The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-30
In THE RELIGIOUS WORLD.
What the Church Folks Are Thinking About and Doing
Religious News From Everywhere.

which have. come within the range of
my own observation. All are pertinent
illustrations Of the Eeaster truth that
the glorious hope of a resurrection is
one OF the potent factors in what we
call civilized conduct. Take this out or
the consciousness of Christendorn and
you lower society to the level of China.
The Best Life or the Beast Life.
Sane old Paul who saw straight and
thoroughly into a subject, knew this
when he said, in proving the basal ma
ture of the doctrine of the resurrection.
If the dead are not raised, let US eat
and drink, for tomorrow we die" With
out this truth Of the spirits Immortality
man exchanges the best life for the
beast life. If death ends all, then all is
not-WoFth while. Again to, quote Paul,
the person whose soul is not sustained. !
by this dear hope of a life beyond the |
grave, is "of all men most pitiable" 4
The great mass of people, who hold to
the Easter expectation, may not be
Blind to the truth that today there is
raging a more than ordinarily severe
attack upon the doctrine of the resur-
rection. With all respect for the schol- |
ars who are troubled upon this point, |
1t must be borne in mind that this att
tempt to discredit the resurrection of ]
Jesus is not, as they fondly believe,
advanced theology" 1t has been one7
OF the favorite endeavors of Satan ever
since the mathematician women be- |
held the empty tomb in Joseph's gar
den. In this portion of Scripture which
the Sunday schools are at present |
studying, Paul is combating this very
heresy. The modern preacher who tries |
to discredit the resurrection finds him
self side by side with - the DIRECTORS
whom the apostle overthrow.
The Unanswerable Argument.
The risen life IN heaven is a truth in
separately linked with the truth of the
risen life here. The Bible forever CO.
ordinates the two. If there is no resur-
rection from the death of the bodyj
there is no resurrection from the Spirits /
death in sin. And the best argument in
the mind of the ordinary man for Eas-
tiers teaching is the risen, triumphing
life or Christian men and women
"A new life is everywhere Christian
lty's unapswerable argument. Heathen-
dom has always been able to make con-
show of matching the philoso-
phy of Christianity with it's own phil
osophers, but it is speechless in the
presence of a transformed character. 4
only yesterday a veteran missionary
said to me, as we threaded our way
one of the narrow, crowded |
noisy filthy streets of a Chinese city, ,
w hen a missionary can impress his |
life and message upon a single sincere
convert, he has started a power to work {
among the Chinese that cannot be 4
or overcome" A new volume {
of Christian evidences has just been
oroach in influence the holy life of my
wise and sanity friend. Pastor Tang. |
A Perpetual Easter. Il
Those shining faces of men and wo- I
men VINO have been redeemed and know I
[ and who have put on new life. with {
n and without. cannot be explained
lWay. They are a perpetual Easter | g
The new light of awakened spirituality. |
II enkindled moral purpose, and of
lroused intellectually which CLEANS a
rom their eyes battles debate Infidel- a
" mas no answer for this; 1T quails and c
lees before holy life. Especially is G
his the case in heather lands The c
most materialistic Of Chinese cannot
all to distinguish between the charac- B
ers, say, of the little company of be- C
5regational church, Pekin. and the
ross, repulsive, unspeakable animal 7
SIN or the hordes of dirty priests in the !
9ekin Q
The time is ripe for a fresh en-
ohasis upon the plain old truth of 4
lew life on the part of Christians This .
$ the fundamental teaching of Easter: l
mar me resurrection life and the .
resurrection hope are the Christians
heritage and power. Our religion is X
lot a creed, but a life. A character 1
hat is victorious transcends all dis
)utation. The world is not to be won
~ great evangelists, but by holy lives. =
Whoever would go into partnership !,
With Jesus Christ for the conquest of .
he world must seek (and If he seek I
lie will find) joyous. hopeful, victor p
GUS life. For this Eastertide truth is
mixed with the truth of world evan +
-elism, even as the risen Christ him II
elf associated the two. The larger, ?
more beautiful life which the resur-
ectien has made possible Is to be en- y
hanged for the narrow, meagre, sur- I
lid life Of heathendom. p
Gentlemen Unafraid. :,
Because of the Easter teaching that a
Id old enemy of the race, the fear of II
eath, which today is stalking so ar v
cgantly through this part of China, Il
driven outof the Christians thought
gain and again Christians have d
aught the world what it is to die un- N
earingly; ancient Rome trembled be- F