| Show l0r9be marel be IDeanin0 9beanfc < Sbe iPower of tbe J esurrection BE William Croswell Bonne Blcbop of Hlbanp WHEN tho modern mod-ern mind staggers I before tho story of tho resurrection I resurrec-tion of Jesus Christ from tho dead It I falls to realize what Its only actual dlfll culty Is St Pauls question Why should It be thought n thing incred tie with you that God should ralso he dead still has but one answer lamoly that there Is no reason why t should be thought Incredible be ause raising tho dead as tho Apos le illustrates it in his Epistle to the 2orintlilans Is the most natural and sual thing In tho world under certain ondltlons That which men sow is lot quickened except it die Life not only after but through I fend by means of death is tho unlver al law and the universal event Only here must come first the undoing by Becay of the bondage within which tho principle of the seed is held So longs long-s i It Is Imprisoned in tho shell it is Sbare grain but when its outer cov frlng Is shed In the cocoon or broken the egg or rotted In tho grain then he latent life comes forth and God fives It a body and to every seed its wn body So after death and burial hen the wrappings of this earthly jfesh are dissolved and done away the body that shall bo tho body of Tory shall emerge in the fullness of meThe The miracle or marvel of tho resur ectlon of Jesus Christ like other Iracles lies in the fact that it dis gardcd the element of time and also Id away with tho conditions of day d-ay He saw no corruption So much for the marvel of it Now or the meaning of It first of all of course it means that 111 the dead shall rise and live again If 1 we believe that Jesus died and ose again even so they that sleep n Jesus will God bring with Him he corollary to tho article In the reed the third day Ho rose again a the article r believe In the resur Ktlon of the body I look for tho Mirrectlon of the dead or from tho ead One docs not need ono would ot dare to draw away tho hearts and apes of men from this great and lessed revelation of Holy Sqrlpture PS strong and positive assertion ot F e Christian faith But It Is wrong J o Postpone the meaning of our Lords IMwrectlon to this final point of hu nan history It has a clear and moro mediate application of what the POstle > calls tho power of His resur N on dead Indeed unto sin buts but-s unto God through Jesus Christ ttT Lord realized This must bo recognized ad al realized as the Immediate prncti purpose and result of the groat act of Easter Day < vn f What Is its message to men and omen It t Is ad easy to dream a dream of hope delight about the future cay to ble aTe a sentiment and emotion that on Us 10 taco physical death with a OUtlook i > le ul beyond tho grave and con Us In i Bod fnkil tho hour of bereavement t V a forbid lmt there should bj any 1 cal adoWlng ii0t this hopo But the Prnc 1 Question Seal 8tlon concerns our dally lifo I I nod humanity stands today as it has i for all theso centuries facing efactnfi s of tho orij wonderful life that our t 1 V1Pro on earth with tho t rringe and Inexplicable combination e it id eshly hindrances reality without tho restraints ai Nnij In CCS ° f tho flesh And that the d et i aM in first lIaco the pattern the ten touMn next plaee tbo powor Bee live our lives on higher Translated into plain English tho I great Easter thought is that we may not bo absorbed and immersed in I merely earthly temporal carnal thoughts and things Life never more than in our day is crowded with business busi-ness with pleasure even where it Is not choked with Indulgence and success suc-cess The Idlers and loungers with no thought but amazement aro far too many The craze for accumulation of material ma-terial wealth Is wearing out the strength and dulling all tho finer faculties facul-ties of men and women And the carelessness and idleness of people who with opportunities of service to society and tho demands of home duties du-ties waste daylight hours and turn night into day with games of chance accentuated too often with tho covetousness covet-ousness of gambling are a reproach to tho best inheritances and Instincts of Americans You have no leisure class In America Ameri-ca an Englishman said once to an American girl Yes she said we have but we call them tramps Leisure there ought to be Men and women there must be who are free from the strain and strenuousness of incessant occupation but it ought to be a leisure for Intellectual cultivation cultiva-tion for philanthropic Interest for the storing of energy physical mental and spiritual which shall benefit mankind man-kind Awake thou that sleepest and arise from tho dead This Is tho Easter call tho Easter cry Hiding oven ono talent in the napkin nap-kin of refined Indolence or self lndul gence or burying it in the dirt of sensuality and sin either one makes an unprofitable servant and lays up against tho second coming of tho Lord an account of wasted powers and lost opportunities which will then be beyond be-yond recall |
