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4 ©ftp (Christum Published Every Thursday at 67‘4 8. Broad Street. Atlanta. Ga. HOW LONG WAS JESUS IN THE GRAVE? This question seems destined to discussion ever and anon. Our cor raspondent, Bro. Hiliyer, of Texas, raises it once more. We are entire ly familiar with the Watson interpre tation to which he refers, having heard the author advance it long be fore he printed his book. Y atson was not the first to suggest the in - terpretation ; he simply repeated what had been many times said be fore he was born. That his view is erroneous is the almost unanimous verdict of Bible interpreters. Cer tainly it is contrary to all the Chris tian literature which has come down to us from the first centuries of our era. According to the obvious meaning of the New Testament records, Je sus lay in the sepulcher from Fri day evening till Sunday morning, say about thirty-six hours, or two whole nights and one day. The ob jection urged against this view is the language of our Lord in Matt. 12 :40. It is supposed that this passage re quires Christ to lie in the grave sev enty-two hours. Bro. Hiliyer very disrespectfully and rather dogmati cally says, “all this nonsense about parts of days and parts of nights be ing taken for whole days and nights is mere theological twaddle and he dismisses the thought by declar ing it to be the outcome of “the ig norance and superstition of the Cath olic Church.” At the risk of being counted “ignorant and superstitious,” we venture to say that the “non sense” may be on the other side of this question. Let us see. In referring to his resurrection, our Lord usually fixed the event as to occur “on the third day” after his death, bee Matt. 16 :21 ; 17 :23 . 20 :19 ; Luke 9 ;22; 18 :33; Mark 9: 81, and elsewhere. So we, find that it is historically stated to have oc curred on “the third day.” (1 Cor. 15:4.) By examining carefully the gospel narratives we learn : 1. That the crucifixion occurred the day following the night in which Jesus had oaten the passover with his disciples. 2. That he died somewhere be tween noon and sunset. 8. That 6o was hurriedly laid in Joseph’s tomb probably about four or five o’clock. 4. That the day following was the Jewish Sabbath, that is, Satur day, on which the women rested, anxiously waiting the dawning of the morrow, when they might perform their office of love in further prepar ing their Lord's body for its long sleep. They seem not to have ex pected his resurrection. 5. That at sunrise the next morn ing they were at the tomb ann found he had risen. We need not mention texts ; the parallel passages can be easily found. From these it is dear that only Fri day night, Saturday, and Saturday night intervened between thp burial and the resurrection. That seventy two hours, three full days and nights had not elapsed is apparent from the account of the two journeying to Emmaus. (Luke 24.) On the morning of the resurrection, after the womens strange story had readied their astonished ears, the two were pressing along the high way, when they were joined by their unknown Lord. They tell him all their sorrows : “The chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. . . and to-day is the third day since these things were done.” Now, if Jesus had lain in the grave seventy-two hours, and had risen at sunset Saturday evening, the two could not have said, “to-day is the third day,” etc. It would have been the fourth day. Bro. Hiliyer calls it “nonsense,” nevertheless competent criticism as sures us that the Jewish custom was to sometimes reckon a part of a day as a day. Jesus was in the tomb part of Friday, the whole of Satur day, and part of Sunday, the “third day,” in the early twilight of which he rose. Thus viewed the several narratives are coherent and easily explained. We have a similar use of the expression “three days and three night*,” ini Sam. 30 :13-14, compared with the use of the “third day” in the first verse of the chap, ter. We close by quoting Dr. John A. Broadus, who certainly is neither “ignorant” nor “superstitious.” Jn his admirable commentary on Mat thew, on chapter 12 :40, he says : “Our Lord was actually in the grave less than thirty-six honrs, but it began before the close of Friday, and closed on the morning of Sun day, and according to the mode of counting time among the Jews, this would be reckoned three days, both the first and the last day being al ways included. The only difficulty is that he not merely says ‘three days,’ but ‘three days and nights,’ when he spent only two nights in the tomb. But the Jews reckoned the night and day as together consti tuting one period, and a part of this period was counted as the whole. Lightfoot quotes from the Jerusa lem Talmud two Rabbi’s as saying, ‘A day and a night make an Onah, and a part of an Onah is as the whole ? There was no way to ex press in Greek this period of twenty four hours, except by day and night (or night and day) as here, or by the late and extremely rare Greek com pound ‘night-day,’ usedin 2 Cor. 11: 25. . . $ We find a parallel use in 1 Sam. 30 ;12. . « . So also in Esther 4 :16 ; 5 ;1. Some have inferred from this passage in Mat thew that Jesus must have remained seventy-two full hours in the grave • but some of the expressions used in speaking of his resurrection abso lutely forbid this.” LABOR TROUBLES, GAUSES. REM EDY. “The ability of society to defend itself against such destructive forces by the exertion of military power is its only present security. That les son has been taught in New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. It must be kept armed to resist the as sault threatened by the organization, which has been built up by leaders like Sweeney and O’Donnell. The day has come, alas ! when even in this republic the guns of soldiers are necessary for the preservation of the social structure. That is the fact to which the situ ation in three of the oldest and great est states of the union bears witness today. Society is forced to take up arms for its defense against anarchy.” —New York Sun. The foregoing paragraph from a leading paper of influence, is calcula ted to arrest the attention of every thoughtful reader, and to excite the apprehensions of every lover of lib erty. It is a broad and unqualified statement of the existence already, of a condition of things outlined in a late article in the Index under the caption, “Danger Signals.” Note this sentence. “The ability of society to defend itself against such destructive forces by the exer tion of military power is its only present security.” And this : “The day has come, alas! when even m this republic the guns of soldiers are necessary for the preservation of the social structure.” What causes have produced such results 1 Why is it that such organ izations as the Amalgamated Associ ation of working men are in exist ence ? The Atlanta Constitution of Aug. 25th, answers these questions as follows : “This government has been for a generation in the hands of a rich man's party and its polioy of build ing up a few favored classes is large ly responsible for much of the dis content now prevailing.” That is true, and is a repetition, in substance, of what the Index had said in its article, “Danger Signals.’’ Is it any wonder that discontent re sults, and shows itself in the form of organized resistance ? The govern ment was organized and clothed with power for the security of all its citizens alike, and not forthebestow ment of special favors upon any par ticular class. The wrong lies, pri i marily, at the door of the govern ment, and the government should begin the rectification. Let it, first, undo its own wrong, and thus set an example of rectitude and even hand ed justice to all citizens, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak, alike. Let it show that its mission is one of peace and security, and not of war and oppression, and confi dence will be restored, the law re spected and obeyed, and quiet reign, once more, throughout our borders. Speaking of the antagonism ex isting between the classes and the masses, the Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 28th has the following as a , remedy : “We cannot legislate this class fooling away. Such a sentiment is beyond the law. It springs from the heart, and the work of reform must deal with the heart. When the for tunate classes carry more practical Christianity into their daily dealings | with the masses the latter will quick ily respond. Nothing wins like hu man sympathy. Even the coldest j heart cannot resist it, and it sways masses just as easily as it touches | individuals.” That lays the foundation of gov ernment, the administration of its laws, the reciprocal obligation and duty of citizens, and the dealings of THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.- THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8. 1892. men with each other in all the rela tions of society, and in the business of life upon the only true principle. “Practical Cheistianity,” is the peace ful solution, and complete adjust ment, of all the troublesome prob lems, and disturbing differences that perplex the minds of statesmen and philosophers. It is the simple and honest application of the rule of con duct laid down by Christ himself. “Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye, even so, unto them.” This does not mean that Mr. Car negie, or any of his wealthy associ ates should give half their palaces to their operatives, or that they should divide their legitimate prof its in business with them. Nor does it mean that Mr. Carnegie, or any of his associate capitalists must take the places of the working men, and blow the bellows, or pour the melted iron into the molds, or swing the hammer at the anvil, receive weekly wages, and live iu humble cottages. It simply means that if their posi tions and circumstances were re versed, the millionaires becoming working men, dependent toilers at the furnace, the forge, and the anvil, and the working men becoming mil lionaires, independent, with princely incomes, living in palaces, never knowing want, or fearing Its ap proach from a reduction of wages, or a “lock-out,” should do, the one to the other, as their reversed posi tions and circumstances would de mand. It means grace mixed with law ;it means “do justice and love mercyit means fair dealing, no undue advantage, a righteous equiv alent for the labor performed and for the money paid. It does not mean unequal laws, standing armies, bayonets and bullets, blood-shed and manslaughter, on the part of either employer or employe. It means that the master must deal with the ser vant just as he would have the ser vant deal with him, if be were the servant and the servant the master. It is not a change of place that is required, but upright, honest deal ings in the sight of God and man. A NOBLE EXAMPLE, NOBLY FOL LOWED. 1. Though David was not permit ted to build the temple, yet he pre pared with all his might for it. He gathered the gold and the silver, and the brass, and the iron, and the wood, and the precious stones, and the mar ble, and the divers colors, in abun dance, for the work. Not only this, but David gave, lib erally and willingly, of his own prop erty for the same purpose because he bad “set his affection to the house of God.” His heart, his love, was in the work, hence his labor in gather ing, and his liberality in giving. Such was the example of David,, the King. 2. Now, having thus led off, he boldly stood up in tho presence of the people and asks. “Who is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” See how they answered to his call. The chief of the fathers, the prin ces of the tribes, the captains of thousands and hundreds, the rulers of the King's work, all offered, wil lingly, gold, silver, brass, iron, and precious stones to the treasure of the house of the Lord. 8. Then there groat rejoicing, the king and tho people giving thanks and praising God together, because “with perfect heart they offered wil lingly to the Lord.” They acknowledged God as the source of all their blessings, saying, “All this store that we have prepar red to build thee a house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.” Learn. 1. A willing, liberal, self-sacrific ing leader, will excite in those who follow the same admirable qualities. 2. David did not build the house, but his Son Solomon did, accomplish ing the work mainly, through the means his father had gathered. In the prosecution of the great work of missions during this centen nial year, let us gather and give wil lingly and liberally, and though wo may not be permitted to see all the results for which wo have planned, our children, using the means we may leave them, and building on tho foundations we may lay will carry on the work to completion. 8. Every soul regenerated is a stone prepared and polished by the Holy Spirit to be laid in the Spiritual tem ple of God, in which he delights to dwell. Some day that spiritual temple “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit,” will be fin ished. The glory of the earthly temple built by Solomon will be completely eclipsed by it. That was man’s work, built of im perfect, perishable material. This is God’s work, built of per fect, imperishable material. That has mouldered into dust, this shall abide forever. Then a mighty shout of thanks and praise will resound throughout that temple, every voice of its liv ing stones melodious, all combining in perfect harmony, saying, “Grace, grace, unto it.” “Thine, 0 Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in heav en and in the earth is thine : thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exhalted as head above all.” 1 Chron. 29:11. ■‘SELF-SATISFIED.” “Did you ever,” asks a writer in one of the literary papers, “did you ever see a sketch of John Wesley, James Hamilton, M. D., and Rev. James Cole, as they appeared in a street of Edinburgh arm in arm? What a self-satisfied look each has, especially the smaller and middle man Wesley !” The self-satisfied look on the face of Wesley is readily traced back to the marked degree in which his per sonal character was uncharged with self-satisfaction. The personal char acter of his two companions, also doubtless explains the presence of that look on their faces. But what brought the three faces together ? Probably this : the personal quality of self-satisfaction in Wesley over flowed into the system he taught and became a quality as well of Method ism as of its author, and therefore attractive to persons of that type. For is not Methodism a system which strongly inclines to content it self with itself ? If it were possible to blend the faces of all who have ever held the system into one ; if that one face should combine