Evening journal., 1916-01-31

went to the Roman governor and said
when He was alive that after three
days He would arise from the dead.
We fear that His disciples will steal
away His body while we sleep and
then give out the report that He had
arisen. and the result will he that
the second condition will be worse
than the first" In response to this
the governor gave orders TO seal the
tomb of Jesus with the Roman seal,
and also that guard Of soldiers
should be placed on watch at the
tomb AS students of Roman history,
you know that for any one to break
the Roman seal without authority
meant death, and Of one thing you
may be sure Rome always enforced
her laws A Roman guard consisted
of four soldiers. who remained on
duty for three hours. then we're re-
/ lieved by another guard, who re-
mained on duty four hours. Then the
/ guard had nine hours Of rest and
sleep before they came on duty again.
You know also that for Roman
soldier TO go to sleep at his post
meant the punishment Of certain
death. You might imagine Of one sol
der going to sleep on duty. You
might even imagine one or two SOL
diers going to sleep. or even three. but
TO suppose that all four soldiers OF
the guard would go to sleep at the
post under penalty Of death and on
duty only three hours. would be to
stretch your credulity to the break
ing point Moreover. with the great
cataclysm Of nature that must have
occurred, and the disturbance when
that stone was rolled away would
awaken any soldier. If this were dono
by human act When the stone was
rolled away and Jesus had arisen,
the soldiers went TO the chief priests
and told what had happened. and they
gave them money and told them to
give out that Christ's disciples stole
away His body while they slept Re-
nan. the French infdel, said tie faith
of Christianity was centered about an
empty tomb We accept the chal-
lenge. Not until the fact Of that emp
ty tomb in Joseph's garden has been
Accounted for has anyone a right to
claim to he an unbeliever.
A lawyer. when a crime is commit
ted. always looks in a suspected per-
Ipetrator for a sufficient motive. The
disciples of Jesus had no motive for
stealing away His body. They did not
comprehend as clearly as His enemies
did. what He meant when He said,
destroy this temple and in three
days I will build it again" No one
was nearer TO Jesus than Mary Mag
dalene. and vet she was overcome
with surprise when she went down to
that tomb that first Eastern morning
to anoint the body Of Jesus, and found
the stone rolled away and the grave
empty. We are told that Nicodemus
and Joseph spent a large sum OF
money, equal to thousands OF dollars
| in the value of our day, to purchase
costly ointments to embalm the body.
II they had had the least idea that
I Jesus was going to come forth from
the grave on the third day, they
never would have spent that sum,
neither would they have wrapped the
body in a hundred pounds weight Of
ointments. for in place OF being a help
TO resurrection. all those wraps and
weights would naturally prove him
drance.
We are told that when the disciples
came and inspected the empty tomb
they found the grave clothes folded
! and the napkin, which was upon His
face. folded and laid in a place by
itself. Did this look like the work
nNah nrrha rio
by the tomb we're the Roman soldiers
eager to thrust a spear through any
one who would dare to tamper with
that tomb?
Let us cite Just another proof OF
resurrection. among many which
might be stated When Jesus was
oruclfed. all His disciples forsook
Him and fed Their hopes were shat
tered, they were disheartened and
discouraged What power and infu-
ence could have been strong enough
to have brought together again that
band Of scattered disciples. and in
spire them with faith and give them
strength and courage to go out dur
ing the first century TO testify for
Christ? In the first chapter OF his
epistle, the apostle Peter reveals the
secret when he says. "There has
been begotten in us again a living
hope by the resurrection OF Jesus
Christ from the dead" You can
challenge any skeptic to find any
other act or motive strong enough to
have accomplished these results. And
the central message Of their testi-
mony. after the disciples went out
during the first century. was to wit
ness TO the resurrection OF Jesus.
Paul declared in the fifteenth chap
ter OF First Corinthians that after
Jesus arose from the dead He appear
ed to as many as five hundred people
at one time. OF whom many we're liv-
ing when Paul recorded this state
ment.
Two great English lawyers. West
and Littleton. were both unbelievers.
West said to his friend. "Littleton.
n we can destroy the faith Of Chris
tians in two beliefs. that of the con-
version of Saul OF Tarsus. and also
the resurrection OF Jesus Christ. we
can overthrow Christianity. II you
will take Saul's conversion and dis
prove it. 7 will do the same with the
resurrection Of Jesus" They agreed
Months afterwards. when they came
| together. West scaid, "Littleton. how
did you come out?" He replied. II
did not come out at all as / expected
I to. I thought could write a treatise
on the conversion Of Saul. who be-
came the apostle Paul. that would
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