Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-04

King forever. Her garments not worn
out, not dust bedraggled, but radiant
and jeweled and redolent II seems as
II they must have been pressed 100
years amid the flowers of heaven.
The wardrobes from which they have
been taken must have been sweet with
clusters of camphor and franklin
cense and all manner Of precious wood.
Do you not inhale the odorsE Aye,
aye. They smell of myrrl and aloeS
and cassIa out of the ivory palaces"
Your first curiosity is to know why
the robes OF Christ are odorous with
myrrh This was n bright leafed
AbyssInian plant. 1t was trifoliated.
The Greeks, Egyptians. Romans and
Jews bought and sold ii at Il high price.
The first present that was ever given
to Christ was a sprig of myrrh thrown
on his lnfantile bed in Bethlehem. and
the last gift that Christ ever had was
myrrh pressed into the cup of lis
crucifixion. The natives would take
stone and bruise the tree. and then II
would exude gum that would saturate
all the ground beneath. This gum was
used for the purposes Of merchandise.
One piece of 1t no larger than a chest
nut would whelm whole room Wild
odors. 1t was put in closets, in chests,
In drawers, In rooms, and its perfume
adhered almost interminably TO any
thing that was anywhere near it. So
when In my text read that Chrsts
garments smell Of myrrh immedi-
ately conclude the exquisite sweetness
OF Jesus.
Spice Gales From Heaven.
know that to many he Is only like
any historical person; another John
Howard; another philanthropic Ober-
lin; another Confuclus; 4 grand sub
ject for q painting; heroic theme for
a poem; q beautiful form for statue;
but to those who have heard his voice
and felt his pardon and received bis
benediction he Is music, and light, ana
warmth. and thrill. and eternal fra
grance-sweet as n friend sticking to
YOU when all else betray; lifting you
up while others try to push you down
not so much like morning glOries. that
bloom only when the sun is coming
I'D. nor like -four o'clOcks." that bloom
only when the sun is going down. but
like myrrh. perpetually aromatic-the
same morning. noon and night. yester'
day. today. forever. 1t seems as II we
cannot wear him out. We put on him
all our burdens and afllict him with all
our griefs and set him foremost in all
our battles; and yet he is ready to lift
and to sympathiZe and to help. We
have so imposed upon him that one
would think in eternal alront he
would quit our soul; and yet today he
addresses US with the same tenderness.
dawns upon us with the same smile.
plties us with the same compassion.
There Is no name like his tor us 1t
Is more imperial than Caesars. more
musical than BeethOven'S, more con-
uuering than Charlemagnc' more elo'
quent than Ciceros II throbs with az
life. II weeps with all pathos. II
groans with all pain. 1t stoops with
all condescension 1t breathes with all
perfume. Who like Jesus TO set 4
broken bone. to pity homeless or
phan. to nurse sick man. to take
prodigal back without any scolding.
TO llumlne a cemetery all plowed with
graves, to make queen unto God ont
OF the lost woman. TO catch the tears
of human sorrow in a lachrymatory
that shall never be broken? Who has
such an eye to see our need, such up
to kiss away our sorrow, such a hAhu
TO snatch us out of the fire. such
foot to trample our enemies, such
heart 10 embrace al! our necessities!
struggle for some metaphor WIKI
which to express him. He Is not Ike
the bursting forth of full orchestra
That Is too loud. He Is not Ike the
sea when lashed to rage by the tenn
pest. That Is too bosterous lie Is
nos like the mountain, its brow wreath
ed with the lightning. That is too soil
tary. Give us a softer type gentler
comparison. We have seemed to see
him with our eyes and to hear MIN
with our ears and to touch him with
our hands. Oh, that today he might
appear to some other one of our five
senses. Aye. the nostril shall discover
his presence. He comes upon us Ike
spice gales from heaven. Yea. his gar
merts smell of lasting and all perya-
sive myrrh.
AIoes of bitterness.
would that YOU all knew his sweet
nessl How soon you would turn from
Ian other attractions! IL the philoso'
pher leaped out Of his bath in frenzy
OF JOY and clapped his hands and rush
ed through the streets because he had
found the solution of n mathematical
problem, how will you feel leaping
from the fountain of Saviour's mercy
and pardon, washed clean and made
white as snow, when the question mas
been solved, How can my soul oe
sayedY Naked, frost bitten, storm
lashed soul, let Jesus this hour throw
around thee the garments that smell
, of myrrh and aloes and cassia out oi
the ivory palaces"
Your second curiosity is to know
, why the robes Of Jesus are odorous
, with aloes There is some difference
Of opinion about where these aloes
, grow. what is the color Of the flower
what is the particular appearance ol
the herb. Suffice 1t for you and me ''
/, know that aloes mean bitterness the
world over, and when Christ comes
> with garments bearing that particular
. odor they suggest to me the pliter
, ness of a Saviour's sufferings. Were
, there ever such nights as Jesus i've
through-nights on the mountains
nights on the sea. nights in the desert
Who ever had such hard reception
. as Jesus had? A hostelry the FIRST, al
/. unjust trial In oyer and terlnlhe
1 limo ffl nl