The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-16

remembered that that seducer said while
 He was yet alive: after three days I
 will rise again Command, therefore. the
 sepulchre to be guarded until the third day" tMatt. xxvil-63-66).
 Evidence of Resurrection.
 Having thus seen the evidence of Chrst's cruefeation death and burial,
 let us turn to the evidence that He rose again the third day from the dead And al the outset l wish To bring under
 your notice the extreme hesitation of the apostles in admitting the fact of the resurrection. It ls impossible to read the gospel accounts of the resurrection and of our Lords manifestations of Himself to His apostles without being struck by
 their slowness of belief To begin with they regard the words of the holy women
 who had visited the sepulchre 'as an idle tale" and they did not believe them.
 When the two disciples returned from
 Emmaus. and told the others how they had supped with Jesus St. Mark tells
 us that they were not believed. And even when they heard His well-known voice bidding them Fear not. Behold
 My hands and My feet. that 1t is l My self, handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you sec Me to have" Ouke xxiy-S9) they did not even then believe. Ii was not till He had eaten ntipIe lntm ana red Ills risen DOUN Wltn material food that they believed in His corporal presence In order to overcome
 the ncredulity of Thomas 1t was nee essary that Christ should say to him:
 Bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side and be not faithless but beiev- ing lJohn xx20. And vet even after Jesus had reproached them with His
 want of faith. even on the mountain of Galiee when the Master manifested Him self for the last time to His disciples there were those amongst them, says St. | Matthew, who still doubted. in their ea- | gerness to guard against error of kind | or illusion of the senses.
 If afterwards therefore in spite of all
 their hesitation they asserted at the price 1 of their blood the resurrection of Jesus l Christ-that Is to say. the most astonish- 1 ing the most incredible fact. humanlv 1 speaking, that can be imagined, they
 must of necessity have been convinced | by the most overwhelming testimony of | it's truth.
 In order. however. that the resurrection 1 of Jesus Christ should be what In fact | if is-an irreputable confirmation of His doctrine-it was necessary that tho tes- | timony of the apostles should brave tho full light of publicity, and that being thus | proclaimed before the whole world the light of it's evidence should be shed on
 all sides In the common people is to be | | largest field for publicity. And the tes- | timony of the apostles underwent It's first | test of publicity in the presence of the
 people, in the presence of the hclSle and 1 preiudiced mob. in the presence of that
 multitude which. like troubled sea. 1 buries In the waves of it's passions so
 many great words and so many strong l convictions. It was the day of Pente- l cost, and it would seem as though God l had sent all the nations of the earth l to Jerusalem to represent the ancient ] world when this testimony was given 1 Members of every civilized country and l of almost every tongue througed around ! those who bore witness to Jesus Christ
 And Peter standing up with the eleven. i lifted up his voice and said: "Ye men | of Judea. and all ye who. dwell in Jeru- | salem. hear these words: Jesus | of Nazareth, man approved of God | among you by miracles and wonders and l signs which God did by Him you 1 have crucified and slain. But God hath | raised Him up as David said concerning | Him: Thou wilt not leave my soul in l hell nor suffer Thy Holy One to see cor rrption This Jesus hath God rais- | ed again whereof all we are witnesses | (Acts iD. Thus you see St. Peter does not fear to proclaim the resurrection of l Jesus Christ in the presence of the peo- | pie.
 | But will the apostles dare also to con  | front that other public less easy to be convinced and more prejudiced-the su-
 preme council of the Sanhedrim, the chief
 priests and rulers who had so long con | spired and plotted against the Savior and
 who had finally eompassed His death. Let ] us see. "It came to pass that the princes l of the people and the ancients and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem. with
 Annas the high priest, and Caiphas and
 John and Alexander, and as many as
 were of the kindred of the high priest and setting the apostles in their midst
 they asked: By what power or by what
 name have you done this? Then Peter l said to them: HYe princes of the people and ancients hear Be if known to you and to all the people of Israel that it is by the name of Jesus of Nazareth
 whom you crueifed, and whom God has
 raised from the dead" (Acts iv). We know therefore. that the apostles deliver
 cd their testimony with the same un- Ainching courage and the same unhesltat- ing certainty in the presence of the priests and rulers of the people with (contlnued Q, Seventh Page)