Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-08

Il
the great laws OF cause and effect. A
friend one summer evening turned to
John Tyndell. the famous British phys
icist, and said. '"ryndall. can you be-
hold such a sublime Alpine sunset as
this and not feel that there is n God r
'Oh." he answered. 81 feel IL. / feel
it as much as any man can feel ii, and
1 rejoice in il, but the trouble Is can
not prove it." All, yes. there are many
doubters who doubt honestly about the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. There
are scores OF men who cannot explain
how all these things happened. But.
my friends, on this Easter day. IL you
will only reach out for more light, as
did the two honest doubters of the
| Emmaus road, Christ will ultimately
reveal himself. But. we honest doubt
ers, mark this: There are two ways TO
doubt. The wrong way Is to let your
doubts, as did Tyndall, obscure the d.
vine revelation, which you may have
for the asking. The honest way to
doubt is to hold firmly to the divine
/ revelations you have, with your mind
| open to receive newer and fuller reve-
lation, which will surely come to you
and in the end Danish all your doubts
If you are an honest doubter stand this
| day by the emptied tomb OF n risen
Christ and say, Lord. 1 believe; help
thou mine unbelief."
An Easter Thought.
Easter afternoons revelation. In the
next place, came to these two doubters
| when on their way to their own homes.
| Who were these two men? We don't
know. But when reading carefully
| the Scripture lines we are led to sup
| pose that they were among the inhab-
itants Of this little village OF EN-
maus, which was about sixty stadia, or
| seven and one-half miles, distant from
the Jerusalem capital In other words,
these two disciples OF Jesus Christ
were villagers. When they heard that
their Lord and Saviour was to be tried
| for his life they Immediately went
down to the capital to see IL they
could help him. There they stayed
through the awful scenes OF the cruel
fxion. But when the crucilxion was
over, and their tears OF sympathy had
mingled with those OF Mary, the moth
/ er, and the strange reports OF Mary
| Magdalene had been reported to them,
| they had to return to their home du-
ties. And while they were going back
| home to look after l.ie farm stock and
take care Of the crops Christ appeared
unto them on the Emmaus road.
1t is beautiful Easter thought that
Christ will reveal himself to US in his
sanctuary. 1t is a beautiful Easter
thought that he will reveal himself to
Il I'm m ntrlnlf
cred by white lilies and in an Easter
choir loft where is being sung Dudley
Bucks "Christ the Lord Is Risen" or
Stainer's "Crucifixion." But 1 glory
today over the fact that Christ can
and will reveal himself TO us on Easter
afternoon on the Emmaus road. He
can and will reveal himself to us while
we are cooking the Easter dinner, or
while we are dressing the children for
the Easter afternoon Sunday school, or
when in the evening hour, with the
children gathered about the piano, we
are singing the Easter songs. The
other day, when calling at the home OF
a very dear friend. saw this beauti-
ful sentiment written upon the wall
over the sideboard OF the dining room
4
unseen guest at every meal, the silent
listener TO every conversation" Yes,
yes; that written sentiment is true.
Christ on Easter noon and Easter aft
ernoon and Easter evening and Easter
night is ready to enter the humble
home OF the Emmaus disciples as he
Is also ready TO stand on Easter MORN
| Ing amid the decorated pulpits OF the
imposing cathedrals and of the CITY
churches and OF the little village meet
ing houses.
Mysteries solved.
Easter afternoons revelation came,
In the next place, as a solution OF pro-
phetic mysteries The two disciples
must have known the Scriptures, but
they had not understood the prophecies
concerning Christ, and not until he ex-
planned them did they perceive that
the events which had so puzzled and
distressed them were precisely those
which had been predicted centuries be-
fore. 1t came as right visual per-
spective to those whose eyes were To-
cused too far Off to properly appreciate
the erernal significance OF the momen-
tous events which had Just happened.
What had the death and the horrible
crucitixion OF their dear friend and
leader, Jesus, to do with the Messianic
prophecy OF Isaiah, written hundreds
OF years before? Did the words ssHe
Is brought as lamb to the slaughter
imply the occurrence OF such a nation
al tragedy as that just ended? Per-
haps these men did not stop to con-
slider or think. Did the words of their
Saviour, Destroy this temple, and I
VIII raise it up" allude to the resur-
rection OF Christ's own body? Perhaps
these disciples did not know or con-
slider or think. But when on the Em-
maus road the stranger appeared and
said unto them, 20 fools and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets
nave spoken" and then, beginning "at
Moses and all the prophets. he ex-
pounded unto them in all the Scrip
lures the things concerning himself.Y
then they saw, then they knew, that IL
had been foreseen that Jesus should
rise from the dead.
FaiaiIment OF Prophecies.
Have there not been in our own lives
and In the lives of our dear ones proph-
ecies which on this Easter afternoon
find their fuifllment In the risen
Christ? How about that fulfilled
prophecy in your mothers life? Years
ago she marked the favorite psalm of
Martin Luther as her special comfort.
In the quiet OF her own room she used
TO read over and over again these
words: God is our refuge and strength.
very present help In trouble. There
fore VIII not we fear. though the earth
be removed and though the mountains
be carried into the midst of the sea-"
When your father was taken sick and
financial trouble came, and from an
earthly standpoint your mother had
nowhere to turn, did not that Forty
sixth Psalm come true? Was not the
gospel prophecy fulfilled In God being
her refuge and strength When your
invalid sister died, what was the
strange peace that remained with her
on her way to the grave? Did she