Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-02-03

---<---
laid In the grave. Would you like to
bist out all the memories you have had
with that earthly lifef "Oh. no." you
answer. mo. no, My Joy today is In
living In the beautiful halls OF memo
ry and IN thinking over again all the
happy days We spent together. woSid
sooner have had n dear husband as he
was and have had him taken sway
than never to have known what the
companionship OF such husband
meant TO a wife" IL you have an in
curabls physical pain. would you have
the physician give TO you an opinte 20
deeden your sensibjlities aud your
mind for years TO come? "Oh. no." you
answer. then would be nothing more
than alternating creature or n log or
stone. Better my thinking mind with
pain than continual Inconsistencies
without pain. We'll. then. the wed
ding robes iof Christ must do more for
US than merely alleviate suffering. else
we would want more of them. l would
not wish 70 live thousand years on
earth IL to do it would have to endure
the mere animal existence OF an Austria
Ian aborigine. even though then I
might not know physical or mental suf.
fering.
Thus ! come to the climax OF my
subject. The royal robes of Christ
give TO us positive assurance that
the marriage ceremony OF the Divine
bridegroom and OF the church, his
bride. Is to be beginning OF never
ending joy, not the mere end of sor-
row or pain or suffering or death.
Prove this you say. / will ssHo. Mic
odemus," cry. whittier art thou go
ing? Friend. why Is thy countenance so
sad? Why dost thou hug to thy side
that great burden OF a hundred pound
weightT At once Nicodemus, the
same Nicodemus who came to Jesus by
night. looks up. and I see that his eyes
are filed with tears and his face
drawn down by great sorrow. at am
going" says he. with this hundred
pound weight OF myrrh and aloes to
embalm the body OF Jesus Christ. who
has just been crucified. We are going
TO bury the Saviour's body In the tomb
or Joseph OF Arimathea. l wish his
body to be preserved by these spices as
long as possible" what. Nicode-
aloes preserve the body Of Jesus ~
yes answered the ruler OF the Jews,
~they will, II you will examine the
mummies preserved for thousands OF
years In the Egyptian tombs you will
ind That these spices were the chief
causes OF their preservation" Herod-
otus. the father OF history" nearly
500 years before Christ was crucifled.
records that the Egyptians always
preserved the bodies OF their dead with
these spices. '"They then I'LL the body
with powder OF myrrh aud aloes and
cassia and other perfumes, except
frenkincense." Thus we find by these
two statements that the wedding gar
ments of Christ not only have a cura-
i've but also n preservative, quality.
That means. carrying the figure up to
Its acme OF symbol. that the wedding
garments OF Christ will never fade or
grow old.
Garments VIII Never Fade.
No, they will never become yellow
and worn, as are some or the bridal
dresses that were worn many years
ago They will never be put aside as
useless = The wedding songs that we
shall sing at the marriage OF the Lamb
shall never have an end. The raptur-
Gus Joy with which we greet our dear
ones on the other side Of the Jordan
shall never grow monotonous. The
loving kiss which the Divine Bride
groom places upon the lips of his bride
shall never become cold and indiffer-
ent. The myrrh and the aIoes and cas-
STA shall preserve and increase 10Y,
even as the wedding garment OF Christ
shall haltshnd cure and kill sorrows.
Oh, yes. these wedding robes OF Christ
nre TO be aromatic robes, symbollcal OF
never ending peace. The ever increas-
ing joy OF fearth shall roll and swell
and eontinae TO increase through all
the coming ages. "Hosanna, blessed is
the king OF Israel that cometh In the
name OF the Lord! Hosannav'
From whence come these airs laden
with odor OF the myrrh and the aloes
and the cassin OF ChrIst's wedding gar
ments? They come from the 'Ivory
palaces of heaven" Mark you we'll my
answef Not from one ivory palace. but
from many. That means that when we
as part OF the church IRE TO be united
TO Christcwe are going TO keep our own
Municipalities. Had my text said, ''In
the ivory {temple OF heaven" might
have hhd 5ny doubts about IL, but there
Is nordodbt here. Just as you and /.
perhaps. have been married in our own
homes surrounded by our fathers and
mothers and brothers and sisters and
dear friends, so IN that ''ivory palace
OF heaven" we are going to have a
''home wedding" Yes, they are all GO
Ing TO be there to meet us. just as they
were when here. That little curly head
ed daughter who slipped out OF your
embrace long years ago will be there.
just as she was when here. That dear
old mother who lived for you and died
for you, che will be there. Not I'm
celestial temple" but In celestial
home"-the ivory peIacesl Do you not
see how near and familiar are the "old
homesteads OF heaven" glIstening I'M
der the celestial sun? White they are.
but they are the same kind of gospel
hresides about which we have gathered
while upon earth.
Many Ivory Palaces.
But. though there may be many
ivory palaces in heaven odorous with
the myrrh and the aloes and the cassIa,
l fear that some OF US who are invited
10 be at the wedding ceremony may
not be present 1t is one thing to get
an invitation to the marriage ceremony:
1t Is another to be there. Shall we at
this moment say to our Divine Bride
groom: Jesus. thou Prince, we will
not love thee; we will not unite with
thee; We shall not live with thee In
an ivory palace OF heaven since we
have not lived with thee ON earth"
Shall IL be that all our dear ones who
have gone beyond. who are waiting to
listen TO cur nuptlal vows with Christ
IN the ivory palace OF heaven, shall have
TO walt for us In vain?
Surprising you refuse to meet the
Divine Bridegroom at the marriage al
tar OF heaven, what will Jesus do?
What viii your loved ones, your wife
and mother and father and little child.
x1rks ha... Il.