The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-05-22
Cause Of Christ's Death.

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history of the world was the death of
Jesus Christ" said Rev. DR.. Thomas
A. Hoyt, pastor of the Chambers Pres
byterian church, in beginning special
sermon to the medical students. Its
hidden meanings" he continued, '.are
transcendant and it was, without par
allel, the most sublime tragedy ever
enacted" The speaker had chosen
his text from st. John xxxiv. 19. John,
he said, stood only few feet from the
Savior, and subsequently related what
he saw. The subject discussed by the
speaker was, What was the physical
cause of Christ's death?' Several en-
inent physicians had devoted years to
the study of the question and book on
the subject had been published by DR..
Stroud, of Edinburgh, about thirty-five
years ago, in which he ascribed Christ's
death to rupture of the heat. During
convention of physicians in Scotland
several years ago the deductions ar
rived at in this book were presented
for their consideration, and they were
confirmed. There are, the minister
said, many cases on record where
death has resulted from violent pas
sions of Joy or grief. Pliny tells lis of
a Lacedamonian who fell dead from
Joy at hearing that his son had won q
prize at the Olympian games.
The speaker read several medical
opinions on the subject of heart rupt-
ure, and continued: "There is no pre-
tense that the spear thrust into the Sa-
vior's side caused death. In fact, he
was dead before the wound was re-
ceived. Christ was crucifed at nine
o'clock in the morning, and expired at
three o'clock in the afternoon, or two
hours before the centurion dealt the
blow with his spear. The crucifed
usually lived from two to three days,
and sometimes as long as five days on
the cross. There is no evidence that
disease might have caused His death,
and no reason TO believe that he was
not of perfectly sound health. Some
have thought that He might have died
from exhaustion, but we are told that
He was miraculously sustained during
His trials. 1t was not weakness.
Some declare that He voluntarily gave
UP life, but He did not take His life; He
simply submitted to the conditions
under which He died. The answer to
the question, What was the physical
cause of Christ's death?' is, Rupture
of the heart caused by mental agony
Literally, He died of broken heart
The speaker read extracts from many
letters from eminent physicians giving
their opinions on DR.. Stroud's book
and on his deduction as to the death
of the Savior. They all indorsed his
conclusion that Christ had died of a
ruptured heart.
John says" continued the speaker,
''that when the spear was thrust into
the Savior's side forthwith came there
out blood and water" DR.. Hoyt then
proceeded to explain this from a med
ical point of view. He said that when
the spear-head punctured the pericar-
dunn the blood and serum from the
ruptured heart escaped. He said that
all this was simply fulfillment of q
scriptural prediction, az was tho part
ing of His raiment and the casting -
lots among the soldiers for His vesture
"But what was this mental ANGUISH
that broke our Savior's hearth" asked
the speaker. 'It was not fear of
death, for He looked toward that witt
longing. If be lifted up,' he said, Il
will draw all men to me- He antici-
pated death as the consummatiop of
His labors. 'Reproach hath broken nv
heart He said, and then died. He
died for us. The weight of human
guilt broke His heart, Philadelphia