Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-04-20
EASTER REJOICINGS.
Or. TAlMAos oiscCURSES ON ThE
RESURRECTION Or CHRIST.


RESURRECTION or CHRIST.
The Season of Spiritual tsiaducrs and
Northumberland over Death
and the Gravc-The Mission OF
Flowers.
WASHINGTON, April 15.-This sermon
OF DIR. TalInage rings all the bells OF
gladness, especially appropriate at this
season, when all Cbristendom Is cele-
brating Christ's resurrection: text. John
xix, IL, "In the garden n new sepul-
cher"
Looking around the churches this
morning, seeing flowers in wreaths
aud flowers in stars and flowers in
crosses and flowers in crowns. pillows
Of beauty. contagration of beauty, you
feel as IL you stood in n small heaven.
You say these flowers will fade. Yes,
but perhaps you may see them again.
They may he immortal. The fragrance
of the flower may be the spirit os 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 1t may be So The ancestors of
those tuberoses and camellias and ia
ponicas and jasmines ard heliotropes
were born I'm paradise. These apostles
OF beauty came down In the regular
line OF apostolic succession. Their an
cestors during the food. underground,
afterward appeared.
The world started with Eden; IL will
end with Eden. Heaven is called
paradise OF God. Paradise means flow
ers. While theological gcniuses in this
day are trying to blot out everything
material from their idea of heaven.
and, so far as | can tell. their future
state Is TO be a floating around some
where between the Great Bear and
Cassiopeia. | should not he surprised
II at last can pick up daisy on the
everla sting hills and hear il say: IL am
one Of the glorified flowers Of earth.
Don't you remember me? | worshiped
with you on Easter morning in 1900"
My text introduces us into a garden.
II Is n manor in the suburbs OF Jeru-
salem owned by a wealthy gentleman
OF the name of Joseph. He belonged
to the court of seventy who had con
demned Christ, but he had voted In the
negative, or, being a timid man. had
absented himself when the vote was to
be taken. At great expense he laid out
the garden. II being n hot climate. !
suppose there were trees broad branch
ed, and there were paths winding un-
der these trees, and here and there
were waters dripping 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 arboriculture. After the IA
tigues OF the Jerusalem courtroom,
how refreshing to come into this sub
urban retreat. botanical and pomolog
icall
Wandering in the garden, behold
some rocks which have on them the
mark Of the sculptor's chisel come
nearer, and find there is n subterra-
mean recess. | come down the marble
steps. and | come TO n portico. over
which there is an architrave, by the
chlsel 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 10 hold dead body.
Here is one room that is especially
wealthy OF sculpture.
Most Celebrated Tomb
The fact Is that Joseph realizes he
cannot always walk this garden. and
he has provided this place for his last
slumber. Oh. what beautiful spot in
which 10 wait for the coming of the
resurrection Mark well this tomb.
for II is TO be the most celebrated tomb
In all the ages. Catacombs OF Egypt.
tomb OF Napoleon. Mahal Tai of India,
nothing compared with IL. Christ has
Just been murdered. and his body will
be thrown TO 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 II
and perfumes II.
i think that regular embalmment
was omitted. When I'm olden time a
body was TO be embalmed, the priest,
with some pretenslon OF medical skill,
would point out the place between the
ribs where the incision must be made.
and then the operator, having made
the lncision. ran lest he be slain for o
violation OF the dead. Then the other
priests would come with salt OF inter
and cassia and wine OF palm tree and
complete the embalmment. But /
think this embalmment OF the body of
Christ was omitted. IL would have
raised another contention and another
riot
The funeral hastens on. Present. !
think. Joseph. the owner OF the maui
soleum; 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 Christs 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 or Christ into the only pleasant
resting place il ever had. Coming
forth from the portico, they close the
door OF rock against the recess.
The government. afraid that the dis
ciples may steal the body OF Christ
and play resurrection, order the seal
or the sanhedrin to be put upon the
seal, like the violation of the seal of
the government OF the United States or
Great Britain, TO be followed with
great punishment. a company OF sol.
diers from the tower of Antonio Is de-
tailed to stand guard.
Tn snnhedrIn's Seal.
AT the door of the mausoleum a fight
takes place which decides the question
for all graveyards and cemeteries
Sword OF lightning against sword of
steel Angel against military. No seal
OF letter was ever more easily broken
than that Seal OF the sanhedrin on the
door or 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 mortu-
airy attire behind him, he comes forth
In workman's garb, as take it, from
the fact that the women mistook him
for the gardener.
That day the grave received such
shattering II can never be rebuilt. AL
the troweis OF earthly masonry car