Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-04-14

Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe, ID. D.

pilgrimage to the scenes Of the first
Easter day, the text chosen being
Matthew xviii, G, "Come, see the place
where the Lord lay"
The worlds most sacred shrlnes are
the vaults or cathedrals which cover
the bodies of the honored dead. When
the American tourist alights in the
London depot to begin the exploration
of the British metropolis one OF the
first places he visits is Westminster
abbey. He does this not because West
Minister abbey is near to the parlia-
ment buildings, where assemble the
legislative bodies Of the British en-
pire. He does this not because It's
stones form the most beautiful archl-
tectural coronet of England. He does
this because for years-aye, Tor cen
tuies-the greatest dead Of the British
realm have been buried there. NOT
only do we find England's kings and
queens sleeping within those stately
walls. but we find there the bodies Of
some OF the greatest poets, dramatlstS
and musicians, painters, warriors and
statesmen, whose closed eyes cannot
be opened. whose ears cannot be filed
by- the many thunderings which the
mightiest Of capitals roars about those
silent graves.
When you cross the channel and go
10 the most beautiful Of all modern
cities. the French capital, what jour-
nev do YOU first make? DO you say,
Let us get carriage and drive out
upon the boulevards and ride up the
Champs Elysees and see the Arc de
Trlomphe?" No, not if you are like
most American tourists. You want to
see where the great dead sleep. You
wish to 20 to the Notre Dame, or to the
Madeleine. or to the Pantheon, or to
that greatest Of all tombs where sleeps
the mighty Napoleon. 1t is said that
when Charles V. Of the Netherlands
and Spain was about to be buried q
courtier of his son and heir King
Philip. stepped forward and lifted a
rod and struck the casket as he SAID;
"The king is dead He shall remain
dead. He IS dead, and there is another
risen. ND In his place greater than he
ever was" But though that may be
true Of Charles V. it is not true or
| NAPOLEON l., the warrior. Napoleon
the soldier. is dead, but another soldier
greater than Napoleon has not risen in
his place and in all probability never
will arise. No wonder most tourists
sock the mausoleum of the little Cor
sican. What is true Of the tombs- of
london and Paris is also true Of Berlin
and st. Petersburg and Rome ana
Egvpt The graves of the great dead
have. for the most of US, more fasclna'
ton than the palaces and the thrones
Of living men, greater than thelr an
cestors though they may be.
But though Caesar may travel hun
dreds of miles to stand at the tomb OF
Alexander the Great, and Otto Ill
went far out of his way to open the
vault which contained the body ol
Charlemagne and Napoleon himself
went forth to find the tomb of Caesar
and though great may be our fascina
tion for the tombs of great men, thai
fascination is as nothing compared L
the warnings that draw us to the Iam
Ilv plots where sleep our own beloved
dead. The greatest compliment We
can pay to a living friend is to asi
him to accompany us to the last rest
ING place Of mother, a father,
wife or a child. Because we have
loved our silent dead so much we d'
not wish any one to 90 to our tamll!
plot unless our dear ones are sacred Il
bis eyes.
Mary at the VOmb.
Now. Mary Magdalene loved the Lore
Jesus Christ with her whole heart. III
J was TO her the divine being who for
gave her past sins. And as we Sc
her going to the tomb Of Christ on ina
Easter morning we find her taking
along one of her dearest friends-Mary
. the mother Of James, who also love-
the Lord. These two women are weno
ing their way to Christs sepulche
weighed down with Il common sorrow
As they come near to the tomb a
angel meets them and says: "tear nc
We for | know that ye seek Jesus Wh
was crucihed. He is not here, for he
risen. as he said" Then the angt
spake the eight words to which WIS
TO call your attention in our medlt;
ton on the events of that Easter day
Come. see the place where the Lor
lay" If a holy fascination drew Mar
: Magdalenc and the other Mary to I'll
?, tomb of a dead Christ surely it Is III
d portant for US to visit the rifled tom
p of n risen Lord. Easter day shoul
e be the happiest day Of all the year
us. 1t is the mighty day when Il
Lords humiliations and services can
to their glorious eternal consumm
tion and Jesus became the first frui
Of them that slept
Let us find out, in the first place,
what kind of a grave Jesus was burle
Let us see how his body was lald
that crypt The condition of his ton
and of his clothes ought to teach
Just as many helpful gospel lessons
his cradle Of Bethlehem and the sWa
ding clothes in which he was wrapp'
as n newborn child. l suppose the ca
lest way to find this grave is to ma
Mary Magdalene for our guide. WI
out some help we shall never find 1t
all The cemeteries or graveyards
the far east are just like the gray
wards of the west They all need
,ai guide TO take the tourists through.
e. "What?" you say. Il never thoug
1eI of that Does Jerusalem have its nei
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