Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-04-17
REV. DIR. TALMAGE,
THE BROOKLYN DIVINEs SIN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: Come, See the Place Where
the Lord Lay"

Iay."-Matthew xviii, 6.
Visiting any great city. we are not satIs-
fed until we have also looked at its GENE
terry. We examine all the styles of como
taph, mausoleum, sarcophagus, cript and
sculpture. Here lies buried a statesman,
yonder an orator, here poet, out there
inventor, in some other place great phi
lanthroplst. But with how much greater
interest and with more depth of emotion we
look upon our family plot in the cemetery.
In the one case it is a matter of public in
terest, in the other it is a matter of private
and heartfelt affection. But around the
grave at which we halt this morning there
are gathered all kinds OF stupendous in
terest. At this sepulcher, have to tell you
in this sepuIcher there was buried king,
a conquerOr, an emancipation, friend, a
brother, a Christ Monarch of the universe
but bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh,
and sorrow OF our sorrow, and heart OF our
heart. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay"
It has for surroundings the manor in the
suburbs of Jerusalem a manor owned by a
wealthy gentleman by the name of Joseph.
He was one of the court of seventy who had
condemned Christ but I think he had voted
in the negative, or, being timid man, had
been absent at the time of the casting of the
vote. He had laid out the parterre at great
expense. It was hot climate, and suppose
there were broad branched trees and wind
ing paths underneath them, while here the
waters rippled over the rock into a fishpOo,
and Yonder the vines and the flowers clam
bered over the wall, and all around these
were the beauties OfkioSk and arboriculture
After the fatigueS of the Jerusalem court
room, how refreshing to come out in these
suburbs botanical and pomologicali
walk a little further in the parterre
and | come across cluster of rocks and [
see on them the marks OF a sculptOr'S chiSel.
[ come still closer and find that there is a
subterranean recess, and l walk down the
marble stairs and come to a pOrtico over the
dOOrWay-an architecture OF fruits and
flowers chisled by the hand of the sculptor.
go into the porticO, and on either side
there are rooms two or four or six rooms of
rock; in the walls inches, each niche large
enough to hold a dead body. One of these
rooms of rock is especially wealthy with
sculpture. 1t was a beautiful and charming
spot. Why ali this2 The fact was that JOS
eph, the owner Of the parterre of that
wealthy manor had recognized the fact that
he could not always walk those gardens, and
he sought this as his own last resting place.
w hat beautiful plot IN which to wait for
the resurrection!
Mark we'll the mausoleum in the rock. It
is to be the most celebrated tomb in all the
ages: catacombs of Egypt, tomb of Napoleon
Mahal TAI of India nothing compared with
it. Christ had just been murdered, and His
body must be thrown out to the dogs and the
ravens, as was customary with crucified
bodies, unless there be prompt and effective
hndrance. Joseph, the owner of the mauso-
leum, begs for the body of Christ, and he
takes and washes the poor and mutilate3
frame from the blood and the dust and
shrouds it and perfumes it.
think embalmment was omitted. When
in Olden times they wished to embalm dead
body, the priest with some pretension of
medical skill would show the point between
the ribs where the incision was to be made
Then the operator would come and make the
incisiOn, and then run for his life else
he would be slain for violating the
nod +ho
would come with salt or inter, and cassia,
and wine of palm tree, and complete the
embalmnent But think in this case en-
balmment was omitted lest there be more
excitement and another riot. The funeral
advances. Present, Joseph, the owner of the
mausoleum; Nicodemus, who brought the
flowers, aud the two Marys. Heavy bur-
den on the shoulders of two men as they
carry the body Of Christ down the marble
stairs and into the portico, and lift the dead
weight to the level of the niche in the rock
and push the body of Christ into the only
pleasant resting place it ever had. These
men coming forth close the door of rock
against the recess. The government afraid
that the disciples would steal the body of
Christ and play resurrection, put upon the
door the seal of the Sanhedrim, the violation
of that seal, like the violation Of the seal Of
the United States Government or of the
British Government, always followed with
severe penalties.
A regiment of soldiers from the tower of
Antonio is detailed to guard that mausoleum
At the door of that tomb fight took place
which decided the question for all graveyardS
and cemeteries. Sword of lightning against
sword of steel Angel of God against the
military. The body in the crypt begins to
move in its shroud of fine linen and slides
down upon the pavement moves through
the pOrtico, appears in the doorway, comes
up the marble steps. Christ, having left His
mortuary attire behind Him, comes forth in
the garb of q workman, as | take it, from
the fact that the women mistook Him for
the gardener.
There and then was shattered the tomb so
that it can never be rebuilt. All the trowes
of earthly masonry cannot mend it. For
ever and forever it is a broken tomb. Death
that day taking the side of the military
ceived horrible cut under the angels spear
of fame and must himself go down at the
last-the King of Terrors disappearing be-
fore the King Of Grace. THE Lord is
risen" Hosanna! Hosannai
0 weep no more. your comforts slain;
The Lords risen; He lives again.
While standing around the place where
the Lcrd lay l am impressed with the fact
that mortuarY hOnors cannot atone for
wrongs to the living. If they could have
afforded Christ such costly sepulcher they
could have afforded Him q decent earthly
residence. Will they give piece of marble
to the dead Christ when they might have
given soft pillow to the living Christ? If
they had put half the expense of that
mauSOleum in the making of ChriSt's life
on earth comfortable the story would not
have been so sad. He wanted bread; they
gave Him a stone. Christ, like every other
benefactor of the world, was better appre-
ciated after He was dead.
Standing in this place where the Lord lay
-oI for hot Anr owl