The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-04-24

2ssasSssSsz &3@l thlans XIV, 81 He
tR4SlOR RVSETDI 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 1ncredu
lous world it was . f1cult to prove
nhat 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 1t.
For instance, the Apostle presented
that Jesus had left the heavenly glory
and had become a 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 reasona bleness of this logic. He
has proven that as the whole world
was condemned to death through Fa-
ther Adams disobedience 1t was abb
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 justification; hence the Ap0stle's
frequent reference to Christs resurrec-
ton and his insistence upon it as alb
solutely necessary to Christian faith,
for not only would the Heavenly Fa-
Tiers 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.
In other words, dead Redeemer
would be Of no advantage; matters
would be just as unfaVorabie for the
sinners as though Jesus had never
come at all. Additionally, If the resur-
rection OF Jesus was question: bic
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 be a resurrec-
tion of the dead, both of the Just and
demptiye work Of Jesus-EIis 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-
lie marshalled the whole chain of wit
nesses except the woInen who first va "
the Lord On the morning of His resur-
recfion. He says, 'He was seen of
CephaS Peter); then by the remainder
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 lie was seen of
me also"
There is something pathetic in this
reference to His own glimpse of Jesus.
1t called up the period of his own
bigoted persecution of the Church. Ii
reminded him of his own responsible
ity in connection with the death OF
Saint Stephen, and of the blind hatred
which led him to prosecute 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
kaling 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 Mef" (Acts
il. 1-9; XVI, 1919. Again he remem
bered his astonishment 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
90 MIN TO the earth All, chat was Il