The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-04-09
CHRIST Is RISEN.
pev. T. Dewitt Talmage's Easter
Sermon to His People.
the Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Typ
IcaI of the Death that Is Continu-
ally Occurring and the FL
nal Resurrection.

text being:
Come. see the place where the Lord lay
Matt XVIII.
Visiting any great city we are not sat
isfied 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 q
poet. out there an inventor, in some
other place 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 a matter of public
interest; in the other it is a matter of
public and heartfelt affection. But
around the grave at which we halt this
morning are gathered all kinds of stu
pendous interest. At this sepulchre, /
have to tell you, in this sepulchre there
was buried king, a conqueror, an
amancipator, friend, a brother,
Christ. monarch of the universe, but
bone Of our bone, 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, a 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 timid man, had
been absent at the time of the casting
of the vote. He had laid out the par
terrc at great expense. 1t was a hot
climate and ] suppose there were
broad-branched trees and winding paths
underneath them, while here the waters
rippcd over the rock into a fishpool,
and yonder the vines and the flowers
clambered over the wall, all around
there were the beauties of kiosk and
arboriculture. After the fatigues of
the Jerusalem court room, how refresh
ing to come out in these suburbs botan-
ical and pomological.
/ walk little further on in the
partcrre and come across a cluster of
rocks, and | see on them the marks of a
sculptors chisel. l come still closer
and find that there is a subterranean
recess and l 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. 1 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
dead body. One of these rooms of
rock is especially wealthy with sculp-
ture. 1t was beautiful and charming
spot Why all this? 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 resting place. What beautiful
plot in which to wait for the resurrec-
ton!
Mark well the mausoleum in the rock.
1t is to be the most cele ebrated tomb in
all the ages; catacombs of Egypt, tomb
of Napoleon, Mahal Tai of India, moth
Ing 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
hinderance. 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 a 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 in
cislon, and then run for his life else he
would be slain for violating the dead
body. Then the other priests would
come with salt of nitre and cassia, and
wine of palm tree, and complete the
embalmment. 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 mauso-
ieum; Nicodemus, 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 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 vio-
lation of the seal of the United States
government, or of the British govern
ment, always followed with severe PEN
alties.
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 grave yards 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 pave
ment, moves through the portico, sp-
pears in the doorway, comes up the
marble steps. Christ having left His
mortuary attire behind Him, comes
forth in the garb of 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 trowels of earthly masonry can
not mend ii. Forever and forever it is
broken tomb. Death that day taking
Al Ia. - A. slfko,.xx ..oaivaH hOr-