Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-04-24

on until he came to cross around which
wero arranged tho casI;cts of his ances-
tors &c also found Il cnsket containing
the body Of one of his own family. Ho
had that casEet opened, and there by
embalmers art he found that the body
was MS perfect as Is years before when
ii was entcmbed. But under the explo-
ration his Lcdy AID mind persisted. Oh,
my friends. do not let us morbidly
struggle with the shadows of the sepul-
cher. What are we to dc? Wait. 1t is
not the evening twilight thut gets dark
er and darker. 1t is the morning twi-
light that gets brighter and brighter in
to the perfect day. / preach it today.
Sunrise over Pcre lie Chaise, sunrise over
Greyfriars churchyard, sunrise over
Greenwood, over Woodlawn, over Lau-
rel Hill, over Mount Auburn, over Con-
grcssional burying ground, sunrise over
every country graveyard, sunrise over
tho catacombs, sunrise over the sarcoph-
agi where the ships lie buried. Half
past o'clock among the toinbs now,
but soon 10 lie the nocnday of eXplana-
ton and bcatitudo twas in the morn
ing twilight that Mary Magdalene mis-
took Christ for gardener.
Another thing the world and the
church have not observed : that is,
Christ's pathetic credentials. How do
you know it was not gardener? His
garments said he was gardener. The
flakes of the upturncd earth scattered
upon his garments said he was gar
dcner. How do you know no was not q
gardener? All Before Easter had gone
by he gave to some of his disciples his
three CREDENTIALS He showed them his
hands and his side Three paragraphs
written in rigid or depressed letters. A
scar III the right palm. Il scar i'll the left
palm, scar amid the ribs-scars, scars.
That is the way they knew him. That
is the way you and 1 will know him.
Aye, am 1 saying this morning too
much when say that will be one Of the
ways III which you and Twill know each
other by the scars of earth-scars Of nc-
cident, scars of sickness, scars Of perse-
cution, scars of bard work, scars Of bat
tie, scars of old age When see Christ's
resurrected body having scars, it makes
me think that our rcnodelcd and resur-
rected bodies will have scars. Why, be-
fore we get out Of this world some Of US
will be covered with scars all over.
Heaven will not be Il bay into which
float summer yachts after pleasurlng
with the gay bunting and with tie en-
broidcrcd sails as fair as when they
were first unfurled. Heaven will be
more like navy yard where men-of-
war come in from Trafalgar and Lepan
to-men- of-war with masts twisted by
a cyclone mcn-of-war struck Oh all
sides by II Founders, mcn-of-war with
decks scorched Of the shell. Old Consti.
tutions old Consultations, floating Ill
discharged from service to rest forever.
In the resurrection Christ credentialed
by scars. You and Twill be credentialed
and will recognize each other by scars.
Do you think them now disagreement?
Do you think them now badge of en-
durance? tell you the glorious thought
this morning, they are going TO be the
means of heavenly recognition.
4 Notable Fact.
There is one more thing that the
world and the church have not noticed
in this resurrection of Christ, and that
is that Christ from Friday to Sabbath
was lifeless in a hot climate where sani-
tnry prudence demanded that burial
take place the same day as death, and
where there was no ice to retard dlsso'
luton. Yet, after three days he comes
up so healthful, so robust and so rubi-
cund Mary Magdalene takes him for a
gardener. Not supposing him to be an
invalid from hospital, not supposing
him to be corpse from the tomb, but
surprising him to he the gardener.
Healthful by the breath Of the upturned
sod and by a perpetual life in the sun
shine.
After Christ's interment every cellular
tissue broke down, and nerve and artery
and brain were IL physiological wreck,
and yet he comes up swarthy, rubicund
and well. When | see after such mortu-
airy silence such radiant appearance,
that settles it that whatever should be-
come of the bodies of our Christian
dead, they arc going to come up, the
nerves restrung the optic nerve rell-
lumined, the ear drum a-vibratc, the
whole body lifted up, without its weak
nesses and worldly uses for which there
is no resurrection. Come, is it not al
most time for us to go out to meet our
terminated dead? Can yen not hear the
lifting of the rusted latch?
Oh, the glorious Thought, the glori-
Gus consolation of this subject when l
find Christ coming up without any of
the lacerations-for you must remember
he was lacerated and wounded fearfully
in the c1ucifxior-coming up without
one! What does that make me think?
That the grave will get nothing of rs
except our wounds and impcrfections.
Christ went into the grave exhausted
and bloodless. All the currents of his
life had poured out from his Wonnds.
He had lived Il life Of trouble, sorrow
and privation. and then he died Il lin
gering death His entire body hung on
four spikes 10 invalid of 20 years suf-
fering ever went into the grave so white
and ghastly and broken down as Christ,
and yet here be com"s up so rubicund
ord robust che snnrost him to be the
gardener.
All, all tie side achcs and the head
aches, and the back acr~s, and the leg
aches, and the heart aches we will leave
where Christ lofthis! The ear will come
ND without its heavincss, the eye will
come up without its timness, the lungs
will come up without oppressed respira-
ton Oh, what races we will run when
we become immortal athletes! Oh, what
circuits we will take when, all earthly
imperfections subtracted and all celes-