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

the tomb, 1 want you to see the angels
coming TO sing to the risen Lord glo-
rious Easter song of triumph. Angels
Angels! Angels at the birth of Jesus
angels at his resurrection.
Now, as the angels had such n largo
part to do IN the earthly life OF orr
Lord Jesus Christ the question which
comes TO our mind is this: ..Who are
these angels? If they were important
10 Christ's life, are they important for
ours" Angels are mentioned at least
$50 different times in the Bible. They
were important to the lives of Abra-
ham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses
and Joshua and David and all the 9TH
er mighty servants of God in the Old
ana the New Testament, and they are
important to our life rs they were to
Christs. When we shall arise from
our graves God will send his angels to
greet us as he sent his angels to greet
christ We may be pardoned for won
dering IL the heavenly messengers who
shall stand by our open graves will he
those dear ones who have gone beyond
and have come. back to earth to take
us to our celestial home. We wonder
n-fhe messenger who will open our
closed -eyelids On our first Easter morn
snalfbe mother or father or brother or
little child Lord Jesus, who art thou
going to send to us at that time? VIII
1t be one of our loved ones who Is to
be thy messenger?
Who Are the AngeIsP
III you have stood by many deathbeds
YOU know that when the Christian ia
dying, IL he is of clear mind, he Is
very apt to see his dear ones beyond
ana TO recognize them and even to cali
Fnem by name. When / was a young
pastor in Pittsburg one Of the dearest
girls OF my church fell sick unto death
with consumption. She grew weaker
and weaker. but her mind was perfect
y clear A short time before she died
Jennie looked up and said, Mother.
there are grandma and auntie, and they
are coming for me-" The mother
thought her daughter, was in delirium
and bent over the side of the bed and
said, Jennie. Jennie, do YOU know
mey" why. of course, I know Won
mother. am not out of my mind. Do
you not see them? Grandma and
auntie are coming for me. Don't YOU
see them? And they are singing now.
cannot you hear them singing? And.
oh, the music is so sweet" Have not
you had such experiences in your own
family life?
When the great Henry CLAW was
ABOUT to die he looked up. and sud
deniy his face was radiant with a
smile as he called: Mother! Mother!
Mother" Who will say that his moth
er did not come as Gods messenger to
meet him ut the grave? Remember.
an angel. In the Scriptural sense. ia a
messenger of God. Christ had his an
gels at the Easter tomb, and we. too
snail have ours. VIII they be our own
dear ones? God, we are so anxious
10 see some OF them that 1t does seem
we cannot wait any longer. We want
10 hold the dear hands and kiss the
dear lips. Father, send them to us if
1t be thy will. Let their redeemed
spirits hover over our dying pillows.
Let them come soon to take us to thee
Angels! Angels! Angels at the man.
ger! Angels at the emptied tomb of a
risen Lord!
But there Is still another startling
fact about this Easter tomb to which
/ would call your attention. That "a
the garden surrounding 1t. In ninety
nine times out Of hundred, when YOU
have pictured this tomb of Joseph of
Arimathea, ii has been in the midst of
garden. Then you have turned tn the
books OF Biblical lore and studied the
fora OF the springtime In the Holy
Land. These writer's have told you
that In March and April there are fiow-
ers everywhere about Jerusalem. The
valleys are covered with them; the
hillsides are covered with them. They
push their golden heads between the
crevices OF every rock. And when you
think OF this angel of my text greeting
Mary Magdaiene and Mary, the mother
Of James, you think Of him with piled
up banks Of roses on every side and
amid great white Gala lilies, as senti-
nels lifting UP their heads to keep
watch, and amid great hosts Of carna-
lions and bluebells and sweet violets