The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-24

is also the pledge of the triumph of the
us, all of us from sin and death. He
rose that we, all of us. might share in the
glories of Him, our elder brother What
a consolation is not this! You may be
poor lowly; so was Christ, so was Mary.
You may be beset by many a sorrow.
Was not Christ the man of sorrows, and
his mother the mother Dolorosa. You
may see your hopes wither, your brightest
illusions may be dispelled, your golden
dreams may have a rude awakening, sad
der still, your dearest friends may prove
untrue and faithless. all of earths COM
forts and consultations may be taken from
you. One comfort, one unfailing hope Is
ever yours, this, the assured certainty.
that if you do your part now, then,
though your body moulder in the tomb
God guards the Wondering dust and
when the angels trump of doom will
sound you will rise las Jesus rose, glorious
and immortal, and in your flesh you shall
see God
And for this resurrection of ours, guar
anted us by Christs resurrection, what Is
needed on our part. Two things. That
We abandon sin, that we persevere in good
to the end. Abandon sin. Is this impos-
sible, or even difficult? Ask yourself If
you have ever found a lasting pleasure in
sin, if there is secure happiness and per-
feet peace in wrong doing. Does not. the
worm of conscience continually gnaw? Is
there not for sinners a still small voice,
that will not be stilled? Does not the
wrongdoer know, with dread certainty
that he must die, that the vices of his
youth will go down to his grave, that
clothed In iniquity he must rise and stand
lefore a terrible judge? All, be wise in
time. Rise from the grave of sin, and
then and only then, can you celebrate
with nnall1yed joy the resurrection of
yaur Savior and God
But 1t Is not enough to rise from SIM
You must persevere to the end in good
Only to such is the crown OF Immortality.
There Is many soul in hell that, time
and again, whispered the tale of guilt
into the ear of Gods minister, and de-
parted, giving joy to Heavens angels
over sin forgiven. They did not perse.
we're, time came when they gave the
battle up, and now, lost forever they
look back on the day when salvation
was theirs and they cast it carelessly
aside.
Persevere, Defeat in the worlds bat
ties does not necessarily imply disgrace
Many defeat has memories more glo-
rious than victory could bring. In the
southland, what thrilling recolections of
valor and bravery are not entwined
around the names of the defeated heroes
of the Lost Cause, Jackson, Semmes and
Lee? But in the spiritual conflict 1t is
otherwise. Defeat there is defeat ire
parable; ruin there is ruin irrenediable;
| loss there ~ loss of Heaven, and loss of
Heaven is pain in hell, through all the
ages of never-ending eternity.
But, please God, we who celebrate to-
day Christ's victory shall also be victo-
rious, and wore the selfsame foes. We
shall not taste defeat. We cannot, if we
use the all-powerful means the Master
left us, the power of forgiveness of sins,
the bread of angels the chalice of saliva
ton. Mary His mother our mother. too.
These, then, are the reasons why we re-
joice and are glad on this the day that
the Lord hath made. We rejoice at
Christs victory over death and sin. We
rejoice at the results of that victory,
the triumph and worldwide dominion of
the church He founded. and we rejoice,
too, at the certain hope His resurrection
gives us, that we, God willing. having
done our duty well, shall rise from our
earthly tomb and enjoy Heavens glory,
won for us by the resurrected Christ,
our Savior, God and King