The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-26

R4sI0R RUssELD) said
s. Saint Paul was
discussing the resurrection of the dead:
He realized that on that great fact
rested the weight of the Gospel Mes
sage. 1t was easy enough to prove
that Jesus had died. but to an incredu-
lous world it was difficult to prove
that He had risen from the dead; and
whoever could not believe that great
fact could not believe The other great
facts which stand or fall with it.
For instance, the Apostle presented
that Jesus had left the heavenly glory
and had become Man for the pur
pose of meeting the demands of the
Divine Law against Adam and his
race, involved by him. He could show
the reasOnablepess Of this logic. He
has proven that as the whole world
was condemned to death through Fa-
Their Adams disobedience it was alb
solutely necessary for an untainted life
to be sacrificed in order to meet the
penalty and to secure the release Of
the condemned race.
God Would Not Leave His Son In
Death.
The Apostle had declared that Jesus
had been faithful in His ministry in
fully laying down His life and that the
entire matter was pleasing and accept
able to the Heavenly Father If so,
surely God would not leave His Son In
death, but would raise Him from the
dead This fact the Apostle had re-
peatedly enunciated. showing that our
Lord entered into His glory and re-
ward and assembled up where He was
before-to perfection on the spirit
plane. =
But all these claims fell lightly upon
some of his hearers. who claimed that
ii WAS much more easy TO believe that
Jesus never died at all. but merely
transmitted. than TO believe that He
died for our. sins and rose again for
our justifcatiOn: hence the Apostles
frequent reference to Christ'S resurrec-
ton and his insistence upon it as ab-
sOlutely necessary to Christian faith,
for not only would the Heavenly Fa-
theirs favor toward the Lord Jesus
thus be shown, but the bulk of all the
holy prophecies would remain unful-
filled unless Jesus arose from the dead.
la other words, a dead Redeemer
would be Of no advantage; matters
would be just as. unfavora BILE for the
sinners as though Jesus had never
come at all Additionally, if the resur-
rection OF Jesus was u questionable
matter, how could those who disputed
that great fact acknowledge the resur-
rection of the Church and of the world :?
Saint Paul emphasizes this, also de-
claring that there shall he resurrec-
ton of the dead, both of the just and
of the unjust as result of the re-
delnptive work Of Jesus-HiS dying for
mans sins. and His resurrection TO
glory to carry out the blessings secur-
ed by His death.
"Last of All He Was Seen by Me-"
Prosecuting his argument, the Apos-
tie marshalled the whole chain Of wit
nesses except the women who first saw
the Lord on the morning of His resur-
rection. lie says. He was seen of
SCphtS u ttCiJ.' tiicli w
OF the twelve; then of above five hun
dred brethren at once; later He was
seen of James; then Of all the Apos-
ties" when He assembled. Then comes
the text: Last of all He was seen OF
Inc also"
There is something pathetic in this
reference to His own glimpse Of Jesus
Z no1 tfI .s.,1 l..
bisOted persecution of the Church. 1t
reminded him of his own responsible
1ty i'll connection with the death OF
Saint Stephen. and of the blind hatred
which led him to persecute inOffensive
fellow-creatures, simply because they
believed that Jesus died and rose again.
the very thing which He was now try
Ing to testify to all having the hearing
ear.
His memory went back to the mad
ness which he had manifested in pur-
suing Christians even to Damascus,
haling them to prison. Again he saw
the great. binding light from heaven.
above the brightness of the MONDAY
sun, his fall to the earth. and heard the
voice speaking to him, saying. Saul.
Saul. why persecutest thou Me:' (Acts
tx. Ia; XVI. 1910. Again he remem-
bered his establishment at learning that
those whom he had prosecuted were
not renegade and deceived Jews, but
highly esteemed and acknowledged By
this Great One. a glimpse of whom fell.
ed him TO the earth. All. that was q
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