the features and expressions that charac terized the multitudinous majority in their time into harmony of look ; if we should be given to know it then as the Great Methodist Face, as what the human countenance became when Methodism wrought out its effect on on it : if, we say, such a face as this there might be, and, we could hold it up side by side with Wesley’s face, marking the likeness between the two, tell us, gentle reader, do you or do you not think that the strong self-satisfied look would be the look that had passed out of it and been lost ? Frankly, we do not. Methodism has been sufficiently attractive to men of that stamp, to keep the feat ure more or less strongly marked in the majority of the faces rallying to its standard as the years slipped by and if there is any change likely it would be the emphasizing of the self-satisfied look. Why, only a month or two ago, Rev. Charles F. Deems, D. D., LL. D., of New York City, “had the face” to write in an International Monthly Religious Magazine : “The scholars in the Wesleyan body in England have per haps brought theology to a more reasonable form, to a more judicious union of what are called Arminian ism and Galvanism, and to greater consistency with the Bible, than any other body of Christian thinkers 1” We have long regarded Dr. Deems as a sort of wholesome bit of South ern Methodist leaven among Meth odists of the North, and yet even he can claim for scholars in the En glish Wesleyan body that they are foremost thinkers and theologians of the day, they to whom that adject ive was never before applied, while many have withheld from them the nouns even when without it! No, the self-satisfied look is permanently Methodistic. INTERCESSION. How mighty are omnipotence and justice, when they array themselves against the sons of men ! But in tercessory prayer, when it stands in breach, may, so to apeak, prove stil more mighty, and prevail over the justice and omnipotence. At Ho reb, God said, on account of the grievous sin of the people: “I will not go in the midst of thee,” Ex. 38 :8. “If Igo up into the midst of thee for one moment, I will consume thee,” E.x. 33 :5, Revised Vernon. But when Moses poured out his heart like water before the Lord/in I supplication for the guilty tribes, 10, i the Lord said : “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give the rest, Ex. 23 :14. So God seems to unsay the saying of his own righteous wrath! Let our intercessions abound then : God knows how to reconcile the changes of mercy with his unchangeable righteousness: that is his concern, ours is to pray, still pray. Doubtless, God gave Moses a heart to pour itself out be fore him like water because he meant to hear its cry : it was not change, it was his first, fixed pur pose, that the cry should come to him prevailing. And may we not read in our own intercessions less our wishes than his purposes ? WHY FORTY? According to a Georgia correspon. dent of the N. Y. “Examiner,” it is the unwritten law of the Board of Trustees of Mercer University, that a minister must be forty years old before he can receive tho degree of Doctor of Divinity. We had not known of the existence of this law until we saw this statement; and if there is truth in the old principle that “the reason of the law is the law,” we cannot even now say that this law itself is known to us since we do not see the reason for it. Perhaps, somebody will kindly dis - close it to us; we can only wait and see. But while we are waiting, we may as well guess the two guesses which have flitted across our mind though without winning our assent. We have read somewhere that forty years is a scriptural period of chas tisement, the period through which blessing is delayed—as shown by the length of the wanderings in the wil de mess and the date at which they were followed by the entrance into Canaan. We have read somewhere else that forty years is a scriptural period through which the stroke of judgment is held back—as show n by the fact that this was the interval that lay between the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and our Saviour’s prophecy of it. Now the question is, whether the Board re gards the doctrine as a sort of bless ing and the forty years of one's nat ural life as the proper scriptural pe riod of foregoing chastisement, or regards the doctorate as a sort of stroke, and these years as the proper Scriptural period of forbearance be fore its infliction? Or, if neither the one nor the other, what then? At any rate, why forty? “The Jonrnal and Messenger” says that Sam Jones recently gave the managers of the celebrated Ur bana Ohio camp-meeting eight days for one thousand dollars, but the people had not been paying the gate fees so promptly and freely as was expected. It adds : “To the credit of the better sort of people around Urbana, be it said that they have got a little above Sam Jones. He cannot draw there as he did a few