The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-23

EdSter-tlme anu WHAT iuey lueah'
Rt. Rev. Bishop Ethelbert Talbot, Of
the Central Pennsylvania Protestant
diocese, made an official visit to the
city Yesterday and confirmed large
classes at several of the Episcopal
churches. In the morning he confirmed
a class of thirty-two at ST. Lukc's
church, and afterwards preached an
eloquent sermon on "Christ's Method
of Dealing with Doubt"
In the afternoon the bishop confirmed
a class of twelve at st. David's church,
West Scranton, afterwards delivering
a brief sermon on Jesus and the Res
direction" In the evening he confirmed
a class of ten at the Church of the
Good Shepherd. in Green Ridge. There
was an especially large congregation
present, and at the conclusion of the
ceremony the bishop gave brief ad-
dress to those who had received the
sacrament, telling them of the greater
Christian responsibilities that will in
future fall to their lot.
He then preached most eloquent
sermon, taking his text from Psalms,
1924: This is the day which the Lord
has made; we will rejoice and be glad
in it," Among other things, he said:
THE GREATEST DAY.
There were, of course, many great
festivals and feasts in the Jewish
church and a deal of uncertainty at
taChes to the exact day the psalmst
meant when he wrote these words. The
early Christian fathers, however, were
not slow to apply it's meaning to that
greatest and most glorious of all days
in the Christian year, namely, Easter
Sunday which has just passed.
I'VE have. it is true a little Easter
fifty-two times a year, but the great
day of all only comes once a year.
There can be hardly any question but
that this is the queen of all festivals.
There is a glorious day on the twenty
fifth of every December, the day when
the nativity of Jesus Christ is cello
brated. A certain element of pathos
and sadness. however, enters into this
The birth of Christ means that the
Great Lord of Heaven and Earth had
eft the brightness of His heavenly
Tome to humiliate and lower Himself
by taking the burden of mans sins on
His shoulders.
Easter Sunday, when the dominant
note is joy and a joy that is manifold.
There are three marks of joy which
came with that first Easter, nineteen
hundred years ago, and of these I
would speak briefly.
'.The first is that the first Easter pos
| sessed the joy of reaction. For several
| days before that day the apostles had
1 A.
! appointment. They could not UNDER
stand how this man of power could
allow himself to come to the end he
did. They were disappointed that He
who had ruled the wind and waves
should have allowed himself to be ar.
rested, spit upon, crowned with thorns,
scourged and finally, most horrible of
| all, crucifed,
JOY OF THE RESURRECTION.
"To them the death of Christ on Cal
vary's top meant the collapse of al.
| their fairest hopes. How easily then
can be imagined their joy when on
| that Easter morning they saw Him
| once more amongst them, radiant and
| full of vitality, holding out His hands
| and saying, Peace, ! give unto you
Theirs was truly the joy of great re.
action.
The second joy was the JOY of a
great certainty. The humsn intelli-
| gence always demands satisfaction as
well as the human heart. The apostles
saw that all His predictions ans
prophecies were fulfilled and that H
was truly divine. The resurrection has
been truly called the keystone of the
arch of Christianity Knock it out
and everything falls.
Had it not been for this historiCa
factor the resurrection is an hstori
| cal fact-Christianity would have beer
dead long ago and Christ scarcely &
memory The resurrection makes tn,
gospels ever new. ana we can safely
plant our feet upon this doctrine
knowing that if we believe we have {
certain pledge of heavenly rest.
"The third joy was the JOY of grea
hope. 1t is this Easter day hope o
resurrected life that filled the apostles
and should fill us with joy unspealS
able. In Athens and in Rome in tn
early ages one might see upon tn
cemetery gates the inscription. The.
Have Been there being then no pos
sible thought of reunion after dealt
! VI VI Il new me- w AIN lIlOuSn III
cemeteries in any Christian land to
day and one may read the Inscription
on hundreds OF tombstones, L am tn
resurrection and the life, and whose
ever believeth in me shall never die
I'VE are gradually beginning to thin
of death as a mere incident, rathe
than as a thing to be feared an
dreaded. This is the true Christian wa
and the one that every true follower o
the lowly Nazarine should follow"
The bishop was the guest in tn
morning of Rev. Rogers Israel, recto
of ST. Luke's church, and in the even
ing of ]. Ben Dimmck. He goes t
} Carbondae today, but will return t
this city tomorrow to confirm a clas
? at Christ church, Green Ridge.
RELIGIOUS NEWS NOTES.