Democratic messenger., 1906-04-14


Greenwood and Philadelphia its Laurel
Hill. Boston It's Mount Auburn. Chlca.
go It's Rose Hill, New York its Wood.
lawn and Paris It's Pere- Ia -Chaise!"
Yes. and the amazing fact about the
Jerusalem cemeteries is that you can
distinguish the different graves there,
just as you can pick out the different
graves in Calvary cemetery of Long
Island. As you 20 through them you
can say. Here is the tomb of wealthy
family" or Here is the family plot OF
people who lived In moderate clrcum-
Stances" or Here IL II pottcr's field,
where the poor are buried" You can
tell nll this by studying the tombstones
aud the elaborate mausolcuns and the
neglected graves. Now, MS Mary Mag
dalenc Is leading you and me among
the tOmbs and graves which surround
Jerusalem 10 the grave of Christ. much
TO my surprise she does not 20 toward
pottcr's field or to the place where the
poor are buried She directs her steps
toward beautiful garden. In the cen
ter OF which magnificent tomb has
been chiscled out of the solid rock.
This must be the tomb of Il very rich
man As she goes along feel that she
Is beside herself with grief. and say:
"Stop. Mary; stop. You are going the
wrong way. This IL not the tomb OF
Christ. who died paupcr; this Is the
tomb of one of the wealthy men Of the
east" Then Mary turns with sweet
smile. and says:
buried as n King.
"Nay. friend. | am not wrong. Christ
may have lived and died a poor man.
but he was buried as II king. Dost thou
not know that Joseph of Arimathea. u
member of the sanhcdrin aud one OF
the great leaders of the Jewish nation,
went and asked PLATE for Christ's
body after II was dead and that PLATE
gave IL To him? And dost thou further
more not know that Joseph of Arina-
thea took Christ's body and buried IL in
his own family vault" But" | again
say. how couId Joseph do that? Jesus
did not own Il particle of clothes when
he died. The soldiers even gambled for
cross" True" says Mary. True. but
didst thou not also know that, as one
rich man gave Christ his own tomb In
which TO he buried. so Nicodemus. an
other rich man, furnished the funds
whereby Christ's body was appropri
ately arrayed for the rich mans sepul-
cher" Do you think that these words
which have put into the lips Of Mary
are purely imaginary? Then read Mark
XIV, i3. Joseph of Arimathea. an hon
orable 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-
scph." Then turn To John xix. 30. And
there came also Nicodemus. who, at the
first. came to Jesus by night and
brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes.
about Il hundred pound weight. Then
took they the body of Jesus and wound
II in linen clothes with the spices. as
the manner of the Jews is 10 bury"
Now, what is the deduction of these
two thoughtsi Why. as Nicodcmus,
the rich man. gave the expensive spices
with which TO preserve Christ's body
for the burial. and as Joseph of Arlma-
thea. another rich man. gave Christ
his sepulchcr for the burial. therefore
il 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 was in u man
ger That proves that Jesus came
Christ for the poor and the outcasts,
the sorrowing and the afflicted. But
am also glad that Christs dead body
was wrapped in the spices Of II Nico
demus and laid In the family vault of
n Joseph. That symbolizes 10 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 IL said that just over his study desk
mt Hawarden William l.. Gladstone
had these words framed and hung upon
the wall. Thou wilt keep him in per
feet peace whose mind is stayed on
thee" So may all the great and hon
ored men of this day lind their perfect
peace In risen Lord. rs Nicodemus
and Joseph of olden times honored him
ut the sepulcher.
Another startling Fact.
But as We approach n little near to
the riilcd scpulcher we lind another
startling fact THE body of Christ IL
gone you say. Is that the startling
fact; oh. no. expected To find the
body gone All historians have alluded
to this one fact. ! expected to find the
body OF Christ gone. Next | want to
call your attention to the fact that the
graveclothes were lying in the crypt.
Just as they were put there by Christ's
friends when Jesus body was laid
away In the tomb, 'llow 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. ms did Lazarus,
bound hand and foot with graveclothes.
He did not get M aS we do of a morn