Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-22

them to flee from the place where they
had laid him. 1t required the personal
appearance to Mary before she pro-
claimed the glad news of the resurrection.
Personal Appearances.
The reluctance of the women to accept
the words of the angel that appeared in
the form of a young man and their 81
lence concerning their experience shows
that they were not hysterical. but rather
slow to believe SO marvellous a truth.
The worlds redemption was contained in
that message, which surpassed all other
messages ever given to men. While all
the other women fed, Mary fingered be-
hind, seeking to find probably some clew
as to where they had removed the body OF
the One who had been her greatest friend.
Seeking His body, she suddenly met her
Lord, who had changed so greatly that
she did not realize at first that the
stranger was the Master until He re-
veaIed Himself to her. confirming the
angels message and preparing her to
preach from her personal experience the
gospel of the resurrection to the disciples
and Peter, who did not believe until they,
too, had seen him in his glorified body.
The presence of the living Christ work.
ing in and through His church Is the
power that during the past centuries has
changed the current of civilization and
transformed the character of nations and
of men. The church testifies by Its pres
ence and power in the world today to the
fact OF Christ'S resurrection. Its observ-
ance of the first day Of the week for re-
ligious worship as the Lords day is evil
dence that it presents each week to the
conquest of Christ over death. The New
Testament is a by-product of the resur-
rection OF our Lord. The power Of Chris
tianity manifested in the Lords word.
day and people has been the most potent
force in the history of the world. because
Of the personal presence and power OF
the risen Christ with His church. His
resurrection vitalized the faith OF men In
the realities of the spiritual life.
Christ's resurrection is the germ OF orr
endless life, prophetic of the Christians
resurrection, when our Lord shall appear.
The power that enabled Him to break the
forces of death on the first Easter morn
Is the same force by which We. too. shall
conquer death. The resurrection OF Jesus
demonstrated that there is vitality
within the physical life of man which.
when the outward forces of that life APP
pears to be disspated can draw them
back and reconstruct Them. transform
ing the body until it shall transcend some
of the limitations that exist preceding
death. The character of the change Is not
clear, but 1t contains the suggestion or
undeveloped and undiscovered powers
dormant within our personalities that if
developed are more susceptible of exer-
cising still larger power over our ply
steal life than is now exercised by our
minds.
The presence of the risen Christ with US
equips us with power by which we can
rise superior to the difficulties, discour-
agements and despair of the present age.
The defeats of life have been changed
into victory for us by the resurrection OF
cur Lord. He has secured for US VIC
tory of life over death. OF regeneration
over degeneration, Of construction over
destruction, of conformation over defor-
nation that fills us with hope as we look
at the empty tomb and realize that He
is not here, for He has risen as He said.'
When we read Paul's masterpiece upon
the resurrection in his first letter to the
Corinthians we come to see the applica-
ton to our life that Now hath Christ
been raised from the dead, the first fruits
of them that are asleep