The Penn's Grove record., 1897-04-23
REV. DIR. TAI.MAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject, can Everyday Christ"

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Tkxr, a5he. sapposing him 10 be the gar:
~dener,"-John XXI Is.
Here arc Mary Magdalena and Christ, Just
after His resurrection. For 400 years a
grim and CHASTITY tyrant had been killing
people and dragging them into his cold pal
ace. He had a pass'o on for human skulls.
For forty centuries he had been unhlndered
in his work. He had taken down kings and
queens and conqierors and those without
fame. In that cold palace there were
shelves OF skulls and pillars OF skulls and
altars OF skulls and even the chalices at the
table were made of bIeached skulls. To the
skeleton OF Abel he had added the skeletons
of all the ages. and no one had disputed his
right until one Good Friday, about 1887
years ago, as near as l can calculate II, a
Mighty Stranger came to the door OF that
awful place, rolled back the door, and went
in, and seising 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 CHASTITY furniture OF the place and Walk
ing through the labyrinths, and opening the
dark cellars OF mystery and tarfying under a
roof the ribs OF which were made OF human
bones-tarrying for two nights aud a 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 1t began
to fall, and then, laying hold OF the ponder.
Gus front gate. hoisted It from Its hinges and
marched forth crying, II am the resurrec-
tIon." That event we celebrate this Easter
morn, Handelian and Beethoven miracles
of sound added to this floral decoration
which has set the place abloorn.
There are three or four things which the
world and the church have not noticed In re-
gard to the resurrection of Christ. First,
our lord In gardeners attire. Mary Mag
aIa r.f4H -..-l a. - Ia. AA& LnA1 Ia.
cophagus OF Christ and turns around, hop
ing she can find the racks of the sacrilegious
resurrectlonist who has despoiled the grave,
n she finds some one In working apparel
come forth as II TO water the flowers or up
root the weeds from the garden or set TO re-
climbing the falling vlne-some one In
working apparel, His garments, perhaps.
having the sign Of the dust and the dirt Of
the occupation.
Mary Magdaiene, on her face the rain OF a
fresh shower OF weeping, turns to this work
man and charges him with the Dissertation
ofthe tomb, when, 10! the stranger responds,
flinging His whole soul into one word which
trembles with all the sweetest rhythm OF
earth and heaven, saying, "MaryF" In that
popularity OF accumulation all the incognfto
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. Consultations the
NiuotOt0 Va toiBOttlChOtcf kho ulhoWOt u
chief OF all, the morning sky and midnight
aurora, iaring terraces OF beauty, blazing
like a summer wall with coronation roses
and giants OF battle. Blessed and glorious
mistake OF Mary Magdalenel 'She, suppos-
ing Him to be the gardener" What does
that mean? 1t means that we have an every
day Christ for everyday work in 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, smiling
our anvil, piowing our field, tending the fly
Ing shutties, mendinst the garments for our
household, providing food for our families
or toiiing with weary pen or weary pencil or
weary chlsel. Aworklng day Christ in work
ing day apparel for US In our everyday toll.
Put it into tho highest strain of this Easter
anthem. 'Supposing Him to be the gardener"
II Christ had appeared at daybreak with a
crown upon His head, that would have
seemed TO suggest especial sympathy for
monarchs. II Christ had appeared in chain
of gold and with robe dlamonde1, that would
have seemed to be especial sympathy for the
afiuent. II Christ had appeared with SOL
dier's sash and sword dangling at His side,
that would have seemed to imply especial
sympathy for warriors. But when I find
Christ in gardeners habit, with perhaps the
flakes Of the earth and OF the upturned soil
upon His garments, then I spell 1t out that
He has hearty and pathetic understanding
with everyday work and everyday anxiety
and everyday fatigue.
Roll 1t down In comfort all through these
aisles. A working day Christ In working
day apparel. Tell 1t In the darkest corridor
OF the mountain to the poor miner. Tell 1t
to the factory maid In most unventilated
establishment at Lowell or Lancaster. Tell
1t to the clearer of toughest new ground In
western wilderness. Tell II to the sewing
woman, q stitch in the side for every stitch
In the garment, some OF their cruel en-
ployers having no right TO think that they
will get through the door OF heaven any
moro b they could through the eye OF a
broken needle which has just dropped on the
bare floor from the pricked and bleeding
fingers of the consumptive sewing girl.
Away with your talk about hypostatic union
and soteriology Of the council OF Trent and
The metaphysics Of religion which would
freeze practical Christianity out of the world,
but pass along this gardeners coat to all
nations that they may touch the hem Of It
and feel the thrill Of the Christly brother
hood. Not supposing the man to be Cesar,
not supposing Him to be Socrates, but sup
posing Him to be the gardener
OBJ, that Is what helped Joseph Wedgwood,
toiling amid the heat and the dust OF the
potteries, until he could make for Queen
Charlotte the first royal table service Of Eng
lish manufacture. That was what helped
James Watt, scoffed at and caricatured until
he could put on wheels the thunderbolt of
power which roars by day and by night in
every furnace of the locomotive engine OF
America. That is what helped Hugh Miller.
toiling amid the quarries OF Cromarty, until
every rock became to him a volume Of the
worlds biography, and he found the foot
steps of the Creator In the old red sandstone,
OBJ, the world wants a Christ for the oflce,
q Christ for the kitchen. a Christ forthe shop,
q Christ for he banking house, a Christ for
the garden, while spading and irrigating the
tnrritnrvt Nh nf annrca ~ Wnf,f IN oaa
Christ at last In royal robe and bediamonded,
q celestial equestrian mounting the white
horse. but from this Easter of 1897 to our
last Easter on earth we most need to see
Christ as Mary Magdalene saw Him at the
~daybreak, 'ssupposing Him to be the gar
dener."
Another thing which the church and the
world have not noticed In regard to the res
direction Of Christ Is that He made His first
post norton appearance TO one who had been
the seven deviled Mary Magdalene. One
would have supposed he would lay made
His first posihumous appearance, TO q woman
who had always been illustrious for good
ness.
There are sanity women who have always
been ~saintly-saintly in glrlhood, sanity In
infancy, always sanity. In nearly all our
families there lave been sanity aunrs. In
In yours sanity aunt Martha or sanity aunt
Ruth. One always sanity. But not SO was
The one spoken Of In the text.
While you are not to confound her with
The repentant courtesan who had made her
long locks do the work OF towel at Christ's
foot washing, you are not to forget that she
was exercised OF seven devils. What q capt
tai OF ~demonology she must have beenl What
a chorns OF all diapolismi Seven devils
two for the eyes and two for the hands and
two for the feet and one for the tongue.
Seven devils; yet all these are e~xtirpated,
md now she is as good as once she was bad,
ani Christ honof5 her with the first postum
nous appearance. What does that mean?
Why, 1t means for worst inner greatest
grace; 1t means those lowest down shall
come, perhaps, highest up; 1t means that the
clock that strikes IL at midnight may strike
IL at midnoon; it means that the grace of
God Is seven times stronger than sin, Mary
Magdalene the seven deviled became Mary
Magdalene the seven angeled. 1t means
that when the Lord meets us at last he will
not throw up to US what we have been. All
He said to her was, .'Mary!' Many people
having met her under such circumstances
would have said: Let me see, how many
devils did you haye2 One, two. three, four.
1--WE, six, seven. What a terrible piece you
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