Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-04-13

more not know thatIoSeph OF Arima-
thea took Christ's body and buried Il In
his own family vault?" But" I again
say, how could Joseph do that7 Jesus
did not own particle Of clothes when
he c-ed- The soldiers even gambled for
the coat that he wore on his way to the
CROSSE True" says Mary. "True, but
t-dfdst thou not also know that, as one
rich man gave Christ his own tomb in
which to be buried. so Nicodemus, an
other rich man, furnished the funds
whereby Christ's body was appropri-
ately arrayed for the rich mans sepui-
cherY" Do you think that these. words
which 1 have put into the lips OF Mary
are purely imaginary2 Then read Mark
XIV, 43, Joseph OF Arimnthea, an hon.
orabie counselor, who also waited for
the kingdom OF God. came and went In
boldly unto PLATE and craved the body
OF Jesus. and he gave the body to Jo-
seph-' Then turn TO John xix, 80, "And
there came also Nicodemus. who. at the
first, came to Jesus by night and
brought mixture of myrrh and aioes,
about.a hundred pound weight. Then
took they the body OF desus ana wound
1t in linen clothes with The spices, as
the manner OF the Jews Is TO bury
Now, what is the deduction OF these
two thoughts? Why, as Nicodemus
the rich man, gave the expensive spices
with which to preserve Christ's body
for the burial, and as Joseph Of Arima-
thea, another rich man, gave Christ
his sepulcher. for the burial, therefore
1t means that all the rich men of the
world and all the brains of the world
shall yet stand by the empty tomb of
Christ and declare him Lord of lords
and King OF kings. Oh, my friends, /
am glad Christ's cradle wis in man.
ger. That proves that Jesus came n
Christ for the poor and the outcasts.
the sorrowing and the afflicted But
| am also glad that Christ's dead body
was wrapped Ia the spices OF a Nico-
demus and laid in the family vault OF
a Joseph. That symbolizes to me this
other fact that some day all the
mightiest men OF earth shall yet ac-
! claim him not only the risen Lord, but
also their Redeemer and Friend. May
That glorious day be not far distant,
1t Is said that just over his study desk
at Hawarden William K. Gladstone
had these words framed and hung upon
feet peace whose mind is stayed on
thee" So may oil the great and hon.
ored men OF this day find their perfect
peace in risen Lord. as Nicodemus
and Joseph of olden times honored him
at the sepulcher.
Another Startling Fact.
But as we approach 4 little near to
the rified sepulcher we find another
startling fact 1.-The body of Christ Is
gomez! you say. Is that the startling
fact? oh, no. I expected to find the
body gone. All historians have alluded
TO this one fact. expected to find the
body OF Christ gone. Next 1 want to
call your attention to the fact that the
graveciothes were lying in the crypt,
just as they were put there by Christ's
friends when Jesus body was laid
away in the tomb. How can these
things be?" you ask. Then you realize
that stones and doors and barred win
dows were no barriers for him. When
Jesus arose on the first Easter morn
he did not come forth. as did Lazarus.
bound hand and feot with graveclothes.
He did not get up, rs we do of morn
Ing, by throwing the bedclothcs from
or our bodies, but he arose silently,
swiftly. He arose. and the grayeclothes
were left in just the same positions as
ChRtst's friends had placed them.
Gene; see the place where the Lord
lay. Let me read to you from Johns
story, And he. shopping down and
looking In, saw. the linen clothes lying
and the napkin that was about
his head not lying with the linen
clothes. but wrapped together In a
place by itself" Christ arises, moves
out of his grave garments and moves
through the stone walls OF his prison
and yet does not change the position of
one stone. Only the great stone at the
entrance was moved. and that by an
angel.
What Is the significance of all this?
1t means that when we are resurrected
we shall leave all earthly associations
and infirnities behind. We ,slalrsnot
arise with a struggle but we shall siip.
ply move quietly out OF all the ,strug-
giles. all the heartaches. all the suffer.
ings OF this world. 1t means that when
you get up at the trampet blast of
resurrection your back will never ache
again, your head will never be weary.
| your heart will never bleed. All these
forrows and trials OF earth have had
their mission in fitting us for the fu-
ture life, but when that life comes the
mission Of Paurs thorn In the flesh
snail be forever done away with. oh.
the glorious day when we shall be
| emancipated from our binding grave
clothes. which have always been the
symDoi or sin and Of sorrow and of
earthly parting! In heaven we shall all.
nave new wearing apparel. Would Won
like to catch glimpse of the garments
OF the resurrection? .sWho are these
which are arrayed in white robes and
whence came they?" Is asked in the
apocalyptic vision. These are they
which come out of great tribrIation
and have washed their robes and made
them white In the blood OF the Lamb"
Glorious, glorious is to be the change
or our resurrection garments. Thank
God that, like Chrisfs, our binding
shrouds OF earth shall be left in the
sepulcher and be exchanged for the
coronation robes OF heaven.
Every note with wonder swen.
Sin o'erthrown and captive hell:
Mnere Is helrs once dreaded king.
where. o death. thy mortal stingf
Angels at the Tomb.
There is another startling fact about
this emptied sepulcher to which most
people give but little heed. That fact
does not deal SO much with the emptied
crypt emptied Of Christ's body, as that
the angels OF God were watching by
that silent tomb. In the last chapter