The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-05-24
THE RESURRECTION.
DR.. Talmage's Easter Sermon Rings
All the Bells of Gladness. =.

II
Blooming Flowers, Embicnatic of
Paradise, Fifty Celebrate the
bursting Of Chrkst's Tomb
A season Of Rejoicing.
Copyright, 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington,
This sermon of DR.. Talmage rings
all the bells of gladness, especially ap-
propriate at this season, when y all
Christendom is celebrating Christ's
resurrection; text, John 1874, in the
garden new sepulcher.' 1..
Looking around the churches this
morning, seeing flowers in wreaths and
flowers in stars and flowers in crosses
and flowers in crowns, pillows of
beauty, conflagration of beauty, you
feel as if 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; the body Of the flower dying on
earth, it's spirit may appear in better
worlds. l do not say it will be so. say
| it may be so. 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, afterward
appeared.
| The world started with Eden; it will
i end with Eden. Heaven is called par
adise of God. Paradise means flowers.
While theological geniuses in this day
are trying to blot out everything ma
terial from their idea of Heaven, and,
so far as l can tell, their future state
is to be a.floating around somewhere
between the Great Bear and Cassiopeia,
should not be surprised if at last
can pick up 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 morning in 1900.''
Ny text introduces us into a garden.
1t is manor in the suburbs of Jerusa-
lem owned by a wealthy gentleman
by the name of Joseph. He belonged
to the court of 20 who had condemned
Christ, but he had voted in the
negative, or, being q timid man, had
absented himself when the vote was to
be taken. At great expense he laid out
the garden. 1t being a hot climate,
suppose there were trees broae
branched, and there were paths wind
ing under these trees, and here ant
there were waters dripping down oy1
: the rocks into fish ponds, and there
were vines and flowers blooming from
the wall, and all around the beautie.
of kiosk and horticulture. After tn,
fatigues of the Jerusalem courtroom
, how refreshing to come into this sub
urban retreat, botanical and pomolog
} ical!
\ Wandering in the garden, I beholt
! some rocks which have on them tn,
mark of the sculptor's chisel. 1 com
3 nearer, and I find there is subter
: ranean recess. I come down the mar
Q BILE steps, and come to portico, owe
: which there is an architrave, by th
( chisel cut into representations Of fruit
: and flowers, enter the portico. o.
(: either side there are rooms-two o
l four or six rooms of rock, the walls o
t these rooms having inches, each hich
> large enough to hold dead body
> Here is one room that is especiall
q wealthy of sculpture.
The fact is that Joseph realizes h
cannot always walk this garden, an
he has provided this place for his las
slumber. Oh, what a beautiful spot j
: which to wait for the coming of tn
resurrection! Mark well this toni
for it is be the most celebrated tom
a in all the ages. Catacombs of Egyp
r tomb of Napoleon. Mahal Tai. of Indi,
8 nothing compared with it. Christ ha
"a just been murdered, and His body wi
be thrown to the dogs and the raven
n like other crucified bodies, unless thel
a be prompt and efficient hindrance. J,
4 seph, the owner of this mausoleum
a the rocks, begs for the body of ChTis
% He washes the poor, mutilated fran
II from the dust and blood, shrouds it an
I perfumes it.
!. think that regular embalmme1
> was omitted. When in the oAlen tin
= body was to be embalmed, the prizes
a with some pretension of medical ski
i would point out the place between Il
ribs where the incision must be mad,
. and then the operator, having mac
- the incision, ran lest he be slain for
\ 4 violation of the dead. Then the 9th
~ priests would come with salt of nit
and cassia and wine of balm tree al
II complete the embalmment. But
"a think this embalmment of the body
Christ was omitted. 1t would ha
raised another contention and anoth
riot.
:. The funeral hastens on. Present.
:. think, Joseph, the owner of the maus
=, leum; Nicodemus, the wealthy man w
- had brought the spices, and the I,
!. - Marys. No organ dirge. no plnmcs,
!" catafalque. Heavy burden for t,
men as they carry Christ body do,