The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-02
KNIGHTS TEMP[AR
At |L|FF CHURCH
They Are Escorted to the Edifice
by The Brass Band at
Fort Douglas.
ANNUAL LODGE SERMON
BY REV. d. NJ. HELMlCk
Naturally His Easter Topic Has
to Do With the Resurrec-
ton of Christ.

under the auspices of the local lodge
of Knights Templar were held Sun
day morning at Iliff NJ e. church.
the Rev. DR.. D, NJ. Hclmick officiating
The ladies of the congregation had put
the interior of the church in attractive
shape with flowers, ferns and potted
plants for the reception of the knights
and the regular choir, under the direc-
tion of Mrs H. Kirkman, and assist
ed by the Sunday School orchestra,
furnished music of high order.
DR.. Helmck took for his text the
eighth verse Of the 26th chapter of the
Acts, ''Why should il be thought in
credible TO YOU that God should raise
the deadi''
The doctor stated that the very
foundation Of the belief in the Chris
tian religion is the resurrection of the
dead. He divided the text into three
parasitic possibility, the probability
and the character Of the resurrection.
Tn handling the subject DR.. Helmlck lg-
nored the old-time arguments as to the
character of the evidence produced hy
witnesses al the time of Christ s resur-
rection. He preferred n line of argu-
1uent which though not new, is not
generally follow ed. He adopted the
same rational methods In discussing the
matter in hand as one might he sup.
posed to adopt in the exploitation of
any other subject.
a man wants to know about the tele-
phone or the telegraph, he's not gong
to buv book on astronomy, What he
wants IS a reliable text book on elcc-
tricitv. If a physician has difficult
case that taxes all his knowledge and
experience, he doesn 4 go 10 law
yer s library TO seek information as to
how it should be handled. He hunts
up the best work on the subject which
he finds himself called upon 10 treat
So in tine study of man s past, present
and future, especially as far as his
moral nature is concerned. we go to
the book which is naturally taken as
authority on the subject. The only
book which ventures any posltive
statements on the subject is the Bible
Ii is the only work which claims to
represent the attitude of the Almighty
toward the human race. In it we ind
history of mans past. pictures Of has
present condition and declarations pur-
porting TO deal with his future. The
only knowledge we have of God, out
side of that which we arc able to gath
er from the teachings of nature. is such
as we are able to CLEAN from His word
There it is declared that He created
the heavens and the earth, and all the
scholarship in the world has been un-
able to furnish better solution Of the
creation than that given IN the Bible,
Origin of Man.
HIt doesn t matter whether man is
a product of evolution or the result
of n special act of creation. It takes
lust as much power and wisdom to put
into operation the laws which event
uallv produce human being from
mere atom of matter as it would TO
create him as n special act. Likewise,
it would be as great an act to produce
the man as to put into operation the
laws Of which he is the result.
In either event we see the power md
wisdom of God manifest in man today.
If God did bring us into being for the
narrow span of life. which is but
few moments when compared with the
history Of the human family. He is
equally able to continue our existence
in the future, which nearly every one
admits
F'Man, to be man, is possessed of a
two-fold nature. Divested of his hui
manity, he is no longer man. IL there
was sufficient necessity and desirable
itv that man should he created at all,
for the brief period that ne spends on
this earth. II is reasonable 10 suppose
that there is the same necessity and
desirability for his continued exist
ence. maintaining his individuality and
personality as he does here. To do
this he must have something TO make
him distinctively human and TO differ
entiate him from Divinity, retaining his
individuality as in the union of the
human and the divine. That this may
be accomplished there must be rcsur-
rection.
The doctor was frank TO state that
he was unable to describe the change
that will take place In our bodies on
the day Of resurrection. That Christ
arose from tine dead and stood forth in
the presence of human beings he had
no shadow of doubt. But what change
took place in the body of Christ. to
enable Him TO leave His tomb with the
doors locked. he was unable to explain,
Persons who may be disposed to cavil
over this mystery are reminded that
the man has not vet been born who
can explain the mystery Of plant life
dead, put forth its verdure in the
spriugtime9 How does the apparently
dead and withered stalk Of the rose
produce the living blossom to delight
the eye and fl the air with its sweet
perfume? We know that these things
are 80. but not why, The nature of our
resurrected body Will depend upon how
we are 10 be employed. II was the
speaker IS idea that we may expect to
employ ourselves in the life after death
in praising God and serving Him for
all time, not merely by perfunctory
services Of song and PRAYER. but by
honoring Him forever.
The Knights Templar.
The reverend gentleman. referring TO
the organization Of the knights Tenn
plar. members of which largely com.
posed his audience, said it was an or
ganization which stood for the defense
of the destitute widow, the innocent
maiden. the helpless orphan and the
Christian religion These helpless ones,
he said, need the fatherly care and the
strong arms OF genuine knighthood
eve will defend them he exclaimed
'Hwith the steel blade. if necessary hut
the day IS probably passed when that
is needed. Here the speaker threw
aside the sword, which he, in common
with all the uniformed knights pres
ent wore. and continued: "Not with
steel, but by ovory thought and word