The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-08
II|E MEANING u
] THE RESURRECTION
REV. ALBxANDER DOwsER DDLrv-
Err SERMON AT UNITARIAN
CHURCH YEsrEnDAY.
MYSTERY SURROUNDS
NOTHING TO INDICATE THAT THE
LIFELEss BODY WAS REsUS-
CrrATED-THAr WOULD
MEAN NOTHING.

At the Unitarian church yesterday
morning, the minister. Rev. Alexan-
der T. Bowser, spoke on The Mean
ing of the Resurrection Of Jesus and
Its Lesson For U.s." taking his text
from I. Corinthians, 1916: IT the
dead rise not then IL not Christ
raised"
After giving a brief account OF the
origin and history OF Christian belief
in the resurrection. NJ. Bowser con-
;inued. in part, as follows:
Without doubt the resurrection OF
Jesus is surrounded with mystery
such impenetrable mystery that in
creasingly large number of thoughtful
people find themselves unable to be.
lieve 1t at ALL They think It a viola
ZION Of the laws Of nature, and. there
fore. impossible. And II certainly
would be an infringement Of natural
.aw, II by rising from the dead 1t IL
meant that his lifeless body was re-
suscitated. This would be opposed to
all human experience. But there IL
positively nothing to show that by
that Jesus had come back from the
spiritual world to resnnabit his cast
off body OF flesh and blood. More
over. IL this is what his rising means,
II avails nothing. lie does not prove
the Immortality Of the soul; because.
you see, In an earthly body Jesus
would still have remained subject to
he laws of physical life, and, there
fore. would die again. soon or late.
But the disciples believed that their
master Was entirely freed from the
laws and limitations of physical exis-
tence. Thus they said: We know that
~ al 10 f~x<x Aa
dead, will not die again: death has
power over him no longer" Romans,
SO. II he had only reappeared in
his former body, as Lazarus 10 said
to have returned. then like Lazarus he
would die again. and the resurrection
would reveal nothing concerning the
higher life beyond the grave.
Story Of Lazarus.
Indeed. the more / think about the
story Of Lazarus. the less am In
ciined to believe that the truth I'M
crying 1t is. that his body was
brought to HE agaiI. after disinter-
grafton had set in. The true mean
ng of that beautiful experience In
the home OF Jesus dearest friends. as
read the account In John. Is that
through his profound conviction OF the
souls enduring vitality the great
teacher was able to make the con-
tinual existence OF Lazarus 30 real IL
those hearthroken sisters that they
actually saw their lo.t brother In the
higher life. and were satisfied. Their
spiritual eyes were SO opened, az they
listened to Jesus that they perceived
the world OF spirit wing all about
them, and Lazarus was there as real
10 the vision of a soul as he had ever
been to their outward sight.
To Martha. weeping for her dead
brother. Jesus said: Il am the ree ur-
stricken sister had always supposed
that the resurrection was something
she would experience "at the last
day" but Jesus thought OF II IA the
predominance of spiritual elemen,
In the soul over which death had nc
power. And yet strange to say. the
vast majority of Christian people, tc
this day. take Martha's view in pref
erence TO that Of Jes - According te
the almost universal belief OF the
church. the resurrection is coming
back to this bodily life. rising out
OF the grave at the last day. This
TO the plain teaching OF Christ tina,
there L. no death for those who have
his faith In God. and where souls are
inspired with his conviction of kim
ship to the heavenly Father. Thus he
~ays: He who believes IN Me. though
he die. he will live: and every one
who Is alive and believes in me viii
never die at ALL" John II. rs. IS.
The Resurrection.
To Saint Paul. likewise. the resur-
rection meant an experience In this
present life through which we become
conscious of vital force within our
selves over which death has no power
Hence he spoke OF the members oil
the churches as already risen with
Christ through faith. The Christ who
had gone out Of sight was still will
them as a spiritual influence. In the
apostles thought the resurrection
had taken away the veil. which usual,
hides the heavenly world from NOR
tai sight, and had made this worlt
and that as one to the spiritual con
seriousness, Thus he regarded ths
resurrection. not as q violation OF thu
laws Of nature. but al q revelation Of
law Of the soul which had hitherto
remained undiscovered. AS In Adam
all die. even 80 In Christ shall all b.
the merely physical element In human
life: which 10 subject TO tho known
laws. OF change. decay and death. Thvl
a. Adam died, 80 all will die. Blu
tho Christ represents tho principal o.
spiritual energy. In the soul. whicl
death cannot touch, and just A. 4
had NO power over him. 20 II cAnno
have power over his disciplea- There
fore, his resurrection, illustrates thu
universal law that death 10 nothing
to the. soul save only a step in II,
progress. the means Of its promotion
from one class to higher class II
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