The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-04-10
SER MON BY
REV. J. SHAPE

FdlIs duu fOuI lditu is dlSO v dIu'
X n i ye are yet in your
SINS. ~
The festival OF Easter is the old
est festival OF the Christian Church.
Long before anybody thought oi
keeping Christmas. Easter was JOY
iully observed. Eusebius, an early
historian, in the 4th century. tells
us that in the year l59, Polycarp,
disciple Of the Apostle John, went
to Rome to induce the Bishop OF
Rome to observe the same day for
Easter as the Eastern Church. The
fact is important in that 1t shows
that but Il lttie more than 100 years
after Chrlst's death, his resurrec.
tlon was annually celebrated. The
Latin nations called this day by
name derived from the Passover and
signifylng deliverancc from death
and the grave. But the Teutonic
nations gave 1t name from anoth.
er point Of vlew-ot The coming OF
new life. 1t IS Easter or ,"rising
up it means the spring, when all
nature arises renewcdb by per pet
ual miracle.
We belong to church upon whom
no church calendar makes it oblig-
atory to observe this day, and yet
We may be 81 iateiul that we may
voluntarily celebrate il we W ish to,
and hail with delight that day that
suggests to our waiting hearts the
risen Saviour.
Thsre are three things suggested
by our text that are worthy OF our
consideration this morning.
l. Tie resurrection is the cardi.
nal theme of faithful preaching.
"And il Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain The person
OF Christ is wonderful theme, bat
here is one which transcends 1t.
His incarnation. his two natures.
his self imposed limitations, his
suppressed omniscience, his depcn.
dence up the Father, his transhg.
uration, his tears, his sorrow, his
anger, are all themes that may well
command the attention OF angels,
but the theme OF the resurre ction
is greater than any OF these and
men may speak about it.
The history OF Christ is wonder
ful theme. His Nazareth years Of
training, his bovhood in his tath er's
shop, his appearance in the TEN.
pie, his baptism, his temptation, his
miracles, his conflict with enemies,
his soclability with friends, his
agonv in Gethsemane. and his death
on Calvary, are themea that always
interest and inspire, but they are
insignificant III the light OF the
theme that will be everywhere
preached upon this glad Easter day.
DR.. John Watson Clan Maclaren)
has found in the recorded sayings
of ChrIst.wh at he is pleased to call
the mind OF the Master " lie
takes the sermons of JESUS and His
sayings. which, like scattered Jew.
els along his path, flashed the truth
OF the gospel before the eyes oil all
and declares that the words Of the
Master reveal the "Mind OF the
Master" lverlly believe that a sin.
gle sentence IN the sermon Of Peter
in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:
81, SS) more certainly reveals to us
the Mind of the Master" than
docs the whole of the sermon Of Je-
slls on the Mount. The fact OF the
resurrection is greater than any
act OF Jesus, and the truth it brings
TO human heartsmore precious than
any parable or utterance or sermon
that ever fell from his lips.
H. Disbelief in the resurrection
is the shipwreck OF faith. II Christ
be not risen, your faiths also vain.
Christ is presented as conquered
by death. But yesterday, and all
the fondest hopes and brightest as
pirations OF the little group that
clung to him to the last we're bur-
led with him in stranger scpul-
chre in Jerusalem, and failure seals
it with his sprInkled blood to-day
he comes forth more than conqucror
as we shall be through him who
loved us. Yesterday great stone
is rolled against the mouth OF the
tomb and soldiers stand before it.
to-day the stone is rolled away, and
an angel sits upon it. Yesterday
Christianity is anonted with spices
appropriate only for the dead; to-
day it arises and leaves its grave
clothes by themselves to mark the
spot where men thought il was Sc
curcly buried. Yesterday faithful
women are the last TO leave the
cross; to-day they are the first to
visit his sepulchre, but they seek
the living among the dead.
The resurrection discrcdited and
all other miracles must lie dl she.
lcyci This is the crown and cl-
max OF them all. If Christ DC not
risen, neither was Lazarus, nor the
widow 8 son, nor the .noblemau's
daughter. He never fed the FIVE
thousand, nor Guieted the stormy
lake, nor opened blind eyes, nor un.
stopped deaf ears, nor cast out de.
mons, nor torSave sinners sin.
He was a fraud il the resurrection
was myth, The last miracle OF
them all is the best OF them all the
resurrection.
QChrist claimed Mcssiaship. His
claim was idle if he did not conquer
death, But he did. Christ is risen
our preaching is not vain, our faith
cannot be empty.
III. Christ's redemption is in.
complete without the resurrection.
If Christ be not risen, ye are yet in
your sins. Can it be that we have
made a ghastly mistake about 1t
all! Are we still dead in sins and