The Russellville Democrat., 1888-12-13
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
An Eloquent Discourse on The Fragrance Of the Gospel" {"
The Robes of Christ Redolent of Sweet and Lasting Perfumes that Pene- trate the Innermost Recesses
 of the Christian Life.

for his subject "Ihe hFagF Alcc VA lALS Gospel" His text was
 All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia out Of the ivory palaees--Psaims xiv. S
 Among the grand adornments of the City of Paris is the Church of Notre Dame, with its great towers, and elaborated rose windows, and sculpturiug of the last ludg- ment; with it's trumpetIng angels and Tls- ing dead; its battlements of quarter foil; its sacristy. with ribbed ceiling and stat ues Of saints But there was nothing ln all that building which more vlvldly ap- poaled to my plain republican tastes than the costly vestments which laid in oeSen 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 crOwning of the first Napo- leon. There was also a yestment that had been worn at the baptism of Napoleon IL. As our guide opened the oaken presses and brought out these vestments of fabu- Ions cost and lifted them up, the fra grauce of the pungen. aromatics in which they had been preserved filled the place with @ sweetness that was almost 0p- pressjve. Nothing that had been done in stone more vividly impressed me than these things that had been done in cloth, and embroidery, and perfume. But to-day l open the drawer Of this text, and look upon the kiugly robes of Christ and as I lift them. flashing with eternal jewels, the whole house Is filled with the aroma of these garments, which "smetl Of myrrh, and aloes, and eassia- out or the ivory palaces"
 In my text the King steps forth. His robes rustic and blaze as he advances. His pomp. and power, and glory oyermas- ter the spectator. More brilliant is He than Queen Vashti, moving amid the Per sian 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 imperial glory. King of Zion. King of earth, King oi Heav en. King forever! His garments not worn out, not -bedraggled; but ra- diant, and jeweled, and redolent. It seems as if they must have been pressed a hundred years amid the flowers of Heay- en. The wardrobes from which they have been taken must have been sweet with clusters of campfire, and frauGncense, and all manner of precious wood. Do you not inhale the odorss Ay, ay. They smell Of myrrh. and aloes, and cassia, out of the iyory palaces.
 Your first curiosity Ia to know why the robes Of Christ are odorous with myrrh. This was a bright-leafed Abyssinian plant IL was trifoliated. The Greeks, Egyptians. Romans and Jews bought and sold il at 6 high price. The first present that was ever given to Christ was a sprIg of mvfrh. thrown on His infant bed in Bethlehem. and the last gift that Christ ever had was myrrh pressed into the cup Of His crucidxiou. The natives would take stone and bruise the tree, and then 1t would exude a gum that would saturate all the ground beneath. This gum was used for purposes of merchandise. One piece of il, no larger than a chestnut would whelm a whole room with odors It was put in closets, in chests, in drawers in rooms, and it's perfume adhered almost interminably to any thing that was any. where near it. So when in my text l read that Christ's garments smell of myrrh. immediately conclude the exquisite sweet. ness of Jesus. l know that to many He i: only like any historical person, another John Howard. another philanthropit Oberlin, another Confucius, grand subject for painting, a heroic theme for a poem. a beautiful form for statue, but to those who have heard His voice. and felt His pardon, anC received His benedictiou, He is music, ana light and warmth, and thrill. and eterna fragrance. Sweet as friend sticking tl you when all else betray. Lifting you ul while others try to push you down. No so much like morning glories, that bloom only when the sun is coming up, nor iE' 'sfoFr oiclock's." that bloom only whel the sun is going down, but like myrrh perpetually aromatic-the same morning noon and night-yesterday, to-day, for ever. IL seems as if We can not wear Hin out. We put on Him all our burdens, ani afsict Him with our griefs, and set Hin foremost in all OUT battles, and yet He l. ready to lift, and to sympathize and tl holp. We have so imposed upon Him tha one would think in eternal affront IT. would quit our soul: and yet to-day He ad dresses us with the same tenderness dawns upon us with the same smile, pitie us with the same compassion.
 There is no name like His for Us. It i more imperial than Cssar's, more musica than Beethoven's, more conquering thai Cl,arlemagne's, more eloquent thar Cieero's. It throbs with all life. It weep with all pathOs. IL groans with all pain II stoops with all condescension. l breathes with all perfume. Who lik Jesus to set broken bone, tO pity home less orphan, to nurse sick man, to take predigal back without any scolding, tt iliHmine a cemetery all plowed witl graves, to make a queen unto God out O the lost woman of the street, Go catch th' tears Of human sorrow in 0 lachrymatorl that shall never be broken: Who has sucl aa eye to see our need, such lip 10 ks' away our sorrow, such a hand to snatcl us out of the fire, such a foot to trampl, our enemies, such a heart to embrace al our necessities; l struggle for some metaphor with which to express Him He is not like the bursting forth of fuI orchestra; that is too loud. He is no Ike the sea when lashed 10 rag, by the tempest: that is too boisterOus He Is not like the mountain, its brow wveathed with the lghtnings; that is tot solitary. Give us a softer type, a gcntlel Comparison. We have seemed to see Hin wath our eyes, and to hear Him with our ears, and 10 touch Him with our hand Oh. that to-day He might appear to s0mt one of our five senses, Ay, the nostri shall discover His presence. He come, upon us like spice gales from Heaven Yea, His garments smell of pungeEt, last ing and au-pervasive myrrh.
 Oh, that you all knew His sweetness How soon you would turn from you novels. 1T the philosopher leaped out O his bath in a frenzy of joy. and clappe, his hands, and rushed through the streets because he had found the solution Of natl ematical problem, how will you fee leargng from the fountain of a Saviour mercy and pardon, washed clean, an, made white as snow, when the question hns been solved. "How can my soul b saveds" Naked, fr0st-biJteu, storm lashed soul, let Jesus this hour thr1y around thee the garments that smell 9 myrrh, and aloes and cas-ia, out of th ivory places"
 Your second curiosity is to know win the robes of Jesus are odorous with aloe. There is some difference of opinion abou where these aloes grow, what is the colo Of the flower, what Is the particular ap
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