Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-13
THE KING OF GLORY.
Dr.. Talmage, Discourses on the
Fragrance Of the Gospel
Christ Arrayed in Fragrant Garments Typ
ical of Mercy-His Suffering for Mortals
Sims Marasmus-The Ivory Pal
aces of Heaven.

s'The Fragrance of the Gospel" Rev. 7.
Dewitt Talmage preached from the text:
"All thy garments smell of myrrh, and
aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory pal
aces"-Psalms xiv. 8. He said:
Among the grand adornments of the city
of Paris is the Church of Notre Dame, with
its great towers and elaborated rose win
dows and sculpturing of the Last Judg-
ment, with the trumpeting angels and
rising dead, its battiements of quatrefoil,
its sacristy with ribbed ceiling and statues
of saints. But there was nothing in all
that building which more wildly appealed
to my plain republican tastes than the
costly vestments which lay in oaken
presses-robes that had been embroidered
with gold and been worn by Popes and
Archbishops on great occasions. There
was a robe that had been worn by Plus
VII at the browning of the first Napoleon.
There was also vestment that had been
worn at the baptism of Napoleon II.
As our guide opened the oaken presses
and brought out these vestments of fabu-
lous cost and lifted them up the fragrance
of the pungent aromatics in which they
b ad been preserved filed the place with O..
sweetness that was almost oppressive.
Nothing that had been done in stone MOI e
wildly impressed me than these thin Is
that had been done in cloth and embroi d.
cry and perfume. But to-day l open aRs
drawer of this text and look upon the
kingly robes of Christ, and as | lift tt sm,
flashing with eternal jewels, the iaOee
house is filled with the aroma of these, gar
ments, which "snell of myrrh and alees
and cassia out of the ivory palaces."'
In my text the King steps fort 4. His
robes rustic and blaze as he ad gsr.ces.
His pomp and power and glory owe IHu.ster
the spectator. More brilliant is BE than
Queen Vashti, moving amid the Persian
princes; than Marie Antoinette o a the day
when Louis XVI put upon her tine neck
lace of 800 diamonds; >thf IN Anne
Boleyn the day when H. mEy WIZ.
welcomed her to his palace
all beauty and all p omP for
gotten while we stand in Tire pres
ence of this imperial glory, ( ing of Zion,
King of Earth, King of Heav' an, Eingtfor-
ever! His garments are not Eorn out, not
dust bedraggled, but radiant and jewsled
and redolent 1t seems as II they must
have been pressed a kundre d years amid
the flowers of Heaven. rhe wardrobes
from which they have be In taken must
have been sweet with clust srs of caR1pho1
and frankincense and all mxnner-of pre-
cious wood. Do yoE not nhzle the odors:
Aye, aye. They smell of myrrh ami aloes
and cassia out of the ivor v palaces.
Your first curiosity is to know why the
robes of Christ are odo' roCs with myrrh.
This was bright-leafed Abyssinian plant.
1t was trifoliated. The ireeks, Egyptians,
Romans and Jews bong hit and sold it at q
high price. The first present that was
ever given to Christ wa S a sprig of myrrh,
thrown on His infantil bed in Bethlehem,
and the last gift that ihrist ever had was
unyrrh pressed into tn cup of His cruel
fixion. The natives would take stone
and bruise the tree an d then 1t would ex-
-ude a gum that wo uld saturate all the
ground beneath. Tn IS gum was used for
purposes of merchan disc. One piece,of it,
mo larger thar cl LestnUt would whelm
"A whole room with odsrs. 1t was
put in closets, in chests, in drawers, in
rooms, and its perfU me adhered almost in
terminably to any thing that was any,
where near it. So when in nay text | read
that Christ'sssarm snts smell of rnyrrh,
ude the exquisite sW eet-
ness of Jesus l know that.to many He is
only like any historical person, another
John Howard; another lphifanthropic
Oberlin; another Confucius; a grand sub
ject for pS;ntiIrg; a heroic theme for a
poem; a beauti Jul form fora statue: but
to those VINO have heard iHis,voice, and
felt His parson, and receiFed His benedic-
ton, He is G1ustc, and light, and warmth,
and thrill, lxnd eternal fragrance. Sweet
as friend sticking to you when all else
betray. Lifting you up while others try
to push you down. Net so much like
morning slories, that bloemonly when the
sun is couTflg up, nor like -four o,clocks, "
that bloom only when the sun IS going
down, but like myrrh, Ferpetually aro-
matic-the same morning, noon ,audhEight
-yesterdrsr, to-day, foreVtsr.
1t seemsas if we can notwgear Kim out
We put on slim all our burdens, and afflict
! Him with all our grisfs, and set Him fore
most in ala our battles, and vet Heis1eady
to lift and a. sympathize and to haSp. We
have so imposed upon Him that one would
think in ett=nal affront He would quit our
soul; aud yet to-day he addresses Is, with
the same tenderness, dawRs npon.us with
the same smile, pities usETith the~same
compassion There is no name like His
for US 1t IS more imperial than Caesars,
more musical than BeethoV ems, mors-eon-
Quering than Chsrlemagne's, more elo-
quent than Cicero's. 1t tArsbs with all
life. 1t weeRs with all pathos. 1t green's
with all Pain. 1t stoops with all conde-
scension. Ii breathes vita all perfume.
Who like Jesus to set brok an home, opity
q homeless orphan, 10 nurse a sick man, to
take prodiga; back without g nS scolding,
TO illuminate. "a cemetery all ploSyed with
graves, to make a Queen unto God out Of
the lost woman OF the street. to catch the
tears of humas sorrow in q lachrymatory
that shall never be brokeus Who has suck
an eve to see ORR needs, such "a lip to kiss
away our sorrow, such han6ttS snatch
us out of the fire. such foot 10 tramples
our enemies, such a heart To embrace ell;
our necessities? l struggle with some
with which to express Him. He
rs not Ike the tersting forth of q full
orchestra; that Is too loud. He is not
like the sea when flashed to rage by the
tempest; that is too boisterous. He,is not
like the mountain, itE brow wreathed with
the lightniRgs; that as too solitary. Give
as softer type, Igentler comparison.
We have seemed to SEQ Him with our eyes,
and to touch Him with our hands. @, that
to-day he might appes- to some other one
of OR five senses! Aye. the nostril shall
discover his presence. He comes upon Us
like spice gaaes from Neaven. Yea, His
garments smell of punsents, lasting and
nyrrh.
O, that you al knew His sweetness How
soon ysu would Eurn from your novels. II i
fhe philosopher leaped out of his bath in a |
frenzy Of joy akd clapped his hands and |
rHshed through the streets, because he had |
found the solution of a mathematical |
how will you feel leaping from
the fountain of a Saviour's mercy and /
pardon, washed clean and made white as
snow, wheI the question has been solved: