Merrick Abner Richardson

“ Then shuddering cold she murmurs, "True, true, he dies and death ends all,—yes, all." Wildly springing across the stream she turns quickly, again gazes on Calvary and smiles a demon's smile, murmuring, "Yes, Jesus is dead, I am dead. Death ends all."
As darkness spreads its mantle over the face of nature, a deep gloom invaded the hearts of the people in and around the once beautiful City of Zion. Those who had been instrumental in sending Jesus to the cross, feared that the end had not yet come, while those who had listened to his teachings feared that the end had come. ”

“ Will you not aid the birth of universal grace to all mankind? Oh, brave men, come to my aid in this dark earthly night, and when you, so soon, shall awake in eternity's glad morning, Mary Magdalene will be among those to welcome you home.
"Oh, men of Abraham's clan, come to my aid. Come now in this wild storm of fate, bear me in your arms that when your strength, like mine, shall fail, when the sun of life grows dim and the stars of love hie away, that then, oh, then, the angels of light may draw near and guide you safely home. ”

“ The evening star has disappeared beyond the western hills, while spangled Orion and the Pleiades sisters seem lingering as though to look down in silent pity on slumbering old Nazareth, whose religious zealots have thrust out in bitter scorn the man whose lamp of light will shine upon the mysterious way called Death, when other lights have all grown dim.
It is now after midnight. Ruth and Magdalene are in fond embrace, while Aunt Susanna on a reclining divan amid a profusion of pretty rugs and bolstering pillows is plying questions to Ruth concerning her brother, Jesus. ”

“ At this point Jesus and James stepped in, unobserved by her, while she continued: "The storm is upon us now. I hear the distant billows roar. This night to you who hesitate may be the turn of the tide throughout an endless Eternity, so bare your bosoms to the storm and look only to the beacon lights, if dimly you may discern them.
"Earth life is but a fleeting shadow, soon past. I know my name will never appear on the records of this great struggle, no one will ever weep at the tomb of Mary Magdalene, but what for aye the morrow. ”

“ Here Magdalene paused and listened with that vacant gaze which betokened that while her body was in Bethany her soul had joined the wanderers in the dark. "I love Jesus," she murmured, "but, oh, my soul is tossing about like an empty shell on an ocean wave. Oh, that I could see more clearly through the misty veil of horror which hangs like a pall over the once beautiful city of Zion. I love Jesus, as the son of man, but I love him more as the Son of God. ”

“ Elias, winding its way high up into the mountain, where the snow drifts whirl blindly all the summer day, where no plant or animal abide, seems to be in keeping with the surroundings, but to emerge from a dense thicket, a valley teeming with animal and vegetable life, on a hot summer day and fall spat upon a dead glacier is a sight which must be seen to be realized—then to know that this vast field of ice once extended to the sea, but so long ago that thousands of acres of timber have grown up in its retreating pathway, is enough to astound any but the simple. ”

“ You and Magdalene must enter the garden while it is twilight, and Magdalene do not fail to show her the baby birds in the lilac bushes. You, John, however much you wish, cannot go with them, for I have a duty for you. While I light the fire for hot cakes and honey you must run down to Capernaum and bring Jesus, his mother and all the family up here to dine, and stop with us until morning. Ruth will sleep with Magdalene, her mother with me and Jesus on the couch. We have heaps of rugs so others can lie down where they please. ”

“ Hear," cried John, and the men all chimed in "Hear! Hear!" except Peter, who seemed to think that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, as he cried:
"The Kingdom of Galilee is good enough for me; Ruth may be willing to suffer for the unborn and I am no more afraid of death than she is, but my motto has always been, 'Let everyone die for themselves,' therefore I think the maid from Nazareth is out of order." ”

“ Martha groaned and cried, "Oh, the cruel Romans," to which Magdalene voiced in, "Why blame the Romans? These are Pilate's executioners doing their duty; they must be wicked or they would faint. Why blame the brigands who haled him to Pilate; their hearts are hardened, their conscience is seared. These fiends are but the tools in the hands of Caiaphas. The doom of the assassin awaits them, the doom of a coward awaits Pilate, but the doom of a murderer awaits the High Priest of Jerusalem. ”

“ Yet somehow we feel that there is something more in this life than simply an illusion, and I guess that our senses do not deceive us. The revolving earth is beneath our feet; the heavens are above our heads. But if this be so, how came we here? How and whence did we come? Are we the results of some process of material nature, the fortuitous concurrence of innumerable atoms, or are we the creatures of a living God? Is there an order and a plan about our being? Shall our days end with the autumn and the snow, or will there be a spring time? and shall we wake in the long tomorrow and be forever? ”

