The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-04-08


of absolute, black despair. There was
not a literally educated youth in all
| Rome but knew his Plato, and could
tell of the hopes that lifted high the soul
OF the heather saint above the fear of
dying. But how much did this help
| them? Only walk for half an hour
down the long corridors of inscrip-
tons in the Vatican palace, in which
are arranged, on one hand, the heather
monuments and epitaphs, and on the
other hand the Christian: The heathen
exquisite in design, "gravep with art
and mans Device" faultless in taste,
tender in natural affection, but oh,
what gloom, what hopelessness! and
the Christian, poor, shapeless slabs,
taken from their secret graves IN the
catacumbs, with nisspelled lettering
and rudely craven symbols, but bright
with the undying hope in Christ, that
because He lives we shall live also.
This hope has penetrated ana perneated
the thought of all the nations. No
land so dark or distant but 1t has been
touched by the radiance of It,
And do not lose. beg you, as so
many seem to lose. one half the light
that is shining for us out Of this Word.
Observe how, after a characteristic
New Testament fashion which we may
not be able to reconcile with the max
inns of our chop-logic the argument Is
made to work both ways, the terms are
reversed, and when premise has proved
conclusion, conclusion is made to prove
premise again. The argument Is not
| nt,1x Avvnc IVA q
but this, because we are to live, He, for
an infinitely stronger reason. He must
be living. Already on the confused
minds Of the Corinthian Christians
this form of the argument had begun
to shed its true-fxed and restful radi-
ance. II there is no resurrection for US,
then Christ has not been raised But
we know that we are to live, we know
that our departed saints have not per-
ished, therefore there must be living
Christ Already in that twilight dawn
Of the kingdom Of heaven the silent
graves of them that slept In hope gave
their dumb witness to the risen Lord.
1t was not credible, men said, that the
eternal God should disappoint the hum
bic faith, the reasonable religious and
holy hope Of these who had put their
trust in Him. And sif not these, how
was it conceivable that the Almighty
and External One should lose from the
embrace of His mortal love that we'll
loved Son in Whom He was we'll pleas
ed?
And how this argument has gone on
Strengthening with the succeeding ages!
The few humble graves beside the wall
of Corinth, witnessing so dumbly to
the risen Lord, have swelled into vast
and mighty chorus. There Is no speech
nor language; their voice Is not heard;
but their line is gone out into all The
earth, and their words to the ends OF
the world Glorious company of apes
ties, goodly fellowship Of prophets, no
Bile army Of martyrs, even those whose
blood is still wet upon the ground,
these. and the holy church throughout
all the world they speak to US to-day
Of Him Who overcarne the sharpness OF
death and opened the kingdom OF heav-
en- to all believers. How could we live,
without our share in the comfort OF this
double assurance-how could we die
without it? How could we be gathering
here for worship over the 'garnered
dust" Of our fathers. or walk the aislest
of the old burying ground and stand
beside the graves Of our beloved? Be
cause Christ lives we shall live also;
because we are to live, IT must be that
there Is living Christ. This faith,
this hope, stand or fall together
See how 1t Is to- day. In many quar-
ters faith in the risen and reighing
Son of God is failing, and just there the
hope of personal resurrection decays
and dies. In the ranks of gross unbe-
levers there spreads an epidemic Of de-
spair and suicide--as each days news
paper bears witness. The Hottest minds
do not escape the infection. Three con-
temporary English women, among the
most illustrious Of their time for intel
lectual strength and acuteness lose
faith In a risen Saviour, and at once
eternal life relaxing, and their hope
slipping from their hands. They are
Frances Power Cobbe, George Eliot and |
Harriet Martineau. Would it be easy |
to mention three names in recent liter |
allure more worthy of respect? And yet |
do the annals, of our time tell of more |
tragic story than that Of poor Harriet |
Martlneau in her decrepit old age, after
a lifetime of distinguished and on
the whole beneficent service having |
no hope and without God in the world
looking out into blackness of darkness, |
finding nothing before her but blank /
and trying ITO make be-
l,eve, to herself and the world that
shn likes tho Drnsnant7
Nay, says the great resurrection
Scripture, this is not the darkest trag-
ady. Not those who blindly despair are
the most miserable of all, but those who
blindly and falsely hope. IF the dead |
are not raised, then is not Christ raised;
and IL Christ is not raised, your faith
s vain. If in this life only we have
nope in Christ, we are of all men most
otiablc, But now is Christ risen from
he dead, the first fruits of them that
sleep. Thanks be to God who giveth
Is the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ"