The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-04-22
DR.. IALNAGE'& sermon.
The Noted Washington Divine's
Sunday Subject.
Subject: AN EVERY DAY CHRIST.

TEXT: "She. supposing Him to be the gar
dener."-John Ky. Is
Here are Mary Magdalene AID Christ. just
after His resurrection. For 400 years q
grim and ghastly tyrant had heen killing
people and dragging them into his cold pal
ace. He had pass on for human skulls.
For forty 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 chalices at the
table were made OF bleached skulls. To the
skeleton Of Abel he had added the skeeto
OF all the ages, and no ono had disputed his
right until one Good Friday, about 1857
years ago. as near as I can calculate II, a
Mighty Stranger came to the door of that
awful place. rolled back the door, and went
In, and seizng the tyrant, threw him to the
pavement ami put upon the tYrant's neck
the heel OF triumph.
Then the Mighty Stranger. exploring all
the ghastly furniture oil the place and walk.
ing through the labyrinths. and opening the
dark cellars Of mystery and tarryiRg under q
! roof tue ribs OF which were made OF human
bones-tarrying for two nights and day,
the nights very dark and the day very dis
nal. He seized tho two chief pillars OF that
to fall, and then, laying hold of the pointer.
Gus front gate. hoisted II from its hinges and
marched forth crying, II am the resurrec-
tion." That event we celebrate this Easter
morn, Handellan and Beethovrau miracles
OF sound adied to this floral decoration
which has set the place abloom.
There are thres or four things which the
world ami the church have not noticed in re-
gard to the resurrection OF Christ. First,
our Lord in gardeners attire. Mary Mag
dalene. grief struck, stands by the rified sar-
cophagus OF Christ AMI turns around, hop
ing she can flud the tracks OF the sacrilegious
resurrectionist who has despoIled the grave,
and she fin Is some one In working apparel
come forth as il 10 water the flowers or up
root the weeds from the garden or set TO re-
climbing the falling vine-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 raio OF a
fresh shower OF weeping, turns to this work
man and charges him with the desecration
Of the tomh, when, 10! the stranger responds,
flinging His whole soul into one word whicn
trembles with all the sweetest rhythm OF
earth aud heaven. saying, "Marym In that
popularity OF accentuation all the inrognlto
fell of, aud she found that instead OF talking
OIs
was talking with Him who owns all the hang
ing gardens of heaven. Const citations the
clusters OF forgetmenots, the sunnower the
chief OF ALL the morning sky and midnight
aurora, faring terraces OF beauty, blazing
Ike a summer wall with coronation roses
and giants OF battle. Blessed and glorious
mistake OF Mary Magialene! 'She, suppos-
ing Him TO be the gardener" What does
that meau2 It means that We have an every
day Christ for everyday work in everyday
apparel Not on Sabbath morning in our
most seenly apparel are We more attractive
t. Christ than we are In our everyday work
dress, managing our merchandise, shifting
our anvil, blowing our field, tending the dy-
ing shuttes, mendinS the garments for our
household, providing food for our families
or toiiing with weary pen or weary pencil or
weary chisel Aworking day Christ N work
Ing day apparel for us in our everyday toll.
Put il into the highest strain of this Easter
anthem. "SupposinS Himto be the gardener"
II Christ had appeared at daybreak with a
crown upon His head, that would have
seemed to suggest espec al sympathy for
monarchs. II Christ had appeared in chain
of goli and with robe diamonde !, that would
have seemed to be especial sympathy for the
dier's sash and sword dangling at His side,
sympathy for warriors. But when find
Christ in gardeners habit, with perhaps the
flakes Of the earth and OF the upturned soil
upon His garments, then spell 1t out that
BE has hearty and pathetic understanding
with everyday work and everyday anxiety
and everyday fatigue.
Roll 1t down In comfort all through these
aistes. A working day Christ in working
day apparel. Tell It in the darkest corridor
Of the mountain to the poor miner. Tell 1t
to the factory maid In most unventilated
esta lishment at Lowell or Lancaster. Tell
It TO the clearer CT roughest new ground in
western wilderness. Tell 1t to the sewing
wo an, a 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
more than 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 1t
and feel the thrill OF the Cbrisily brother
hood. Not supposing the man to be Caesar,
posing Him to he the gardener"
Oh, that Is what helped Joseph Wedgwood,
toiliDg 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, scofred al AMI caricatured uutil
he could put on wheels the thunderbolt OF
power which -oars 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 = volume OF the
worlds biography, and he found tie foot
steps Of the Creator in the old red sandstone.
On, the world wants a Christ for the office,
q Christ for the kit chen. a Christ for the shop.
u Christ for the banking house, q Christ Tor
the garden, while spadin2 and irrigating the
territory! Oh, OF course We want to see
Chris. at last In royal robe and bediamonded,
a celestial equestrian mounting the white
horoe. but from this Easter OF 1897 to our
last Easter on earth We most need to see
Christ as Mary Magdaleus saw Him mt the
daysreak, ''supposing Him to be the gar
dener."
Ano, her 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 mortem appearance to one VINO had been
the seven devlled Mary Magdalene. Ons
would have supposed he would have made
His first poslhumous appearance 10 woman
who had always been illustrious Tor good
ne-s
There are sanity women who have always
been saintly-sainty IN girihood, sanity in
infancy, always sanity. In nearly all our