Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-04-20
[Copyrigfs 1900 by Louis KI,pscn.1

flowers in stars and flowers in crosses
and flowers in crowns. pillows Oh
beauty. confiagration of beauty. you
feel as if you stood in a small heaven.
You say these flowers will fade. Yes.
but perhaps you may see them again.
They may be immortal. The fra
GRANGE of the flower may be the spirit
of the flower; the body Of the flower
dying en- earth. its spirit may appear
In better worlds | do not say IL Will
be So | say 1t may be so. The an
cestors of those tu5eroses and camel
las and japonices and jasmines and
heliotropes were born in paradise.
These apostles of beauty came down
in the regular line of apostolic sue
cession. Their ancestors during the
flood, underground, afterward aD-
Feared.
The world started With Eden; 1t VIII
end with Eden. Heaven is called
paradise of God. Paradise means flow
ers. While theological geniuseS in thi )
day are trying to blot out everything
material from their idea OF heaven,
and. so far rs | can tell. their future
state IS TO be a-foating around some
where between the Great Bear and
Cassiopeia. l should not be surprised
if at last | can pick up a daisy on the
everlasting hills and hear it say: Il
am one of the glorified flowers Of
earth. Don't you remember me? |
worshiped with you on Easter morn
ing in 1902"
My text introduces US into a garden
It is manor in the suburbs of Jeru-
salem owned by a wealthy gentleman
by 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 timid man,
had absented himself when the vote
was to be taken. At great expense he
laid out the garden. 1t being a hot eli
mate. | suppose there were trees
winding under these trees. and here
and there were waters dripping down
over the rocks into the 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 SUI
burban retreat, botanical and promo
logical
Mo.t Celebrated of Tomns.
Wandering in the garden. behold
some rocks which have on them the
mark of the sculptor's chisel. | come
nearer. and | find there is a su5terra-
mean recess. | come down the marble
steps, and | come TO a portico, over
which there is an architrave by the
chisel cut into representatives of
fruits and flowers. | enter the por-
tico On either side there are rooms
two or four or six rooms of rock.
the walls of these rooms having
inches, every niche large enough to
hold dead body. Here is one room
that is especially wealthy of scuip.
ture.
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 to wait for the coming of the
resurrection. Mark we'll this tomb,
for it is to be the most celebrated tomb
tomb of Napoleon, Mahal Tai of India
nothing compared with it. Christ has
Just been murdered and his body will
be thrown TO the dogs and the ravens.
like other crucifed 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 it.
l think that regular embalInment
was omitted. When in 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
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 1t would have
raised another contention and another
riot
The funeral hastens on. Present I
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 bur
den 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 re-
cess.
The government, afraid that the dis
ciples may steal the body of Christ and
play resurrection. order the seal of
the sanhedrin to be put upon the door
or 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. A company of SOL
diers from the tower of Antonio is
detailed to stand guard