The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-04-23
DR.. IAMAGE'S SERMON. !.
u y Noted Washington 0ivine's
4 ( Sunday Subject,

Here Ure Mary Magdalene ald Christ. Just
aiset His rssuIrection. For 400 years
people and dragging them into his cold pal
ace. H" had a pass on for human skulls.
For forty centuries he had been unhindered
In HIS work. He hal taken down kings and
fsme. In that cold palace there were
shelyes OF skulls and pillars OF skulls and
altans Of skulls and even the chRlices at the
table were made OF bieached skulls. To the
skeleton Of Abel he had added the ske. etons
night until one Good Friday, about 1867
years ago. as near as l can calculate II, q
Mighty Stranger came to the door of that
awfnl place, rolled back the door. and went
in, and seizng the tyrant, threw hum to the
pavement amt put upon tho tyrant's neck
the, ,beel OF triumph.
Then the Mighty Stranger. exploring all
the Ehastly furniture o. the place aud walk
ing through the labyrnths, and opening the
dark cellars OF mystery and tarrying under u
roof the r,bs OF wnich were made OF human
bones-tafrying for two nights and day,
the nights very dark and the day very dis
NAL, He seized the two chief pillars OF that
awful palace and rocked them until II began
10 fall, ami th"n, laying hold OF the ponier-
Gus front gate. holsted II from its hinges and
marched forth crying, II am the resurrec-
tion." That event we celebrate this Easter
morn. Haudelian aud Beethovran miracles
OF sound ad led to this floral decoration
Wntcn mas SET the place aDioom.
There are three or four things which the
worlh aui the church have not noticed In re-
gard to the resurrection OF Christ. First,
our Lord in gardensr's attire. Mary Mag
dalene. grief struck, stands by the rifed sar-
cophagus OF Christ AMI turns around, hop
1ng she can find the tracks OF the sacrilegious
reeurrectiouist who has despoilsd the grave,
and she finds some one In working apparel
come forth as II 10 water the flowers or up
root the weeds from the garden or set 10 re-
climbing the failing vine-some one in
working apparel, Hts garments, perhaps.
having the sign OF the dust and the dirt OF
tho occupation.
Mary MagdaIeue, on her face the rain OF a
fresh shower OF weeping, turns to this work
man and charges him with the dissertation
OF 1.-THE tomb, when, 10! the stranger responds,
Ringing His whole soui into one word which
tremoles with all tho sweetest rhythm OF
Garth and heaven. saying, "Mary! In that
popularity OF accumulation all the inrognlto
fell of, and she found that instead OF talking
With an humble gardener OF Asia Minor, she
was talking with Him who owns all the hang
ing gardens Of heaven. Cons, citations the
clusters OF forgetmenots, the suDnower the
chief OF all, the morning sky and midnight
aurora, aering terraces Of beauty, blazing
Ike a summer wall with coronation roses
and giants OF battle. Blessed and glorious
mistake OF Mary Magdalene! "She, suppos-
tnG Him to be the gardener. What does
That mean2 1t means that we have an every
day Christ for everyday work in everyday
apparel. Not on Sabbath morning in our
ni,'st snemly apparel are we moro attractive
TO Christ than we are In oar everyday work
dress, man aging our merchandise, shifting
our anvil, plowing our field, tending the ~
ing shuttles, mending the garments for our
household, provding food for our families
aninem. sapposing Him to bs bSsy tYSS R3na
II Christ had appeared ut daybreak with ,
crown upon Hts head, that would INV,
seemed to suggest espec al sympathy 70,
monnrchs. IL Christ had appeared In chair
OF COL and with robe diamonde 1. that won ID
navs seemed to be especial sympathy for the
emnent. IL Christ had appeared with sol
that would hav" seemed to impIy esneciai
sympathy for warriors. But when / And
Christ IN gardeners habit, with perhaps th.
makes OF the earth and OF the upturned sol
upon His garments, then spell 1t out tina,
ne mas hearty and pathetic uudersta ndiny .
with everyday work and everyday auxietv
and everyday fatigue.
koli IT down In comfort all through these
ais'es. A working day Christ in working
day apparel. Tell it in the darkest corridor
-. t 'ne MOUNTAIN to the poor miner. Tell II
10 the factory maid in most unyentiIate,i
esta ltshment at Lowell or Lancaster. Tel
IL TO the clearer OF roughest new ground in
western wilderness. Tell II to the sewing
So IN, stitch in the side for every stitch
In the garment, some OF their cruel em-
VIII get through the door OF heaven any
more than they could through the eve Of n
broken needle which has just dropped on tho
Dare moor from the pricked and bleeding
HnSers OF the consumptive sewing girl
Away with your talk about hypostatic union
AMI soteriology OF tho council OF Trent and
the metaphysics OF religion which would
freeze practical Christianity out OF the world
put pass along this gardeners coat to ali
hations that they may touch the hem OF 1t
nl lh.a HI-s-
nooi. Not supposing tho man to be Caesar.
not sGpposnS Him 10 be Socrar es. but ..sun
posing Him to be the gardener
Oh, that Is what helped Joseph Wedewood.
tolihS amid the heat and the dust OF the
lotteries. until he could make for Queen
charlotte the first royal table service of Eng
NSh manufacture That was what heIped
James Mntt, scoHed at AMI caricatured until
he could put on wheels the thunderbolt Of
power which roars by day and by night in
America. That is what helped Hugh Miller.
'oi'ihG amid the quarries of Cromarty, until
every rock became to him u volume of the
worlds biography, and he found tho foot
Steps OF III" Creator In the old rcd sandstone.
Oh. the world wants q Christ for the officc
Christ for the kitchen. a Christ for the sbon
a christ for the banking house, O Christ ior
tue garden. wnilc Spnding and irricatinr the
territory! Oh. of course We want TO see
Christ at last IN royal robe and bediamondod.
= ceies,iai equestrian mounting tho white
morse. but from this Easter OF 1897 to our
last Easter on earth we most need to sec
Christ IA Mary Magdalcne saw Him nj the
'supnoslng Him to be the gar
dcner No.
Another thing winch the cr arch and the
world have not noticed in re-, ard to the res
direction of Christ Is that He made His mrs,
post mortem appearance to one who had been
IN" seven dcvilod Mary Magdalene One
you'd nave supposed He would have made
HIS iirst posthumous appearance to a woman
VINO had always been ilustrious for good
ness
There ara sanity women who have ALWAYS
been saintly-saintly In girlhood. sanity in
infancy. always sanity. In nearly all our
families there have been salntiv aunts Tn
my family circlsit was sanity aunt Phehc.
IN your- sanity aunt Martha or sanity aunt
Ruth. On" always sanity. Bu, not so was
The Ou.. ,ps nt of in me tr<,