The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-09-19
THE PULPIT.
AN ELOQUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. R. A. TORREY.
Subject: Resurrection a Fact.

A. Torrey, DID,, the celebrated evan
gelist, preached Sunday morning in
the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church. There was a large congre..
cation, consisting almost entirely or
strangers, only a very small per-
centage being members of the church.
DR.. Torreys subject was: The
Resurrection a Fact, not Fiction
and his text was Cor. xv:20 But
now is Christ risen from the dead,
and become the frst-fruits of them
that slept" He said:
Last Sunday moitling we said that
the resurrection Of Jesus was the
most important event in history, and
we said that if it could be proved
to be historic fact that everything
essential to Christianity was proved,
but that if, on the other hand, it
could not be proved to be historic
fact, then everything essential to
Christianity must go. We started
out, without assuming anything as
to by whom, or when, the gospels
were written. to decide whether they
were a record of facts, or merely fic-
ton. First, we discovered that the four
gospels were each an Independent
account, and we were driven to the
conclusion that they we're a record
of actual occurrences. Next, we dis
covered that each bore the evidences
Of having been written by an eye
witness. 1t often happens that
witness tells his story so artlessly,
with such an entire absence OF any
attempt to color it, that his testi-
mony carries weight. We have not
only one witness, but four, differing
apparently in details (showing that
they were not coached) 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 a record af
actual facts beyond dispute. Some
times the details of evidence are
more conclusive than the direct evil
dence, because it is not the testi-
mony of the witness, but of the truth
that is sought.
We begin here this morning, and
we shall show that the narratives in
the Gospels prove conclusively that
they are not fiction, 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 character 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, Il
won't believe it 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 it 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 lie? If it is
made up then the man who drew that
picture of Thomas, without word OF
explanation, and that picture OF
Jesus, is the greatest literary master
of the centuries. 1t is not made up;
it 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 breakfasted' on
the shore, and Jesus had told Peter
of Peters coming cruciflxion, and
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 to
know another mans business, and
Jesus says, What is that to thee?
You see that you obey" Is that made
up, or it is reality? Is it 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-
ton. But the Lords thought went
back to the court of Annas and Gaia
phas, where three times Peter had
denied Him, and, if the narrative had
been made up, this would have been
explained. Have you ever noticed
that the four Gospels insist upon the
fact tnat our Lord returned thanks
in the breaking of bread? That is
something we do three times every
day, but l 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
heart and opened His lips, there was
such a real drawing into the presence
of God that no one at the table ever
forgot it. When, after the walk 10
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
a moment their eyes were opened
and they said: "It is the Lord; no
body else ever returned thanks that
way" Is this fiction? If one man
wrote the story of the four Gospels,
why should he put in all of these de-
tails without explanation? 1t is in
credible; and that four should do Sc
is absolutely unbelievable. How
comes it? Because this is what oc-
Cured, and they told what they saw
without realizing the significance OF
what they put down. Still another
illustration: If man we're inventine
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