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THE KING' S B USINESS
longs for her Lord, "They have t aken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid Him." It is her heart cry. It is not His body, but Himself, that she wants. Th1s passion of her heart seems to have impelled Jesus to reveal Himself before He intended." (S. of S. 7: 10) "I nm my beloved's nntl his desire 1• to,vnrd nte." Is not this the attitude that should characterize every true believer? (Psa. 45:11) "So shnll the King greatly de!lllre t h y beauty; foY he ls thy Lord; and 'vorsh lp thou hin1.'' A moment's contemplation of the empty tomb and the orderly care which had been taken of the grave clothes, is proof that the grave had not been robbed, and suggests the presence of the hand of God. Order is God's Jaw in nature. Were the clothes removed by the hands of angel attendants who remained at the tomb to teRH.fy? Or did our Lord with His own nands re– move them and carefully lay them away, and why was the napkin care· fully folded and laid by itself? Are we to visualize the Lord, in this hour of supreme importance, calmly, quietly and with perfect repose, acting in conformity with the plan and pur– pose of His whole life? What stronger evidence of the truth of the story of the resurrection could we have than this? It is impossible to believe that His body would have been removed by friend or foe and left the grave clothes in such order. Is there not a message from our Lord in this picture to quiet all our fears? "Let not your heart be troubled. Peace I leave with you. Come unto Me and I will give you rest." It is said that in the center of the cyclone, or the storm, there is a place of perfect rest, and the mariner at sea in a storm has but to point the prow of his vessel to that center. Have we found that center admist the storms, the sorrows, the strange testings and experiences of our lives? Eave we
but Instead they find only the clothes In which the body had been wrapped. John sees and believes (John 20: 8); Peter sees and wonders (Luke 24:12). The Scripture rings true always to the characters. Peter wonders; his characteristic is manifest. John Is satisfied; he believes. Why did he be– lieve? (2) WATCHING AND WEEPING, vs. 11-14, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" v. 11. Peter and John returned to their own home, but Mary lingered. She must know where He is. The loyalty of love Is manifested In Mary. She was the first to find her way to the tomb. She lingers. Her heart is set upon Him. (S. of S., 5: 6) To Mary, to live was Christ. Her heart bleeds and her eyes are filled with tears. Is it not true that when once one has known Him as Saviour and Lord there remains no joy away from Him? Pity the backslidden Christian. There are so many of them. They seek in vain for joy or peace or satisfaction, but find it not. Mary looks into the sepulchre and sees two men in white, "one at the head and the other at the feet of the place where the body of Jesus had lain." The position of these two wit– nesses suggests the cherubim over the mercy seat in the Holy of holies. Looking down upon the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled were the two cherubim. The glory of God was manifested there. God dwelt there. There God was near to man in cove– nant relation. Here are two witnesses (Matt. 18: 16) "But If he 'lvill not hear thee, then take 1'"Jth thee one or t'vo n1ore, that In the 11.outh of t'vo or three 'vftnesses every tvord n1ay be established." Worshippers and witnesses to the resurrection. Mary is not satisfied with aeeing even heavenly messengers. She
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