The Decorated Grave

In the Pulpit Treasury for May we nd a report of the Memorial sermón lelivered by T. DeWitt Talmate, in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, May 27th from he text, "In the garden a new sepulchre!" John 19:41. We extract as folows: Looking around the ohurch this mornns% seeing flowers in wreaths, and flowers in stars, and flowers in crogses, and lowers in crowns, bjllows of beauty conflagration of beauty, I feel as if I tood in a small heaven. You say these Üowers will fade. Yes, but perhaps we raay see them again. They may be ím mortal. The fragrance ot the flower may be the spirit of the flower; the body of the flower dying on earth, its bpint may appear in better worlds. I do not say it will be so. I say it may be soü The ancestor of these tuberoses and camelias, and japónicas and jasoiines heliotropes were bom in Parause. These apostles of beauty came down in the regular line of apostolic succession Their aucestors during the flood under ground, afterward appeared. The world started with Eden, it will end with Eden, Heaven is called a Paradise of God. Paradise means flowers. While theological geniuses in this day are trying to blot out every thing material from their idea of heaven, and, so far as I can teil, theír future state is to be a floating around somewhere between the Great Bear and the Dipper, I should not be surprised if at last I can piek up a daisy on the everlasting hills and hear say, "I am one of the glorifled flowrs of earth. Don't you remember me? I worshipped with you one Sabbath niorninginBrooklyn." I oannot understand wha 1 1 sonietimes see in the newspapers whero the obsequies are announced andthefriends jay [in connection with thest, "Send no fiowers." Rather, if the means allow- I say if the means allow - strew the casket with flowers, the hearse with Üowers the grave with flowers. Put them on the brow - it will suggest coronation; in the hand, it will mean vietory. Christ was buried in a garden. Flowers mean resurrection. Death is sad enough anyway. Let conservatory and arboretum contribute to its alleviation. The harebell will ring thevictory. The flower will express the synipathy. The daffodil will kindle its lamp and illumiae the darknese. The cluster of as ters will bc the coiistellation. Your little cliild loved flowers when she was livinr. Put thern in her hand now that she èan go forth no more to pluck theni for herself. On sunshiny days take a fresh garland and put it over the still hfiart. Brooklyn has no grander glory than its Greenwood; nor Boston than its Mount Auburn; nor Phüiidelphia than its Laurel HUÍ; nor Cincinnati than its Spring Grove; nor San Francisco than its lone Mountain. But what shall we say of those country graveyards with the vines broken down and the slabs aslant, and Jthe mound caved in, and the grass the pasturegtound for the sexton's cattle? Indeed, were j'our father and mother of so little worth that you cannot afford U ke care of their ashes? Some day tui n out all hands, and straighten the slab, and bank up the mound, and cut away the weeds, and plant the shrubs and flowers. O my brethren! death and the grave are not so rnuch as they rtsed to be; for whilo wandeling in this garden with the new sepulchre, I find that the vines and flowers have completely covered up the tomb. Instead of one garden there aro four gardens, opening into each other - garden of Eden, garden of the world's sepulchre, garden of the world's regeneration, garden of heaven. Four gardens. Bloom, O earth! Bloom, O heaven! Ö, my hearers, wake up to gladness, This day, if I interpret it right, means joy - it means poaee with Heaven, and it means peace with all the world. Oh! bring moro ilowers. Wealth of flowers here to-day. Bring forth more flovvers. Wreath them around the brazen throat of the cannon; plant them in the desert that it raay blossom like the rose; braid them into the mane of thereturned war charger. No more red dahlias of human blood. Givo us white lilies of peaoe. All around the earth strew flowers. And soon the rough voyage of the Church Militant will be ended, and she will sail up the heavenly harbor. scarred with many conflict, but tho flag of triumph floating f rom her top gallan ts. All lleaven wil eome out to greet her into port, an with long reverberating shout of wel come will say: "There she comes u] the bay, the ship Zion, the glorious olc Constellation."