The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-04-17
EASTER JUBILEE.
A Timely Sermon Preached by
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage.
Lessons of Eastertide-The Greatest Chris.
tian Holiday of the Year-Christ's
Triumph Over the Grave-The
First and the Last
Resurrection.

! Resurrection.
! On Easter Sunday Rev. DR.. Talmage
preached in the New York Academy of
Music, taking for his subject Easter
Jubilee" the text being taken from
1. Cor, XIV. "a: death is swallowed up
in victory"
About eighteen hundred and sixty
one Easter mornings have wakened the
earth. In France for three centuries
the almanacs made the year begin at
Easter, until Charles TX. made the year
begin at January 1, In the Tower OF
London there is a royal payroll of Ed
ward l., on which there is an entry OF
eighteen pence for four hundred col
ored and pictured Easter eggs, with
which the people sported. In Russia
slaves were fed and aims were distrib-
uted on Easter.
Ecclesiastical councils met at Pontus,
at Gaul, at Rome, at Achaia, to decide
the particular day, and, after contro-
versy more animated than gracious, de-
cided it, and now through all Chris
tendon in some way, the first Sunday
after the full moon which happens up
on or next after March 21 is filled with
Easter rejoicing. The royal court of
the Sabbaths is made up of fifty-two.
Fifty-one are princes in the royal house
hold; but Easter is queen. She wears
a richer diadem, and sways a more
ieweled scepter, and in her smile ma
tions are irradiated. We welcome this
queenly day, holding high up in her
right hand the wrenched off bolt of
Christ's sepulcher, and holding high up
in her left hand the key to all the Gem
eteries in Christendom.
My text is an ejaculation. 1t is spun
out of hallelujahss Paul wrote right
on in his argument about the resurrec-
ton, and observed all the laws of logic;
but when he came to write the words
of the text his fingers and his pen and
the parchment on which he wLote took
fire, and he criedout: death is swal-
lowed up in victory" 1t is dreadful
sight to see an army routed and flying.
They scatter everything valuable on
the track. Unwheeled artillery. Hoof
of horse on breast of wounded and
dying man. You have read of the
French falling back from Sedan, or Ma
poleon's track of ninety thousand
corpses in the snowbanks of Russia, or
of the five kings tumbling over the
rocks of Bethoran with their armies
while the hailstorms of Heaven and
the swords of Joshua's hosts struck
them with their fury. But in my text
is a worse discontinue. 1t seems that
black giant proposed to conquer the
earth. He gathered for his host all the
aches and pains and maladies and dis
tempers and epidemics of the ages, He
marched them down, drilling them IL
the northeast wind, amid the slush o.
tempests He threw up barricades o.
grave mound. He pitched tent o,
charnel-house. Some of the troops
marched with slow tread, commanded
by consumption; some in double-quiclk
commanded by pneumonias. Some h'
took by long besiegement of evil habit
|
ak of casualty. With bony hand h
pounded at the doors of hospitals anC
sick rooms, and won all the victories il
all the great battlefelds of all the fiv'
continents. Forward, march! the con
queror of conquerors, and all the gen
erals and commanders-in chief, and al
presidents and kings and sultans ant
cars drop under the feet of his wa
charger.
But one Christmas night his antago
mist was born. AS most of the plague
and sicknesses and despotisms cam
out of the east, it was appropriate tina
the new conqueror should come out o
the same quarter. Power is given Hin
to awaken all the fallen of all the cen
turies, and of all lands, and marsha
them against the black giant. Field
have already been won, but the las
day will see the decisive battle. Whel
Christ shall lead forth His two brigades
the brigade of the risen dead and tn
brigade of the celestial host, the blacl
giant will fall back, and the brigad
from the riven sepulchers will tax
Him from beneath, and the brigade O
descending immortals will take Hir
from above, and "death shall be swa.
lowed up in victory" The old braggar
that threatened the conquest and dc
molition of the planet has lost hi
throne, has lost his scepter has lost hi
palace, has lost his prestige, and tn
one word written over all the gates {
mausoleum and catacomb and necropC
lis, on cenotaph and sarcophagus, o
the lonely cairn of the Arctic explorer
and on the catafalque of great catht
dral, written in capitals of azalea an
Gala lily, written in musical cadenc'
written in doXology of great assen
blages, written on the sculptured doc
of the family vault, is "Victory." Core
nal word, embannered word, apocalyl
tic word, chief word of triumphal arc
under which conquerors return VII
tory Word shouted at Culloden an
Balaklava and Blenheim; at Megidd
and Solferino; at Marathon, where th
: Athenians drove back the Medes; &
Poictiers, where Charles Martel broli
the ranks Of the Saracens; at Salami
where Themistocles in the great sc
fight confounded the Persians, and ;
the door of the eastern cavern I
chiseled rock, where Christ can
through recess and throttled I'll
King of Terrors, and put him back
the niche fromwhich the celestial COZ
queror had just emerged. Ahal whe
: the jaws of the eastern mausoleul
took down the black giant, death Wa
swallowed up in victory"