St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-09-02
THE IVORY PALACES.
Dr. Talmage On the Glories Of the
World to Come.

The AtfrnrSlveness OF Christ, Who
"Opens the Way for his FMlthfu1
Eol1owers-TAe Christians
Cclae e Heaven.
lcopyY;yht, 1889. Louis klopsch.1
Washington. July 3d.
In this discourse DIR. Talmage sets
forth the glories of the world to come
and the attractiveness of the Christ,
who opens the way; text, Psalms. ASS:
"All thy garments smell of myrrh and
aloes and cassia out of the ivory pal
aces"
Among the grand adornments of the
city of Paris is the church of Notre
Dame, with it's great towers and elab-
orate rose windows and scupturing of
the last Judgment. with the trumpet
ing angels and rising dead; its battle
ments of quatre foil; its sacristy, with
Ribbed ceiling and statutes OF saints.
but there was nothing in all that great
l.riIding which more wildly appealed
10 my plain republican tastes than the
costly vestments which lay in oaken
ncsses-robes that had been embroid-
cred with gold and been worn by popes
end archbishops on great occasions.
There was n robe that had been worn
by Plus VII. at the crowning of the
first Napoleon. There was also a vest
ment that had been worn at the bap-
tism of Napoleon III. As our guide
opened the oaken presses and brought
out these vestments of fabulous cost
and lifted them up the fragrance of the
pungcnt aromatics in which they had
been preserved flied the place with
sweetness that was almost oppressive.
Nothing that had been done in stone
more wildly impressed me than these
things that had been done in cloth and
embroidery and perfume. But to-day
l open the drawer of this text. and l
look upon the kingly robes of Christ,
and as l lift them, flashing with etcr-
nal Jewels, the whole house is filed
with the aroma of these garments,
which ''smell of myrrh and aloes and
cassia out of the ivory palaces"
In my text the King steps forth. His
robes rustic and blaze as he advances.
His pomp and power and glory over
master the spectator. More brilliant is
Hethan Queen vashti, moving amid the
Persian princes; than Marie Antoi-
nette on the day when Louis NV. put
upon her the necklace of 500 diamonds;
than Anne Boleyn the day when Henry
VIII. welcomed her to his i'aiacc-all
beauty and all romp forgotten while
we stand in the presence OF this i'm
perial glory, King of Zion, King of
earth, King of Heaven, King forever!
Ills garments not worn out, not dust
bedragglet. but radiant, and jeweled
and redolent. 1t seems as if they must
have been pressed hundred years
amid the flowers of Heaven. The
wardrobes from which they have been
taken must have been sweete1
with clusters of campfire. and franklin
cense, and all manner of precious wood
Do you not inhale the odors: Aye, aye
.sThey smell of myrrh and aloes AMI
cassia out Of the ivory palaces.
Your first curiosity is TO know why
the robes of Christ ore odorous with
myrrh. This was bright-leafed Abys
sinian plant. It was trifoliated. The
Greeks, Egyptians. Romans and jews
bought and sold it Mt high price. The
first present that was ever given to
Christ was a sprig Of myrrh thrown on
His infantile bed in Bethlehem. and the
last gift that Christ ever had was
myrrh pressed into the cup of His cru
cifiNion. The natives would take 8
stone and bruise the tree. and then il
would exude gum that would saturats
all the ground beneath. This gum wa.
used for purposes CT merchandise. Ont
piece of it no larger than chestnu'
would whelm a who.e room with odors
1t was put in closets, in chests. in draw
ers, in rooms, and its perfume adhered
almost interminably to anything ncal
It. So when in my text read tha
Christ's garments smell of myrrh i'm
mediately conclude the exquisite sweet
ness o. Jesus.
know that to many He is only lik'
any historical person-aEotker JohI
| Howard, another philanthroPic Obci'
| lin, another Confucius, grand su0Jec
| for q painting. q heroic theme for
poem, a beautiful form for a statue
i,ut to those who have heard His voice
| and felt His pardon and received Hi
benediction He is music and light ant
warmth and thrill and eternal fra
crance, sweet as a friend sticking Il
| YOU when all else betray, lifting you vi
while others try to push you down, no
90 much like morning glorics tha
bloom only when the sun is coming up
nor like .'four o'clocks," that bloom
cnly when the sun is going down, ba
like myrrh, perpetually aromatic. tn
same morning. noon and night. yester
day, to-day, forever. 1t seems as IL W
cannot wear Him out. We put on Hin
aIi our burdens and afflict Him will
ali our griefs and set Him foremost II
all our battles, and yet He is ready =
Lift and to sympathize and to help. w
have 80 imposed upon Him that on
would think in eternal affront II
would quit our soul. and yet to-day II
addresses us with the same tenderness
dawns upon us with the same smile
pities us with the same compassion.
There is no name like His for us.
is more imperial than Caesars, NOR
musical than Beethoven's, more cor
quering than Charlemagne's. more ele
fluent than Cicero's. II throbs with a
life. 1t weeps with ali pathos.
groans with all pain. 1t stoors with a
condescension. 1t brcathes with a
perfume. Who like Jesus to set
broken bone, to pity a homeless OF
phan, to nurse a sick man. to take
prodigal back without any scolding. I
illolmine a cemetery all plowed wit
graves, to make queen unto God OF
Of, the lost woman, to catch the tears {
human sorrow in a lachrymatory thu
shall never be broken? Who has sue
an eye to see our need, such a lip to Xii
|, away our SORROW, such q hand to snatc
us out of the fire. such foot to tramp
our enemies, such heart to embras
, all our necessities? ] struggle for SON
metaphor with which to express Him
He Is not like the bursting forth OF
full orchestra; that is too loud. He