“ She smilingly replied, "What a pity it is that handsome boys grow up to be such ugly men. Just play you are a boy again and set fire to the dog's tail once more. I dare you to do it."
"Oh, Lena," he said, as he turned the conversation, "do you buy your fish of Simon yet?"
Springing to her feet, her eyes sparkling, she said, "Honestly, John, I would rather go to hell with you than to heaven with old Simon." ”

“ Unconsciousness, whether in sleep or in death, ought not to frighten us. If in sleep it does not impair memory, it does not in death, as they are both simply the veil which shuts off our view.
In short, the soul appears through the body as its organ, giving us a view of its wonder through the flashlight of sensibility, one view at a time and no more. ”

“ The next day Jesus, standing in the synagogue, cried, "I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me, and this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life." ”

“ Today the seed of life is being sown in the hilly land of Old Canaan, the buds are promise, blossoms peace and fruit everlasting life. As through summer and winter, sunshine and rain, the old cactus came forth, so through joy and sadness, bitterness and despair, the tree of life may put forth. When we think of the thorny path over which good souls before us have traveled, we ought to trust in providence, for God is with us and knows it all. ”

“ Mother and John listened motionlessly, while Magdalene bit her lip nervously, trying to form an inquiry which would open the sealed door of the tomb.
"Can the dead communicate with the living?"
"No, Mary."
"From whence came Moses and Elias?"
"From the abode of the living."
Mary Magdalene's voice changed to milder tones as she sympathetically continued: "Oh, can you not ease my aching heart? This burden is greater than I can bear. I do not understand you. I volunteered when in Galilee to follow you, but as we near Jerusalem my heart fails me. Is this the expression of God's love to me? ”

“ Now along the shore lay boats like the one from which, in days of his great achievement, he had taught the eager throng, which had now disappeared. The sun's dazzling rays bore down upon the dreamy [263] waters of the little mountain inland sea upon whose shore he would walk no more. From Bethsaida, a blue smoke curled languidly over the retreat of his fisherman followers, while upon the hillside to the south lay the garden home of Aunt Susanna, where the once beautiful, but now pale Magdalene had upon every occasion so vehemently defended him whom she was now to follow to his earthly doom. ”

“ The scene of the frail creature pleading for the life of Jesus, together with the environment and condition, was so touching that all gave way to their feelings, even brawny old Judas wiped away the bitter tears with the sleeve of his soiled garment, for all had learned to love Magdalene, the once haughty maid of the West Shore, who, as Peter now expressed it, would far outshine all the angels when she got to Heaven. ”

“ God will forgive, Jesus will forgive, but you can never forgive yourselves. Hell hath no flame to consume the remorse of a guilty conscience. You may deceive the Jews, you may deceive the Gentiles, but you will not deceive God."
After Magdalene, between two burly soldiers, had been tenderly escorted from the court, silence seemed to reign while the lights burned low, until Nicodemus arose, when Caiaphas cried, "Await your proper time." ”

“ Stealthily, one by one, the rulers arrive and while the watchmen on the tower and outside the gates of Jerusalem cry, "All is well," the most loathsome, dogmatic group known in the annals of history draw near in the dim light of a lantern to listen to Caiaphas, who, after glancing nervously about, said:
"The Lord, God of Israel, who gave to the seed of Abraham, Canaan for their inheritance, also, through one Moses, gave them laws with priests and Scribes to execute over the unsanctified. The mouth of our high priest is the chosen oracle through which God speaks to his chosen people. ”

“ Nicodemus now retired to his accustomed seat in the Sanhedrim, leaving Magdalene, deathly pale, standing alone, when she cautiously meandered forward. Then, as though inspired, quickly tossing her head erect, said in a firm tone:
"Learned men of Judea, angry are the elements and fierce the gale, now hovering over old Jerusalem, but dark as the night and wild as the storm, it is sunshine and peace compared with the gloom and terror now raging in my poor soul. ”

“ He is not dead. They killed his body, but the body is just the mask; that is why great souls are unknown on earth. Jesus still lives. I cannot tell if he spoke or not, or how he appeared or disappeared, but the word, 'Mary,' sounded just as he always spoke, and I saw him as distinctly as I see you now. His attitude and movement were such that I supposed he had come to life until he disappeared. The body is not the person, Ruth. It is the form that we wear; it is ever dying, dying while the unseen yet lives. Love me, sweet, dear Ruth, and let me go. John, come ”

