St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-05-22
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Sone Unnoticed Facts in Connec-
don With the Resurrection.

Hhe Lord In Gardeners Attire-First Ap-
Pearance to Mary Masia,ene-
Morning Shadows -Christ's Pa
thetic Credentials.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered
tne following Easter sermon before
his Washington congregation, taking
for his text:
She. supposing Him to be the gardener
xx. Is
Here are Mary Msgdalene and Christ
Just after His resurrection. For 1000
years grim and ghastly tyrant had
been killing people and dragging them
into his cold palace. He had a passion
for human skulls. For 40 centuries he
had been unhindered in his work. He
had taken down kings and queens and
conquerors, and those without fame.
In that cold palace there were shelves
of skulls, and pillars of skulls. and
altars of skulls and even the challces
at the table were made of bleached
skulls. To the skeleton of Abel he had
added the skeleton of all the ages, and
no one had disputed his right until one
Good Friday, about 1867 years ago as
near as l can calculate it, mighty
Stranger came to the door of that aw-
full palace, rolled back the door, and
went in, and scizing the tyrant threw
him to the pavement and put upon the
tyrant's neck the heel of triumph.
Then the mighty Stranger. exploring
all the ghastly furniture Of the place,
and walking through the labyrinths,
and opening the dark cellars of mys-
terry, and tarrying under roof the
ribs of which were made of human
bones s-tarrying for two nights and q
day, the nights very dark and the day
very dismal, He seized the two chief
pillars of that awful palace and rocked
them until it began TO fall. and then
laying hold Of the ponderous front
gate, hoisted it from its hinges, aud
marched forth crying: Il am the resur-
rectionw That event we celebrate this
Easter morn. IIandelian an Beetho-
vian miracles of sound added to this
floral decoration which has set the
place abloom.
the world and the church have not
noticed in regard to the resurrection of
Christ. First, our Lord in gardeners
attire. Mary Magdalcne, grief-strick-
en-, stands by the rifled sarcophagus of
Christ, and turns around, hoping she
can find the track of the sacrilegious
resurrectionist vino has despoiled the
grave, and she finds some one in work
ing apparel come forth as if to water
the flowers. or uproct the weeds from
the garden, or set to reclimbing the
fallen vine-some one In working APP
parel, His garments perhaps having
the sign of the dust and the dirt of the
occupation.
Mary Magdalene, on her face the
rain of fresh shower of weeping.
turns to this workman. and charges
Him with the dissertation of the tomb,
when 10. the Str;.nger responds, fling
ing His whole soul into one word, which
trembles with all the sweetest rhythm
of earth and Heaven, saying: "Mary"'
In that popularity of accentuation all
incognito fell off, and she found that
instead of talking with an humble gar
dener Of Asia Minor, she was talking
with Him who owns all the hanging
gardens of Heaven. Consultations
the clusters of forgt-me-nots. the sun
flower the chief of all, the morning sky
and midnight aurora. flaring terraces
of beauty, blazing like summer
wall with coronation roses and giants
of battle. Blessed and glorious mis-
take of Mary Magdalene. She, sup
posing Him to be the gardener What
does that mean? It means that we
have an everyday apparel. Not on
Sabbath morning in our most seemly
apparel are we more attractive to
Christ than we are in our everyday
work dress, managing our merchandise,
shifting our anvil, plowIng our field,
tending the flying shuttles. mending
the garments for our household. pro-
viding food for our families, or toiling
with weary pen, or weary pencil, OF
weary chisel. A working-day Christ
in working-day apparel for us in our
everyday toll. Put it into the highest
strain of this Easter anthem: Sup
posing Him to be the gardener
If Christ had appeared at daybreak
with q crown upon His head, thai
would have seemed to suggest especial
sympathy for monarchs: if Christ had
appeared in chain of gold and with
robe diamonded. that would have
seemed to be especial sympathy for The
affluent: if Christ had appeared with
soldiers sash and sword dangling a,
His side, that would have seemed to i'm
ply especial sympathy for. warriors
but when l find Christ in gardener:
habit, with perhaps the flakes OF th'
earth and of the upturned soil upor
His garments, then | spell it out tha
He has hearty and pathetic understand
ing with everyday work, and every
day anxiety, and everyday fatigue.
Roll it down in comfort all through
these aisles. A working-day Christ il
working-day apparel. Tell it in th'
darkest corridor of the mountain L
the poor miner. Tell it to the factor.
maid in most unventilated establish
ments at Lowell or Lancaster. Tell
to the clearer Of toughest new groun'
in western wilderness. Tell 1t to tn
sewing woman. stitch in the side 10
every stitch in the garment. some
their cruel employers having no righ
10 think that they will get through tn
door of Heaven any more than the.
could through the eye OF q broker
needle which has just dropped on tn
bare flcor from the prickcd ana niecdin.
fingers If the cousumptive sewing gar
Away with your talk about hypostah
union. aud so,criology of the council q
Trent. and the metaphysics of religion
,-,,..s.. ...,.,.., s---.- r-a~tirel Chri.