Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-04-12


and the elaborate mausoleums and the
neglected graves. Now, as Mary Mag
dalene is leading you and me among
the tonbs and graves which surround
Jerusalem to the grave of Christ, much
to my surprise she does not 20 toward
potters field or to the place where the
poor are buried. She directs her steps
toward a beautiful garden, In the cen
ter Of which a magnificent tomb has
been chiseled out of the solid rock.
This must be the tomb Of very rich
man. AS she goes along I feel that she
is beside herself with grief, and say:
stop, Mary; stop. You are going the
wrong way. This is not the tomb of
Christ, who died a pauper; this Is the
cast" Then Mary turns, with sweet
smile, and says:
Buried as a King.
"Nay, friend, am not wrong. Christ
may have lived and died a poor man,
but he was buried MS n king Dost thou
not know that Joseph of Arimathea, a
member of the sanhedrin and one Of
the great leaders Of the Jewish nation,
went and asked PLATE for Christ's
body after it was dead and that PLATE
gave it to him: And dost thou further.
more not know that Joseph Of Arima-
thea took Christ's body and buried it in
his own family vault;" But" again
say, how could Joseph do that? Jesus
did not own a particle of clothes when
he died. The soldiers even gambled for
the coat that he wore on his way to the
cross" True says Mary. True. but
didst thou not also know that as one
rich man gave Christ his own tomb In
which 10 he buried. SO Nicodemus, an
other rich man, furnished the funds
whereby Christ's body was appropri-
ately arraycd 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, AZ. 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-
seph." 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 a hundred pound weight. Then
took they the body Of Jesus and wound
It 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 Chrst's body
for the burial, and as Joseph of Arima-
thea, another rich man. gave Christ
his sepulcher for the burial. therefore
ii 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 man.
ger. That proves that Jesus came 4
Christ for the poor and the outcasts
the Borrowing and the afflicted. But
am also glad that Christ's dead body
was wrapped in the spices Of Nico
/
Joseph. That synbolzes to me this
other fact that some day all the
nightiest men of earth shall yet ac
claim him not only the risen Lord. but
also their Redeemer and Friend. May
that glorious day he not far distant
1t is said that Just over his study desk
at Hawarden William T.. Gladstone
had these words framed and hung upor
the wall Thou wilt keep him in per
| feet peace whose mind is stayed or
thee" So may all the great and hon
ored men of this day find their perfect
peace in risen Lord. as Niuodemus
and Joseph of olden times honored him
at the sepulcher.
/ Another Startling Fact.
| But as We approach little near tC
the rifled sepulchcr we find another
startling fact. ''The body of Christ is
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 t
call your attention TO the fact that thu
Craveclothes were lying in the crypt
just as they were put there by Christ,
! friends when Jesus body was la(
away in the tomb. "lIow can these
/ things be-" you ask. Then you realize
that stones and doors and barred win
dows were no barriers for him. Wher
Jesus arose on the first Easter morl
/ he did not come forth, as did Lazarus
| bound hand and foot with grayeclOthes
He did not got up, as we do OF a morn
| ing, by throwing the bedclothes from
off our bodies. but he arose silently
swiftly. He arose. and the rraveclothe.
were left in just the same positions a!
Christ's friends had placed them
"Come: see the place where :he Lore
lay" Let me read to you from John.
story. And he. STOPPING down ant
looking in. saw the linen clothes lyins
- and the napkin that was abou
| his head not lying with the liner
clothes, but wrapped together in {
place by itself" Christ arises, move.
Dut OF his grave garments and move!
through the stone walls of his prison
and yet does not change the position o.
one stone Only the great stone q th'
entrance was moved. and that by al
angel.
What is the significance OF all this
It means that when we are resurrectet
we shall leave all earthly associations
and intirmities behind. We shall no,
arise with struggle. but we shall sim