The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-24
MIR. McQUEEN'S SERMON
EPISCOPAL CLERGYMAN ON POWER OF RESURRECTION.
Three Easter Services at Church of the Holy Comforter--OHerfngs by Children of Sun-
 day School.

Episcopal Church Of the Holy com forter were attended by large congre- gations.
 At the II o'clock services the rector. Rev. Stewart Mcqueen, preached a forceful sermon on the power of the Resurrection.
 That may know Him and the pow CT of His resurrection" Philippians. iit 10.
 This was the text of Mir. Mcqueen, who spoke in part as follows:
 This was the desire and longing. yes, the supreme passion which domi- mated the heart and mind of St. Paul everywhere and always. And there was every reason 1t should do so, for had not the power of the resurrection wrought new life in himself? What but that had transformed Saul of Tar sus into Paul the Apostle? What but that had enabled him to see that Tn Adam all die, so in Christ shall all he made alive? What but that was to him the seal or eternal life and the sure promise of his own resurrection?
 You ask what is the power of the resurrection? It is two-fold in its na- ture. First, it Is the inherent. essen- tial value. service. of the resurrection as a mighty force in the universe. Next, 1t is the effect of that wondrous event in it's relation to all the facts of time and eternity.
 "Second-Why this power began at the very Tomb of Christ on the first Easter Day. It manifested itself even in the material world. for the rock hewn cave and the signet ring refused to hold their Lord in death. It oper- ated also in the unseen world. for portion of the veil between it and the seen was torn aside, and the Heav- enly messenger was visible al the sep ulchre. It wrought invisibly in the spiritual and intellectual world. too, for it gave faith to the disciples who had hitherto been without faith. But there is another world in which the power of the resurrection Is su- premely important and ever at work, the world of human life, human insti- tutions, human governments, gradual ly transforming them by the infusion of new Ideas, new principles, new life
 'Third-Glance at what 1t did in the beginning, this power of the resurrec- ton. It conquered the powerful forces which had been regnant and absolute In the world since satan was cast head long out of Heaven. The mighty Ro- man Empire went down before 1t. The barbarious hordes of vandals and Huns relentlessly fierce and cruel Mortimer who devastated Italy were themselves conquered by that new power. It turn ed Europe from tribes of heather into nations of Christians It has been both cause and instrument . in preserving civilization from decay.
 Mere still. it has made the only civilization on earth from the time God said Let there be light and there was light to this moment, that stands for the highest welfare of humanity, mental, and physical, and spiritual, and Scrfptural, and eternal
 "Al1 this comes from that Power of the Resurrection which built the rockbound tomb and won the alle- glance of the worlds mightiest intel lects on the one hand and its humblest heather on tue other.
 "Fourth-It, means also that the Atonement has been accomplished and that we are reconciled to God. We have been reinstated in position where our ally is Divine Wisdom, Di- vine Omnipotence. UnchangeabIe Love and the Source of Unending Life, we who were once outcast wandering helpless and doomed. It means that Eternal Justice has been vindicated, eternal love manifested and Gods eter- nal purpose from the beginning com pleted. It means that Christ has shown Himself the Finisher as well as the Author of the faith and the life of the faith which is one; means that He has vanquished sin, plotted out aliena- tion between us and God and placed us where He is indeed our Peace aid our Life.
 'F'ifth-So much for the power of the Resurrection in this world. this life and in our relations to God. Now. consider its power in the world to come. It means we shall rise from the death when the trumpet shall sound.' rise not as aim shades and in- tangible spectres, without individual ity or personality but rise in our bodies, our very selves. In the Creed, you remember we say I believe in the resurrection of the body This doc- Urine, you observe. difrerentiates the Christian religion From every form of religion that has ever existed upon the earth. There has always been. so far as the records of literature show. be- | lief more or less vague, in the immor- | tality of the soul. but no resurrection. Devout and faithful Jews believed in | it. but in no very clear and definite | way. Outside of Hebrew revelation,
 where 1t is hardly more than indicated.
 no other religion taught or held it, un- | til our Lord revealed 1t with clearest light by His own resurrection from the | dead.
 And so St. Paul made triumphant
 answer to all who denied the resurrec-
 tion of the dead In his way: If there | be no resurrection of the dead then is not Christ risen. and if Christ be not
 risen. then is our preaching vain. and | your faith Is also vain. For
 if the dead rise not then is Christ not
 risen. And if Christ be not raised,
 your faith is vain. Ye are yet in your
 sins. Then they also which are fallen | asleep in Christ are perished' "Sixth-There. in another place he
 says:
 Flesh and blood cannot inherit tn, kingdom of God" But what does h, mean? That is the point, not simply what he says, Why, he means tha | weak, natural earthly flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God | The flesh and blood that sprang iron | the first Adam must be changed into | the form and image and substanc, | of the second form. This is the powei
 of the resurrection. As we have born, the Image of the earthly we shall als,
 bear the image of the heavenly. Fo | flesh and blood cannot inherit tn,
 Kingdom of God That is, the earth,
 cannot inherit the condition of tn,
 heavenly It must be changed into tn | likeness of the heavenly. This is bu
 saying, 1t must be united to, transsub | stantiated into the body of Christ
 whether 1t be the body of the dead O 1 of those who are alive when Chris
 comes.
 All must be changed The 'natura
 body must become a spiritual body
 before it can inherit the Kingdom O | God The corruptible bodies of thos who sleep in Him must be changed ant
 be made like unto His body according
 to the mighty working whereby H
 is able to subdue all things unto Him
 self This corruptible must put oi