years ago. We shall be glad when we hear that his day is passed altogether. We do not be lieve that the Lord Jesus Christ calls men of his calibre into the ministry.” To our mind, there are many points on which it better suits a rev erential awe for the perfection of Christ, and an humble sense of our own personal imperfection, to be slow, to be exceedingly slow, in the formation of beliefs as to what He may or may not do. And one of these points emphatically is, how far He may or may not have a demand for compass of mind when calling men into the ministry, how many faults He may or may not tolerate, with how much weakness He may or may not bear. We hope at least that He will do as much on this line as will avail to cover our ease; and if He does that, we shall not be very strict in challenging His right to do more. Gon and Money When the Is- raelites after wandering in the wil derness for thirty-nine years, reached the land of Edom, they ‘ purchased food from its inhabitants for money that they might eat, and bought wa ter of them for money that they might drink,’ (Dcut. 2: 6.) They were as truly supplied by God, their supplies came to them as truly out of his hand, in this case, as when manna descen ded from tho clouds and streams gushed from smitten rocks at his com mand. For it was he who had given them power to get the money. The interpositions of Providence are real even when not visible and manifest as real when the operation of natural causes is not set aside as when it is-as real when God hides himself in a veil of money as when he arrays him self in robes of miracle. In the or dinary course of events, all things come to us, not from nature, but from God in nature. Let us be happy 4 then, that we may see God in money; and happy too, that God may show to ourself our joy and portion in money’s loss and money’s lack. DR. J. G. RYALS DEAD. Rev. James Gazaway Ryals, D. D., of the Theological chair of Mercer University, died Friday night at his home near Cartersville, Ga. Previous to commencement of Mercer University he had a return of the grip which he had the year before. After commencement he became very feeble, and about July Ist he went up to his old home in Bartow county, hoping thereby to benefit his health. He continued to grow feebler, and about ten days ago he took to his bed. He improv ed a little afterwards, but on Thurs day last was attacked with dysente. ry, and sank rapidly until death was caused by something like a hem orrhage of the bowels. He was born in Montgomery county, Ga., April 3rd, 1824, of par ents in destitute circumstances. By the help of kind friends he graduat ed at Mercer University in 1851 with the first honor. He taught school one year in Columbus, Ga. Purchased a farm near Cartersville and on it studied law privately two years, afterwards practicing seven or eight years. From early child hood he had strong religious impres sions and in early manhood he be came tinctured with Universalist sen timents. Reading the works of Jon athan Edwards obliterated these sen timents from his mind, though he was then without a hope in Christ. In 1859 he was baptized by Dr. Thomas Rambaut and joined the Cartersville church. In 1863 the Cartersville church, being without a pastor called Bro. Ryals, though he had never been licensed, to preach. He accepted the call was ordained and filled that pastorate seven or eight years. Later he taught and preached to various neighboring churches, being pastor at Raccoon Creek and Acworth churches twelve or fourteen years. The latter years of his life have been given to filling the chair of Theology in Mercer Un iversity, which he did most satisfac torily to its friends and patrons, and to the glory of God. The remains were taken to Macon Saturday and Sunday interred. Thousands of hearts to-day wear the weeds of mourning. But they take consolation in the fact that the same Benevolent Wisdom who gave him to the world, called him hence Let us take tho very important les son that his life had a value beyond the mere acquirement of knowledge and the mere prosecution of our own happiness. Cultivate the intellec tual part for the attainment of truth, train the moral being for the solemn purposes of lite, viewing this life in its relations to the life which is to come. Personally Dr. Ryals was a lova ble man and was not only beloved by his churches, but was highly es teemed by the communities in which he lived. He was an able, earnest and fearless expounder of the truth, speaking in love, yet firm and con scientious. He was logical and re. niarkably clear and forcible in ex pression. His superior powers of analysis, followed by close reasoning brought conviction and inevitable conclusions. His sermons being in tellectual and strengthened by spirit itual power brought continued acces sions to his churches. Much more could be said of his discharge of lifes offices and his attainment of the “delightful end of