The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-02

must leave its gold, the lily must leave its
silver, the rose must leave its diamond
necklace OF morning dew. Dust to dust.
so we come up, We prosper, we spread
abroad, we die as the flower--as the flowerl
Change and decay ON all around see;
o thou who changcst not, abide with mel
Flowers also afford mighty symbolism OF
Christ, who compared himself TO the an
cient queen, the lily, and the modern
queen, the rose, when he said: 81 am the
rose OF Sharon and the lily OF the valleys"
Redolent like the one, humble like the
other. Like both, appropriate for the sad
who want sympathizes, and for the re-
joicing who want banqueters. lowering
over the marriage ceremony like wedding
bell, or folded like a chaplet on the pulse
less heart of the dead.
Oh Christ. let the perfume OF thy name
be waited all around the earth-lily and
rose, lily and rose-until the wilderness
crimson into garden and the round earth
turn into one great bud of immortal beauty
laid against the warm heart OF God. Snatch
down from the worlds banners eagle and
lion, and put on lily and rose, lily and
rose.
But, my friends, flowers havenogrander
use than when on Easter morning we cele-
brate the termination Of Christ from the
catacombs. All the flowers OF today spell
resurrection. There is not nook or COR
ner in all the building but is touched with
the incense. The women carried spices to
the tomb OF Christ, and they dropped
spices all around about the tomb, and
from those spices have grown all the flow
ers OF Easter morn. The two white-robed
angels that hurled the stone away from
the door Of the tomb, hurled il with such
violence down the hill that il crashed in
the door Of the worlds sepulcher, and
millions OF the stark and dead shall come
forth.
However labyrinthian the mausoleum,
however costly the sarcophagus, however
intellectually grand the metropolis, how
ever beautifully patterned the family
grounds, we want them all broken up by
the Lord OF the resurrection. The forms
that we laid away with our broken hearts
must rise again. Father aud mother
they must come out Husband and wife
they must come out. Brothers and sisters
they must come out. Our darling chill
dren-they must come out. The eyes that
with trembling fingers we closed, must
open in the lusier OF resurrection morn.
The arms that we folded in death must
join ours in embrace Of reunion. The be-
loved voice that was hushed must be re-
turned. The beloved form must come up
without its infirmities, without lis iatigues
1T must come up.
oh, how long Il seems for some Of you.
Waiting waiting for the resurrection.
How long, how longl make for your
broken hearts today cool, soft bandagc Of
Easter lilies. last night we had come in
the mails beautiful Faster card, ON the
top OF II q representation OF that exquisite
flower called the trumpet crceper," aud
under II the inscriptions: "The trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. I"
comfort You this day with the thought Of
resurrection.
When Lord Nelson was buried In st.
Paul's cathedral In London, the heart OF
all England was stirred. The procession
passed ON amid the sobbing ola nation.
There were thirty trumpeters stationed nc
the door OF the cathedral, with instru-
ments OF music In hand, waiting for the
signal, and when the illustrious dead ar
rived at the gates Of 81. Pauls cathedral,
these thirty trumpcten gave one united
blast, and then nll was silent Yet the
trumpcts did not wake the dead. He
slept right ON.
But | have 10 tell YOU, what thirty
trumpetcn could not do for one man, one
trumpeter will do for all nations The
ages have rolled ON, and the clock Of the
worlds destiny strikes nine, ten, eleven,
twelve, and time shall be no longer.
Behold the archangcl lowering, lie
takes the trumpet, points IL this way, puts
its lips TO his lips, and then blows one long.
loud, terrific, thunderous, rcyerbcrating
aud resurrectionary blast. Look Look
They rise, The dead The dead Some
coming forth from the family vault. Some
from the city cemetery. Some from the
country graveyard. Here n Spirits joined
10 lis body, aud there another spirit IL
joined 10 another body, and millions OF
departed spirits are asserting the bodies
and then reclothing themselves In forms
now radiant for ascension.
The earth begins 20 burn-the bonfire Of
a great victory. All ready now for the
procession OF reconstructed humanity
Upward and away Christ leads, and all
the Christian dead follow, battalion after
battalion, nation after nation. Up, up On,
onl Toward, ye ranks Of God Almighty
Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates,
and let the conqucrors come in Rcsur-
rcctionl Resurrection
And 10 twist all the fcsial flowers ol
this church with ali the fcstal flowers OF
chapclu and cathednls of all Chnstcndom
into one great chain, and with that chain
| | bind the Faster morning OF 1888 with
the closing Easter Of the worlds history
Resurrection May the God Of peace that
brought again from the dead our Lord
| Jesus. that great shepherd OF the sheen
through the blood oi the everlasting cove
nant, make YOU perfect In eyerygcod work
10 do his will.