The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-11-24
The Night Burial Of Jesus

The saddest funeral procession that ever moved on
the face Of The earth WAS that which carried The body
OF J-sus from the hill Of the cro<s To the tomb In the
gurden uf Joseph IT. Jrrusnlrm. 1t WAS only q little
company Of n,uurnrrs-a dozen men In ts garb oftbe
pour and q. mary women IN Tears. They had 0nl! .
few rods to 20, but the shades ri evening w-rr gnih.
er:ng ronrd tl,etn, md they needed %t"rchlirht hrfnrr
their heavy usk wns done. They said l!ttle. for their
grief wus too deep iUr word, mid they did their woik
with haste, list some rude night-nnlkcrs from the
town or from the cnmlr out side II the walls should
s e wha, they were DUNG ard break in upon their 8, r.
vice VI love aud sorrow. The LIMB was n natural
opening IN the Limestone ledge rut and shrprd in'o
u sepnlcher. wherein never man before was laid. The
bmiy that they buried was scared with wolnds-np
received in battle or by accident, hut such as llw In
Act upon those adjndged UNIT to live.
And yet the little COMPANY Of m"urners felt that
with the burial uf that toiy they turied the dearest
hupes Of themsrlve. and q: AL mankind. The night
that clusrd around their sacred wUik unS TO them the
darkest that had ever spread its pail aver the world.
When they came out of that rocky tomb and tol ed =
the worlds tragedy "f struggle and sacrifice had end
I'd In despair. The one In whom they bad lrustcd for
the drliycrance OF Themselves anil The nations was
dead and buried. and they felt that thrmsclvs xnd the
Whole hum.n race might ns well 30 dead and buri'd
Its impossible for Us to conceive the weight Of sor.
row that RI strd IN thu hearts OF that little company Of
nonrner, n they !nrnr.t their faces from the rnchy
.olnb and went 10 their homes that Light. For thtes
yrnis Inust ut them bad brcn In the COMPANY II Je.
Bas- hra:ing his gracious words and with, ssing his
mighty works And they had cume to think that
nothing conld be t"p hard II the puwtr NJ Him who
could hush the storm and ruise the dead. II Israel
were ever to have o King WORTHY To wear the Q own
of all he earth, II rh. nstiioIs wpro eyer tn DO say
I'd from woes worse than death, surely this jesus had
given Ironlsc to b such o King aud Saviour. And
now they had laid hio d al budy In the tomb and rrll.
ed q great stone to the door. and they were going
homo /. darkness and dcsp:ir,
Tho spO, where that burial WAC mNhe, ard where
che light uf the resurrection shune on the tuird day,
has been the oljcc: Of search and VI sncred curiosity
for agrs. The first morning after my arrival in J.ru.
salem ! rose early, while 1t was yet dark in my stone.
vauited chamber. hurried down to the narrow
street and walked rapidly On toward the Damascus
gate, which is In thu northern wall ~ the city. Max.
ing my saHam tn ths Muslrin guard, ~ningliig In Tho
crowd Of shepherds anG their tlO"ks, | passed ont into
The open country. | then 'nrIed 4 little TO the right,
walked a furlong farther, and climbed o high. round.
I'd and rocky hill.
l had started at the early dawn. The whole dis.
Lance that I b ID walked was lees than q milr. When
| reached tho summit nr the high plrcs a. d began 10
survey the Landscape. the risen sun was reddening the
cops Of the JnI!ean hills with the m"rning light. And
1 remembered that one Of the ~-vang.li to says that
Gho women went ont to the tomb Of Josns on tho
morning OF the r~sur, eetl"n early, whIlr i. was yet
dark AID another urys that they came u the srpul-
cher at the Using Of The sun. Aud | rsw tho reason
for the twu statements In the fact that the dawn in
Eastern lands gruwB 50 swiftly Into tho full day. II
the women hbd ua,krd ba.f tae width Of The city
from their home to the gate, and then q fl long more
IN the garden Of the srlulchrr. there would have been
ample I me for the Eastern day " pass IRON dawn 70
eunrisc.
have since becume more interested In that morn.
