The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-05-27
GOSPEL OF RESURRECTION
Powerful Address By the Rev. Henry
c. Swentzel.
What a Hopeless Task IT Seemed to De to
Convert the Human Family to The Cos
Pei of Jesus Christ

New York CrTY.--Dr. Henry &. Swent,.
eel, rector of st. Lrke,s sl, Church, preached % r
urrecton." He took his text from Acts
vii. ls: "He preached unto them Jesus
and the resurrection" DIR. Swentzel sad:
With what noble confidence did the apos-
tolic church set out to serve its Worldwide
mission. 1t had new religion to proclaim,
:" glorious message from God for all the
races of mankind. 1t was not provincial,
Int catholic 1t began in Jerusalem, but i
lacked forward to comprising the whole
earth Wherever it went it encountered
beefs and rites which were venerable. I'M
prcssive and upheld by the prestige OF
wealth, rank and culture, but 1t was. none
The less devoted TO its huge work. What
homeless task it seemed to be to convert
ibe human family to the gospel OF Jesus
Christ. The Master Of this latest cult was
Jew. He had been disgraced by ciucihx-
ion. and there was now scarcely. mere than
handful Of disciples to tell the story tf
His career. When we consider the over
whelming odds against which these inen
struggled as they proceeded to evaugeize
the multitudes, we are all the more pro.
foundy impressed with the confidence with
which they took up the more than hercu-
lean labor. The magnitude of the effort to
which they were called did not deter them,
persecution could not alright them, the
onpostions or Indifference of the better
classes could not discourage them. On
they went, from city to city, from country
to country, preaching the religion of which
Not always had they been of this temper
The mightest among them, the rock-man
himself had utterly collapsed in the high
priests palace, and after the fateful dav of
the cross they all accepted the plight
OF those who had served a lost cause. But
VI =. 81, IL.
the bravest of the brave, and each Of the
apostles is ready to face every peril and to
meet death for the message OF love and sal.
vation which burned upon his lips.
Nor is the reason for this radical change
difficnlt TO account for. Those timid and
fatus--ttev had been revolutionized in
mind and heart and soul by the Lords res
direction from the dead. To the gifts of
the Holy Ghost which they received was
added the indomitable assurance of the
triumph Of their divine Master over death
and the grave. The Lords resurrection
was the dominant doctrinal note in their
thinking and their teaching and wherever
they went they bore the witness of eve
witnesses to the fact which they SO boldly
declared. Although thev had known Jesus
and had companied with Him as intimate
associates for several years. their spiritual
perceptions were dull until the last. and
they understood not His oft repeated say.
ing that He would rise from the dead But
as soon as thev are satisfied OF His resur.
rection they all come to the front ready
for the fray, eager for the honor of repre-.
senting Him in every land and willing to
endure every hardship for His cause
st. Paul on Mars Hill is nm Illustration
Of the temner of the Apostolic Church He
is thoroughly imbued with the certainty OF
the Faster story. and hestates not to
preach it throughout the missionary jour
neys when he so s0lendid,v served his office
as the apostle to the Gentiles As we think
of him in the Grecian capital. we can only
wonder at the calmncss and courage with
which he, met the ordeal which he had de
hberateS sought. What n striking nicture
he is as he stands on NrcopGgus. facing the
chief intellects of the classic metropolis and
Speaking with undaunted boldness of the
risen Jesus. The sun.browned traveller. a
stranger in strange land, he knows that
he is in the centre Of the very best pagan
ISM and he is as fearless of its prejudces
and subteties and ridicu'e as he had been
OF the prisons of Syria. His training hith.
erto had prepared him to annreciate the
sights on which he gazed. In him the civil
izaiions of Jews, Romans aud Greeks met,
and he had appropriated the finest things
OF each. His attainments enabled him tG
see the difficulties all the more plainly.
Evidently Hebrew. his nationality would
make t harder for him to win the reapect
>
he would feel the weight also of the ouer.
les and the has which his words would
surely evoke. 1t was probably his first visit
to this seat of enlightenment. It's far.
famed glories which he had lone since de.
sired to see were now before his eyes in
all their bewldering splendor. He had
mastered itts language and literature. and
now he walked on its streets. looked upon
Its population, gazed rnon Objects made
rare in interest ard celebrated in epic OF
IN song, visited its sanctuPries and it,
schools. net it's thinkers and artists. and
realized the beauty and the power of its
lie and thought. From the time that he
dsembarked at the pier his attention was
constantly arrested by the monuments and
shrines OF Athens. and all the tokens oI
Its genius and culture.
OF monuments the new reli.ion has yet
had scarcely ore IT was still in TIE davs
Of its poverty. Churches and catledrals
and endowments were matters of the fut.
IRE. What could st. Paul expect in re
sponse to his announcement! The amhas
sador of Christ understood that lie had
come hither as the iegate from the courti
OF heaven to the seprs and scholars OF tLii
seat OF learning to declare the resurrection
Of Jesus Christ from the dead. He was facc
10 lace with the clever scions Of the highest
intellectual culture known to antiquity;
iard by were the TEMPLES of Eumenidel
and Iheseus. the Propylaeum of the Acrop
rs the temple OF victory, and. towering
rbove all from its lofty pedestal. was tn,
bronze colossus Of Minerva. We'll might
ne assume that Stoics and Epicureaus anc
other thinkers would attempt his over
throw, but he did not finch while he an
nounced religion as yet without inhuenc,
or art or literature, with scarcely com
!ortabe resting place for its Scriptures anC
its sacraments. In his manner, however
there are no indications that he was con
seeus OF any special advantages II conlr
not be otherwise, for he had himself seeI
the risen Jesus and ne could. therefore
not be more certain of the shining sun thar
he was OF the truth of the Gospel which h
preached. 1t was this nnaterable convic
Ton which sustained him even IN Mar
I'M while he discoursed ,f the redemption
accomplished by Him who died and ros
again, lie was not splitting hairs nor tel
tng fabes nor playing with metaphysics
ne upheld the risen Christ to challenge al
,enton and support his truths and win tn
souls OF his distinguished audience
The basis OF st. Paul's confidence as a
apostle of Christ Is the only basis of conf
fence IN believing. The first Christian
we're Easter enthusiastic. Their unt;ilin
belief in the resurrection of Jesus ha
much to do in making them worthy OF ver
tratlon as the best among Gods family
saints. All that had seen written concern
ing the Son cf Man they pondered wit
nlous devotion, but they never forgot tha
lie came forth alive again from the rray