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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
April 1925
T k e T om fc> o f D e s t i n y AN EASTERTIDE SERMON by Rev. T. J>eWitt Talmage, D. D. Text: “Come, see th e place where th e Lord lay.”—Matt. 28:6.
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ISITING any g reat city, we are no t satisfied until we have also looked a t its cemetery. We examine all th e styles of cenotaph, mausoleum, sarcopha gus, crypt, and sculpture. H ere lies buried a statesm an, yonder an o rator, here a poet, out th e re an inventor, in some other place a g reat philanthropist. But w ith how much g reater in te rest and w ith more depth of emotion we look upon our fam ily plot in the cemetery. In th e one case it is a m a tte r of public in terest; in th e other, it is a m atter of private and h ea rtfe lt affection. But around
walls, niches, each niche large enough to hold a dead body. One of these rooms of rock is especially w ealthy w ith sculp ture. It was a beautiful and charm ing spot. Why all this? The fact was th a t Joseph had recognized th e fact th a t he could not always walk those gardens, and he sought th is as his own last resting-place. W hat a beautiful place in which to w ait for th e resu r rection! Mark well th e mausoleum in th e rock. I t is to be th e most, celebrated tomb in all the ages; catacombs of Rome, tomb of Napoleon, Taj Mahal of India, noth ing com pared w i t h it.
the grave a t which we h a lt th is m orn ing th ere are gath ered all kinds of stupendous in te r ests. At th is sepul chre, I have to tell you, th ere was bur ied a King, a Con queror, an Emanci pator, a F riend, a B rother, a Christ. Monarch of th e uni verse, b u t bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh, sorrow of our sorrow , a n d h ea rt of our h eart. “ C o m e, see the place w h e r e the Lord lay.” I t has for sur- r o u n d i n g s the manor in th e sub urbs of Jerusalem , a m anor owned by a w ealthy gentle man by th e name of Joseph. He was one of th e court of sev enty who had con demned Christ, bu t I th in k he had voted in the nega tive, or, being a tim id m a n , had
Christ has ju st been murdered, and His b o d y m u s t b e throw n out to the dogs and th e rav ens, as was custom ary w ith crucified bodies, unless th ere be prom pt and ef fective hindrance. Joseph, th e owner of th e mausoleum , begs fo r th e body of Christ, and he takes and washes th e poor m utilated f r a m e from the blood and th e dust, and shrouds it, and perfumes it, and lays it in th e sepulchre. T h e government, afraid th a t th e dis ciples would steal th e body of Christ and play resu rrec tion, p u t upon the door the seal of the Sanhedrim , th e vio lation of th a t seal, like the violation of th e seal of the United States Gov ernm ent, or of the B r i t i s h Govern
been absent a t th e casting of the vote. He laid out the p a rte rre a t g reat expense. I t was a ho t climate, and I suppose th e re were broad-branched trees w ith winding paths underneath them , while here th e w aters rippled over th e rock into fishpool, and yonder th e vines and flowers clambered over the wall. I walk a little fa rth er on in the p arte rre and come across a cluster of rocks, and see on them the m arks of the sculptor’s chisel. I come still closer, and find th a t th ere is a sub terran ean recess, and I walk down th e marble stairs, and come to 'a portico over the doorway— , an architecture of fru its and flowers chiselled by th e hand of the sculptor. I go into the portico, and on eith er side th ere are rooms, two, or four, or six rooms of rock; in the
ment, always followed w ith severe penalties. A regim ent of soldiers from th e Tower of Antonio is detailed to guard th a t mausoleum. A t th e door of th a t tomb a fight took place which decided th e question for all graveyards and cemeteries. Sword of lightning against sword of steel! Angel of God ag ain st the m ilitary! The body in th e crypt begins to move and slides down upon th e pavement, moves th rough th e portico, appears in th e doorway, comes up th e m arble steps. Christ having left His m o rtuary attire, comes fo rth in th e garb of a workman, as I take it, from the fact th a t the women mis took Him for th e gardener. (Continued on page 185)
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