“ DARKNESS OVER GALILEE John has returned home; Jesus is asleep in the home of Simon's mother-in-law; Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her children, save Jesus and Ruth, are sleeping under their little open tent shelter on the pebbled beach. Every lodging in Tiberias, Magdala, Bethsaida and Capernaum is occupied by strangers, while more than ten thousand souls overcome by fatigue have tonight lopped down in groups here and there upon the shore of the renowned inland lake, the Sea of Galilee. ”

“ Truly, the multitude is disappearing, thousands will return home on account of this 'Bread-of-life' sermon today, for they do not understand that evolution requires time; that large bodies move slowly. They may be blameless, but you—you, Judas Iscariot—you who have been with him more than two years, are you yet befogged, or are you a coward? Did you today think that Jesus intended to convey the idea that God was a baker and had sent a loaf of bread down to Capernaum, and that he, Jesus, was the loaf? ”

“ Farming soon became too tame for me, and while nature's adornments which made up and surrounded our quiet home, often charmed my soul into serious dreamlike fancies, yet, somehow I enjoyed singing funny songs and telling stories, together with their proper amendments and legitimate construction—in fact, like my mother, I could tell an old story which every one had heard forty times in such a way as to cause laughter. ”

“ The tide had turned, harsh criticism had changed to love, as from Nazareth, Endor, Nain and Cana, together with the throng from the west shore, they sadly approached the hillside home of Aunt Susanna, where, near the close of day, in the old garden, they laid to sleep the form of Mary Magdalene.
Here, when the tourist visits the ruins of Capernaum, where Jesus met rebuff, they mention with pride Peter in prison, Paul before Agrippa and John on the Isle of Patmos, while they never mention the heroic maid to whom the Gate Beautiful first swung ajar. ”

“ Mary and Martha interested themselves to make all as comfortable as possible, while Magdalene, true to her unrelenting devotion, sat in the midst telling them stories about her early life with Jesus, and how she loved the family to which he belonged, before he entered his mysterious mission, "For," said she, with a forced smile, "you know there are times when a woman cannot sleep, but never a time when she cannot talk." ”

“ Vogue tradition has it that long ago a great world, a mid-Pacific continent, existed in this summer clime. One evening, as the sun was going down, their world sank into the ocean, leaving only the mountain top, on which more people were huddled together than could live. As a necessity the priestly clan, or kings, barricaded themselves on this protected island, where they shaped out a baking rock which would preserve all the juices of the flesh, and then ordered each tribe to furnish their portion of human beings, to be placed on the hot rock alive and cooked until palatable. ”

“ The Lord stood half a head above his twelve disciples, save Thomas, who was very tall, contrasting absurdly with Matthew, who was so small and quaint looking that Magdalene, in her sunny days, designated him as the embalmed puckerberry.
When all was quiet, Jesus, in a low voice, said: "Did my words in the synagogue offend you? What, and if you see the son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. As I have said, the words which I speak unto you are spirit, they are life. ”

“ She says only she and James will follow Jesus, for if we all go the rabbis may burn our home."
"I have heard that, Ruth, for some time. Some influence caused me to think that way, but I did not mention it. Say, Ruth, why do people call me a sinner and say I am possessed with devils?"
"Why, Lena, they call Jesus the same. That is an epithet applied to all who do not conform to the orthodox faith. Jesus says everybody is tempted by devils and that God, through Him, casts them out. You know you have never allied yourself to any faith." ”

“ Joseph, you, a counsellor, a man of experience, a ruler among the Jews, ask me to explain that which the children, the song birds of the morning and the wild gazelle of the plains act out at every turn. They live in the present, while we live in the past, present and apparent future. If you knew the future you would not be content to stay. God, in his wisdom, has drawn the veil of uncertainty between his loved people and their higher life, but now he has withdrawn that veil from me. Yesterday, when I supposed Jesus was dead, I feared, I wondered, I shrank ”

“ It was a moment of agonizing suspense; the guard and executioners stood as riveted to the spot; Magdalene pressed her hand upon her heart, while the other women held their breath. The disciples craned their necks, especially Peter, who never could hear very well with his mouth closed, dropped his jaw that he might catch the first lisp. The accusers seemed to shrivel under the search of his large eyes and move backward from the woman, who, on her knees before the Lord, was pleading for mercy.
"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." ”