Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-17
ON EASTER MORNING.
Stirring Events Which Are Commem-
GRATED in the Days Services.
GREAT TRUTH WHICH THEY TEACH
The Grave Il Only the Portal Of the Gate Of
Everlasting Joy.
T1DINGs THAT FILLED TIE woRLI
WRITTEN FOR THE p1spArcH.J

| heaQS Is tne SKY Oh SyIios Ucuedtu our IeeG
the street pavements Of Jerusalem. It is
the morning of the third day after the great
Tragedy, and we are going out with black
despair in our hearts to visit the tomb Of
the dead Teacher. We loved Him, We
trusted in Him, we looked to Him to be the
promised deliverer of Israel We had ex-
pected Him to gather us about Him one
day in great, enthusiastic army and sweep
the hated Romans out of our country, and
get up a throne here on Mt. Zion which
would overtop all other thrones, and sway
| a scepter which should strike down all other
scepters in the world. We hoped to have
been His council of state in that great new
kingdom, ruling the IL divisions Of the
earth.
But all that is now only forlorn men,
ory. The cross has set its fatal barrier be-
tween the past and the future We have
all made somehow tragic blunder. He is
dead, and that is the end Of all. And this
morning, for the old love that we bore Him
yes, and bear Him still-we are going out
some of us carrying store Of myrrh and
spices to prepare His body for its long rest
after all the weary journeys, all the pains
| and prosecutions of His life.
scenes of the Early Morning.
There is some confusion in the gospel
story of the early Easter morning. The
grays dusk which hung about the city and
the tomb still fingers in the pages of the
Scripture. It is not easy to set ourselves
in sure touch with the events of these old
hours OF wonder. Through the darkness,
figures are seen moving; there are voices
and visions of angels, but all is dim and
confused. We catch the sound of hurrying
feet aere is Mary Magdalene, hurrying
from the tomb into the city; and there are
the apostles, John and Peter, with troubled
faces, hurrying from the city to the tomb
On the road were women, perplexed be-
tween fear and joy; in the air are strange
them, cause much shaking Of incredulous
heads Everybody Is e1cited-soldiers,
telling of the marvellous apparition of an
angel which has scared them from their
watch; excited and apprehensive priests;
excited women, declaring that they have |
seen with their own eyes, walking, speak |
ing, and alive, One who yesterday lay |
MANNED and dead.
All this hurry and excitement, this rush |
ing to and fro and telling of strange sights,
is reflected in the pages of the gospel 1t |
is hard to make out the full, connected story
of that ever-memorable morning. Putting |
all the accounts together, however, as men
did that day who listened to the strange |
stories that were current in the little COM
pany of Christians, imagining ourselves
waiting in the upper room there and listen
ing to the tidings which one after another
brings, we make it out like this:
The Supreme Act OF History.
While it was still dark, and the soldiers
were keeping their watch, pacing up and
down before the tomb, at an hour when no
man knew, and as silently as the stars move
in the sky, the event had its stupendous
fulfllment. That supreme act, beside
which all great victories. all sublime dis
coveries, all the pages of all the histories,
become insignificant, took place. Jesus
Christ gained His triumph over the power
of death. The guarded tomb lay suddenly
empty.
Then, swift coming down from heaven,
appeared the angel of the resurrection, his
face like tightening and his face like the
shining snow, in whose presence the stout
them and. they fell like men dead. The
great sealed stone was rolled away. The
empty tomb was open.
Then, slowly along the road from Jeru-
salem, bearing in their hands spices and
ointments for embalming, came loving and
sorrowing women, chief among them Mary
of Magdala As they draw near the place
they remember the great stone, and wonder
how they will get it rolled away. And as
to see the dim light, behold the stone is out
of place. Somebody has moved it. Yes,
they cry as they get nearer, the stone is
rolled away! With grieved and anxious
hearts they hurry to the mouth of the tomb.
It is indeed as they have feared. The body
Is not there.
How They Explained tho Disappearanoe. |
The Jews have come-they say to one
another-the cruel, merciless rulers have
come and stolen away the body Even the
scourging and the cruci6xion have not con-
tented them. They cannot even let His
body lie quiet in the grave. They have
taken our Lord from us, and now they must
come and take even His dead body.
We observe that here is not ray OF
hope. Not one of this mourning company
thinks of suggesting that the Lord has per-
haps risen. They look with tears in their
eyes upon the empty tomb. That open
grave was in reality the gladdest sight to
Be seen that day all the wide earth over. 1t
meant victory and life eternal 1t meant
smiles for tears and carols for complain
ings, and the flowers of joy for the weeds
of mourning; but these women do not un-
derstand. They cannot see how there can
be any good about this grievous trouble.
They look each other in the face with blank
despair. The sky is black above them.
Hope is dead.
We make mistakes sometimes, just a.
they did. That which seems grief beyond
er and see farther, only the beginning of
better Joy. But from these desolate women
the meaning is quite hid. Mary turns
back and runs to tell the sad news to the
Apostles, John and Peter.
Angels Brought tho Tidings.
Meanwhile, the women make another
search. These rockhewn tombs consisted of
o vestibule and several inches. The vesti-
bule was commonly of some size; the inches
were cut deeper into the rock. It was in
these that the bodies of the dead were laid.
Perhaps there may be some mistake. They
will look again. And, as they look, behold
bright angels. Here are the words of
marvellous message. These angels bring the
Easter tidinga. "Why seek ye the living"
they say, "among the dead? He is not
herei He is risenl'
Risen! What is this strange word that
they hear? Risen, and alive again? The
women TALL upon their faces to the earth. A
new light breaks upon their hearts And
then they are alone in tho entrance of the
empty tomb. Half in fear and half in Joy,
not well knowing what to think, they come
out in the brightness of the Easter morn
ing, and hurry back to tell the others
And now, by another road, come other
eager runners. First the younger apostle,
John, quicker of step, and behind him
Peter, both hurrying and breathing hard;
and behind both, outdistanced by reason Of
weakness, Mary Magdelene. The apostles
reach the tomb. Yes: it is true as Mary
has said. The stone is rolled away. The