The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-04-09
THE RESURRECTION DAY
SERMON BY DR.. TALMAGE FOR EAST
ER SUNDAY.

-"~~N'"NN~
Wonderfully Graphic Word Painting
of the Last Scene of Earth.
NEW YORK, March 29,-Dr, Tai
mage preached an Easter sermon to
his two audiences today. Both at the
morning service in Brooklyn and al
The Christian Herald service In New
York in the evening the Academies of
Music We're bright with profusion of
flowers, Easter lilies being conspicuous
A selection of music appropriate to the
festival was beautifully rendered at
each service. The text of the preach
er's discourse was Matthew xviii, 6,
"Come, see the place where the Lord
lay"
Visiting any great city we are not
satisfied until we have also looked at
Its cemetery. We examine all the styles
Of cenotaph, mausoleum, sarcophagus
crypt and sculpture. Here lies buried
a statesman, yonder an orator, here a
poet, out there an inventor, in some
other place a great philanthropist. 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 matter of public
interest, 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 interest. AT this sepulcher,
| have to tell you, in this sepulcher
there was buried king, conqueror,
an emancipation friend, brother,
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" ..
1t has for surroundings the manor in
the suburbs of Jerusalem, manor
owned by wealthy gentleman by the
name of Joseph. He was one of the
court of seventy who had condemned
Christ. but | think he had voted in the
negative, or, being a timid man, had
been absent at the time of the casting of
the vote. He had laid out the parterre
at great expense. 1t was a hot climate,
and | suppose there were broad
branched trees and winding paths I'M
derneath them, while here the waters
rippled over the rock into flshpool,
and yonder the vines and the flowers
clambered over the wall, and all around
there were the beauties of kiosk arbor-
iculture After the fatigues of the Je-
rusalem courtroom, how refreshing to
come out in these suburbs botanical
and genealogical!
wHERS JESUS LAY.
| walk little farther on in the par
terre and | come across q cluster of
rocks, and see on them the marks of
sculptor's chisel come still closer
and find that there is subterranean
recess, and | walk down the marble
stairs, and come to portico, over the
| doorway an architecture of fruits and
flowers chiseled by the hand of the
sculptor. Igo 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
| dead body. One of these rooms of rock
is especially wealthy with sculpture. 1t
is beautiful and charming spot Why
all this2 The fact was that Joseph,
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 What a beautiful
plot in which to wait for the resurrec-
| toni
Mark well the mausoleum in the
| rock. 1t 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 hindrance. Joseph, the
owner of the mausoleum, begs for the
body of Christ, and he takes and washes
the poor and mutilated 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 incsion was to be made. Then the
operator would come and make the in
cision, and then run for his life else he
would be slain for violating the dead
body Then the other priests would
come with salt and nitre and cassia
and wine of palm tree and complete
the emballnment But / think in this
case embalmment was omitted lest there
be more excitement and another riot.
The funeral advances. Present, Joseph,
the owner of the mausoleum; Nicode
mus, who brought the flowers, and the
two Marys. Heavy burden 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 int
the only pleasant resting place it evel
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 an6
play resurrection, put upon the doo'
the seal of the Sanhedrim, the viola
ton of that seal, like the violation o
the seal of the United States govern
ment or of the British government, al
ways followed with severe penalties.
SOLDIERS GUARDED IT.
Areginent of soldiers from the Towe
of Antonio is detailed to guard tina
m.usoIeum. At the door of that toni
a fight took place which decided tht
question for all graveyards and GENE
tcries. Sword of lightning agains
sword of steel Angel of God agains
the military. The body in the cryp
begins to move in its shroud of fin,