Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-05-03
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

Subject: The Resurrection of Christ--The
Season of Spiritual GIadness and Re-
fresh,nent-victory Over Death and
the Grave-The Mission of Flowers.
copyright laoo.l
WASHINGTON, d. C.-This sermon OF DR..
ralmage rings all the bells OF gladness,
especially appropriate at this season, when
all Christendom Is celebrating Christ g
resurrection; text, John XIX, Al, elm the
garden a new supulcher."
Looking around the churches this morn
ing, seeing flowers In wreaths and flowers
n stnrs and flowers In crosses and flowers
n crowns, pillows Of beauty, conflaGration
of beauty, you feel as IL you stood In q
small heaven.
You say these flowers will fade. Yes, but
perhaps you may see them again. They
may be immortal. The fragrance OF the
| Hover may be the spirit Of the flower; the
body OF the flower dying on earth; its
spirit may appear In better worlds. l do
uot say 1t Will be SO. l say 1t may be so.
The ancestors OF those tuberoses and
camellias and jnponicas and jasmines and
heliotropes were born In paradise. These
apostles OF beauty came down lii the regu-
lar line OF apostolic succession. Their an
cestors during the food, underground,
afterward appeared.
The world started with Eiep; It will end
with Eden. Heaven is called paradise OF
God. Paradise means flowers. While theo.
logical ceniuses In this day are irving to
blot out everything material from their
Idea OF beaven. and, SO far rs can tell.
their future state is to be a floating around
somewhere between the Great Bear and
Cassiopeia, should no. be surprised II ut
last can pick up n daisy on the everlast-
Ing hills and hear 1t say; II am one Of the
glorifed flowers OF earth. Don't you re-
member me? I worshiped with you on
Easter morning in 1900,''
My text Introduces US into q garden. It
is manor in the suburbs OF Jerusalem
owned by wealthy gentleman of the name
of Joseph. He belonged to the court of
he had voted In the negative, or, being u
timid man, had absented himself when the
vote was to be taken. At grent expense he
laid out the garden. 1t being hot climate,
| suppose there were trees broad braDehed,
and there were paths winding under these
:rees, and here and there were waters drip
ping down over the rocks into fish ponds,
and there were vines and flowers blooming
from the wall, and all around the beauties
OF kiosk and arboricuiture. After the fa :
tigues OF the Jerusalem courtroom, how
refreshing to come into this suburban re-
treat, botanical and pomologicall
Wandering in the garden, / behold some
rocks which have on them the mark OF the
sculptor's chisel. l come nearer, and
find there is a subterranean recess. leone
down the arble steps, and / come to a
portico, over which there is an architrave,
by the cbisel cut into representations OF
fruits and flowers. l enter the portico. On
either side there are rooms-two or four or
six rooms OF rock, the walls OF these rooms
having inches, each niche large enough to
hold dead body. Here Is one room that
Is especially wealthy OF sculpture.
The fact is that Joseph realizes be cannot
always walk this garden, and he has pro-
al, L.. l. II. ~
what n beautiful spot in which to wait for
the coming OF the resurrection! Mark we'll
this tomb, for 1t is to be the most celebrat-
ed tomb in all the ages. Catacombs OF
Egypt, tomb OF Napoleon, Mahal Tai of In
dia nothing compared with 1t. Christ has
just been murdered, and His body will be
thrown to the dogs and the ravens, like
other cruclled bodies. unless there be
prompt and efficient hindrance. Joseph,
the owner of this muusoleu IN in the rocks,
begs for the body of Christ. He washes
the poor. INITIATED frame from the dust
and blood, shrouds 1t and perfumes it.
] think that regular embaimment was
omitted. When in olden time II body was
to be embalmed, the priest with some pre-
tension of medical skill, would point out
the place between the ribs where the in
cision must be made, and then the operator,
having made the incision. ran lest he be
slain for violation OF the dead. Then the
and cassia and wine OF palm tree and COM
plete the embalmment But think this en-
balmment OF the body of Christ was
omitted. 1t would have raised another
contention and another riot.
The funeral hastens on. Present,
think, Joseph, the owner of the mauso-
leum; Nicodemus, the wealthy man who
had brought the spices, and the two Marys.
No organ dirge, no plumes, no catafalque.
Heavy burden for two men as they carry
Christ's body down the marble stairs and
Into the portico and lift the dead weight to
the level OF the niche In the rock and push
the body Of Christ into the only pleasant
resting place 1t ever had. Coming forth
from the portIco, they close the door OF
rock against the recess.
The government, afraid that the dis
,iples may steal the body Of Christ and
play resurrection, order the seal Of the
sanhedrin to be put upon the door OF the
tomb, the violation OF that seal, like the
violation OF the seal Of the Government OF
the United States or Great Britain, to be
followed with great punishment. COM
pany OF soldiers from the tower Of Antonia
Is detailed to stand guard.
At the door of the mausoleum fight
takes places which decides the question
for all GraveYards and cemeteries. Sword
OF lightning against sword OF steel. Angel
against military. No senl Of letter was
ever more easily broken than that seal of
the sanhedrin on the door OF the tomb.
The dead body in the niche in the rock
begins to move In its shroud OF fine linen,
slides down upon the pavement, moves out
Of the portico, appears In the doorway, ad-
vances into the open air, comes up the
marble steps. Having left His mortuary
| attire behind Him, He comes forth in work.
mans garb, as / take 1t, from the fact that
the women mistook Hin for the gardener.
That day the grave received such shat
tering it can never be rebuilt. All tie
trowels Of earthly masonry can never mend
! 1t. Forever and forever 1t Is Il broken
tomb. Death, taking side with the mill
tary in that fight, received II terrible cut
| from the angels spear OF flame, so that he
| himself shall 50 down after awhile under
1t. The king OF terrors retiring before the
King of grace! The Lord Is risen! Let
earth and heaven keep Easter to-day!
Hosanna!
Some things strike my observation while
stan ding III this garden with Il new sepul-
cher. And, first, post mortem honors In
contrast with ante mortem ignominies. II
they could have afforded Christ such n
costly sepulcher, why could not they have
given Him IN earthly residence? Will they
give this piece of marble to dead Christ
instead OF u soft pillow for the living Jesus?
II they had expended half the value OF that
tomb to make Christ comfortable. 1t would