Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-02-15

unfathomable mystery. Yet a mys-
terry which makes heaven blaze with
triumphant and far reaching light.
Mystery of the Resurrection
Mystery of the resurrection: How is
the transformation between earth and
heaven to take place? We know not.
We cannot explain. The more we
study it the deeper becomes the mys-
terry. But though the resurrection is a
mystery. though we cannot by human
reason understand how these poor
bodies of ours can be SO transformed
that they will live forever, we can
when reason halts proceed under the
higher guidance of faith and accept
the assurance of the Scriptures, that
this mortal shall put on immortality, >
and that IF our earthly house of this
tabernacle be dissolved we have a
building of God a house not made
with hands. eternal in the heavens -
How can this body which we lay in
the grave. giving it over to corruption
ever be revived? We do not know
how. but We believe God and exclaim
in triumph with the patriarch, Il know
that my Redeemer liveth, and at last
he shall stand upon the earth. and aft.
er my skin, even this body, is destroy.
ed, then without my flesh shall | see
God" Nor are we left exclusively te
faith, for nature herself gives us a hint
of 4 transformation so significant as tt
be encouraging. The other day my little
girl brought to me paper box. il
which she had confined a caterpillar
This caterpillar had wrapped itself
up in a cocoon. The cocoon looked ex-
actly like shroud. After awhile the
caterpillar will emerge from that CO
coon transformed into a beautiful but
terfy. You cannot explain that trans
formation. Neither can |. Shall we
witness the wonderful process of the
caterpillars metamorphosis from worm
to butterfly and yet refuse to believe
that God can, if he will. transform the
physical body into heavenly body?
Marvellous Transformations.
We see marvellous transformations in
the natural world taking place all
Shall we therefore refuse to believe
them? Pick up in your hand, if you
will, a common chestnut. 1t has with.
in its simple she'll a soft substance
which looks for all the world like q
lump of hard -four pressed together
ture is every known part Of the chest
nut tree. Within that shell is the root
the bark, the branch, the leaf. If that
simple nut can change into the
branches CT the wide spreading tree
may not we believe that our physical
bodies, under the divine chemistry
may undergo an equally Wondrous
change which we cannot comprehend
any more than We can tell how or when
the transformation is to take place? \
mystery, a mystery! How do we &C
down mortal and come up immortal; &C
down corrupt and come up incorrupt:
It is a mystery we cannot explain
Yet it is q mystery which has its anal
ogies in the natural world. 1t is q
mystery which promises each one oil
US a personality and an individuality
III the eternal mansions. Grand, glo
rious, hopeful and blessed is the mys
terry Of the resurrection.
l have preached this sermon on mys
teries because l want young people
and especially young men, to fully
realize that there are some statements
found in the Bible that they should
accept in faith, though they may never
fully understand them In this life. Oh
man, if you are not ready to accept
some facts about Christ and salvation
you cannot understand then you are
like foolish man trying to encompass
the Atlantic ocean with Il sewing girls
thimble or like little child peevishly
sulling because you cannot understand
the laws of gravity. God is too big
for your finite mind to compass. Heav-
en- is too large place for you in your
study to take apart and put together
again as a little girl might play with
her doll house.
Accept Christ.
l preach this sermon also for an in
spiration. There is in our gospel
enough Oh tue pam anu practical u
lead us to Christ. Beyond that there
are mysteries, and we do not deny it.
but il those very mysteries there are
truths to which some sense deep with
in our nature responds with a certain
IL as strong and as impregnable as the
certainty that we derive from ouI
sense of sight and touch. The exist
ence and presence of Jesus are no mere
phantasy to his people. 1t is living,
actual presence as real to them and as
recognizable as the presence of a wife
whose footsteps you hear and recog-
niZe in the darkness. though you can
not see her form. They are conscious
that he is near them, as you would be
conscious of the nearness of a beloved
son in your pew this morning, even if
you did not see him enter.
Brother. sister, for many years trou-
bled with mysteries, wash your eyes
today in the water Of life'' and look
and live. Accept Christ as your Saw
aor7 MI oil 10