The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-04-20
THE RESURRECTION.
DR.. Talmage's Easter Sermon Rings
All the Bells of Gladness.
blooming Flowers, EmbIrmRtIc Of
Paradise, Fitly Celebrate the
Bursting of ChTLst's Tomb
\ season CS Rejoicing.
Copyright. 1900. by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington

all the bells of CladnCss. especially ap
propriRte at this season, when al
ChristendOm is celebrating Christ:
resurrection; text, John 1874, In the
garden a new sepulcher."
Looking around the churches this
morning. seeing flowers in wreaths and
towers in stars and flowers in crosses
and flowers in crowns, pillows OF
beauty, cOnfiagratiOn of beauty, you
feel as IL YOU stood in a small Heaven.
You say these flowers will fade. Yes
but perhaps you may see them again
They NAV he immortal. The fragrance
of the flower may be the spirit of the
flower; the body of the flower dying on
earth, its spirit may appear in better
worlds. l do not say il will be so. L say
IL may be 80. The ancestors of those
tuberoses and camelias and japonicas
and jasmines and heliotropes were born
in paradise. These apostles of beauty
came down in the regular line of apOs-
tOlic succession. Their ancestors dur
ing the flood, underground. aftcrward
appeared.
The world started with Eden: il will
end with Eden. Heaven Is called par
adise of God. Paradise means flowers.
While theological geniUses i'm this DAY
are trying TO blot out everything ma
terial from their idea of Heaven, and, ,
so far as I can tell. their future state
is to he a-fioating around somewhere
between the Great Bear and CasSiopcia.
I should not be surprised if at last
] can pick up a daisy on the everlasting
hills and hear il say: II am one of the
glorifed flowers of earth. Don't YOU
remember me? l worShiped with YOU
on Easter morning i'm 1900"
My text introduces US into a garden.
1t is a manor in tho suburbs of Jerusa-
lem owned by a wealthy gentleman
10y the name of Joseph. He belonged
TO the court Of 30 who had condemned
Christ, but he had voted in the
negative, or, being timid man. had
absented himself when the vote was to
be taken. At great expense he laid out
the garden. IL being a hot climate. I
suppose there were trees broad
brsnched. and there were paths wind
ing under these trees. and here and
there were waters dripping down ovr
the rocks into fish ponds. and there
were vines and flowers blooming from
the wall. and all around the beauties
of kiosk and aboriculture. After the
fatigues of the Jerusalem courtroom.
how refreshing to come into this sub
urban retreat, botanical and pomolog-
ical.
Wandering in the garden. I behold
some rocks which have on them the
mark of the sculptor's chiseI. / come
nearer, and I find there is a subter-
raneau recess. 1 come down the mar
ble steps. and l come TO portico. over
which there is an architrave. bv the
chisel cut into representations of fruits
and flowers. l enter the portfco. On
either side there are rooms-two or
four or six rooms of rock. the walls or
these rooms having inches. each niche
large enough 10 hold a dead body.
Here is one room that is especially
WEALTHY of sculpture
The fact is that Joseph realizes he
cannot always walk This garden, and
he has provided this place for his last
slumber. Oh. what a beautiful spot in
which 10 wait for the coming of the
resurrection, Mark we'll this tomb.
for it is be the most celebrated tomb
in all the ages. Catacombs of Egypt.
tomb of Napoleon. Aabal Tai. of India.
nothing compared with il. Christ has
just been murdered. and His body will
be thrown 10 the dogs and the ravens.
like other crucified bodies. unless there
be prompt and efficient hindrance. Jo-
seph, the owner of this mausoleum in
the rocks. begs for the body OF Christ.
He washes the poor. mutilated frame
from the dust and blood. shrouds it and
perfumes il.
1 think that regular embalmment
was omitted. When in the olden time
a body was to be embalmed, the priest,
with some pretension of medical skill. |
would point out the place between the |
ribs where the incision must be made; |
and then the operator, having made |
the incision. ran lest he be slain for a |
of the dead. Then the other
priests would come with salt of inter |
and eassia and wine of balm tree and |
complete the embalmment. But / |
think this embalmment of the body of /
Christ was omitted. 1t would have /
raised another contention and another
riot.
The funeral hastens on. Present, i /
think, Joseph. the owner of the mauso-
eum; NicOdemus, the wealthy man who
bad brought the spices, and the two
Marys- No organ dirge, no plumes, no
Heavy burden for two
men as they carry Christ's body down
he marble stairs and into the portico
ind lift the dead weight to the level Of
he niche in the rock and push the body
,f Christ into the only pleasant resting
place il ever had. Coming forth from
he portico, they close the door of rock
igainst the recess.
The government, afraid that the dis
,iples may steal the body of Christ and
,lay resurrection. order the seal of the
to be put upon the door of
he tomb. the violation of that seal,
Ike the violation OF the seal of the
of the United States or
ireat Britain, to be followed with
lreat punishment. A company of sol
Iiers from the tower of Antonia is de-
allied 10 stand guard.
At the door of the mausoleum fight
axes place which decides the question
or al graveyards and cemeteries.
:wcrd ofIightning against sword OF
teeL Angel against military. No