Arizona republican., 1903-04-13
FIRST M. E. CHURCH
The Service Enlivened by Special
 Easter Music.

Special Easter music was prepared by the chorus choir. Mrs. W. N. Tiff fany. soloist. Violin duet by Rev. c. V. Cowan. Pastors theme: Tine Res surrection and Its Fruits Cor. 15-2O. Text: But now is Christ risen from the dead. and become the first fruits of them that slept" He introduced his subject by saying:
 We are looking this morning at q question. the magnitude of which should awe every thoughtful mind. Upon its issues hinge eternal interests. If Christ be not raised from the dead then is our faith void, mere emptiness. He has failed in the supreme test which He himself proposed, as proof that he was from God. Not that all His teachings would necessarily be false, but all His teachings would not be in tune. He. toward whom is turn led the longing gaze of believing mil- lions would be an imposter.
 l. What is the resurrection? Is it the persistence. Of life through the state called death?
 2. Is it the restoration to life of the body-the soul discarded at death?
 8. Is it the reorganization of atoms into bodily form?
 4. Is it the springing forth of a new body from a germ?
 ,. Is it the reappearance of the orig inal body-identical herewith but not necessarily of the same atoms?
 6. Is it the conversion of our own bodies into an incorruptble state?
 !. Is it the carrying away at death by the soul a spiritualized body?
 s. Is it simply q Bible expression of immortality of the soul?
 g. Is q spiritual body spirit or must there be matter?
 It is better to be silent than rash on these questions. Better teach nothing than error. Paul teaches US that Christ died, that He rose from the dead on the third day and as evidence O; His resurrection He was seen of many. etc. To deny the resurrection He tells US we must deny the proven fact of Christ's resurrection and to deny this would be to deny many of the prophecies and the entire gospel scheme.
 There is no other doctrine of the Bi- ble more plainly stated or more elab- orately discussed than the resurrec- ton of the dead. Paul says to reject this is to reject the historic Christ. and to fling back from us all the pro- visions of the gospel. And yet there is no other teaching of the scripture on which more doubt is expressed. The great conflict is between science and revelation, etc God ordained nature man created science. No one has found any ground for the doctrine of the resurrection in nature. The resurrection body may not differ ' ; than the butterfly from the caterpillar, but We can account for the latter. The mystery can be read. We are ready ! to assume, therefore, that the resurrec- tion is non-scientif1c-not unscientific not anti-natural - but extra-natural The resurrection is a miraculous event | The deepest mystery today is the spiritual body" The nat ural body is accounted for. 1 Spirit has not form. It is as formless as thought. The infinite spirit is only un-embodied spirit. Tn what does the identity of the human body consist Not in identity of atoms-nothing is toe great for God. To be is to change What is the human body? i. e. Growth i. 2. Tree-Man and VIII not the resurrection be coming forth by a fixed or spiritual law? "Got giveth it body as it hath pleased Him.
 The realistic identity is absolutel! required by scripture. Daniel says They that sleep in the dust of tn. earth shall awake" Christ says: The. that are in their graves shall conn forth.'
 Resurrection-That cheering wort eases my mind of an anxious though
 and solves a most rnomentous ques
 tion.
 Fruits oi the resurrection.-1st. In
 corporation-no displacement, disar
 ranged or dissolution. Flexible as tn
 gossamer. unyielding as adamant.
 Glorious: phenomenal, properties tha
 attract the wonder and admiration O
 the beholder. 3. Power, vigor of body
 exemption from fatigue, ability t.
 pass through space, endowed with ney
 senses. f. Spiritual, spirit pervade
 body. Spiritual faculties. affinity wit
 celestials.
 l