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Show DEATH IS CONQUERED; THE LjilS MSI Mankind, Like the Disciples of the Christ, Hears the Salutation, "All HaU!" The First Presbyterian church yesterday yester-day offered a feast for the cyes'as well as for the heart The lloral decorations were beautiful and abundant. Major Hill, a rnombor of this church, now resident resi-dent in California, had supplemented the generous decorations from local greenhouses by Easter lilies by the arnt-fuls. arnt-fuls. The great congregation united heartily In tho beautiful service of song and devotion. de-votion. Tho minister's message was one of joyous salutation, and the splendid anthems by th0 choir left nothing to' bo desired in tho celebration of the Easter victory. Preceding tho sermon a number num-ber of children wero presented for baptism. bap-tism. ThQ "Rov. Dr. Gcorgo E. Davles. pastor-elect, pastor-elect, took for Ills text tho Joyous salutation, salu-tation, "All Hall!" He said in part: We are celebrating this morning one of tho two greatest facts of human hu-man history the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The fact is greater in itself than anything that may be said of It. It Is the Inspiration of the universal uni-versal note of joy that is being sounded throughout the Christian world today. The church bells, sometimes some-times more or less discordant, aro in happy accord this day In pealing forth tho dominant note of "victory over death' And as believers, throughout Christendom lift their voices in glad acclaim there ascends to the throne of heaven a veritable pean of victory. It la well. As the Greek Christians greet each other after the midnight hour with tho salutation, "The Lord is risen," to be answered', "The Lord is risen indeed," so in the glorious light of this day we lift up our voices in glad x acclaim, "All hall!" Christmas is a time of joy from birth a season prophetic. Easter is one of rejoicing from victory wrought. It is the victory of tho ages. The combined victories of the ten decisive de-cisive battles of the world are Incomparable In-comparable thereto. No wonder tho voice of the Master on that firpfc Easter morning was one of good cheer. There was not a note of despondency de-spondency In that salutation, "All hall!" We rejoice, too, because Christ has risen. Tho devil could dance upon his gravo for but a brief season. He has become the living Savior. He has ascended upon high. Upon marble mar-ble slabs marking the resting place of our loved ones we write, "Hero lies ." but the angel at tho Savior's tomb cries aloud, "He Is not here." Thus our hopes aro corroborated and our fears dispelled. For wherever there Is the Idea of a personal God, there Is nlso the more or loss clearly defined Idea of a personal immortality. immor-tality. The universality and strength of this desire suggests its fulfillment. There are no half hinges in God's economy. Perhaps the dulled and dogged instinct grows Into an idea, this into a conviction and this tlnally shapes Itself Into a belief and life. Too often the conception of God has been too small. A God big enough, wise enough and good enough can raise the dead. No pockot edition of divinity would suffice. And while we may not as yet be afforded a scientific- demonstration of life beyond life, the hope is by no means improbable im-probable when we consider man's capacity for Immortality. |