the best life.” Let us be content to know that a Higher Will has interposed, unloos ed the bond of union and sped his immortal soul upward to the Giv er of all Being. "LITTLEISM.” " This word has been coined by Mrs. Atherton, to designate a quality which seems to be growing in cur rent literature not only “with” but beyond “the process of the suns. Sho sees it in the writers who devote page after page of nice English to the min ute descriptions of street-car adver tisments, the details of a boarding house table, the carriage of a parasol, or tho successive psychological de tails of a ‘cry.” You recognize the quality by these ear-marks—the elaborate treatment of trivialities, the expenditure of all the forces of composition on petty features of petty things. Now, why should such a quality win an increasing prevalence in the literature of tho day? It is hardly an answer to say that “it is only one variety of Realism, for most concrete realities arc little enough." Tho de termination to describe all things in accordance with the actual fact, could not, of itself, impel to the descrip tion of things that are little, provided the existence of the larger things ig rightly recognized. The brush of tho painter will not always put pig- mies on his canvas if he has any be lief in giants. Let all realities be duly owned—all in the sphere of matter and of mind, of nature, and the supernatural, of the creaturely and the divine, and no purposes of “representation without idealization” can shut the soul up in narrow con fines of the petty and the trivial. Another influence must enter. The infidelity w'hich first restricts knowl edge to the sphere of science and then restricts science to the sphere of senses, or the agnosticism which makes the spiritual realm a chaos without form and void and leaves man there with neither his say nor his unsay,—the one or the other of these, and still more these two as co-workers, must wield the wand of dwarfing magic over literature and bring in the reign of “Littleism.” The great will somehow rule there as elsewhere unless the great has been stripped away from us. And this is why that literary quality grows and grows and grows now. Even Cicero saw this, if w r e may credit Bishap Berkeley. The old Pagan found a class of thinkers “who diminished all the most valuable things—the thoughts, views and hopes of men ; who reduced all the know ledge, notions and theories of the mind to sense ; who contracted and degraded human nature to the nar row, low- standard of animal life and assigned us only a small pittance of time instead of immortality.” And he gave them by w'ay of distinctioi « the name of “Minute Philosophers,” a name which admirably suits them says the Bishop. They were the fa thers of the “Littleists” of ancient times; and that is the direction in which such scepticism runs and must run. With Darwinism and Huxley ism as the seed, nothing can save us from a harvest of “Littleism.” “I think I know Christians,” says Dr. Wayland Hoyt, “who would be at once astonished at their growth in grace, if they would but begin to use their grace.” Yes : grace used is grace increased, and there is no way of increase except by use ; while yet the ratio of use does not always de termine and limit the ratio of in crease, since God may be better to us in his compassion than we are to numbers in our slothfulness. Two Faces.—“ God will not be slack toward him that hateth Him; He will repay him to his face,” Deut. 7 :10. Alas for sinners in that day of face-to-face judgment! Two faces, —God’s, the sinners : that faco dark with holy wrath, this face livid with guilty terror ; alas that these two must meet. MEETINGS. Rev. A. C. Dixon has given up the editorship of The Baptist of Bal timore in order to “devote all his time and strength to the pastorate and other necessary burdens.” Dr. W. W. Landrum, of Richmond has returned from his two months tour in Europe. Dr. A. B. Miller of Little Rock, Ark., one of our contributors has accepted a call to Bonham, Tex as. Rev. Geo. S. Kennard taken up his pastoral duties with the Fourth Street church, Portsmouth, Va. Rev. Hilary E. Hatcher died re cently at Orange, Va. He was a cousin of our Dr. Harvey Hatcher, and leaves many ardent friends to mourn their loss. The Asheville Baptist says : Rev. A. IL Sims was born in Georgia but after he made that great speech at Liberty all of us were glad that he did not stay where he was born. **§?/ . ’ ": I^»3** ■-i?.-.A .■ * Mrs. Anna Sutherland Kalamazoo, Mich., had swellings In tho neck, M z\— ja„ FromhcrlOth - ~ »» Goi-feyear, causing 40 YCSTS great suffering. When she caughtcold could not wall: two blocks without fainting. She took Hood’s Sarsaparilla And is now fret from It nil. Sho has urged many others to take Hood’s Sarsaparilla and they have also been curod. It will do you good. HOOD’S Pills Cu r° all Liver ths. Jaundice, sick lM«Ucbi>, biliousness, sour cUimecb, nausea.