The Washington herald., 1908-04-19
A SUNDAY TALK.

Christ is risen from the dead and become the first
fruits Of them that slept
For since b. came death, by man also came
the resurrection Of the dead
For as in Adam all die even 50 in Christ shall
all be made aliTe-I. Cor, xv-20
OF ali religious festivals. that Of Easter
| is one of the eldest. The word itself
comes from Esstran, paschal feast. and
| IL had It's origin In the Feast of the
Passover instituted under the law which
the Lord gave to Moses and Aaron in
Egypt, when the blood Of the unb!emish-
ed lamb on the Intel of the door was to
be taken as a sign. and the irst-bOrn
Of that household be spared from the
wrath Of God. And the speech Of the
Lord, continuing. said:
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial.
and ye shall keep it feast to the Lord throughout
your goneiatiCns ye shall keep it a feast by ordi-
nance toreyer.-Exodus xiiiI4
| The law Of Moses has been superseded
by the law Of Christ. generations have
come and gone. and yet, in spite of
storm and stress of time and change. we
to-day still keep Easter Day as feast
to the Lord"
It Is not altogether fanciful, surely, to
trace in the vicarious suffering of the
slaughtered lamb Of the days Of the
children OF Israel an analogy with the
blood of Him who came on earth and
suffered as a man, that the world might
| be saved.
It was on the first day Of the week
that Mary Magdalen went to the sepul-
cher wherein the crucifed Christ was
entombed, and found the stone rolled
away and Jesus departed. And herein
we find one Of the most beautiful SYM
| bols of the Christian religion; one which
| the church bids Us take earnestly to our
| hearts. TO the end that we may see there
| in. shadowed forth, the glorious hopes
OF our own salvation. The whole service
/ of the Episcopal Church on Easter Day
/ is designed 70 press the symbolism OF
the resurrection home. so that man may
apply il to the individual needs OF his
own soul. The anthem for the Iey Is
/ taken from Romans, vile, and contains
| this message
| Fer in that ne died he died unto sin once; but
| IN that he iYeth, be liyeth unto God. Likewise
reckon re also TO be dead indeed unto sin but alive
unto Cod through Jesus Christ cur Lord
And it is because Of these traditions OF
| the past and OF the hopes of the future
| that Easter is. above all days in the
year. the day in which We should take
| account not only Of what We have done
| In the world, but what we may yet hope
| TO do.
Yesterday is dead and with it died, II
we but will it, the old Adam, the old
sins. the old Weaknesses, the old sor-
rows Tomorrow, d new sun shines,
and there begins a new day. a day OF
glorious opportunities. OF new hope. new
strength. and new endeavor. And as We
think Of the chances that are still LETT
I 20 US. in spite Of the opportunities we
/ have neglected, We must, perforce, at this
season. think Of all that has been done
/ for US since the world began, so that
we might have the chance TO strive, the
chance to redeem ourselves, the chance
/ 10 work out our own salvation.
/ II Is not by our own strength-this
much Is strongly emphasized at the
Easter season-but by the strength OF
Him who came 10 earth, was crucined,
dead. and buried. and on that Easter
Dav. centuries ago. rose from the dead,
and pointed 20 all humanity the way 10
| the Father who art in Heaven
| And so It is that on this day, with
contrite hearts and humble voices, We
may In the simplicity of little children
| approach the Throne and pray
/ n God who for our redemption didst give Thine
only herotten Son % the death 0i the tFoss. ana
by his glorious resurrection hast delivered as ron
! tbe powsr Of cur eueny grant us 50 10 dle dai5
tro,, stn that We NAV eyermore live with Him in
the joy IL the resurrection. through the sane Ohist
1 c.sr ord Amen.