The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-05
DR. 7AIMAIIf's SERMON.
sv THE REV. FRANK DE WITT rALMAoE. O. Q.

Los Angeles California, January Zl- From an incidental reference to an an cient oriental marriage custom the preacher in this sermon draws lessons ap- plicabie to modern life. The text is Psalm xiv, s, All thy garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces.
 The marriage bells are chiming. The glorious robes of a ldngly bridegroom and his bride, the daughter of queen and the garments of her many brides maids are rustling Royal jewels are flashing The most sldllful of musicians are playing. And as the wedding march sounds forth the marriage procession IS approaching the kings throne room over bouevards of gold The nlmberless in- habitants of the metropolis of the uni verse, with it's walls of jasper and Us gates of pearl and it's palaces of spotless Ivory, are making the wellin ring with halleluiahs of never ending joy. The banqueting house is prepared with the wedding supper for the coming guests for the Divine Bridegroom of my text Is bringing his queenly bride to her place at his side, over which hangs the ban ner of love. Never on earth or In hea- ven has been seen and never shall be wlt- messed a wedding procession like unto this, Gorgeousness infinite, wealth ana power unlimited, splendor and maSnl- ficence passing all understanding. Will there be manifested on every hand.
 Earth has beheld some wonderful we'd ding pageants. When the present Em- peror William of Germany was maffleu to the beautiful Princess Augusta VIC toria the representatives of ali the CIV of b there Among Berlin's guest a that time were the King and Queen of SaXony, the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, crown Prince Rudolph of Austria, the crown prince of Sweden, the present King or England the late Duke of Aosta Of Italy and score of other notables. The young prince of Sweden, the present King or his gigantic foot guards to meet ms bride. On the day of the ceremony tne homes and the stores and the pubic buildings were decorated. When the nup- tial VOWS were taken the cheers of the people crowded the streets aboat the royal palaces echoed the thirty-slX salvos of artillery which thundered the news to the world that Prince William and Princess Augusta Victoria were one
 When Napoleon III. in 1S5a rode to the Cathedral of Nortre Dame to be rnted m marriage with Eugenie, the most beauu- ful woman in Europe, the progress was one of continuous ovation. Seated in the wonderful glass coach that had been bullt for the cornation of his ilustrious uncle. the Emperor passed through long lines or his enthusiastic subjects, who rent the ar with their voices When the young Queen of aEngland became the bride of Prince Albert in the royal chapel of St James nothing that the money, the wealth ana the love of a nation could do to HdNe the wedding ceremony impressive ana joyous was left undone.
 Memorable Spectacles.
 Memorable in the annals of the world are such spectacles, in which all that human ingenuity could conceive has been done to render the nuptials of the ruleIs of nations scenes of overwhelming mag niflcence. But the culminatien has yet 10 come-not here but in that glorious realm in which the Lord of Hosts has set his throne The marriage of the Lamb Will be the grandest and most glorious or all unions when Christ takes to himseH ms church, which he has redeemed with ms precious blood "a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing holy and without blemish.
 Human imagination fails to conceive or A spectacle so glorious. Let us instead of dwelling on the marvellous scene take but one detail of its beauty, the wonderful garments with which the Divine Bride groom is to be robed on that glorious occasion The psalmst mentions them Tn the words of my text. They are the we'd ding robes that have the aroma of myrrh and aloes and elassia. Let LIS try to de- scribe them and to learn a few practical gospel lessons from them.
 The royal robes of the Divine Bride groom will be the most expensive of all garments Costly was the wedding ap- narel of Louis XIV, which he wore when he married Maria Theresa of Spain; Prince Ferdinand when he stood by the side of his bride. Isabella of Castle; or the dauphin of France, who. as Prince Francis married the beautiful Mary, Queen of Scots of Emperor Nicholas H., who in 1894 gave his heart and hand in marriage 10 tho beautiful Princess AliX of Hesse; of Napoleon Bonaparte when in 1910 he welded Marie Louise in the n1ace of the dethroned and exiled Jose pnine But the robes of the heavenly Bridegroom will surpass all these in their value. How do we know? The ori- ental imaginery of the text signifies it. Fine and beautiful in texture, they are to be perfumed with myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces
 By the adornments of robe you can form some estimate of its value. Let me take you into Berlin palace, where are guarded the royal jewels of Prussia. I lift before your eyes the beauttul diamonds and pearls which the Hohen- zollern queens have worn for generations. | daughter of Queen Victoria married the Crown Prince Frederick. she wore these gems" What would you answer? An. YOU would reply, ''her wedding dress must have been made of very expensive material to have been appropriate for such adornments those.' Suppose I should tell you that when the noted German archaeoloeist Dr. Schliemann made his explorations under the ancient Troy he found there the costliest of femi- nine and masculine adornments. There were wristbands of gold, earrings of gold. bracelets of gold, headbands of gold tiaras of precious stones, finger rings of gold. An you say If the ancient inhabitants of Troy had such rich wristbands these, truly the an cient dresses and robes must have been the most expensive mater ia1s" No wonder, then, that Agrippna. wife of Emperor Claudius, had robe made entirely of gold No wonder, then. Darius king of the Persans had golden mantle with jeweled clasps and with two great golden war hawks woven into the texture. No wonder that among the royal wordrohes of Herod the Great was found a garment entirely of silver threads and that Pliny the younger wrote of a Roman lady who had a dress made entirely of precious pearls. If the adorn- ments of the apparel of the ancients were 20 expensive. we can. understand why solon and Pythagoras and Cato and Fan