
y about which even nature ltself Is. not
dumb. THAT which thou s1West Is not
q luickened except 1t die: and tirut which
ss thou ,sowest, thou sowest not that body
Il that shall be but bare grain, 1t may
cnancel OF wheat or some other grain:
! but God giveth 1t n body as It hath
q pleased Him. md 10 every seed Its own
81, body As beautifully explained By one
N, OF our church's ablest exposItors, the
~ apostle means by, this illustration this:
He sees that life, even In It's lowest
5 forms. has not the power OF Wppropri-
\ hting and assimilatins to Itself atoms;
4 he takestthe grain of wheat which, af-
E5s Ter being apparently destroyed, rises
"a again. gappropriating M II grows, nil
that has affinity with itsef, such MS air
and moisture; that; body which it Is