Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-06-23


The first word spoken by the angels and
repeated later by the risen Lord was.
Fear not They had been startled by
the angels appearance. and by the Won
ders they had encountered. We are al
ways affected by the presence of the
great verities-lifc. death, love, eternity,
God. Yet the words of the angel marked
a new era. The old dispensation of fear
had passed away and that OF love had
come into being. The former relations
of man with God had been altered. Hence
forth. they We're on a new basis. and ev-
cry seeker is met with the reassufirH
words: Fear not The resurrection
stands for Gods love. and for his willing
ncss-ycs. even for his eagerness-to draw
near i'll friendship to hts children. 1t was
Il word of love with which his message
of the rev evangcl began and no preach
ing today does justice to the heart of
God which does not set forth reassuringly
his tender. loving attitude toward man
kind.
The burden of the angels message. how
ever was that which has been uttered
with u~nspcakahlc joy n million times
since, "IIc is risen" II was the fulfill
ment of the glad tidings of great joy
which thea angels sang. Christ is not dead,
but risen. That is the ground OF the
Christians hope and his assurance of re-
dcmption.
KEEPING AN OLD TRYST.
AS the women had been told by the
angel. so ais, were they told by Jesus as
they suddenly encountered Him on their
way TO the disciples. Fear not" was his
roass,,ring word to their pcrturbed spir-
its. With what great concerns must the
minds Of Jesus have been occupied at tina
moment. Yet he had thought for these
trembling disciples before him. How they
,n1i.t hnto r.iotc.1 Il, tho ,1,o rncforfct
of the Master, at whose feet they had go
often sat. He was the same loving, con-
sijerate Jesus with the dear, human ways
which made him different from all others
and have made his disciples different In
all ages. His first words were words of
unseltishrcss Like n true born gcntlman
he sought to put them at their ease, for
ne Encw they needed reinsurance. after
having gone through an experience which
was absolutely without precedent.
And what was the word he chose at
such a time? Wa it some om.nous say
ing concerning the unseen world: Was
1t the utterurce of n great truth freshly
brought from heaven? Was 1t n porten-
tious command concerning eternal things?
Not at all; it was tho Teacher, gently So
iicitous for his pupils; a message for
downcast and discouraged men. An ap,
pointinent with them to meet again up In
Gal-lce.
What r flood of light this first resurrec-
ton message of Jesus throws upon his
conception of Christian character and
upon his relations. to his followers. They
were TO go back TO Galilce, where they
used to walk and talk together; back TO
the dear. familiar scenes where Jsus had
kept school with them and where time
and time again he had opened up his
heart to them. 1t was a tryst of friend
ship. Later he would nave many things
to say to them of the kingdom and work
which would devolve upon them. Now, he
sought only in most tactful ways to
soothe their perturbcd hearts: to let them
know they had his forgiveness and friend
ship, and 20 impart to them the expecta-
ton of a great joy. What a message for
The divine Son OF God who had just
broken the bonds of death.
WITNESSES or THE RESURREC-
TlON.
To turn from this scene 10 that other
wherein We find his enemies trying to cx-
plain away this greatest of miracles, is
something of an anti-climaX. There was
bribery and lying and "A connecting Of
shrcwd tales, but in vain. The fact OF the
rcsurrcction was established by too much
evidence 20 he so discrcditcd. The Roman
law. the jewish temple police. the women
and the disciples on repeated occasions,
ai npT' ttstiHloHv tnat tneTe was neither
fraud nor Authorization about the resur-
rection. AS DIR. Lyman Abbott says,
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the
best attested fact in history"
a present witness to its reality and 10
its profound Significance is the first day Of
the week. which is kept the world around
as the Christian Sabbath. Our Sunday is
what it is because on that day Jesus rose
from the dead. 1t should he a day preg-
nant with resurrection messages. Instead
of being, as ii SO often is. a day hedged
about with trivial prohibitions and re-
strictions 1t should be a feast of COM
mcmoration and affirmation. II it's mes
sage, This do In remembrance of me-
If Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
therefore we all should rise from all our
sordincss. carthlincss. n froSn
Whatever flinders or impedes
The action of the nobler will"
In the words of Paul. IF We then were
raised together with Christ. seek the
things that are above where Christ is.
seated on the right had of God"