Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-04-05
CHRISTIAN VIEW OF DEATH
Rev. DR.. TaImage Says About 1870 Easter
Mornings Have Weakened the Earth.
The Charge Of the Black Giant - Rout OF
the King Of Terrors

view OF death as the entrance to fuller
life Is presented in this Easter discourse
by DIR. Talmage from the text Cor. XIV,
81. Death is swallowed up IN victory.
About 1870 Easter mornings have Weakened
the earth. In France for three centuries
the almanacs made the year begin at East
er until Charles TX. made the year begin
at January l. In the Tower OF London
there is a royal pay roll of Edward l.. on:
which there Is an entry of eighteen pence
70. 400 colored and pictured eggs, with
which the people sported In Russia slaves
Were fed and aims were distributed on,
Easter. Ecclesiastical councils met in.
Pontus in Gaul, in Rome. in Achaia. to
decide the particular day and after a CON-
troyersy more animated than gracious de /.
cided 1t, and now through all Christen-
dom IN some way the hrst Sunday after.
the full moon which happens upon or next
after March y Is filled with Easter rejoice
ing.
The royal court OF the Sabbaths is made
up OF fity-two. Fifty are princes IN
the royal household, but Easter is queen.
she wears richer diadem, she sways =
more jeweied scepter. and in her smile ma.
t,oas are irradia;ed. How welcome she Is
when. after a harsh winter and late spring.
enc seems 20 step out OF the snowbank
rather than the conservatory, to come ont
Of the north instead OF the south. out OF
the arctic rather THAI the tropics, dis
cone this queenly day. holding high IN herr
iigh: hand the wrenched off bolt OF Christ
sepu.chcr, and holding high in her left
hand tine key TO all the cemeteries in Chris.
tendon.
Ny text Is an ejaculation. 1t is spun out
OF halleluiahs. Paul wrote right on in his
argument about the resurrection, and OBJ
served all the laws of logic, but when ne
came 10 write the words OF the text his
fingers and his pen and the parchment on
which he wrote took fire, and he cried out,
Death Is swallowed up in victory" 1t
is an exciting thing to see an army routed
and Tying. They run each other down.
They scatter everything valuable in the
track. Cnwheeied artillery; hoof of horse
on breas. OF wounded and dying man.
Iou have read OF the French falling back
from Sedan. OF Napo.eon's track OF 5000
corpses IN the snowoanks OF Russia, OF :s-e.
retreat OF our armies from Manassas or OF
the five kings tumbliag over the rocks of
Beth horan with their armies while the
hailstorsns OF heaven and the swords OF
Joshuas host struck them with their fury.
In my text is a worse discontinue. 1t
seems that black gan opposed to con-
quer the earth. He gathered TOR his host
all the aches and pains and maiarlas and
cancers and distempcrs and epidemics OF
the ages. He marched them down. drill
ing them in the northwest wind and amid
the slush OF tempests. He threw up BARR
cades OF grave mound. lie pitched tent OF
charnal house. Some OF the troops
marched with slow tread commanded b.
consumptions, some in double quick COM
manded by pneumonias. Some he took BY
long besiegement of evil habit and some
by one stroke of the battleaxe OF casualty.
With hony hand he pounded at the back
door OF hospitals ana siclSrooms and won
an the victories in all the great battlefields
OF all the hive continents. Forward.
march. ordered the conqueror of conquer
ors. and all the generals and commanders
in.chief and al presidents and kings and
snltans and cars dropped under the feet
OF his war charger. But one Christmas
night his antagonist was bora.
As most of the plaques and sicknesses
and despotisms come out of the east, it
was appropriate that the new conquero-
should come out of the same quarter.
Power is gwen Him to awaken all the fallen
of all the centuries and of all lands and
marshal them against the black giant.
Fields have already been won, but the last
day OF the worlds existence will see the
decisive battle. When Christ shall lead
forth His two brigades. the brigade OF the
risen dead and the brigade of the celestial
host. the black giant will fall back, and
the brigade from the riven sepulchers win
take him from beneath. and the brigade OF
descending immortals will take him from
above. and death shall be swallowed ND in
victory.
The old braggart that threatened the
conquest and demolition OF the planet has
lost his throne, has lost his scepter, has
los; his palace, has lost his prestige and
the one word written over all the gates OF
mausoleum and catacomb and metropolis
on cenotaph and sarcopnagus. on the lone
ly khan OF the arctic explorer and on the
eatafalque OF great cathedral, written in
capitals OF aza.ia and Gala lilly. written in
musical cadence, written in doxology of
NH L..
tnred door of the family vault. is Vic
tory. Coronal word. embanncred word
apocalyptic word, chief word OF triumphal
arch under which conquerors return
Victory. Word shouted at Culoden and
Balaklava and Blenheim. at Megidio and
Soi.erIno. at Marathon. where the Athcn-
ians drove back the Modes; at Po;ticrs.
where Charles Martel broke the ranks o;
the Saraeens; at Salamis, where Themis-
toclts IN the great sea fight confounded the
Persians and at the door OF the eastern
cavern OF chiseled rock, where Christ came
ont through recess and throttled the king
OF terrors and put him back in the niche
from which the celestial Conaueror had
Just emerged. Aha. When the jaws of
the eastern mSusoleum took down the
black giant death was swallowed up in
victory" i proclaim the abolition of
death
The old antagonist is driven back into
mythology with all the lore about Stygiau
ferry and Charon with oar and boat. Mel.
rose abbey and kenilworth castle are no
more IN ruins than is the seuulcher. We
snail have no more to do with death than
We have with the c,oakroom at a govern
ors or a presidents levee. We stop at
such c!oakroom and leave in charge of a
ser'snt our cyercoat, our overshoes, our
outward apparel. that we may not be i'm.
peded IN the brilliant round Of the draw
ing room Well. my friends, when we GO
out OF this world we are going to a Kings
banquet and to reception OF monarchs.
and az the door OF the tomb we leave the
cloak OF flesh and the wrappings with
which we meet the storms OF this world.
AT the close of an earthly reception, under
the brush and broom OF the porter. the
coat or hat may be handed to us better
than when We resigned it, and the cloal;
OF humanity win finally be returned TO us
improved and frightened and purified and
g,orifed
fon and do not want our bodies re-
turned as they are now. We want to get
rid OF all their weaknesses and all their
srsceptibihtIes to fatigue and all their
elowness OF loeomotion. We want them
Put through a chemistry OF soil and heat
and cold and changing seasons out OF
which God will reconstruct them as much
better than they are now as the body Of
TIE rosiest and healthicst child that hounds
ove- the lawn in Central Park is better
than the sickest patient in Bellevue hospi-