The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-12-12
BEAUTY OF THE GOSPEL.
DIR. TALMAGE DISCOURSES ELO-
QUENTLY ON DIVINE SCRIPTURE.

DIR. TALMAGE DISCOUESES ELo
QUENTLY ON DIVINE sCRIPTURE.
The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris
Made the Subject of 3 Striking Compari
soa-The Symbolic Myrrh. Aloes and
Cassia-Some Rich Metaphors.
At the Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sun
day, the Rev. T. De Witt Talmsge
preached an eloquent sermon on s'The
Fragrance OF the Gospel" taking for hiE
text: call thy garments smell of nyrrh,
and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces. Psalms 45:6. He said:
Among the grand adornments Of the
city of Paris is the Church of Notre
Dame, with its great towers, and elabo-
rated rose-windows, and sculpturing OF
the last Judgment, with the trumpeting
angels and rising dead; its bsttlement OF
quarterfol; its sscristy, with ribbed
ceiling and statues Of saints. But there
was nothing in all that building which
more wildly appealed to my plain re,
publican tastes, than the costly vestments
which lay in oaken presses-robes that
had been embroidered with gold, and
been worn by popes and arch-bishops
on great occasions. There was robe
that had been worn by Plus VII, at the
crowning of the Erst Napoleon. There
was also vestment that had been worn
at the baptism of Napoleon II. As on,
guide opened the oaken presses and
brought out these vessments of fabulous
cost, and lifted them up, the fragrance
OF the pungent aromatic IN which they
had been preserved, filed the place with
sweetness that was almost oppressive.
Nothing that had been done in stone
more yividly impressed me than these
things that had been done in cloth, and
embroidery, perfume. But to-day 1 open
the drawer Of this text, and I look upon
the kingly robes of Christ, and as lift
them, flashing with eternal jewels, the
whole house is flied with the aroma of
these garments, which ''smen of myrrh,
and aloes, csssis, out of the ivory
palaces. "
In my text the King steps forth. His
robes rustic and blaze as He advances.
His pomp and power and glory over
master the spectator. More brilliant is
He.han Qusen Fashti moving amid the
Persians princes: than Mary Antoinette
on the dsy when Louis XVI. put upon
her the necklace of 800 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 imperial glory,
King OF Zion, King Of earth, King of
Heaven, King forever! His garments not
worn out, not dust-bedrsggled; but radi-
ant, and ieweled and redolent. 1t seems
as If they must have been pressed a
hundred years amid the flowers OF
heaven. The wardrobes from which
they have been taken must have been
sweet with clusters of campfire, and
frankincerse, and all manner of precious
wood. Do you not inhale the odors?
Ay, az. They smell Of myrrh, and aloes,
and eassis, out OF the ivory palaces.
Your inst curiosity Is to know why
the robes OF Christ are. odorous. with
myrrh.
This was q. bright lesfed Abssiman
plant. It was trifciiatsd. 1.-The Greeks,
Egyptians, Romans and Jews bough:
and sold it at q high price. The first
present that was ever given to Christ was
q sprig OF myrIh, thrown on His infan-
tile bed in Bethlehem, and the last gift
that Christ ever had was myrh pressed
into the cup OF His -cruoihxien. The
natives wonid take stone and bruise the
tree, and then it would exude a gum
that would saturste all the ground be-
meath. This gum was used for purposes
Of merchandise. One piece OF it, no
larger than chestnut, would Whelm a
whole room with odors. It was put In
closets, n. chests, IN drawers, in rooms,
and 6iss pesfnme adhesedalm iRtermin-
ably to anything that was anywhere nea,
IL So when in my text read that
Chriss,s garment smelL Of myrrh, !
immediately ;conczade the exqaisite
sweetness Of Jesus. i know that to many
He is only like any historical person:
another John Howard; another philan-
thropic ODerlin; another Confuclus; 8
grand subject for 9 painting; a heroic
theme for poem; 8 beautiful form fol
statue: bus to those VINO have heard
His voice, and felt, His psrdon, and re.
ceiyed His beneciction, BE is music, ano
light, and warmth, and thrill, and eter'
nsl fragrance. Sweet as friend sticking
to you when all else bstray. Lifting you
up while others try to push you down.
Not Sc much like morning Slorles, tha.
bloom only when the sun is coming up,
nor hke -four o'clocks; that bloom only
when the sun is going down, but like
my1rh, perpetusliy aromatic-the same
morning, noon, and night-yesterdsy.
to-day, forever. It seems S Il We can.
not wear Him ont. We put on Him al
our burdens, and afhict Him with ali oul
ariefs, and set Him foremost in all oul
battles, and yet He is ready to lift, anc
30 sympathlze, and to help. We. have
so imposed upon Him that one woulc
think it eternal afront if he would qui
our soul; and yet to-day He addresses u
With the same tenderness, dawns upol
Us with the same smile, pities Us with
the same compassion.
There Is no name Ike his for Us. It i
more imperial than Casar's, more musi
csl than Beethoven's, more conquerlns
than Charlemsgne's, more eloquent thal
Cnero's. It throbs with all life. It weep
with pathos. Il groans with all pain
It stoops with all condescension. l
e t>~ao&L,os With oil ,,arfy1mo VINO Ink