Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-16
TALMAGE
SERMON
By Rev.
FRANK DE WITT TALMAGE. DID,.
Pastor Of Jefferson Park Presby-
terrain Church, Chicago

resurrection is as much of q reality to-
day to all who believe as 1t was to the
apostles and draws some helpful spirit
nal 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 rifed the tomb
where we buried Jesus. / 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 Mt once hurry off to the
family plots and try to find some trace
of these most dcspicable of all con-
scienceless marauders and make them
surrender their stolen treasures?
In our bereavements comforters re-
mind us that ii 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 n few months be-
fore he had worshipcd in my church
at Pittsburg. ! remembered we'll an
similarly consumed. How we'll could
recall the face and form of Emma Abb
bolt as she sang one Of her wonderful
songs only six months before her body
was carried In on Il stretcher and
showed through the opened furnace
door. Then ! turned and said to the
attendant. "Do you believe in crema-
=
last May firmly believed in it on
sanitary grounds and could argue its
benefiCence from any standpoint"
Then his eyes grew moist as he said:
But last spring my little girl, my only
child, died. / could not bear then to
think of her beautiful curls and lovely
form being shrivelcd up in that hot
furnace SO when her mother came to
me and asked, Husband, shall we have
baby's body crcmated| | answered:
No, wife. We loved that little body
too we'll to let it be burned. | think
we had better start family plot and
let our baty sleep among the spring
lowers
Mnry's Second Journey.
All. yes. Mary's second journey TO
that riled tomb was the most natural
| outcome of her breaking heart. She
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 &C
cordinG to the fulfliment of prophecy
If your husband should say to you
"My dear, business compels me to e
TO New York. ] shall be gone just foul
days. ! shall be home next Thursday
morning on the Pennsylvania limited
express" you would expect him home
ut that time. Why? Because in al
your twenty years of married life you
/
pointment with you, You say: "IIe il
as particular about keeping an en-
gagement as was George Washington
one day the president stood by hi
desk with his opened watch in hi
hand, saying to his tardy secretary
MIR. Secretary, you have kept me wait
ing now ten full minutes, \ SLOW
watch is no excuse. Either you mus
get a new watch or / will get a new
secretary That is my husband al
through. He never, never breaks al
appointment unless he first notifies tn
party that 1t will be impossible for hin
to keep it." But, my sister, you hav
not as much right TO expect your hus
band to keep an appointment with 20,
as the Christian disciples had tina
Jesus would rise again from the dead
He clearly and distinctly and emphat
ically told them that he would do sc
He told them this so clearly and point
eddy that the high priest and his hire
lings went to Plate and had him sea
the tomb and place thereabout re
man guard "until the third day les
his disciples come by night and stea
him away and say unto the people h
10 risen from the dead" Yet when tn
resurrection of Easter morn did com
Chrst's disciples We're surprised The
were all dumfOunded. They were q