The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-08

! Washing MS nanOS, In expression OF
! his resigned responsibility.
| Here Mr. Azbill depressed and said
| that PLATE did not thus escape the re-
| sponsibility, for though one might
wash ones hands, the responsibility
still rests where the power to act re-
mains, and as it was with Plate, he
! said, so it was in these days, when
there are those who wish to wash their
| hands of the dispensary bill, and of
the liquor traffic, that they may escape
the responsibility of acting, but the
washing of hands will not suffice, for
the responsibility is still theirs.
Taking up his subject again, Mr.. Az
bill described the final trial of the Sa-
vior, who sinned, in the eyes of the
world, inasmuch as he had stirred up
the people all the way from Galilee,
! had called himself the Son of God, and
J had made himself a king" dwelling
upon the thought of Jesus answer to
| the question Of PLATE, IF you are a
! king, where, then, is your kingdom p
when the Savior had answered, My
! kingdom is not of the earth" and had
! said that he was teaching the truth
J and casting the light of truth before
him, and whatsoever walked in that
! light were his subjects. The minister
| concluded with brief summary of
! the crucifiXion and the resurrection
The church was artiStically decorat-
! ed with greens and flowers a beautiful
cross of ferns and white oleanders be-
! ing placed upon the pulpit. The song
! service consisted of anthems, carols
and hymns by the choir
An evening service was held at 7:3o
the program being principally song and
prayer service.
THE EVENING SERVICE.
/ In the evening Rev Abram E. Cory
delivered an Easter sermon, entitled.
The Savior of Men" of which the fol-
/ lowing is an abstract:
In this age of growing materialism
and unitarianism, this Easter time,
/ during which the world thinks of the
resurrected Christ, is of especial value.
! 1t is true that Christ is the greatest
| of the worlds teachers; the FOUNDER
! of the truest sociology, the bravest OF
reformers, and the leader IN many
things which have given thought and
basis for many helpful and uplifting
movements. 1t is true that the mis-
sion of Christ has given to the world
these things, but they have not been
accomplished except as incidents in the
real mission.
The statement of the Christ that his
mission was the salvation of the lost
could never have been accomplished by
any system of teaching, reform, So
/ GEOLOGY, or any thing that tended
merely toward a higher culture OF the
race. The life of Christ means some
thing to the world only when ii is
| considered a triumphant life. If we
could not lift up our voices on this
glad Easter day and Sing the praises
( of Christ as the risen Lord his life
would be of little value. The life of
Christ can mean something to us only
when we view it in the light of the
empty tomb.
! Some schools of thought tell us that
the resurrection of Christ is not a nee
essary doctrine, that his life is enough,
but l want to say to you that his
tory would have recorded the advent
of an impostor a carpenter by the
name of Jesus of Nazareth, if the fact
of his resurrection had not been ac-
complished. The man In Gethsemane
and the man upon the cross stir the
world with the sobs and cries of his
suffering. But it is the divine being
who op that first Lords Day morning
spoke the name Mary to sorrowing
woman, that can save men. Jesus
Christ appeared before the world as
helpless infant worshipped by kings,
as a youth wise enough to combat
| with the doctors of the law, as a
young mechanic who had served his
parents well and was in favor with his
fellow men, as a religious devotee as
he submitted himself to baptism at the
hands of John, as a man of character
as he withstood the temptation in the
wilderness, as a leader of men as he
called about him the men who consti-
tuted the college of the apostles, as a
teacher as he spoke to the individual
and to multitudes his words Of wisdom,
as a parsonage with superhuman pow
er as he healed the sick, as man with
splendid intellectual powers as he
spoke the stories which we call para
bles, as the truest of reformers when
he gave to the world his teachings of
morality and practiced them in his
cleansing of the temple, and he includ-
ed the world in his command. We see
in him the worlds most magnanimous
lover. But it is not in these and many
other attitudes in which he appeared
before the world that has been the
cause Of the rearing Of the splendid
structure which is more than human,
called Christianity. Christianity and
the salvation of man rests not upon a
| trait of character or even upon the
death of man, but it does rest upon
a spotless character that endured
death and had power to triumph over
| it. This Easter day and every Lords
| day in the year are silent memorials
! of the open tomb. We love Easter be-
cause it brings to us with added power
the thought of the triumphant Christ.
| who broke the chains OF death and
came forth from the tomb a king