The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1897-04-24


terrible piece you were when ] first met
you" The most OF the Christian women
In our day would have nothing to do with
Mary Magdalene, even after her conversion,
lest somehow they be compromised. The
only thing have to say against women Is
that they have not enough mercy for Mary
Magdalene Christ put all pathos, and all
"Reminiscences, and all anticipation, and all
pardon, and all comfort, and all heaven
into one word Of four letters, ''MaryP'
Mark you, Christ did not appear to some
Bible Elizabeth, or Bible Hannah, or Bible
Esther, or Bible Deborah, or Bible Nashti,
but to Mary; not to a Mary against whom
OF Jesus, not to Mary, the mother OF
James, not to Mary, the sister of Lazarus,
but to seven deviled Mary.
There is q man seven deyiled-devil OF
avaricc, devil OF pride, devil of hate, devil
of Incidence, devil of falsehood. devil of
strong drink, devil OF impurity God can
take them all away, or 10 rode over
the new cantalever bridge that spans Nj
agara-a bridge 900 feet long, $50 feet of
chasm from bluff to bluff l passed over 1t
without any anxiety. Whyf Because %
locomotives and % cars laden with gravel
had tested the bridge, thousands Of people
standing on the Canadian side, thousands
standing on the American side to applaud
the achievements. And however long the
are to remember that Gods bridge of
mercy spanning the chasm of sin has been
fully tested by the awful tonnage of all the
pardoned sin OF all the ages, church mill
t0nt standing on one bank, church tri-
umphant standing on the other bank Oh,
1t was to the seven deviled Mary that
Christ made his first post 1nortem appear
ance.
There is another thing that the world
and the church have not observed In re-
gard to this resurrection, and TINT Is, 10
was the morning twilight
Easter Dawn.
II the chronometer had been invented
and Mary had as good n watch as some of
the Marys Of our time have, she would
have found it was about half past s o'clock
a. IN. Matthew says 1t was in the dawn.
Mark says 1t was at the sunrising. Luke
says it was very early in the morning.
John says 1t was while 1t was yet dark.
In other words, it was twilight. That was
the o'clock at which Mary Magdalene mis-
took Christ for the gardener. What does
that mean? It means there are shadows
over the grave unified, shadows Of mys-
terry that are lowering. Mary stooped
down and tried to look to the other end of
the crypt. She gave hysteric outcry. She
could not see to the other end of the crypt
Neither can you see to the other end Of
the grave Of your dead. Neither can we
see 20 the other end OF our own grave. Oh,
II there were shadows over the family plot
belonging to Joseph Of Arimatnea, is it
strange that there should be some shadows
over our family LOTT Easter dawn, not
Easter noon.
Shadow Of unanswered question:! Why
were they taken away from uss Why were
they ever given to us II they were to be
taken 80 soonf Why were they taken 30
suddenly Why could they not have ut
tered some farewell wordss Whyf A short
question, but q whole crucinxion Of agony
In 1t Whyf Shadow On the graves of
good men and women who seemed to die
before their work WINS done Shadow ON
all the graxes Of children because we ask
ourselves why 50 beautiful q craft launched
at all II IL was to be wrecked one mile OUT
side OF the harbors But what did Mary
Magdalene have to do In order TO get more
light on that grave? She had only to walt
After awhile the Easter sun rolled up, and
the whole place was flooded with light