Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-03-29
THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.
important Fact Easily Susceptible Of
Historical Proof.

written Tor the Y0rkvflle Enquirer:
The resurrection of Christ has been
the battle ground Of Christianity. Here
the church has marshaled her forces,
and here her enemies in the past have
made their most deadly assaults. The
apostle Paul recognized the vital char
acter Of the resurrection of his Lord.
III Christ be not raised" said he;
then Is our preaching vain, and your
faith is also vain." Christ himself
staked his divinity on his resurrection
from the dead on the third day. When
he was asked his authority for driving
the cattle from the temple and over
throwing the tables Of the money
changers, he replied, Destroy this
temple. and in three days will raise
1t up" meaning "the temple Of his
body" His resurrection would show
him to be divine, and consequently
possessed Of authority to manage Gods
house.
Since the resurrection of Christ Is
a matter Of such importance, 1t GER
tainly deserves careful attention. The
average Christian will need no fur
ther proof than the statement Of the
Word Of God. However, even should
the inspiration Of the Bible be called
In question, the resurrection of Christ
could still be established on purely
historical grounds more firmly than
any event in ancient history.
For no event In the past Is there
more historical evidence. It Is estab-
lished by the testimony Of eye-wit-
nesses. who saw him die and laid in
the tomb. and then saw him alive
again. These could not have been
mistaken In the identity of the person
seen, nor could it have been a mere
hallucination; for Christ appeared to
TOO many people and too often for
.hese to have been possible. He ap-
peared at least eleven different times,
and on one Of these occasions he was
seen by five hundred people. Il Cor.
XIV. g.. Many of those who saw him
knew him most intimately, having
walked and talked with him for more
than three years. some Of them having
leaned upon his breast. Think you that
these could have been mistaken in
the identity Of the person they saw?
The Master set Thomas doubts forever
at rest by showing him his pierced
hands and side. Could so many peo-
pie on so many occasions have seen
the same thing II the person they saw
had not been a real person but a mere
|hallucination? These five hundred wit
nesses went everywhere testifying that
they had seen the Lord after his death.
They were men and women Of the.
highest character, their enemies being
judges. They were willing at any mo-
ment to lay down their lives for their
testimony. Men will lie, but they will
not sacrifice their lives to propagate
that which they know to be untrue.
These i've hundred witnesses must
be believed. This Is but hint as to
the way the resurrection Of Christ
can be established on purely histori-
cal grounds. The proof is superabund-
ant. The late Judge John Randolph
Tucker Of Virginia, congressman, great
lawyer, and law teacher, Is reported to
have made some such statement as
this to a class Of young men he was
teaching: Young gentlemen. In my
life I have been interested in many
cases in the court Of my own state
and in the supreme court Of the United
States. have lost some cases and
have won many; but have never won
case in which the evidence was so
conclusive as is the evidence for the
resurrection Of Christ" Few people
realize on what firm foundation the
resurrection of Christ is established.
Let us look now at a few of the
results that flow from the resurrec-
ton of Christ. His resurrection proves
his claims to be divine. This PROOF
Christ himself thought sufficient. It
proves the completeness Of the atone
ment. Our Savior was made OF
woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law" and
the law would never have released her
claims upon him had she not been
fully satisfied. The fact that he arose
shows that his work was done. 1t
proves the possibility Of the resur-
rection. Now IL Christ be preached
that he rose from the dead. how say
some that there Is no resurrection OF
the dead?" l Col. XIV. IL. The resur-
rection Of Christ involves the resur-
rection Of his people. He Is the neaa'
they are the members. If the head De
raised. the members must rise also.
II, on the other hand, Christ had not
risen from the dead. his claims to d.
yinity would have been disproven, there
would have been no atonement, tnere
could have been no justification oy
faith nor regeneration by the Holy
Spirit, mans sins would have foilow-
ed him and tormented him through
eternity, he could never have AWAKEN
ed in Gods likeness. he would nave
been without God and without hope IN
the world.
II will not seem strange now, see
ing as we must do. something OF the
vital Importance Of the resurrection
of Christ, that the Sabbath was
changed from the seventh day OF the
week 70 the first to commemorate this
great event. Every Sabbath day Is a
reminder of the resurrection. Just as
the sun arises from the sleep OF the
night on that sacred day to shed bless
ings upon the world, so Christ came
forth from the grave OH that day 70
shower blessings upon the children OF