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

wise men came TO bow at the manger,
what expensive presents did they
bring? Gold and frankincense and
myrrh. These oriental sages would not
have offered to n king a present Of
myrrh unless 1t had been OF great
value. DIR. Kitto tells us this: "Myrrh
was offered In presents, as natural
products were In those days, because
such as were procured from distant
countries were very rarc. In the same
way we often hear OF a rare animal
or bird being presented TO royalty in
the present day" The aloes of
Cochin China" wrote DIR. Faussett.
"are worth their weight In gold" The
value OF cassia also was enormous. 1t
was used. as DIR. McClintock In
forms us, as an ingredient In the cost
lest unguents. When tile psalmist
tells us that Christ's wedding garments
smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia we
know that be means us to understand
how precious they will be.
Let us consider what makes them
precious. They are the glory OF our
Lord. He will wear them In joy and
gratitude for the sacrifices his people
have made In his cause. They are go
ing to cost all the moneys we give to
our churches and to our reformatory
institutions. We must give this money
for Christ's robes. He bids Us give
They are goi,ig to cost all the moneys
we send to foreign missions. $50
teach all men" Is the Bible command
Not only hive they cost money, but
blood. They are going TO cost all the
blood OF the martyrs which has been
shed In the past. All, now the ex-
pense Of those wedding robes Is rolling
up. IL the dead body OF common Ia
borer slain by an express train In New
York state is worth 5000, how much
must have been worth the msrtyred
blood OF n Paul, a Peter, a Stephen, a
Polycarp. n Justin Martyr. n Savona-
rola, Ridley. an Eiphege. a Gileyn dc
Muller. John Rogers, Lawrence Ssn-
ders, John Harper. a Breooeuf, Bal-
lermand and of the thousands and tho
tens OF thousands OF men and women
slain by sword and spear and battle
ak or burned ut the stake and tortured
with untold agenies In many cham
bers OF horrorsy God alone can know
how the value OF Christ's wedding gar
ments Is increasing.
The Supreme Cost.
But the supreme element in the cost
OF those wedding garments is the blood
OF Christ himself. 1t was by his own
suffering and denth that he won the
right to wear them. Do you wonder
that Isaiah when in prophetic vision
he sees these wedding robes describes
them by their color-tbe color Of the
bloody sacrificef "who Is this" cried
he, that cometh from Edom with dyed
garments from Bozrah-this that IS
glorious in his apparel? Wherefore
art thou red In thine apparel and thy
garments like him that treadeth in the
wine vatT' All, my friends. am glad
today we can talk about the royal GRIM
son and not the royal purple OF Christ's
wedding garments. am glad that
even in heaven, when looking upon the
divine face OF Jesus, we shall not be
allowed for one moment 10 forget the
enormous cost I'm money and blood OF
the marriage robes in which Christ will
be clad as the Bridegroom when he
takes the church as his bride in eter-
nal nuptials. Am l going beyond my
right in declaring that Christ's we'd
ding robes are TO be the most expensive
OF garments?
But, drawing near to the Divine Bride
groom, / find that Christ's wedding
robes have n wonderful curative quail
ity. Their touch is like the cool hand
upon the fevered brow. Oh. yes, they
are more than that. Their touch gives
mir nj l..
Ike the healing power OF Christ's
earthly robe when the border OF 1t was
pressed just an instant by the fore
finger or the poor woman who had an
issue OF blood for twelve years No
sooner did her flesh come in contact
with its folds thnn Immediately ''the
woman was made whole from that
hour" We have read how the ancient
9evotees used to travel many miles TO
be cured OF their physical pains at the
tomb OF st. Ann de Beaupre, or at
the healing spring" OF Lourdes. or by
the flowing robes or ST. Anthony,
st Patrick or st. Bernard. but never
did tomb or tabled water or fiow-
Ing garments OF dead saints have such
curative qualities, spiritual or physical,
rs will have the wedding garments OF
Jesus Christ.
Their Healing virtues.
How do i know this? The symbols
OF the myrrh and the aloes and the cas-
STA teach IL. They were all used medic
fnally. The myrrh, as Is we'll known"
writes an authority. twas celebrated
for Its use In medicines. The ancients
prepared wine OF myrrh and also an
oil Of myrrh. 1t was found as an IN
gredient In many OF the celebrated com
pound medicines" "Nyrrh Is especial
ly Of great use" says another author.
along with aioetic medicines and CON-
pounds OF iron" The medicinal quality
or aioes Is defined in every dictionary.
and cassia was also used as q drug by
the ancients. Th1s when we come In
touch with Christ's wedding garments
we know that they are going to heal
all OF our diseases and assuage all our
pains and be the balm which will take
away every heartache. In Goethe's
Faust We are taught that the royal
robes OF God shall appeal to US mostly
by sight and not by touch. But would
change the wording OF the master poet
OF Germany. as describe the henling
qualities OF Christ's wedding garments,
| as follows:
Here at the roaring loom OF time piy
And weave for God the garment thou
feefst him by.
Pain. sickness. suffering, pain Of the
head. pain I'm the heart. all to dssap-
pear before the touch Of Christs wed
ding robes, Oh. think OF the blessed
rapture OF such wedding ceremony
with the Divine Bridegroom! remem-
Der some years ago was called to Of
ficiate at the saddest wedding 5s my
life. A young woman was dying. Even
then the summons Of death was pound
ing at her bedroom door, But before
she left earth she wanted as bride to
clasp the hand OF the lover by her
side. We silently entered the sick
room. The breathing was heavy and
low, but the eye OF the sufferer was
bright and happy. A strong young
81 L..