The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-08-02
ETERNAL LIFE HIS THEME
REV. J. D. s. COX OF BALTIMORE AT
 CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH.
An Eloquent and Interesting Sermon Draws Lessons from Christ's Life-Hu- mility and Lowiiness of Jesus Astonish- ing-Combats Theories of Disbelievers- Communion After the Service.

communion Alter the Serv1ce.
 An eloquent and appropriate sermon was preached yesterday morning at Calvary Baptist church by Rev. J. D. $. Cox of Baltimore. He is regarded as
 one of the most brilliant of southern
 preachers, and is a successful and be- loved pastor. AS it was communion Sunday Rev. MT. Cox chose as his text
 Matthew 2S, sixth verse: "He Is not here; for He is risen as He said Come
 and see the place where the Lord lay" MT. Cox spoke as follows:
 We visit the tomb of an earthly friend, we venerate the place of our fathers sepulchre, we gaze pensively
 on the green hillock that overlays the earthly remains of the one we love, and with willing hands we plant the myrtle
 or the cypress that mark the spot where the hearts treasure is laid away. Crate fully we weave the garland for the
 dead, and snatch the early flowers of spring and strew them on the graves of our beloved. Many time have we stood in cemeteries that were more like flower gardens than the last resting
 place of the dead, and admired the love
 of those who have made 1t so beauti- full
 Come see the place where the Lord lay said the angel. The invitation of this text is to visit the tomb of Joseph
 of Arimathea where Jesus was laid, the
 tomb of the best, the truest, the ten derest friend we have ever had. The nf 1o;1 1 down His life for the sheep, He in re-
 gard to whom the believer can say, He loved me and gave Himself for me- The followers of Mahomet make yearly pill grlmages to the tomb of that impostor often with great suffering and hard ships, and we admire their faithful de- | votion, blind and deluded though it be. | And the conception of the crusades was
 a grand one. though somewhat coarse | They visited the tomb of our Savior to wrest 1t from the hand of the infidel | Saracen. The subject of our text leads | us in the same direction, but our direc- | ton isl spiritual not literal, 1t Is not a | mere geographical spot. There are sev- eral lessons that we may learn from l this visit
 "The first lesson Is that of the loveli- | ness and humility of our Lord. It was holy condescension for the Eternal Word to be made flesh and dwell among men; for the King of Saints to endure | the contradiction of sinners; for the | King of Glory to make Himself of no reputation It was, indeed, g. most as- | tonishing humiliation. But for that high and holy One not only to empty Himself of honor and to be put to death in ignominious fashion may well | challenge the surprise of men, as it l commands the study of angels We admire that potent king who for time l left his throne and quilted his king l dom to visit the great nations of l Europe to study the various handicraft | and institutions of other lands in order that he might benefit his kingdom and | improve his subjects. But, my friends, what was the temporary resignation of l the czar of all the Russias, or the final abdication of other monarchs compared with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords resigning the sceptre of heaven l for the cradle in the stable at Bethle- hem and the cross of Calvary?
 Yes, the most astonishing thing about Jesus Christ was His lowliness and His humility. Let us also learn the | lesson of His love, for 1t was love that | made Him submit to the indignities | that were heaped upon Him, the in- suits of priests and people, and the tor | ture of the cruel death on the cross. And so 1t was love that permitted Him l to be bound in the cerements of death
 and to be laid away in the tomb. Was | it strange that the sun was darkened w avp trad hot ;t1r put on mourning when the Lord died, | that the form of nature shook when the | divine upholder of It's system passed | from life? Was 1t strange that the graves opened and that other corpses came forth in ghastly array and moved about the city in grand and stately sil- | ence, or fitted about hither and thither when He was laid away in the tomb ? Was 1t strange that the disciples hung | their heads In silence, sadness and sor- row when He who was their Lord and Master was entombed? Was there ever | love like this? Greater love hath no | man than this that man lay down his | life for a friend
 Reflect on the third lesson, which has | respect to the darkness of the tomb and l the dreariness of that dark and narrow house. In some places where railroads run beneath high hills all at once you | pass into a dark subterranean tunnel | In another moment it is not quite so | dark as at first it seemed because of the lights placed along the sides, and by-and-by when you emerge into the light of day it is all the brighter be- cause of the very contrast. The grave
 was once dark subterranean passage that no light penetrated. but now the lamps are hung up in it, and now on
 the other side the believer finds himself In the brightness and unclouded clear
 ness of heaven. Christ broke the bands or death and arose, thus shedding light where formerly was darkness only. | Notice the honor shown to Christ in His death. 'Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He is not here; He | IS risen, as he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay Even in death He
 Is not unhonored. few faithful fe-
 males, few dejected disciples were un- Willing to believe that the future was altogether darkness. It was a, dark
 hour for them, but it was the hour just | before break of day, but they ceased not In their attention to the body in the grave. They ceased not in their affectionate faithfulness to the lifeless | corpse. Scarce had the morning of the third day arrived, scarce had the morn ing star announced the dawn. when the | faithfulness of the eternal covenant he I.came known and fulfilled Tba aooeIs