Evening journal., 1907-03-30

BY the Kew lli 1Hdui W. tNtlVbh Ae'9N'i va ~'''~~
church.
THE Resurrection is both event and a
principle As an event it is clearly the re-
suit of principle More and more the attention
OF men will be called to the law by which it took
place and the forces that caused it, and less to the
phenomena itself This is in accord with the
mode of present day thinking The lightning
once occupied the attention Of man, but now cleo
tricity. or the law Of the lightning. 1t is an
nounced that a man proposes to raise sunken
ship by the use OF acetylene gas. Suppose we
were standing on the shore of the sea and sud
denly the water would become disturbed, the
waves part and a majestic ship would appear In
our fright we might call it miracle, so contrary
would it be to all we had known, and we might
be doubted as we would relate the event to
others If they would seek the highest evidence
for this singular occurrence it would not be in
our testimony, although our trustworthiness OF.
character could not be doubted, but they would
find 4 il the rhemical laboratory where the ma
ture of acetyieae gas IS Known knowledge Of
the law by which it is done Given certain forces
and certain results will follow
We are learning that Ia this world are forces
highef-ah1-nlofe subtle fhan the most delicate
and ethereal physical forces Their nature and
potency are becoming better understood and
more confidently trusted, the world advances.
We call them spiritual forces They work in
human experience and in human history. They
create and mould and destroy They possess an
environment peculiar and cast forth power
unique They form ideals motives emotions,
and they organize societies and governments.
They triumph over lower forces and utilize them
to their sublime ends. These things we know,
but how little Yet is the world acquainted with
their dominion and possibilities Let these forces
be granted and such phenomena as a resurrec-
ton from death or supremacy over death is not
so strange II were told that man had risen
from the dead my first inquiry would be: "Nhat
kind Of a man was he? If he possessed love and
immortal aspiration, as Jesus did, relied on God
as He did, and through divine power commanded
the forces about Him as He did, would not stag
ger before the announcement of such a. phe-
nomena Given such man and a triumph over
natural forces Of which death is one, seems not
impossible Indeed any other result would be
disappointing and contradictory in a world where
law prevails and is the we-estabshed order OF
God. The resurrection was the assertion of the
Supreme-the spiritual power. Instead of taking
this mighty fact from the dominion of law, as has
been the custom Of religious thinkers, it should
be kept there and we gain infinitely by the con-
signment
1t universities our dominion over death. and
makes eternal life an experience rather than an
event. This accords with the teachings Of Iesus
He never speaks Of immortality, but of life The
assurance is not in argument as with Socrates
but in sense begotted in the soul III any man
love me he shall not see death" "He that hath
the Son hath life
1t is this life that exalts the soul to its highest
spiritual functions. It secures for man new tri
umph over the world. Opens to him new
epoch. 1t organizes a society and a kingdom anc
equips an army with new conquering power /
enabled Paul TO fight with wild beasts at Ephe
sus. and has been the greatest continuous energ,
for the conquest Of the right over wrong We
known It's law is sacrifice and service It's in
spiration is Divinel
1t inspires visions-is prophetic. II holds witt
certainty future reign and everlastingness
is sure it viii survive this world and demands an
other for its fulhllment. What an inexplainab
blunder the career Of Jesus would have BEEN
dying at 53,-if the tomb was his final endl How
sweety harmonious with reasonable expecta
ton, in world Of rational order that He Shout,
triumph over the grave and rise to Codl Spfin,
time following winter as a natural continuation
harmonious continuity OF Divine course AL
the rest Of the year predcates this time Of bios