Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-03
THE IVORY PALACES.
DR.. TALMAGE ON THE GLORlES OF
THE WORLD TO CONE.
The Attractivencss of Christ, Who
opens the Way For His Faithful
Followers - The Christians Guide
TO Heaven.
fcopyright, Louis Kiopsch. 1892 !

copyright, Louis Klopsch. 1892
WASHINGTON, July 30-In this dis
course DIR. Talmage sets forth the gories
of the world to come and the attractive
ness Of the Christ, who opens the way;
text, Psalms xiv, 3, "All thy garments
smell Of myrrh and aloes and cassa out
OF the ivory palaces"
Among the grand adornments of the
city of Paris is the Church of Notre
Dame, with its great towers and elabo-
rate rose windows aud sculpturiug of the
last judgment, with the trumpeting an
gels and rising dead; its battlements of
quatre foil; its sacristy. with ribbed cell
ing and statues of saints. But there was
nothing in all that building which more
wildly appealed to my plain republican
tastes than the costly vestmcnts which
lay in oaken presses-robes that had
been embroidered with gold and been
worn by popcs and archbishops on great
occasions. There was Il robe that had
been worn by Plus VII at the browning
of the first Napoleon. There was also
q vcstment that had been worn at the
baptism Of Napoleon II. As our guide
opened the oukCn presses and brought
out these vestmeuts OF fabulous cost and
lifted them up the fragrance of the
pungcnt aromatics in which they had
been preserved filed the place with a
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 aud
embroidery and perfume. But today |
open the drawer Of this text, aud | look
upon the kugly robes Of Christ. and as |
lift them, flashing with eternal jewels,
the whole house house is filled with the
aroma of these garments which smell
of myrrh ana aloes and cassia out of the
ivory palaces.
In my text the King steps forth. His
robes rustic and blaze as he advances.
Ills pon,p and power aud glory overmas-
ter the spectator More brilliant is he
than Queen Nashti. moving amid the
Persian princes; than Marie Antoinette
on the day when Louis XVI put upon
her the necklace Of 500 diamonds; than
Anne Boleyu the day when Henry VIII
welcomed her To his palacc-ali beauty
aud all ponp forgotten while we stand
ir the presence Of this imperial glory,
L.
heaven, King forever. His garments
not worn out, not dust bedraggied, but
radiant. and jeweled, and redoent. 1t
seems as if they must have been pressed
hundred years amid the flowers OF
heavea The wardrobes from which
they have been taken must have been
sweet with clusters of campfire, and
franliincense, and all manner of precious
WOOD. DO you not inhalc the odorS
Aye, aye "They smell of myrrh and
aloes ard casSia out Of the ivory pal
Aces"
Your first curiosity is to know why the
robes of Christ are odorouS with myrrh
This wa bright leafrd AbysSinian
plant 1t was trifolated The Greeks
Egyrtiane, Romans and Jews bought and
sold It ~ high price. The first present
tina. was ever given to Christ was Il
sprig of myrlh thrown on his iufautle
bed in Bethlehem, and til" last gift that
Christ ever had was myrrh pressed into
the cup of his crucifXion. The natives
would take 4 stone and bruisc the tree,
md tLcn it would eXude "A gum that
would Saturatc all the ground beneath.
This gum was used for purposes OF mcr-
chandiSc. on piece of it nc larger than
II chpsnut would whclm Il whole room
with odoYs. II was put in closets, in
chests. in drawers, in rooms. and its per.
fump adhered almost unfortunately to
anvthing that was anywhere near it. So
when in my text | read that Christ
garments smell of myrrh | Immediately
conclude the exquisite sweetness Of
Jesus
| know that to many he is only like
any historical pcrson-another.T How
ard, another phianthropic Obcrlin. an
other Confucus grand subject for a
painting, a heroic theme for Il poem, a
beautiful form for Il statue, but TO those
who have heard his voice and felt his
pardon and received his bcnediction he
Is music and light and warmth and thrill
md eternal fragrance, sweet as a friend
sticking to Won when all else betray. lift
ing YOU up while others try to push you
down. not so much like morning glores
that bloom only when the sun is coming
M. nor like -four o'clocks." that bloom
only when the sun is going down, but
like myrrh, pcrpotually aromatic, the
same morning. noon and night, ycstcr-
day, today, forever. 1t seems as if
we cannot wear him ont We put on
him all our burdens and atilict him with
all our griefs and set him foremost in all
our battles, and yet he is ready to lift
aud to sympathi2e and to help. We have
SO imposed upon him that one would
think IN eternal affront he would quit
o1t Spu1 and ynt t,duv In - 11rasSps ms