Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-04-12

WASHINGTON, April I. The great
Christian festival celebrated I'm alI.the
churches is the theme OF DIR. Talmage's
discourse; Corinthians XIV. 20. Now
Is Christ risen from the dead and he
come the first fruits Of them that
slept"
On this glorious Easter morning.
amid the music and the flowers. I give
you Christian saiutation. This morn
ing Russian meeting Russian on the
streets of St Petersburg halls him
with the salutation, Christ is riseni'
and is answered by his friend i'm salu-
tation, "He is risen indeed,'' In some
parts OF England and Ireland TO this
very day there is the superstition that
on Easter morning the sun dances in
the heavens. and well may we forgive
such a superstition, which illustrates
the fact that the natural world seems
to sympathize with the spiritual.
Hail. Easter morning, Flowers.
Flowers, All of them a-voice. all of
them a-tongue, all of them full of
speech today. | bend over one of the
lilies, and l hear II say: Consider the
lilies of the field. how they grow. They
toll not, neither do they spin. yet Solo
mon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one OF these" I bend over n rose.
and IL seems to whisper. Il am the
rose of sharon" And then | stand and
listen. From all sides there comes the
chorus of flowers, saying. "lf God so
clothed the grass of the field. which to-
day is, and tomorrow is cast into the
oven. shall he not much more clothe
you. o We of little faith?"
Flowers, Flowersi Braid them into
the brides hair. Flowers, Flowers!
Strew them over the graves of the
dead, sweet prophecy of the resurrec-
tion. FloweTSi Flowersl Twist them
into garland for my Lord Jesus on
Easter morning. and GLORY be to the
Father and TO the Son and to the Holy
Ghost; as it was i'm the beginning. is
now and ever shall ber' The women
came to the Savieur's tomb, and they
dropped spices all around the tomb
and those spices were the seed that
began to grow, and from them came all
the flowers OF this Easter morr The
two angels robed in white took hold of
the stone at the Savour's torob. and
they hurled 1t with such force down
the hill that It crushed in the door of
the worlds sepulcher, and the stark
and the dead must come forth.
L care not how labyrinthine the MAUI
soleum or how costly the sarcophagus
or however beautifully parterred the
family grounds-we want them all bro
Ken up by the Lord OF the resurrec-
ton. They must come out. Father
ard mother-they must come out; hus-
band and wife-tbey must come out;
brother and sister - they must come
out; our darling chidren-they must
come out The eyes that we closed
with such trembling fingers must open
again I'm the radiance or that morn: the
arms we folded in dust must Join ours
In an embrace OF reunion: the voice
that was hushed I'm our dwelling must
be returned. Oh. how long some OF you
seem TO be waiting for the resurrcc-
ton! And for these broken hearts to-
day I make n soft. cool bandage out OF
Easter flowers.
Prophecy of Resurrection
This morning 1 find In the risen
Christ prophecy OF our own rcsurrec-
ton, my text setting forth the idea
that as Christ has risen so his people
VIII rise. He. the first shcaf of the
resurrection harvest. ue "the first
fruits OF them that slept" Before |
get through this morning | Will walk
through all the cemeteries OF the dead.
through all the country gr3veyards,
where your loved ones are buried. and
i VIII pluck or these flowers aud |
Will drop sweet promise OK tho gos-
pei-a rose OF hope. lily OF Joy on ev-
cry tomb. the child's tomb. the hus-
bands tomb. the wife's tomb. the IA
theirs grave. the mothers grave, and,
while we celebrate the resurrection OF
Christ. we will at the same time cele-
brate the resurrection of AL the good.
Christ. the first fruits OF them that
slept"
If should come to you and ask YOU
for the names OF the great conuuerors
of the world. you would say Alexan-
der. Cesar. Philip. Napoleon |. Ali
You have forgotten TO mention the
name OF greater conqucror than all
these-a cruel. CHASTITY conqueror
He rode on black horse across Wa.
terloe and Chalons and Atlanta, the
bloody hoofs crushing the hearts of
nations. Ii Is the conquer1r Death. He
carries black Nag. and be takes no
prisoners. he digs n trench across the
hemispheres aud Ills il with the car
casses OF nations. Fifty times would
the world have been depopulated had
not God kept making new generations.
Fifty times the world would have
swung lifeless through the air-no man
on the mountain. no man on the sea,
an abandoned ship blowing through
immensely. Again aud again has he
lone this work with all generations.
lie Is monarch as well as q con-
Queror; his palace n sepuicher; his
fountains the falling tears OF world.
Blessed be God In the light OF this
Easter morning! | see the prophecy
that his scepter shall be broken and
his palace shall be demolished. The
hour Is coming when all who are I'm
their graves shall come forth. Christ
risen, we shall rise. Jesus, "the first
fruits or them that slept"
mnny Mysteries.
Now. around this doctrine OF the res
direction there are a great many mys-
teries. You come 10 me and say. IF
the bodies Of the dead are To hc raised.
now Is this and how is that?" And
you ask me thousand questions am
incompetent TO answer. But there are
great many things you believe that
You are not able TO explain. You would
lie very foolish man to say. II won't
believe anything i can't understand"
why, putting down one kind of flower
seed, comes there up this Cover OF this
Color! Why, putting down another
hover seed, comes there up flower of
this color? One flower white, another
Hover yellow, another flower crimson. |
Why the difference when the seeds
look TO be very much alike-are very
much alike? Explain these things; ex- |
plain that wart on the finger; explain
the dinerence-why the oak leaf is DIFF |
ferent from the leaf of the hickory
Tell me how tho ! ord AI,,f1,..