Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1902-08-14
"RABBONI."
Sunday Discourse By DR.. Chapman, the
Noted PastOr-Eyangelist.
The Death OF Christ a Help to All, For By II
lie Takes Away From Us All the Sting
and From the Grove Its Victory.

the press by lne populat HasooIi, eN"'SeA
list, the Rev. DR.. j. Wilbur Chapman;
The subject of the discourse is "Rabboni,'
and it was preached from the text, Jesus
saith unto her Mary! She turned herself,
and saith unto Him, Rabboni! which Is to
say, Master!" John 20: 10.
The burial of Christ lies between His
humiliation and His exhaltation; it is one
of the resting points in His history, ana
the grave to Him rs to us all was the gate
of life. lie passed through it into Ills
glorious resurrection. If the cruclilxlon
be represented as one mountain and the
ascension as another then the burial OF
Christ is like a valley, and since it is true
that in every valley mentioned in the
Scriptures there is y well Of water or a
spring, so strange as it may seem III tins
valley which seems to be filled only With
shadows one stoops to drink at the well OF
comfort. for the death OF Christ is ths
very greatest possible comfort and help to
,,s, for in His death lie takes away from
us all the sting and from the grave Its VIC.
tory, for the tomb OF the Christian in all
the wears this side Of the burial of Christ
has been tcnanted 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, put
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 beautiful test'
inony and thrilling story. When Mary
drought the startling intelligence that the
tomb was empty Peter and John made
for the spot at .hc top of their speed.
John outluns 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 lie 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 brcath'cssy giving out the
startling news. and we watch the hasty
sprnging up Of the two men and they
rapid racing along the streets out through
the gates to the garden. We behold John
standing painting at the rock-hewn sep
nlcher and we catch vision of Peter
toling up behind but not hcsitating a mo-
mcnt We see him entering and gazing at
this and that, till the articles in the
tomb have told their story and the two
men leave the sepulcEer together awed
and convinced, and the eye witness who
1hus beautifully relates what he knew OF
that wonderful morning adds, He saw
and believed"
Mary came after that as quickly as she
could. but exhausted with her rapid car.
,yinG of 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 OK.
plain the reason of it, she stands there
hcart-hrokcn and pourS out her distress
in tears. The grave being empty the
whole earth is empty to her; the dead
Christ was more to her than q living
world. She can but stand and lay her
head upcn the stone and let her tears
slow as from Il broken heart SO absorb.
ing is her grief that the vision of angels
docs not aStonish her; she had but the
une thought, They have taken away my
g.ord.' She supposed. too, that all about
her must know her loss and understand
ices the gardener as she supposcs abe
trics out IF thou have borne Him
hence She does not even mention Ills
:amc, for she cannot imagine that any
me is thinking of any other than lie who
.|ls her whole mind and heart. tJohn
70: HID. "Hut Mary stood without at
The scpulchcr weeping, and as she wept
the stopped down and looked into the sep
nchcr. and soeth two angels in white sit
Ting, the one at tho head and the other
ut the feet, where the body OF Jesus had
9alN. And they say unto her Woman.
why wccpcst thou? She saith unto them,
because thc% have taken away my Lord,
pad | know not whore they have laid
llm.' As Mary answers the angels she
heard a step behind her and the door OF
The tomb is darkencd by n shadow, and
I'm turning disccrns dimly through her
tears a figure which naturally enough she
tnpposCs to bH the gardener. because he
was the Iikcllcst person to hc going about
he garden at that early hour. tJohn 20:
l4l6). "Aud when she had thus said she
turned herself back and saw Jesus stand
lag and knew not that It was Jesus.
Jesus saith lnto her, Woman, why weep
f>t thou? Whom scelicst thou? She.
tuppcs!ng Him to he the gardener, saith
into Him, Sir, if Thou have borne Him
hence, tell me where Thou hast laid Him,
and ! will take Him away. Jesus saith
unto her, Mary, She turned herself and
saith unto Him, Rabbsni! which is to
tav. MaStcrW
The utterarcc o! her name was enough
% tell her it was some ono who knew her
that was there. The voicc seemed again
TO command a calm within her, for once
before that voice had banished from her
nature the evil spirits that had taken pos
'esslon OF he, but now again she steps
cut Of darkness into light. and from being
broken hearted she becomes the happiest
rrcature in the world. Undoubtedly
there is very much more to the ministry
of angels than we imagine. Their at
tendance upon .'esus' birth, their con-
slant presence during all His life. and
rven the guarding of His dead body is
but an example of their service to each
of us. All the providcntial dealings of
Sod are administered by angels, and in
the next dlspcnSatlon we do not know
hut that this may be our own ministry.
Hebrews ,: s. "For unto the angels hath
lie not put 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
!ifu 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
tfrist,s hand. IT is worthy of note that
Mary Magdalene would not leave the sep
nlcher when Peter and John went away
to their homes. Love to her Master
would not let her leave the place where
lie had lain. Where He was now she
could not tell; what had become of Him
she d,d 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 reapcd 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
hold conversation with Him. All beiiev,
ers have not the same degree OF faith or
hope or knowledge or courage or wisdom
but 1t is certainly true that those who
love Christ most fervently and cleavc ia
Him most closely will always enjoy the
most communion with Him.
F;rst-Not:ce the instruction given to
az in this story concerning love III lis dit
ao,.out nh ,coo and elpnputs In Peter it