Ing walk of mine III jerusalem Than I was at the time,
bec.usU / have come to think that that bare, rounded
hill which | climbed may b. thr holy mount On
which the cross WAS Set up, and the eavrrnous opening
Ut It's base, which Is called the grottp of Je eu4iah,
may DC the tomb wt.ie the disciilrs buried the trdy
Of jesus On The night Of tho darkest day In nl time.
II 81, then the ground over which l iassed In np.
p%rouch!ng the hill YVES o pa t 1f the garden In which
tho risen SAVIOUR APPEARED to Mary snd said. why
wrrprSt thou !" and sho ut first, In The blindness aud
tiuer"ess Of her grief, knew mot that 1t WAS the
Lord.
This high place which l climbed answer, 70 all tus
terms used In the Gosp-ls IN drsc' ibli E the scene Of
the crucihxion. 1t 10 without the walls VI Jcrunalem
as tile city Stood III the TINE of Christ and rs 1t stands
nav. II IL nigh uato the city. 81 that multituiles
could come end go while Jesus was hanging still alive
On the cr',ss. The bill bears q rrmnrt able likeness To
namr Of Golg"tha, "tle place Of o skull Tho Hill is
nigh unto the great northern road. which WAS Tho
chief thorsnghiare for all travellers entering and lcnv.
Ing The city. The cross 50. up on that high place
could he seen and its inscription read by oil that passsd
on tho public road. 1t was 50 conspicuous that It
could be- sesn by multitudss ufar "a. From !ts II m
MI; ono can survey the whole region from, III" Mount
Of Olives on tho east to the hills III Judea On the ~e,t.
Ard finally, the rock q. the tase Of this skull shaped
hill IL cut intu tOmbs such rs the rich used for the
burial Of their dead In the days Of Christ
There IL no other place either within or without the
presen, walls Of Jerusalem which 50 completely IN.
swers to all the terms used by The evangelisss in do.
scrlbing the scerc OF the crucihxiun. l iecl aarran-
ted, therefore, In tho sup .osltiOn that IN the very
hill which | climbed at sunrise the cross was SGT up,
md 1t It's base, In s"ue one OF the many tombs that
now stand op,n and empty. The bndy OF Jesus was
buried, and there the drvUut women came On the
morning IT The re- surI ection. Some one Of thu grrat
stones which now lie l0uso upon tho naked ground
muy have be- the one which the angel rolled away
from the door Of the s pulcher, and sat up"n It With
3 c"untensnc, like l~ight"ing and with raiuent white
Us snow.
II I'LL this could bs proved to the satisfaction Of all
inanirors. Tint rounde.. skull-shnped hill nrar the Do.
mat Gus gate ri j jerusalem, with the cavern"us open.
Ing ut its eisr. would BE- esteemed by milltons the
hnlitst spot on the face Of the whole earth.
have no impression that the marb Q vault lighted
with golden IumI $ and nming with incense night
md day In Jerus lem, Is the scpulcher where Christ
was buried. ! have entered tlut eau:y tomb again
and again, and | have seen with silent wonder and
nv estI uck attention pilgrim amer pilgrim moving In
md out On bending knees, kissing the cold marble aud
bathing the stone floor with trars. And while l re.
sprcted the shrine which hns stirred the most devout
feelings OF thousands and millions Of pilgrims
through successive generations, still | feel myself
drawn nearer IA Ghrist by the deserted Golgotha and
the empty tomb outside Of the gate. With that l can
most easily associate the tHd procession that u owed
slowly down nom tn. hill Of the crnss, carrying the
shcr' d brdy Ind laying 1t down tcHlrrlv and with
nuny tears upon It's stony bed, on that dark night
" hen the hopes OF tho world were buried and the
faith Of the believing was shredded In dread
tci!rrH.
While there Is so much superstition left among
men, aud 90 laueb dIsl os!uon to give undue import.