Death of Christ

The earthquake was a sign through which God caused the earth to pay royal homage to Jesus , when Jesus died . He" created all things by Jesus Christ ". The Son of God " by whom God made the worlds ,"having passed through the mystery of " the holy incarnation" and the greater mystery of death - at the dread moment when all was over , earth was made to display these signs in honour of her King . Let us have no more abuse of earth , such as it has been thought Christian to indulge in . "O ,call not the earth a barren spot !" Give up confounding the earth with the world of society living in it . We may say , to borrow , with some changes the words of another ; "Our earth owned not Satan but Christ . It felt the pressure of His foot ; its waters sustained His form ; its midnight sky rang with the song of His nativity ; its air bore Him up as He rose  to His Father ; In a golden cloud it provided the Conqueror with a chariot ; its waves and winds in the wildest uproar were obedient to His command ; at His bidding its graves opened to give up their dead ; its bread multiplied  to feed His train ; and as if the blow that struck Him had fallen heavy on its head , it trembled with horror when it received His blood . It never gave its iron to be nails for His blessed hands , nor grew its thorns to pierce His brow . With high heaven , the earth was a mourner at Christ's death ; and , as if it were never to recover the shock of that day when they hung the King and Creator on a tree , an old legend says , that the reason the aspen leaf is ever trembling on its stalk , is because the cross was made of an aspen tree . "
    We must distinguish between sober truth and beautiful fancy , but it is no extravagance to say that the earth paid royal honour to its crucified King . As Christ Jesus came into the world , so He went out of it , in circumstances of extreme humiliation . Yet on the other hand , as He came into it , so He went out of it , , amidst the most resplendent honours . You look at the manger , and say, "Never had a King such a cradle !" You listen to the angels and say, "Never had a King such a cradle song !" As with His birth ,so with His death . You look at the cross , and say "Never had king such a dying bed !"You look at the earthquake , and the signs following , and say , "Never was royal death so grandly notified !" Talk about tolling bells , booming artillery , and the show of a nation in mourning , what are they to the signs hung out when Christ died ?  " And behold , the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom ; and the earth did quake ; and the rocks rent ; and the graves were opened , and many bodies of the saints which slept arose , and came out of the graves after His ressurection and went into the holy city , and appeared unto many ."