The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-12-20
TALMAGE'S SERMON,
The Weekly DISCOURSE Of the Great
Brooklyn Preacher,
Subject; "The Fragrance of
the Gospel"

the Gospel"
TEXT: Van CIV garments smell Of myrrh,
aud dtoes, and cdssia, out OF The tpory pat
aces."-Psams XIV, $.
Among the grand adornments OF the city
of Paris is the Church of Notre Dame, with
its great towers, and elaborated rose
windows, and sculpturng of the last judg'
ment with tho trunpeting anges and rising
dead; its hattlements Of quarterfoil; 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 laid in oaken presses,
robes that had been embroidered with gold,
on great occasions. There was robe that
had been worn by Plus VII. at the browning
of the first Napoleon. There was also vest.
ment that had been worn at the baptism OF
Napoleon IL. AS our guide opened the
oaken presses and brought out these
vestments of fabulous cost, and lifted
them up, tho fragrance OF the pungent arc
matics in which they had been preserved,
filled the place with a sweetness that was al
most oppressive. Nothing that had been done
in stone more wildly impressed me than these
things that had been done in cloth, and EN-
broidcry, and perfume But to day open the
drawer OF this text, AMI look upon the
flashing with eternal jewels, the whole house
is filled with tho aroma of these garments,
which smell of my.rh, and aloes, and cassia,
out of the ivory palaces"
In my text the King steps forth. Hisrobes
rustic and blaze as He advances. His pomp
tor. More brilliant is He than Queen Vashti,
moving amid the Persian Princes; than
Marie Antoinette on the day when Louis
XVI. put upon her the necklace OF eight
hundred diamonds; than Anne Boleyn, the
day when Henry VIII. welcomed her to his
palace; all beauty and all pomp forgotten,
while we stand in the presence of this i'm
King of Heaven, King forever! His gar
ments not worn out, not dust bed
ragged; but radiant, and ieweled,
and reioleut. 1t seems es if they
must have been pressed hundred years
amid tie ilowtrs Of heaven The wardrobe
from which they have been taken must have
been sweet with clusters of campfire and
frankincense, and all manner of precious
wood. Do you not inhale the oiors! Away.
They smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,
out of the ivory palaces"
Your first curiosity is to know why the
This was a bright.leafed Abyssnian plant.
1t was trifoliated, The Greeks, Egyptians,
Romans and Jews bought and sold it at
n high price. The first present
that was ever given TO Christ was a
sprig of myrrh, thrown on his infantile bed
in Bethlehem, and the last gift that Christ
ever hal was myrrh pressed into the cup of
his crucidxon. The natives would take a
stone and bruise the tree, and then
it would exude gum that would
saturate all the ground beneath. This gum
was used for purposes of merchandise. One
piece of it, no larger than chestnut would
whelm whole room with odors. 1t was put
in closets, in chests, in drawers, in rooms
and its perfume adhered almost intermin
ably to anything that was anywhere near
1T SO when in my text | read that Christ's
garments smell of myrrh, | Immediately
conclude the exquisite sweetness of Jesus.
know that to many He is only like any his
toricai person.; another John Howard
another philanthropic Oberlin; another Con.
aucius; grand subject for a painting; a
heroic theme for n poem; a beautiful
form for statue; but to those who have
heard His voice, and felt His pardon, and re-
ceived His henediction, He is music. and
light and warmth, aud thrill, and eternal
fragrance. Sweet as a friend sticking to
you when all else betray. Lifting you up
while others try to push you down. Not
so much like morning glories, that bloom
only when the sun is coming up, nor like
-four clocks. that bloom only when the sun
is going town, but like myrrh, perpetually
aromatic-the same morning, noon and night
--ycstertlay, to day, forever. 1t seems as if
we cannot wear Him out We put on Him
all our burdens, and atilict Him with al!
our griefs, and set Him foremost in all our
battles, and yet He is ready to lift, and to
sympathize, and to help. We have so i'm
posed upon Him that one would think in
eternal aflront He would quit our soul; and
yet to-day He addresses us with the same
tenderness, dawns upon us with the same
smile, pities us with the same compassion.
There il nama like His for us H. il
mora irane4ial than Caesars, more musica
THAI. 4,es5toven's, more conquering than
Charlemagne's, more eloquent than Cicero's.
1tthrobs with alllfe 1t weeps with all pathos
1t groans with all pain. 1t stoops with
all condescension. 1t breathes with al
perfume Who like Jesus to set broken
bone, to pity homeless orphan, to nurse a
sick man. to take prodigal back without
any scolding, to illumlne cemetery al
plowed with graves, to make Queen unto
God out of the lost woman of the street, tc
catch the tears of human sorrow in a
lachrymatory that shall never be broken
Who has such an eye to see our need, such a
Zip to kiss away our sorrow, such hand t.
snatch us out of the fire, such a foot tt
trample our enemies such heart to embrace
all our necessities? | struggle for some
metaphor with which to express Him. He is
not like the bursting forth Of full or
chestra; that is too loud. He is not lilz'
shat is too boisterous. He is not likeJ thu
mountain, its brow wreathed with thf
iightnings; that is too solitary. Give u.
q softer type, gentler comparison
We have seemed to see Him with our
eyes, and to hear Him with our ears, and t.
touch Him with our hands. Oh, that to-da,
He might appear to some other one of GU
Eve sensesl Ay. the nostril shall discove
His presence. He comes upon us like spic
gales from heaven. Yea, His garments smell
of Dungent, lasting and all pervasive myrrh
Oh, that you all knew His sweetness. HOY
soon you would turn from your novels
the philosopher leape1 out of his batl
his hands, and rushed through the
streets, because he had found the solution o.
mathematical problem, how will you fee
leaping from the fountain of a Saviour
mercy and pardon, washed, clean, and mad
white as snow, when the question has beeI
solved: How can my soul be saved" Naked
frost-bitten, storm dashed soul, let Jesus thi
hour throw around thee the garments tina
smell of myrrh, and aioes, and cassia, out 0
the ivory palaces
Your second curiosity is to know why tn
robes of Jesus are odorous with aloes. Their
is some difference of opinion about wher
these aloes grow, what is the color of tn
flower, what is the particular appearance o
the herb Suffice it for you and me to know
that aloes mean bitterness the Wort,
over, and when Christ comes with garment
bearing that particular odor, they suggest t
me the bitterness of Saviour's sufferings
Were there ever such nights as Jesus live
through-nghts on the mountains, nights OF
the sea, nights in the desert: Who ever hat
IN hard reception as Jesus bad. hos
the first. an unjust trial in oyer ant
liner another, a foul mouthed yeliny
f7 the last. Was there space on Hi
as wide as your two fingers where Il
Not whipped. Was there space on Hi
Low an inch square where He was not Gu
of the brierss When the spike struck at til
instep, did it not go clear through to tn
hollow of the foot! Oh, long, deep, bite
pilgrimage. Aloesl Aloesl
John leaned his head on Christ but VIII,
did Christ lean on. Five thousand men fe,
by the Saviour who fed Jesus! The sym
pathy of Saviour's heart going out to tn
leper and the adulteress; but who soothe
Christi Denied both cradle and death
bed, He bad a fit place neither to b
born nor to die. A poor babel .
poor lad A poor young man. Not so muc
as taper to cheer his dying hours Eve
the candle of the sun snufed out Oh. wa
it not all aloess All our sins, SORROWS be
reavements, losses, and all the agonies G
earth and hell picked up as in one clu.
ter and squeezed into one cup, and tina
pressed to His lips, until the acric
nauseating, bitter draught was swallowe
tod Il