Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-02-20

uOW, through tnrlSt. we may become
part Of God himself A mystery. An
unfathomable mystery! Yet mys-
terry which makes heaven blaze with
triumphant and far reaching light.
Mystery of the Resurrection.
Mystery of the resurrection: How il
the transformation between earth and
heaven 10 take place: We know not
We cannot explain. The more we
study II 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 il over 10 corruption,
ever he revived: We do not know
how. but We believe God and exclaim
in triumph with the patriarch. II know
that my Redeener 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 to
faith. for nature herself gives us Il hint
~ 49, 20 o;a e.,
be encouraging. The other day my little
girl brought 10 me a paper box. In
which she had confined caterpillar
This caterpillar had wrapped itself
up in cocoon. The cocoon looked ex-
actly like shroud After awhile the
caterpillar will emerge from that CO
coon transformed into beautiful but
terfiy. You cannot explain that trans
formation. Neither can l. Shall we
witness the wonderful process OF the
caterpiilar's metamorphosis from worm
TO butterfly and yet refuse to believe
that God can. if he will. transform the
physical body into Il heavenly body?
Marvellous Transformation.
We see marvellous transformations in
the natural world taking place all
round us. We cannot explain them
Shall we therefore refuse to believe
themf Pick up in your hand. IL you
will. a common chestnut 1t has with
in its simple shell soft substance
which looks for all the world like a
lump of hard flour pressed together
Yet in that simple substance in minia-
ture is every known part of the chest
nut tree. Within that shell is the root,
the bark. the branch. the leaf II that
simple nut can change into the
branches of 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? A
mystery, a mystery. How do We go
down mortal and come up immortal: go
down corrupt and come up incorrupt?
1t Is mystery we cannot explain.
Yet it is mystery which has its anal
ogies in the natural world. 1t is n
mystery which promises each one OF
US Il personality and an individuality
in the eternal mansions. Grand. glo-
rious. hopeful and blessed Is the mys-
terry OF the resurrection.
have preached this sermon on mys-
teries because 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. II you are not ready to accept
some facts about Christ and salvation
You cannot understand then you are
like foolish man trying 10 encompass
the Atlantic ocean with sewing girls
thimble or like little child peevishly
sulking because you cannot understand
the laws OF gravity. God Is too big
for your finite mind to compass. Heav-
en- is too large a place for you in your
study TO take apart and put together
again as little girl might play with
her doll house
Accept Christ.
preach this sermon also for an in
SEPARATION. There is in our gospel
enough Of the plain and practical to
lead us to Christ. Beyond that there
are mysteries. and We do not deny il.
but in those very mysteries there are
truths to which some sense deep with
in our nature responds with certain
ty al strong and as impregnable as the
certainty that we derive from our
sense Of sight and touch The exist