Evening journal., 1909-04-08
CHRISTIAN
ENDEAVOR NEWS
Col. S;1-4. Easter Meetins).
Topic, April II. Risen With Christ.
NOTES ON THE TOPIC.
By Charles =. Eastma

NOTES ON THE TOPIC.
BY Charles F. Eastman.
Welcome. light of Easter morni
That, shining through the speeding
years,
Still brings the hope Of birth anew
As each returning Spring appears;
Emblem Of life immortal thou.
As Ger the world. through spaces wide
There breaks thy radiant glory now.
o light OF Eastertidei
The rising OF Christ from the dead is
enc OF the most certain facts Of human
history. This certaFsy rests not only upon
the accounts Of the resurrection, assuring
as they are; but it is authenticated by the
life of the church through all the ages of
her history. The spiritual springtime is as
real as the natural. The constant quicken
ing OF fresh emotion in the hearts of
Christ's disciples. the mcessing renewal
Of Christian affections. the freshening up
Of Christian relationships. these form a
ceaseless evidence of a living Christ It is
said that Napoleon, I'm answer to a ques-
tion as to his opinion of Christ, replied.
II am a man. and know men. And /
hIOW ANdl Antit dIt lUuuodnQE OF men in
France ready TO follow me instantly on
my call. But I well know that when ! am
dead they will follow me no longer. Jesus
Christ died long ago, but there are now
more men ready TO follow him than ever
before want no better proof that he Is
risen and is living leader of his people
There are those who would have US be-
lieve that the essentials Cf Christianity re-
main whether the resurrection story be
true or not. THE teachings Of Christ, e"
they say. and the noble example of his
self sacrificing life are the real founda-
tion of Christianity: not his death and re-
surrection" Paul saw more truly when
. he declared that II Christ had not risen
from the dead. his own faith and the faith
OF all whom he taught was empty and
vain. Christianity is based on a living
Christ and not on tho memory OF dead
Christ And his teachings? Only his liv-
Ing presence can lead us along the path
way of obedience to them.
Risen with Christ is meaningless 10
enc that is not a Christian, but to the
Christian it implies that whatever Christ
could do and has done We also may do, SO
far as it is suitable to our human estate
The Christian life is a risen life, a life
which has risen out of its lower self and
learned 70 seek those things which are
above. And as Christ has conquered death
and the grave. so do we. AS he put down
the allurements of the world and gave
the things OF the Kingdom first place. 50
DO we. AS he has overcome temptation and
sin, so do we. trusting in his might. He
came down into all the evil Of our exist
ence, suffered our pain, met our tempta.
tions and fought our fight, and has riser
above it all into perfect purity and power
And he reaches out his hands TO take u'
with him. That is what the resurrectior
means to the Christian.
He hath arisen. have risen, toe;
Out Of the sepulchre Of crushing woe,
Some angels hand Cperchance It was hi,
own
Rolled from the doorway sorrows sealing
stone,
And I arose. arose without throe,
He hath arisen. I have risen, too.
He hath arisen. have risen, too:
Out of the shameful passions OF the flesh
Out of unseemiy pride and. greed of pelf
out of the grossness of my lower self,
Int the spirits ether. fine and fresh.
He hath arisen. have risen, too.
He hath arisen have risen, toe:
out Of the scoffer's tomb of doubt ant