The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-05-30


pies of Jesus stole away his body. |
They know chat by so doing they laid
themselves liable to disgrace and an
ignominous death; but many man
Anu tHni shr en- sh
possessed, does the same thing today, |
for the same of such bride as they
received.
Men of deep research and profound |
wisdom, who are able to discriminate |
between the false and the true, and |
who are competent to weigh testi- |
mony, are unanimous in the verdict |
that no event in the worlds history is |
better attested than the resurrection |
of Jesus Christ. In contemplating |
that event we are prone to think that |
all the witnesses are dead and gone, |!
we close our eyes to the fact that !
there are at least three tangible wit
nesses in the world today. whose tes-
timony cannot by any possible ar
These witnesses are:
"a. The Christian Sabbath Or
Lords day, which the Christian Jews,
intense Sabbatarians as they were,
changed from the seventh to the first
day of-the week, in commemoration OF
the event
e.. The ordinance of baptism,
which symbolizes the death, burial and
resurrection of the Christ; and
49, Christianity itself, which is
built not on the cross alone with it's
dying sacrifice for sinners, but on that
and an open grave, as the symbol of
the triumphant justification of believ-
ers through risen and assembled Re
deemer.
There seems to be eleven occasions
on which Jesus showed himself to his
followers after his resurrection. re-
corded, or alluded to in the Scrip
lures. There were probably many
others during the forty days before
his ascension. The first of these ap-
pearances we study today.
When Mary Magdalene first met
Jesus she was demoniac. Indeed she
was a seven fold demoniac. Jesus
healed her and ever afterward she
manifested her unbounded gratitude
and deathless love by devoting her life
| to his personal service. She remained
at the cross till the loved form was
taken down and her fearful eyes fol-
lowed every act of Joseph and Nico-
demus as they performed the last sad
offices at the grave. And when the
Sabbath was over, she was the first of
the women to reach the tomb.
Finding the stone rolled away she
ran to tell the news. Peter and John
were the first disciples encountered.
Poth ran together, but John arrived
first at the empty tomb. Peter on his
arrival at once went in. followed by
the younger man. We gather from the
text that something in the manner in
which the grave clothes were left, con
WINGED John at least, that Jesus was
risen from the dead. 1t has been sug-
gested that this is what they saw.
The grave clothes were precisely in
the same position as when the body
was inside them-not a bandage re-
moved nor a fastening disturbed. Clots
of blood adhered to the cloth where it
; came in contact with the wounds on
his person, the myrrh and the aloes
were just as loving hands had placed
them, the napkin or turban wrapped
, about his head was still rolled VI
, in place by itself and even the out
2 lines of the body were still visible il
a the partly collapsed clothing, as whel
Joseph and Nicodemus closed th'
a the grave. The resurrected body tina
= could enter a room the doors bein'
l shut" had simply left its cerement
r without displacing a single thread.
' But why, then the broken seal ans
the open grave. Certainly not ina
the resurrected body could come forth
. but that the disciples could go in ant
"see the place where the Lord lay Sc
: firmly were these men convinced o.
the resurrection of their Lord, that al
: the liars in the Roman Empire, Of
? even in the bottomless pit could mo-
Y afterward shake their faith.
, After they had gone Mary remained
, beside the grave. She saw the an
r gels therein, and evinced no surprise
5 at their presence, because of her over
D whelming grief. When Jesus himsel
r appeared and asked her why she wept
l with tear-blinded eyes, she inquired
:, even of him where the dear body was
D 1t was an overwhelming transitll