El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-04-18
st. Clement 8.

Nv
| Rector Martin preached yesterday
| morning from the text: Behold my
| hands and my feet, that it Is myself
| handle me and see; for spirit hath
not flesh and bones as ye see me have
ST. Luke XXIV:39.
1t was on the evening OF the first
Easter day. The disciples of our
| blessed Lord were assembled for fear
of the Jews behind closet doors, and
| were sitting in silence, as if waiting
| for something to happen. they knew
not what. They were evidently be-
wildered by the events of the past few
days especially by that event reported
of the day just closing, that Jesus,
whom they had seen die, had risen
from the dead. S'rauge questions
arose in their minds, doubts assailed
them and there was nothing to paclfy
them. Suddenly we'll rem mbered
voice was heard. the same voice th"'
stilled the tempest on the Call al
lake. peace be unto you" ST. Lux.
els US that afr this salutatiOn, they
were terrified and affrighted and sup
posed that they had seen spirit.
And he said unto them, "Why are ye
troubled? and why do thoughts arise
in yonr h-arts? ''Behold my hands and
my feet, that it is L myself; hand e me
and see, for spirit hath not flesh and
UOutS d. t STE Iuo udSe.
Then Joy and peace came to the dis
ciples, they were given evider &c which
satisfied them, which they apprehend-
ed. The same evidence WAS afterwards
given doubling Thomas and he zoo was
9 ,tiSfed. Hebcefnrth nothing could
shake the st dfaSt faith of the dis
ciples in Jesus and the resurrection.
The di ciples sitting alone on the
first Easter day, troubled in mind with
tn Oughrs arising within them they
could not answer, have had many sue
cessors. The majority of men and
WON n, the thoughtful ones have had
to pass through a SINH ar expert nee.
To almost every believer in Christ,
thee comes night of trial when sit
ting alone with his thoughts, the ques-
ton avises, sit is true? All this that l
have learr ed about God and Christ,
ebout fe and death, Jesus aud the
resurf ection. the creed 1 have so often
respected, is it true?" The bare susp.
cion tina. all OF it might be false brings
along to the mind. But the suspicion
never lasts long. To the soul sitting
avn lie in dou BIT and dar kness, then al
ways come, voice, for Jesus has not
left Hims'!f ithout:a witness, andr we
heard these words. ''Behold my
hands and my feet, that it is I, myself;
handle me and see; for spirit hath
not flesh and bones as ye zee me have"
''You think that it is only the ghost of
a religious that confronts you: Handy
it and you will see for yourself that it
rests on basis, at least as sure as any
of the ordinary forms of human know
ledge. II rests on history. The life
and death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ is not word of ssntifed i'm
agina ion of a later age. It is at least:
as much as part of the story of our race
as are the life, the victories, the as
sassination of Julius Caesar. Lid
don
However, there is much concerning
the resurrection that is mysterious and
will remain 20. This only we know,
that the resurrection of Christ from
the dead is no Pigment o: the inagina-
ton, no heeting shadow but Gods
eternal truth. U Don t he fact of Christ
resurrect on we build our hopes for
time and eternity.
AS he rose, SO shall our dead rise
also and ourselves in the last great
day. solely by His omnifc power and
1T His command. And, as in His re-
surrec ion body, so in our own and e
Jdies of our loved ones, there will be
that which we shall recognize, which
we shall spprehend in some real way,
not simply voice and nothing more
DOT simply a familiar shade las in
Greek and Roman mytholoe ies) tha'
vanishes from sigh. in sile nee and in
sadness, but precious reality, a
living breathing, existing identity of
person: The precious possess on again
loved ones, long lost, restored again
to our presence and to the sweet in
terchapge of loves greetings and OF
loves ministra tions. All this flows OF
e,essity from a belief in. Christ risin G
again from bis dead ard from his low
ing associa' ion afterwards with his
disciples. Alth, ugh cl ID in his resur-
rection body. a BODY changed aud
glorious, he went in and out amorg~t
them a being loved ard loving, not sim
plys sp rit fir m the sp it. laud.-As said
he unto ths m, "Benold my hands and
my feet, that it is smyself. Rand e
| me and see; for a spirit b sth not flesh
and Dor es rs We see me have"
S.. Clements Notes.
The rector's annual rerOrt shows
II