Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-12-13
SUNDAYS SERMON.
ovr OF REV. DIR. TALMAGEs
O sTERLING DIsCoURsEs.
supiect: The Fragrance of the
Gospel.

,ess Psalms XIV g.
Among the grand adornments OF the city
Psris 3 the Church of Notre Dame, with
~ great towers, and elaborated rose
nindeWs. and sculpturing OF the last ludg-
VI, with the trumpeting ange and rising
a a1a5 rs hattlements Of quarterfoil; its
.or;stv with ribbed ceiling and statues
sgsaints But there was nothing in all that
g.;Jinp which more wildly appealed TO my
.iain republican tastes, than the costly
Ps.,nents which laid in oaken presses,
- tbat had been embroidered with gold.
.n5 been worn by popes and archbishops
~ ,rsat occasions. There was a robe that
IA been worn by Plus VII. at the GROWING
y the first Napoleon. There was also vest
,neut that had been worn at the baptism OF
Nspoeon II. As our guide opened the
.otsr presses and brought out these
,as,rnanfs of fabulous cost, and lifted
,se, mn The fragrance of the pungent arc
'gatr; in which they had been preserved,
eli the nlace with sweetness that was al
most oppressiye. Nothing that had been done
~ ,tooe more wildly impressed me than the @
.lirrs mat had been done i'm cloth, and em-
S S,,,7 and perfume. But 10 day open the
grswer Of this text and | look upon the
sinyly roles of Christ. and as l lift them,
aosbing with eternal Jewels, the whole house
/ filed with the aroma OF these garments,
which smell Of myrrh, and aloes, and cassla,
out Of the ivory palaces.
In my text the King steps forth. Hisrobes
,,stle and blaze as He advances. Ills pomp
mi mower and glory overnaster the specta-
,or More brilliant is He than Queen Nashti,
moying amid the Persian Princes; than
Marie Antonette on the day when Louis
WI mt upon her the necklace of eight
snndred diamonds: than Anne Boleyn, the
5sy when Henry VII. welcomed her to his
= ace. all beauty and all pomp forgotten,
while we stand in the presence of TINS i'm
raria glory, King of Zion, King of earth,
King Of Heaven, King forever! His gar
ments not worn out, not dust bed
ragged; but radiant, and leweled,
and redolent 1t seems as II they
must have been pressed a hundred years
smil Inc flowers OF heaven. The wardrobe
from which they have been taken must have
bean sweet with clusters of campfire and
frankncense, and all manner of precious
wool Do YOU not inhale the odorsf Ay,ay.
They.'snei of myrrh, and alces, and cassia,
out Of the ivory palaces.
Your first curiosity is TO know why the
robes Of Christ are odorous with myrrh.
This was a bright -leafed Abyssinian plant.
Il was trifoIiated The Greeks, Egyptians,
Roman; and Jews bought and sold it at
high price. The first present
Sat was ever given 10 Christ was
sriy Of myrrh, thrown on his infantile bed
in Bethlehem and the last gift that Christ
ever had was myrrh pressed into the cup of
bis crucaxion. The natives would take a
stone and bruise the tree, and then
it would exude gum that would
aturate all the ground beneath. This gum
was used for purposes Of merchandise. One
pee Of it. no larger than n chestnut, would
vhsm whole room with odors. 1t was put
in Closets in chests, in drawers. in rooms,
end its perfume adhered almost intermin-
ably to anything that was anywhere near
il 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
torica person; another John Howard;
another phianthropic Oberlin; another Con-
iucius; grand subject for a painting;
heroic theme for a poem; a beautiful
form for a statue, but to those who have
heard His voice, and felt His pardon, and re-
Ceived His benediction, He is music, and
light, and warmth, and 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
50 much like morning glories, that bloom
only when the sun is coming up, nor like
-four COCKS that bloom only when the sun
gong down. but like myrrh, perpetually
aromatc-the same morning, noon and night |
Yesterday to day, forever. 1t seems as if |
We cannot wear Him out We pnt on Him
all our burdens, and aiiiict Him with all |
our grefs, and set Him foremost in all our
battles and yet He is ready to lift, and to |
ympathze, and to help. We have so inn |
posed upon Him that one would think in |
eternal aiiront He would quit our soul; and |
yet to-day lie addresses us with the same |
tenderness, dawns upon us with the same |
smile, ptes MS with the same compassion.
There is ~ name like His for u.s. IL is |
more imperial than CPsars, more musical |
Iaan Beethoyens, more conquering than |
SShrlemagnes- more eloquent than Cicero's.
,n'hroos with alllife- 1t weeps with all pathos
" sroans with all pain. Ii stoops with |
al condescension. 1t breathes with all |
perfume Who like Jesus TO set broken |
zone TO pity homeless orphan, to nurse
acA man, to take prodigal back without
NY S0dng, TO illumine a cemetery all
goNed with graves, to make a Queen unto i
Wu out Of the lost woman of the street, to
ISa the tears of human sorrow i'll a
TSelrvmatory that shall never be brokenl
nlenas such an eve to see our need. such n
wy Mss away our sorrow, such a hand to
Aael US out of the fire, such foot to
'. JBfupe our enemies, such heart to embrace
I'LL olr necessities! struggle for some
y. .saphor with which to express Him He is
~ IKE the bursting forth of a full or
s.astra; that is too loud. He is not like
aesa when lasbed to rage by the tempest.
~ too b5isterous. He is not like1 the
IJtlaah It's brow wreathed with the
Auall.ss that IS too solitary. Give us
II. UT type, a gentler comparison.
sr e uaVe seemed to see Him with our
,os ~ a ~! 10 hear Him with our ears. and to
IN /. nun with our hands. Oh, that to-day
AZ might appear to some other one of our
n es' Ay, the nostril shall discover
81 81 presence. He comes upon us like spice
n f, ~. run heaven. Yea, His garments smell
6s1usent lasting and all pervasive myrrh.
so ~ 'ait you all knew His sweetness. How
~ ~ Nv would turn from your novels. If
n p'nsopher leaped out of his bath
NJ frenzy of JOY and CAPPED
str.s,i ninnds, and rushed through the
am mai because he had found the solution of
har;r'-'' 'latical problem, how will YOU feel
nsrcva .tolh the fountain of a Saviour's
sbits a. al pardon, washed, clean, and made
slgal. ~. fngo~' when the question has been
tot H.. now can my soul be savedl9 Naked.
On ssueh, storm-lashed soul, let Jesus this
. nj y, ~ wv around thee the garments that
= ivo,,i iyrrh, and aioeS, and cassia. out of
H6as ~ como curiosity is to know WHY the
- o sssls are odorous with aloes There
Ia. ~ ulierence of opinion about where
frar -, - grow, what is the color of the
h berb is a. Is the particular appearance of
Ast ~ ouince 1t for you and me to know
WEI. ana p mean bitterness the world
tssripg th ~ien Christ comes with garments
Z TIE bitterLpsa rtlcllar odor, they suggest to