The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-04-16
Cause of ChYist's Death.
From the Philadelphia Timcs.l

From the Philadelphia Times.l
The most remarkable event in the
history Of the world was the death of
Jesus Christ" said Rev. DR.. lhomas
a. Hoyt, pastor Of the Chambers Pres
bytcrian Church, yesterday afternoon,
III beginning a special sermon to the
medical students. Its hidden mean-
ings," he continued, "are trlnscendanl
and it was without parallel, the most
sublime tragedy ever enacted" The
speaker had chosen his text from St.
John, "a, 10. John, he said, stood ON.
~ Il few feet distant from the Saviour
and subsequently related what he saw.
The subject discussed by the speaker
was, " What was the physical cause OF
Christs death 7" Several eminent ply
scans had devoted years to the study
of the question, aud book on the sub
iect had been published by DR.. Stroud
Of Edinburg, about thirty-live yeas
ago, in which he ascribed Chrst's death
to rupture Of the heart. During a con
vention Of physicians in Scotland several
years ago tic deductions arrived at in
this book were presented for their con
sderu;ion and they were confirmed
There are, the minister said, many cases
on record where death has resulted
from violent passions Of joy or grief
Plinv tells us Of Lacedamonian who
fell dead with JOY at hearing that his
son had won prize at the Olympian
games. The speaker read several med
zeal opinions on the subject of heart
rupture, and continued " There is no
preteuce that the spear thrust into the
Saviours side caused death. In fact,
lie was dead before the wound was re,
ccivcd Christ was crucifed at nine
o'clock in the morning and expired at 3
o'clock in the afternoon, or two hours
before the centurion delt the blow with
his spear. The crucified usually lived
from two 10 three days and sometimes
as long as five days on the cross. There
is no evidence that disease might have
caused lis death and no reason to be
lieve that He was not of perfect sOunC
health. Some have thought that lie
might have died from exhaustion, blu
We are told that He was miraculousl,
sustained during His trials. 1t was no
weakness. Some declare that He vol
unfairly gave up life, but He did no
take His life He simply submitted t.
the conditions under which He died
The answer to the question, what wa
the physical cause of Christ's death ? is
Rupture Of the heart, caused by men
tai agony Literally, He died of
broken heart" The speaker read eS
tracts from many letters from eminen
physicians giving their opinions on DIR
Slroud's book and on his deduction as t
the death Of the Saviour. They all ell
S dorsed his conclusion that Christ ha
: died of Il ruptured heart. "John says,
Il continued the speaker, "that when tn
t spear was thrust into the Saviours side
, forthwith came there out blood and W;
Z ter" DR.. Hoyt then proceeded to e,
plain this from Il medical point of view
+ lie said that when the spcar-hcad pune
I tured the pericardium the blood and Sc
: rum from the rupturcd heart escaped
, Tie said that all this was simply full
; fillmcnt of a Scriptural prediction, a
E was the parting Of His raiment an
t casting lots among the soldiers for III
t ycstnrc.
: "But what was this mental angus
e that broke our Saviour's hearth" askc
the speaker. 1T was not fear of dcatl
for lie looked towards that with long
. ing. If ! be lifted up He said,
will draw all men to me- He anticipG
ted death as the contamination of Iii
+ labors. Reproach hath broken m
heart He said, and then died. II
! died for us. The weight of huma
guilt broke His heart"