Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-04-12
Calnnase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.

season Of the resurrection Of nature
the preacher takes us back on a sacred
pilgrimage to the scenes of the first
Easter day, the text chosen being
Matthew xviii. 9. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay
The worlds most sacred shrnes 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-
mcnt buildings. where assemble the
legislative bodies of the British EN-
pire. He does this not because its
stones form the most beautiful archi-
tectural coronet OF England. He does
this because for years-aye. for CEN
turles-the greatest dead of the British
realm have been buried there. Not
only do we And England's kings and
queens sleeping within those stately
walls, but we find there tue bodies Of
some of the greatest poets dramatists
and musicians. painters. warriors and
statesmen. whose closed eyes cannot
be opened, whose ears cannot he filed
by the many thnndcrings which the
mightiest Of capitals roars about these
silent graves.
When you cross the channel and go
10 the most beautiful Of all modern
cities the French capital, what jour
ney do you first make? DO you say
Let us got a carriage and drive out
upon the boulevards and ride up the
Champs Elysees and see the Arc de
Trionphe?" No. not If You are like
most American tourists. You want to
see where the great dead sleep. You
wish to go 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 a
courtier Of his son and heir. King
| Philip. stepped forward and lifted a
rod and struck the casket as lie said {:
1.-The king is dead He shall remain
dead. He is dead. and there is another
risen up in his place greater than he
ever was" But though that may be
true Of Charles V. it is not true Of
| 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
seek the mausolcum of the little Cor
sican. What is true OF the tonnbs Of
/ london and Paris is also true of Berlin
/ and st. Petersburg and Rome and
| Egypt The graves Of the great dead
have, for the most of ne. more fascina-
lion than the palaces and the thrones
Of living men. greater Than their an
cestors though they may he.
But though Caesar may travel hun
Alexander the Great and Otto III.
went far ont Of his way TO open the
vault which contained the body Of
Charlemagne. and Napoleon himself
went forth to find the tomb OF Caesar.
and though great may he our fascina-
ton for the tombs of great men, that
fascination Is as nothing compared to
the warnings that draw us to the fam
lily plots where sleep our own beloved
dead. The greatest compliment we
can pay to living friend is to ask
him TO accompany us to the last rest
ing place Of mother father, a
wife or child. Because We have
loved our silent dead so much we do
not wish any one to so TO our family
plot unless our dear ones are sacred in
his eyes.
Mary At the Tomb.
! Now. Mary Magdslene loved the Lord
Jesus Christ with her whole heart. He
was to her the div inc helm. who for
gave her past sins. And as we see
her going to the tomb of Christ on that
Easter morning we find her taking
along one Of her dearest friends Mary,
the mother Of James, who also loved
the Lord. These two women are wend-
ing their way to Christ's sepulcher
weighed down with a common sorrow.
| AS they come near to the tomb an
angel meets them and says: Fear not
| y I y
was crucitied. He is not here, for he is
risen. as he said Then the angel
spake the eight words to which l wish
TO call your attention in our mcdita-
ton on the events of that Easter day
| Come, see the place where the Lord
lay" If Il holy fascination drew Mary
| Magdalene and the other Mary to the
tomb of dead Christ surely it Is i'm.
pOrtant for us to visit the rifed tomb
Of risen Lord Easter day should
be the happiest day of all the year ia
us. 1t is the mighty day when the
Lords humilations and services came
to their glorious eternal consumma-
Of them that slept
| Let us find out, in the first place, IN
what kind OF II grave Jesus was buried
Let us see how his body was laid IN
that crypt. The condition of his toni
and of his clothes ought 10 teach US
Just as many helpful gospel lessons as
his cradle of Bethlehem and the swad
ding clothes in which he was wrapped
as newborn child. ! suppose the cas-
lest way to find this grave is to have
Mary Magdnlene for our guide. With
out some help we shall never find 1t a,
all. The cemeteries or graveyards oil
the far east are Just like the grave
yards OF the west. They all need q
guide to take the tourists through
"What?" you say. II never though,
Of that. Does Jerusa lem have its near