Evening journal., 1904-04-04
SERMON OF Mr.. BOwsER
Pastor Of Unitarian Church breaches
on the Resurrection.

on the Resurrection.
At the First Unitarian Church yes
terday morning the Rev. Alexander r.
Bowser preached on "The Meaning OF
the Resurrection Of Jesus and It's Les
son for Us" taking his text from /
Corinthians, 10: 16-"If The dead rise
not. then is not Christ raised"
After giving a brief account of the
origin and history Of Christian belief
In the resurrection, Mr.. Bowser con-
tinued In part as follows:
Without doubt the resurrection OF
Jesus is surrounded with mystery
such impenetrable mystery that In
creaslngly large numbers of thoughtful
people find themselves unable 10 be-
lieve IL at all They think II a viola
ton Of the laws OF nature, and there
fore impossible. And II certainly would
be an infringement of natural law. II
by rising from the dead IL is meant that
his llfeless body was resuscitated. This
would be opposed to all human expert
ence. But there Is positively nothing
to show that by the resurrection the
apostles thought that Jesus had come
back from the spiritual world to re-
inhabit his cast-off body OF flesh and
blood. Moreover II this Is what his
rising means It avails nothing. II does
not prove the Immortality Of the soul
because. you see, I'm an earthly body
Jesus would still have remained sub
iect to the laws OF physical life, and
therefore would die again, soon or late.
But the disciples believed that their
Master was entirely freed from the
laws and limitations OF physical exist
ence. Thus they said: 1--WE know that
Christ having been raised from the
dead viii not die again; death has
power over him no longer"-Roman
6; Q. II he had only re-appeared In his
former body, as Lazarus is said to have
returned. then like Lazarus he would
die again, and the resurrection would
reveal nothing concerning the higher
life beyond the grave
Indeed. the more / think about the
story Of Lazarus, the less am l inclined
to believe that the truth underlying It
is that his body was brought to life
again. after disintegration had set in
The true meaning OF that beautiful ex-
perlence In the home life OF Jesus dear
est friends, as ] read the account In
John, Is that through his profound con-
viotion of the souls enduring vitality
the great Teacher was able to make
the continued existence OF Lazarus so
real to those heart-broken sisters that
they actually saw their lost brother In
the higher life, and were satisfied.
Their spiritual eyes We're so opened.
as they listened to Jesus that they
perceived the world OF spirit lying all
about them. and Lazarus was there as
real TO the vision OF the soul as he
had ever been to their outward sight.
To Martha, weeping for her dead
brother, Jesus said: / am the resurrec-
/ tion and the life" The sorrow-strlcken
sister had always supposed that the
resurrection was something she would
Experience "at the last day." but Jesus
thought OF II as the predominance OF a
spiritual element In the soul over which
death had no power. And yet. strange
TO say, the vast majority OF Christian
people to this day, take Martha's view
In preference to that OF Jesus. Accord
ing 10 the almost universal belief OF
the church, the resurrection is COM
ing back to this bodily life, a rising
out OF the grave at the last day. This
view, however. is in direct opposition
to the plain teaching Of Christ that
there Is no death for those who have
his faith in God. and whose souls are
inspired with h s convection of kinship
to the heavenly Father. Thus he says.
He who believes in me. though he
die, he viii live; and every one who is
. alive and believes in me win never die
at an-John II: 25 and 26.
To Saint Paul. likewise. the resurrec-
: tion meant an experience IN this pres
ent life through which we become con-
scious of a vital force within ourselve,
over which death has no power. Hence
.a - -
= churches as already risen with Christ
( through faith. -he Christ who had
o. gone out Of sight was still with then
b as "A spiritual influence. In the apos
, ties thought the resurrection had taker
, away the veil which usually hides thl
e heaNe enly world from mortal sight. ant
4 had made this world and that as on,
, to the spiritual consciousness. Thu.
. he regarded the resurrection. not as
. violation of the laws Of nature, but a,
. a revelation OF a law OF the soul whicl
had hitherto remained undiscovered
f"As IN Adam an die even 50 In Chris
+, shall all be made alive" Adam" her
represents the merely physical elemen
IN human life. which Is subject TO tn
known laws Of change, decay ant
? death. Thus as Adam died. so all vii
: die. But the Christ represents the prln
Y ciple Of spiritual energy IN the sou
= which death cannot touch, and Just
" II had no power over him. SO 1t can
- not have power over his disciples
y Therefore his resurrection Illustrate
the universal law that death is hotbin
q TO ths seui, save only a step in lts pro
l. grsss, the means of its promotion fror
Is one class 10 a higher class Ia God
Is school OF l,fe.
% Ths Greek word. which is translate
Resurrection" means ascept--a goin