Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-25
THE FINISHED WORK.
DR.. TALNAGE TELLS OF THE COMPLETION
OF CHRISTS LABORS.
The Obstacles That Bese the Path Of Jesus Christ in
His LabOEs 10 Save the WOrld-Ths Grandeur
OF the Success Achieved The World in
The Time Of Christ
Ttlernm 10 he Renister.

thrOngs in and around the Brooklyn Tai
ernacle on Sabbath mornings and evenings
are larger than at any other time durin
the seventeen years of DIR. Talmage's pas
tOrate. This morning the opening hymn
was that beginning:
'oh, could speak the matchless worth,
oh, could shine the glories forth
That in my Saviour shine"
The text was John XVII, 4: hav
finished the work which thou gayest me +
do" The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, d
D., said
There is profound satisfaction in tn
THE COMPLETION
of anything we have undertaken. We
lift the capstoue with exultation, while, OIL
the other hand, there is nothing NOR
disappointing than having tOiled in Ger
tain direction, to find that our time is
wasted and our investment proftless
Christ came to throw up a highway OF
which the whole world might, lit chose
LlONAAAN lhAO ulNA H. III
toul-mouthed crew who attempted to tread
on him could not extinguish the sublime
satisfaction which He expressed when Ht
said: 81 have finished the work which
Thou gIveSt me to do.
Alexander the Great was wounded, anC
the doctors could not medicate his wounds
and he seemed to be dying and in hi.
dream the sick man saw plant with 6
peculiar flower, and he dreamed that thai
plant was put upon his wound, and thai
Immediately it was cured. And Alexan
der, waking from his dream, told this tt
the physician, and the physician wandered
| out until he found Just the kind of plant
which the sick mau had described, brought
il TO him and the wound was healed.
Well, the human race had been hurt
with the ghastliness of all wOunds-that
,ofsin. 1t was the business of Christ t.
bring balm for that wound, the balm o.
divine restoration. In carrying this bust
ness to a successful issue the dificultie;
were stupendOus.
In many of our plans we have our friends
to help us; some one tO draw sketch Oi
the plan, Others to help us in the execu
tiOn. But Christ fought every inch of his
way against bitter hostility and amid cir.
cumstances all calculated to depress and
defeat.
In the first place,
HIS WORLDLY OCCUPATION WAS AGAINST
HIM.
| find that He earned His livelihood by the
carpenters trade-an occupation always
to be highly regarded and respected. But
you know, as well rs do, that in order tC
succeed in any employment one must give
his entire time to it, and / have to declare
that the tatigues of carpentry were un,
favorable to the execution of n mission
which required all mental and physical
faculties. Through high, hard dry, husky,
insensate Judaism to hew n way for n new
and glorious diSpensation was n stupen-
dOus undertaking that was enough to de-
mand all the concentrated energies even OF
Christ. We have great many romantic
stories about what men with physical toll
have accomplished in intellectual depart
mentS; but you know that after man has
been tOiling all day with adZe, and saw,
and hammer, plane, and axe, about all he
can do is to rest. A weary body is an un-
favorable adjunct to a tOiling mind. You
whose upbuildmg Of kingdom, OF the
proclamation of new cOGe of morals, OF
the starting OF revolution which
should upturn all nations, could get some
idea of the incOhercnce of Christ'S worldly
occupation with His heavenly mission.
In his fathers shop no more intercourse
was necessary than is ordinarily necessary
in bargaining with men that have work TO
do; yet Christ, with hands hard from touch
of tools of trade was called forth to be-
come public speaker, to preach in the
face of mObs, while some wept and some
shook their fists, and some gnashed upon
Him with their teeth, and many wanted
Him out OF the way.
To address orderly and respectful as
Semblages is not SO easy rs it may seem,
but it requires more energy and more force
and more concentration to address an eXaS-
perated mob. The villagers of Nazareth
heard the pounding OF His hammer, but
all the wide reaches of eternity were to
hear the stroke of His spiritual upbuild-
ing. SO also His habits of
DRESS AND OF DIET WERE AGAINST HIM.
The mighty men of Christ's time did not
appear in apparel without trinketS and
adOrnments None of the Caesars would
have appeared in citizen sapparel, yet here
was a man, here was pretended king
who always wore the same coat. Indeed
it was far from shabby, for after he had
worn it long while the gamblers thought
it worth raffiing about; but still it was far
from being an imperial robe. 1t was coat
that any ordinary man might have worn
on an ordinary occasion.
Neither was there any pretensiOn in His
diet. No cupbearer, with golden chalice,
brought Him wine to drink. On the sea-
shore he ate fish, first having broiled 1t
Himself. No one fetched Him water to
drink, but, bending over the well in
Samaria, He begged a drink. He sat at
only one banquet, and that not at all sump-
tuous, for to relieve the awkwardness OF
the host one Of the guests had to prepare
wine for the company.
Other kings rode in a chariot; He walked.
Other kings, as they advance, have
heralds ahead and applauding sub
jects behind. Christ's retinue was
made up of sunburned fishermen. Other
kings sleep under embroidered canopy,
this one on a shelterleSs hill. Riding but
once, so far as now remember, on a colt,
and that borrowed.
Again, his
POVERTY WAS AGISST HIM.
1t requires money to build great enter
prises. Men of means are afraid of a pen
niless protector, lest loan be demanded.
1t requires money to print books, to build
institutions, to pay instructors. No Won
der the wise men of Christ's time laughed
at this pennileSs Christ. why" they
said, who is to pay for this new religion?
Who is to charter the ships to carry the
missionaries? Who is to pay the salaries
of the teachers? Shall wealthy Judaism
be discounted by pennileSs Christi"
The consequence was that most of the
people that followed Christ had nothing
to lose. Wealthy Joseph of Arimathea
buried Christ but he risked no social pO-
sition in doing that. 1t is always safe to
bury q good man. Zaccheus risked no
wealth or social position in following
Christ, but took a position in Il tree to
look down as he passed. Nieodemus,
wealthy Nieodemus, risked nothing of