Evening journal., 1916-01-31

devoted much time and thought these
months 20 making a careful investi-
cation OF the evidence regarding the
resurrection of Jesus. There is not
a single weak link in that chain Of
testimony. Not only am / convinced
that Jesus Christ arose from the
grave. but also l have received Him
as my personal Saviour and Lord. &"
These two lawyers wrote their books,
which are still extant in English Ii
braries, but in place of being argu-
ments against the deity OF Christ and
Christian faith, they are strong wit
nessess in Ms support.
II time would permit. I would like
to introduce a line of evidence which
is even stronger yet, and that is re-
garding the life Of Jesus. The great
est thing that Christ ever said or
what He did was what He was You
cannot classify Him among the great
historians and statesmen and philoso-
piers. He is in a class by Himself
He has no second. He is the one uni
versal Man He is the most ancient
Of the ancients. and the most modern
Of the moderns. II is the glory Of
Jesus that He can he everything to
everybody. Paul expressed it well
when he said. 1T pleases the Father
that in all things Jesus should have
the pre-eminence."
But the evidence and argument
which seemed to me even more con-
vincing than all these was regard
ing the influence OF the words and
works, the life and death OF Jesus
Christ upon the centuries since Our
faith in Christ rests not only upon
what He was, but what He is. sElim-
mate everything from the history Of
the last twenty centuries that per-
tains to Christ and His Gospel. and
you would have left but a poor
emasculated remnant. Take out Of
music and art everything that relates
to the religion of Christ. and what
would remain? Take out Of literature
all that deals with Christ and Chris
tian faith, and the remainder would
be pitiable for its poverty. Well did
Lowell say, "Show me a spot on this
earth ten miles square where man
hood is respected. where womanhood
is honored, where civilization is ad-
vanced, and | will show you a place
where Jesus Christ, the Son Of God
has first gone and paved the way"
The idea OF Jesus Christ being merely
a man has never sent its messengers
around the world to uplift heather
and savage people. That has been
the work Of the missionaries, who
firmly believed in Jesus as a crUcifed
and risen Saviour.
Il was the consideration of this
truth that was the means of my own
conversion. Although reared in a
Christian home, my early life was
spent in a community where the pre-
dominant influence was Unitarian
and l went away to school ia a state
university an unbeliever. During the
first two years of my college course I
doubted and denied the facts of Or
thodox Christianity. One day during
a discussion upon this subject with a
Christian friend. he asked me IL
would not go with him the next Sun
day to the mission Sunday school, and
see the power OF the gospel of Christ
in active operation. / smiled as
replied. "Oh. no. ] do not care to go
to Sunday school. / gave that up
years ago" But when he came around
to my room the next Sunday after
noon, he was so courteous and
earnest that I was loath to refuse
him. On our way out to the mission
that afternoon he told me how it hap
pened to be started. Il was among
the Bohemians. on the outskirts OF
that college town. A young Bohem-
ian. teacher of natural science in
the high school. an infidel. seeing the
pitiable condition of his own people
and desirious to do something to help
them. formed a plan to speak 20 them
on Sunday afternoons on subjects
connected with natural science. He
talked upon birds and plants and amt
mails, sometimes in English and
sometimes in Bohemian, and aroused
considerable interest. But before
long he had told them everything
that he knew upon these subjects
that were simple. that they could
understand. When he got into more
abstract and complex matters they
lost interest and the attendance drop
ped off. Finallyshe had to close the
doors and quit.
Il was then that some OF the Chris
tian students OF the university con-
ceived the plan OF starting a Sun
day school in that community. It had
been running perhaps two years when
visited t. This young man, with
whom I went. was the superintendent
and in going about that hour from
class TO class. and noting the interest
and instruction. ! plainly saw that
those people we're being lifted to a
higher life. On our way home. this
young man said to me. well, Lyon,
what did you think Of it?" / said,
"You are doing good work there;
keep it up. Anything that tends to
help people ! am in favor OF" Well
said he, "I want to ask you a ques-
tion. What other principle or power
is there that will meet these tests OF
being permanent, vital and effective,
that you can take to any individual
or any class OF people and lift them
to a higher life. but the gospel OF
the crucihed and risen Son Of God?"
"Oh." I replied. that is all right. but
there are many other principles just
as good well. what are they?"
he asked. don't answer this hastily.
Think over IT," confess I was not
willing to answer. I had nothing that
could point 10 specifically that
would take the place Of the religion
of Christ was willing to do as we
used to when we played football and
nrit. wind rarn nnf in the r1niddln Of