The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-08-31
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON eY
Or. r. =. TORREY.
Subject: Resurrection a Fact.

| the A4ln Avenue irltHD. lETl4u
Church. There was a large COngre-
cation. consisting almost entirely Of
strangers, only very small per-
centage being members of the church.
Dr. TOrrey's subject was: The
Resurrection Fact. not Fiction" ="
and his text was | Cor. xy:2s : Put
now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the first-fruits OF them
that slept" lie said:
Last Sunday morning we said that
the resurrection OF Jesus was the
! most important event in history, and
We said that if il could be proved
! TO be a historic fact that everything
essential 10 Christianity was proved,
but that if. on the other hand, il
could not be proved 70 he a historic
fact. then everything essential TO
Christianity must go. We started
out, without assuming anything ms
to by whom, or when. the gospels
| were written. to decide whether they
were a record OF facts, or mere fic-
ton. First, We discovered that the four
! gospels were each an independent
account, and we were driven 10 the
conclusion that they were record
or actual occurrences. Next. we dis
covered thar each bore the evidences
Of having been written ~ an eye
witness. IT often happens that a
witness tells his story so artlessiy.
with such an entire absence of any
attempt to color il. that his testi-
mony carries weight. We have not
only one witness, but four, differing
! apparently in details (showing that
| they were not coachcd) but all agree
ing in the essential facts. and each
ones story bearing marks OF artless
simplicity. so that We were driven
| TO the conclusion that the story OF
/ the four gospels was record af
actual facts beyond dispute. Some
/ times the details Of evidence are
more conclusive than the direct evi-
! dence, because il is not the teSti-
mony OF the witness, but OF the truth
! that H. sought.
We begin here this morning. and
we shall show that the narratives in
the Gospels prove Conclusively that
! they are not ticrOn, but fact One
! illustration: In ST. johns account
| OF Thomas refusal to believe that
! the Lord had risen. notice what is
! said about the character OF Thomas
! and the char. .Cter OF Jesus. How
! characteristic is Thomas action and
! how characteristic is the rebuke Of
! Jesus, When the other disciples tell
! Thomas that they have seen the Lord.
! he refuses TO believe. and says, 81
won't believe ii until | see the prints
OF the nails in His hands" a week
| passes and the disciples, including
| Thomas. are gathered together, and
! Jesus suddenly appears again. He
! bids Thomas put forth his finger and
| thrust il into His side, and Thomas
| cries out, MY Lord and my God.
! And then Jesus introduces the tender
rebuke. Thomas, you ought TO have
! believed before; but because thou
hast seen Me, thou hast believed;
blessed are those who believe on suf
! ficient evidence without sight" Is
! that made up? Is it a lie? If ii is
made up then the man who drew that
! picture Of Thomas, without a word of
explanation, and that picture of
Jesus, is the greatest literary master
! of the centuries. II is not made UP;
! Il is the record Of reality.
Another illustration: When Peter
said to Jesus John XXi:2D, What
! shall this man do" the Lord replied:
What is that TO thee? Follow thou
| Me" The fishers had brcakfasted on
! the shore. and Jesus had told Peter
!
! then starts down the shore and says,
Follow Me" And Peter, turning
round as he goes. sees John follow
ing. and says: Lord. you have told
me what my future is to be. What
will this man do" Now. remember,
all though the life Of Jesus. as it is
| recorded in the four Gospels, Jesus
never answered questions OF mere
! speculative curiosity. Peter wants 20
| know another mans business. and
Jesus SAYS. What is that TO thee?
You see that YOU obey" Is that made
up. or il is reality? Is it a lie? An
other illustration: In the same chap
! ter Jesus asks Peter. Lowest thou
Me-" three times. and Peter was
| grieved because He asked him that
| question three times. Notice these
words: Peter was grieved because
He said unto him the third time,
Lowest thou Me-" Why was Peter
| grievcd? John offers no eXplana-
! tion But the Lords thought went
back to the court of Annas and Gaia
! phas, where three times Peter had
| denied Him. and. il the narrative had
been made up. this would have been
| explained. Have you ever noticed
that the four Gospels insist upon the
fact that our Lord returned thanks
in the breaking OF bread? That is
something We do three times every
day. but | do not think that any one,
in writing our lives. would put it on
! record We simply return thanks As
a matter of form. but when Jesus. IN
the breaking.of bread, lifted up His
1 heart and opened His lips, there was
such a real drawing into the presence
| OF God that no one at the table ever
forgot il. When, after the walk 20
| Emmaus. Jesus returned thanks. al
| though they had not recognized Him
| before. notwithstanding that their
hearts burned within them as He
talked. the disciples knew Him. In
= moment their eyes were opened.
and they said: 1t is the Lord: no.
body else ever returned thanks that
way" Is this fiction? IL one man
wrote the story of the four Gospels.
4. a n l.. L.. II. l. 4