Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1901-04-10

churches is the theme OF Or. image :
discourse; i. Corinthians, Is: 20: Now
is Christ risen from the dead and be-
come the first fruits of them that
slept"
On this glorious Easter morning,
amid the music and the flowers, give
you Christian salutation. This morn
ing, Russian meeting Russian on the
streets of st. Petersburg, hanls him
with the salutation: Christ is risen,"
and is answered by his friend in salu-
tation: 'Ie 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 superstition, which illustrates
the fact that the natural world seems
10 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 to-day. / bend over one of the
lilies, and | hear 1T say: Consider the
lilies of the valley, bow they grow;
they toll not, neither do they spin, yet
Solomon in all his glory was not ar
rose, and it seems to whisper: IL
am the rose of Sharon" And then /
stand and listen. From all sides there
comes the chorus of flowers, saving:
IF God so clothed the grass of the field
which to-day is and tomorrow is ca st
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-
ton. Flowers! Flowers! Twist them
INTO n 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 in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be-" The women
came to the Saviour'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 morn.
The two angels ROBBED in white took
hold of the stone at the Saviour's tomb,
and they hurled it with such force
down the hill that it crushed in the
door OF the worlds sepYlcher, and the
stark and the dead must come forth.
care not how labyrinthine the maui
soleum or how costly the sarcopha gus
or however beautifully parterred the
family grounds. we want them all
broken up by the Lord of the resur-
rectlon. They must come out. Fa-
Their and mother-they must come out.
husband and wife-they must come
out. Brother and sister-thev must
come out. Our darling children-they
must come out. The ewes that we
closed with such trembling fingers
must open again in the radiance of
that morn. The arms we folded in dust
must JON ours in an embrace of re-
union. The voice that was hushed in
our dwelling must be returned. Oh.
how long some of you seem O be wait
ing for the resurrection! And for
these broken hearts to-day l make a
SOFT, cool bandage out OF Easter
flowers
This morning I find in the risen
christ prophecy of our own resur.
rection, my text setting forth the idea
that as Christ has risen SC His people
Will rise. He, the first sheaf of the
resurrection harvest. He. 1.-THE first
fruits of them that slept" Before
get Through this morning I will walk
through all the cemeteries of the
| dead. through all the country grave.
yards. where your loved ones are
buried. and I will pluck off these flow.
ers' and | will drop Il sweet promise
OF the Gospel-a rose of hope. n IiIv
OF loy-on every tomb-the child's
! tomb, the husbands tomb. the wife'e
tomb, the fathers grave. the mothers
grave. And while we celebrate the res.
direction Of Christ we will at the same
time celebrate the resurrection Of all
the good. Christ. the first fruits Of
them that slept"
~ should come 10 YOU and ask Won
Tor the names Of the great conouerors
OF the world. Won would say Alexander
Caesar. Philip. Napoleon I. All. Won
have forgotten 10 mention the name
OF a greater conqueror than all these
IA cruel, a CHASTITY conqueror. lie
rode on % black horse across Waterloo
and Chalons and Atlanta. the bloodv
| hoofs crushing the hearts Of poticns
| II is the couGucror Death. lie corrioe
"a black flag. and he takes no prisoners
He digs trench across the hem.
spheres and fills f. with The carcosses
OF nations. Fifty times would the
| world have been dcpopulatcd had NOT
Zoo Kept making new generations
| fItty times the world would have
/ swung lifclcss through The air. norman
on the mountain. no man ON he Goa
/ On abandoned ship blowing through
immensely Again 1ui a.aip ba- H.
done this work with 81 generations
| lie is monarch as well as cop.
| qucror; bis palace "a scpulchcr. hi.
fountains the falling tears OF world
Blessed be Cod lu the LIGHT of mi.
! Easter morning ] see the propbccv
| chat his sccPter shall DE broken and
bis palace rhall bc demolished Tho
hour is coming when 900 who are In
| their graves shall come forth. Christ
20 e. s...