| Show HIS POSITION UNTENABLE now that dr heber newton of all souls church now new york has baa go got through with his dispute with the new york papers an to what he actually did dia say aay in his bis sermon bermon on the resurrection preached on april 21 it may be proper to give some consideration to his utterances as revised slid and reiterated by himself As an to the between the newspaper report and what dr newton says be salda said it may be remarked that he be makes makei a distinction without a difference here ja what his bis revision of the subject claims he be stated and as he wished to be understood as aa given in the latest issue of the literary digest let me in the first place make clear what I 1 understand by the resurrection of jesus christ without doubt the he general belief is that there was a physical resurrection a rising from the tomb of the very body of flesh and bones which was laid away there alter after the crucifixion this doubt doubtless leep has been the belief of the church through its bistor history this unquestionably was the belief of the early disciples themselves vee notwithstanding this I 1 do not believe in this interpretation of the le ie of jesus that the dR disciples ciPle believed it goes without saying we know assuredly now from our taller fuller knowledge of the thought of that age that those disciples believed not only in immortality but in an physical resurrection they expected the very bodies laid away in the tomb to rise again if therefore there was any appearance pea pe arance ranee of jesus from the spirit world it would in their minds necessarily have taken this form of the resurrection of the physical body it la Is unfortunate for dr f i i that he be has fallen into the common error of those who antagonize plain doctrine doctrin ee this thin in ia to assume for bible personages a position which they did not occupy he does thir tah with regard to the di he alleges that it if there was wag any appearance of 01 jesus from obet thep cirit irit world it would in their minds necessarily have taken the form of we resurrection resurrect iou of the physical body that this assumption ae is untrue Is shown conclusively in the record made by john chap when the lord appeared to the abe e elevee alter after they bad been informed that he was risen but they were terrified and affrighted nud and supposed that they thoy had seen een a spirit aj this is historic proof that they did not necessarily expect his physical resurrection and he bau baa to argue with them urging that they handle him and thus have that it was a physical and not a spiritual appearance of course dr newton has baa a right to believe as be pleases lut but he has no right to misrepresent the disciples thy they believed the physical resurrection to be a principle which would be brought into effect upon those who died they also know knew that the appear ance of spirits As aa angels angele heavenly messengers was historically established as a fact and as such was wag believed in by tham but up to the crucifixion of the lord no resurrected being of this thin earth had bad appeared that was the understanding of the disciples they looked for a resurrection which boula take place at thelast day it was waa quite natural ural therefore eq that the he appearance of the th lord to them on the occasion named necessarily partook in their minds of the form of a spiritual appearance dr newton to the contrary 0 tan landing ding the minds of the disciples disciple were disabused dis abused of the spirit idea by the evidence thattie that the mortal body had been removed from the tomb had risen and tood stood revivified in their presence the alleged luller fuller knowl edge that assumes to change the view which the disciples themselves bear wili witness fiess that they held bold Is nothing short abort of misrepresentation representation min since the promise premise on which dr newton bases his big interpretation of tho the disciples belief is ia shown by the record to be incorrect his argument meat thereon must fall fail the disciples know knew it was wai more than belief that io in jesus jesu the anticipated physical resurrection was instituted that his body the identical tabernacle of flesh and bones which suffered on the cross croes was wae restored to its rightful owner jesus of nazareth who in his hia death wrought out the atonement which restores to all ali men tho bodies of which they are deprived through the fall if those bod too lea were not to be restored or resurrected then death would not be overcome and the grave would retain its if victory the reverend gentleman f further bases his argument against a physical resul on the he apostle paul pauls s statement that flesh and blood cannot inherit tue kingdom of god but paul did not say ay flesh and bones bonea should not dot obtain that inheritance he jays phil ill ili thit that the lord shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his hia 01 0 1 that glorious body is ie not throwing the body away it is ia changing it what is ie the change that which li represented by bv the tion of the lord the flesh blood and bones were not combined comb ineil in the risen boda bod the blood had returned to earth earthy clience it came the flesh and bones bobea filled in every vein and channel by the living immortal spirit represented the change which had bad been wrought and of the lord himself bears beara wiclest wit lest paula ls statement therefore to ie not a denial of the physical but is in accord with it as aa suggesting au an part of tue the process by which it is ia effected the two supports upon which dr newton babes his hia objection to the physical resurrection being shown to be non existent so eo far as aa scripture his hie tory or statement are concerned it follows that any attempt tu to erect a a logical edifice thereon must be a failure the doctor says he be cannot comprehend how a physical apdy may be Juvik ible but his bis lack of comprehension on that does oot not affect the fad fact one way or the other he admits that a spiritual being can appear and disappear at as will a process which be also is unable to comprehend he ia not possessed ged of aba an idore information regarding the powers powen of a resurrected befog then than of those of a spirit hence his bi position la in attempting to define a difference between them bliem in 18 as aa untenable to reasoning minds BB an it to Is in the effort to build the theory of a non physical resurrection upon facts that prove the contrary |
