Milford chronicle., 1903-04-17
TALMAGE
SERMON
BY Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of jefferson Park Presby-
terian Church, Chicago

resurrection is as much of a reality to-
day to all who believe as it was to the
apostles and draws some helpful spirit
ual lessons. The text is John Xxx, 1G,
"She turned herself and said unto him,
"Rabboni, which is to say, Master"
Poor thing! Poor thing! There goes
a broken hearted woman. In the early
hours of the morning she is sobbing
and wringing her hands. What is the
matter. Mary?' "Ah," she answers,
they have taken away my Lord, and
I know not where they have laid him.
The Roman body snatchers or the high
priests ghOuls have rided the tomb
where we buried Jesus. l am trying to
trace his sacred dust and bring it back,
if possible, to its former resting place"
Are Mary's actions extraordinary? If
we thought the graves of our loved
ones had been opened and the bodies
carried away for dissecting purposes,
would we not at once hurry off to the
family plots and try to find some trace
of these most despicable Of all con-
scienceless marauders and make them
surrender their stolen treasures?
In our bereavements comforters re-
mind us that it is the mind, the SOUL
the spirit, of the departed that we
loved. They tell us that the physical
form that is still in death was not real
ly the beloved one, but only the tene-
ment that loved one temporarily Occu-
pied. We know that is true, but how
dear that tenement is to us! That hand
which once held ours in loving clasp,
those eyes which lighted up in joy
when we approached, those lips which
uttered words of affection-hOw dear
they still are, though death has robbed
them of all power of response! 1t is
hard to part with them even now.
was deeply impressed with this
feeling when some years ago | visited
the crematory at Pittsburg. l held in
my hand the urn containing the ashes
of the famous engineer who devised
the Ferris wheel for the Chicago
Worlds fair. Only a few months be-
fore he had worshiped in my church
at Pittsburg. / remembered we'll an
other exquisite form which had been
similarly consumed. How well could
recall the face and form Of Emma Alb
bott as she sang one of her wonderful
songs only six months before her body
was carried in on a stretcher and
showed through the opened furnace
door. Then l turned and said to the
attendant, do you believe in crema-
tion?" Il did" he answered. until
last May. l firmly believed in it on
sanitary grounds and could argue its
beneticence from any standpoint"
Then his eyes grew moist as lie said:
But last spring my little girl. my only
child, died. l could not bear then to
think Of her beautiful curls and lovely
form being shriveled up in that hot
furnace So when her mother came to
me and asked. Husband, shall we have
baby's body crematedT l answered:
No, wife. We loved that little body
too we'll to let it be burned. l think
we had better start a family plot and
let our baby sleep among the spring
flowers" ,"
Mary's Second Journey.
All. yes! Mary's second journey to
that rifled tomb was the most natural
outcome Of her breaking heart. She
wanted to find the poor bruised. lacer-
ated form of one whom she had loved
while he was alive and whom she still
continued to love after he was dead.
But that journey back to the tomb
of Joseph Of Arimathea ended in the
strangest of all surprises. Mary went
to seek the dead She found the living.
Mary went to an empty crypt She
found risen Lord. Let us learn to-
day how Christ first appeared after the
crucifxion. to whom he appeared and
for what he appeared
The risen Lord revealed himself ac-
cording to the fulfilment of prophecy.
If your husband should say to you:
"My dear. business cOmpels me to cni
to New York. | shall be gone just four
days | shall be home next Thursday
morning on the Pennsylvania limited
express" you would expect him home
at that time Why? Because in all
your twent-' years of married life your
l.sbCld Las never broken such an APP
pUin;H- nj with you. You say: He is
as rar icu,Ir about keeping an en-
garement IS was George Washington
one day the president stood by his
desk with his opened watch in his
hand saying to his tardy secretary:
Mr.. Secretary. you have kept me wait !
ing now ten full minutes. \ slow
watch is 10 excuse. Either you must
get a new watch or will get new
secretary hat is my husband all |
through. lie never. never breaks an !
appointment unless he first notifies the |
party that it will be impossible for him |
to keep it," But. my sister, you have /
not as much right to expect your hus- |
band to keep an appointment with you |
as the Christian disciples had that |
Jesus would rise again from the dead. |
He clearly and distinctly and emphat- I
ically told them that he would do so.
He told them this so clearly and point
edly that the high priest and his hire
lingg went 70 pilntp and Ind him seal i