Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-04-20
REV. DR.. 1ALMAGE.
THK IMMINENT DIVUYK'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE.
Subject: The Resurrection OF Christ-Tht
season of Spiritual GIadness and Re.
freshment-victory Over Death and
the Grave-Tbe Mission of Flowers.

inc OraFe-Ino MISSION OF Flowers.
Copyright lsOuI
WAsHINGToN,p. C.--This sermon Of DR.
Talmage rings all the bells of gladness
especially appropriate at tlIIs season. wher
all Christepdom is celebrating Christ's
resurrection; text, John xix, Al, "In the
garden new supucher.'
Looking around the churches this morn.
ing, seeing flowers in wreaths and flowers
in stars and flowers In crosses and flowers
In crowns, pillows Of beauty, confiagratioy
of beauty, you feel as II you stood in
small heaven.
You say these flowers will fade. Yes, but
perhaps you may see them again. They
may be immortal. The fragrance OF the
flower may be the spirit OF the flower; thu
body Of the flower dying on earth; It,
spirit may appear In better worlds. / dc
not say ii will be so. l say 1t may be so
The ancestors of those tuberoses ant
camelIas and japoncas and jasmines ant
helio!ropes were born In paradise. These
apostles OF beauty came down In the regu
lar line Of apostolic succession. Their an
cestors during tho food, underground
afterward appeared.
The world started with l. Ion; 1t will end
with Eden. Heaven Is called q paradise o.
God. Paradise means flowers. While theo
logical genluses in this day are trying Il
blot out everything material from thei
idea OF heaven, aud, so far as l can tell
their future state is 10 be Il floating around
somewhere between The Great Bear ant
Cassiopeia, should no! be surprised il nj
last can pick up daisy on tho everIast
ing hills and hear II say; II am one OF th,
gloriled flowers OF earth. Don't you re
momber me? l worshiped with you or
Easter morning In 1900"
My text Introduces rs into q garden. II
is a manor in the suburbs OF Jerusalem
owned by II wealthy gentleman of the name
OF Joseph. tie belonged to the court Of
seventy who had condemned Christ, bu
lie had voted In the negative. or, being
timid man, had absented himself when the
vote was to be taken. At great expense b,
laid out the garden, II being hot climate
l suppose there were trees broad bran ehed
and there were paths winding under these
trees, and here and there were waters drip
ping down over tho rocks into fish ponds,
and there were vines aud flowers blooming
from the wall, and all around the beautie!
of kiosk and arboriculture. After tile IA
tigues of the Jerusalem courtroom, how
refreshing TO come into this suburban re.
treat, botanical and polnooglcal
Wandering in the garden, l behold some
rocks which have Oh them the mark OF thu
sculptor's chisel | come nearer, and !
find there is Il subterranean recess. leone
down the marble steps, and | come to
pOrtico, over which there Is an architrave
by the chisel cut into representations O.
fruits and flowers. enter the portico. Or
either side there are rooms-two or four OF
six rooms Of rock, the walls Of these room.
having inches, each niche large enough &c
hold a dead body. Here Is one room thai
is especially wealthy OF sculpture.
The fact is that Joseph realizes he canuo
always walk this garden, and he has pro
vided this place for his last slumbsr. Oh
what beautiful spot in which to wait fol
the coming of the resurrection Mark vel
this tomb, for it is to be the most celebrat
ed tomb in all the ages. Catacombs O.
Egypt, tomb OF Napoleon, Mahal TAI Of In
dia, nothing compared with it, Christ has
just been murdered, and His body will be
thrown to the dogs and the ravens, like
other cruci6ed bodies, unless there be
prompt and efficient hindrance. Joseph
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 1t and perfumes 1t.
/ think that regular embalmment was
omitted. When in olden time 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.
slain for violation OF the dead. Then the
other priests would come with salt OF inter
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 Nicodomus. the wealthy man who
l,,l ,i7aa nd trt,n Mn
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 it 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 OF the
sanhedrn to be put upon the door OF the
tomb, tho 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 Antonio
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 seal OF letter was
ever ore 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 l take 1t, from the fact that
the women mistook Him for the gardener.
That day the grave received such shat.
terlng 1t can never be rebuilt. All tho
trowels Of earthly masonry can never mend
it. Forever and forever 1t is a broken
tomb. Death, taking side with the mill.
tary In that fight, received terrible cut
from the angels spear OF flame, so that he
himself shall 60 down after awhile under
it. 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 Ia this garden with u new sepul.
cher. And, first, post mortem honors IN
contrast with ante norton ignominles. Ii
they could have afforded Christ such
costly sepuicher, why could not they have
given Him an earthly residence? Will they
give this piece of marble to dead Christ
instead of a soft pillow for the living Jesus:
If they had expended half the value OF that
tomb to make Christ comfortable. It would
not have been so SAD II story. He asked
bread; they gave Him stone.
Christ, like most OF the worlds bonefac.
tors, was appreciated better after He was
dead Westminster Abbey and monu.
mental Greenwood are the worlds attempt
TO atone by honors to the dead for wrongs
o the living. Poets corner in Westmn.
ster Abbey attempts to pay for the suffer.
ings Of Grub street.
Go through that Poets corner in West.
minister abbey. There is Handel, the great
musician, from whose music you hear to-
day; but while look at his statue cannot
help but think of the discords with which