The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1906-04-20

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Why should it be thought a thing in
credible with you, that God should
raise the dead. Acts 26-S.
1t is not my purpose this morning
to attempt to prove Christ's resurrec-
ton by the evidences furnished us in
the Gospel narrative And yet it may
not be without profit to take into ac-
count some indisputable facts and re-
markable coincidents which are so in
separable from the resurrection, that
they just can not be ignored, if the
resurrection is to be discussed.
For example: The hopelessness,
despair and faithlessness of the dis
ciples Gas emphasized in the denial of
Peter and the fight of the others)
just preceding and Immediately af-
ter the arrest, trial and cruciixion of
their Master, stands in striking and
unaccountable contrast to their zeal,
courage and their fidelity (as illustra-
ted in Peters sermon on the resur-
rection, in his epistles, and by the he
roic martyrdom of the twelve, after
their Lord had risen from the dead.
That is to say, their doubt, their dull
ness of perception and their want of
faith Immediately preceding and dur
ing the Friday in which the supreme
tragedy of history was enacted is re-
markable when contrasted with the
confidence, the quick spiritual per-
ception and sublime faith of those same
men when within the compass of few
days they began boldly to preach their
gospel of a risen and assembled Christ,
and willingly and cheerfully died for
their faith. Surely something must
have happened in this interval to have
thus nightly moved, and changed
not merely the conduct of these men,
but transformed and TRANSPORTED their
characters as well.
What was it? We have nothing but
their own word for it, and they sew
orally and individually declared, upon
each and every occasion when they
had opportunity, that it was the fact
that their Lord had risen from the
dead, and therefore if they suffered
with Him it was only that ultimately
they might reign with him.
That He actually died can not be
questioned, for when one of the sol
diers pierced His side with a spear,
the blood and water that flowed from
the wound was conclusive evidence of
death. The Centurian, in charge Of
the guard at the cross, and who was
accustomed to executions was convin-
ced that He was dead and so reported
to PLATE, the Roman Governor
The tomb in which He was buried
was a new one in which no one had
ever been buried, therefore there
could be no doubt as to the identity
Of Christ, and we recall that it was at
the request of the Chief Priests the
stone at the door of the sepulchre was
sealed and a Roman guard placed
around the tomb. Christ's friends be-
lieved that He was dead and wrapped
his body in spices to preserve it from
decay, and even in recent years, the
skeptic Strauss, in his attack upon
Christianity, was constrained to say:
'the whole countryside knew that He
was dead"
That Christ died then, there can be
no doubt and that He arose from the
no doubt, and that TIE rose from the
dead there are an abundance of wit
nesses. We might sum them up af
ter this manner He appeared first
to Mary Magdalene in the early morn
ing on that first Easter day, then to
the women returning to the sepulchre, |
hurrying as they were to tell the dis |
ciples that the tomb was empty, when |
they were met by Jesus in the way, |
and they worshipped Him, falling !
down on their knees and touching the |
ground with their foreheads after the
oriental fashion, as an expression of
profound reverence. Next, when near
the city, He appeared to Peter alone,
and afterwards to two other disciples
who were on their way to Emmaus; |
then to the Apostles, excepting Thorn
as and to the Apostles when Thomas
was present; to the seven when fish-
ing in the sea of Gallilee, and to elev-
en- disciples on the mount in Gallilee
and then to five hundred brethren as
near the same mount; to
James alone, and finally on the mount (
of ascension to the twelve. But we
will not discuss the validity of the tes-
timony of any of these witnesses,