Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-08-16
"RABBONI."
Sunday Discourse By DR.. Chapman. the
Noted astor.EvangeIist.
The Death Of Christ Help to All, For By II
He Takes Away From Us All the Sting
q and From the Grove Its Victory.

pressive sermon has been prepared Tor
the press by the popular pastor.evangel-
lst. the Rev. DIR. J. Wilbur Chapman.
The subject OF the discourse is "Rabboni.
and 1t was preached from the text, Jesus
saith unto her. Mary, She turned herself,
and saith unto Him. Rabhoni. which Is to
say. MASTER" John -: 10.
The burial of Christ lies between His
humiliation and His exhaltation; it Is one
OF the resting points in His history, and
the grave to Him to us all was the gate
of life. He passed through il into His
glorious resurrection. Ii the crucihXion
be represented one mountain and the
ascension as another thea the burial OF
Christ is like valley. and since it is true
that in every valley mentioned in the
Scriptures there Is a well of water or
spring, so strange ii may seem in this
valley which seems 10 be filed only with
shadows one stoops TO drink at the well of
comfort. Tor the death of Christ is the
very greatest possible comfort and help to
US, for in His death He takes away from
US all the sting and from the grave its vie
tory, for the tomb of the Christian in all
the years this side OF the burial of Christ
has been tenanted with angels. but we
have not so much to do with His burial
as with His resurrection. John gives no
narrative of the resurrection itself, but
rather an account of the manner in which
he himself was convinced that the resur-
rection had taken place. 1t is not so
much an argument, although on the basis
of it the strongest arguments have been
presented: it Is rather a beautiful testi-
mony and thrilling story. When Mary
brought the startling Intelligence that the
tomb was empty Peter and John made
for the spot at the top of their speed.
John outruns Peter. but naturally rever-
ence keeps him from entering the tomb.
He looks in. however, to convince himself
that the body has not been removed by
the enemies of Christ. for the linen
clothes in which He had been wrapped
were carefully taken off and left behind.
When Peter comes up they two enter the
tomb together. and their differences are
reached after they have carefully studied
the surroundings. This simple narrative
will be TO many minds more convincing
than great argument. 1t Is told clearly
by an eye witness of all the events. We
see Mary breath.essly giving out the
startling news, and we watch the hasty
springing up of the two men and their
rapid racing along the streets out through
the gates 10 the garden. We behold John
standing painting 1T the rock-hewn sep
ulcher and catch a vision of Peter
toilin2 un behind but not hesitating a mo-
ment. We see him entering and gazing at
this ard that. till the articles in the
tomb haze told their story and the two
men leave the sepulcher together awed
and convinced. and che eye witness who
thus beautifully relates what he knew OF
that wonderful morning adds, He saw
and believed"
Mary came after mat as quickly as she
could, but exhausted with her rapid car
rying o; the news to Peter and John was
not able to keep pace with them as they
ran TO the tomb and before she arrived
they were gone. She may have missed
them in the streets as she came out of
the city. At any rate. finding the tomb
still empty. and no one present to ex-
w.Nasw. IL. = =. L II
heart broken and pours out her distress
IN tears. The grave being empty the
whole earth is empty 10 her. the dead
Christ was more to her than a living
world. She can but stand and lay her
head upon the stone and let her tears
How as from broken heart. So absorb
ing Is her grief that the vision of angels
does not astonish her; she had but the
one thought. They have taken away my
Lord. She supposed. too. that all about
her must know her loss and understand
what she is seeking, so that when she
sees the gardener as she supposes she
cries out. III thou have borne Him
hence" She does not even mention His
name, ior she cannot imagine that any
one Is thinking OF any other than He who
fills her whole mind and heart. John
20: lib. But Mary stood without at
the sepulchcr weeping. and as she wept
she stopped down and looked into the sep
ulcher. and seeth two angels in white sit
ting: the one at the head and the other
at the feet, where the body of Jesus had
lain. And they say unto her. Woman.
why wcepest thou: She saith unto them,
Because they have taken away my Lord.
and l know not where they have laid
Him. As Mary answers the angels she
heard step behind her and the door of
the tomb is darkened by shadow, and
on turning diseerns dimly through her
tears a figure which naturally enough she
supposes to be the gardener. because he
was the likellest person to be going about
the garden at that early hour. John 20:
H-l6l. And when she had thus said she
turned herself back and saw Jesus stand
ing and knew not that it was Jesus.
Jesus saith into her, Woman. why weep
est thou: Whom seekest thou? She.
suppc sing Him to be the gardener. saith
unto Him. Sir. if Thou have borne Him
hence, tell me where Thou hast laid Him,
al d ! will take Him away Jesus saith
III to her. Mary. She turned herself and
50 tn unto Him, Rabboni. which is to
s. Z. Master
The utterance Of her name was enough
e tell her it was some one who knew her
Il It was there. The voice seemed again
70 command calm within her, for once
before that voice had banished from her
ma ture the evil spirits that had taken pos
Sc ss;on OF her. but now again she steps
gu OF darkness into light, and from being
CT sa.ure in the. world Undoubtedly
Il ere is very much more to the ministry
OF angels than we imagine. Their at
t. .ndance upon Jesus birth. their con-
tant presence during all His life. and
ven the guarding of His dead body is
'ut an example of their service to each
{ u us. All the providential dealings of
I iod are administered by angels, and in
! he next dispensation we do not know
out that this NAV be our own ministry.
Hebrews >: D. For unto the angels hath
He not nut in subsection the world TO
come. whereof we speak There are
some special thoughts which ought to be
drawn this morning from story so beau
ti;ul as the meeting OF Mary with her
Lord in the garden.
We must surely be impressed with the
:. thought that those who love Christ most
diligently and perseverinsly are those
who receive the most privileges from
Ctrist's hand. II is worthy of note that
Mary Magdalene would not leave the sep
ulcher when Peter and John went away
to their homes. Love to her Master
would not let her leave the place where
He had lain; Where He was now she
could not tell; what had become of Him
she did not know, but love made her lin
ger, love made her honor the last place
where His precious body had been seen
by mortal eyes. and her love reaped a
rich reward. She was the first to see her
Lord after He rose from the dead; the
first to hear His voice and the first To