The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-10-28
DIR. TALMAGES SERMON.
"cHRlsTs FINISHED WORK." rs
HIS SUBJECT.

Preacher-Christ's Wonderful Progress
on Earth when Wealth, Education
and Power were Arrayed Against Him
BROOKLYN, Oct. 24-The throngs in anc
around the Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sabbatl
mornings and evenings, are larger than a
any time during the IL years of DR.. Tai
IMAGES passionate. This morning the opening
hymn was that beginning:
Oh. could speak the matches worth,
Oh, could 1 sound the glories forth
That in my Saviour shinei
The text was John, xvii, 4: II have finished
the work which Thou gavest me to do" The
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, d. D., said:
There is profound satisfaction in the com
pletiOn of anything we have undertaken. We
lift the capstone with exultation, while, on
the other hand, there is nothing more disap-
pointing than, after having toiled in GER
tain direction, to find that our time is wasted
and our investment proftless. Christ camo
to throw up highway on which the whole
world might if it chose, mount into heaven.
He did it. The foul mouthed crew who at
tempted to tread on him could not extinguish
the sublime satisfaction which he expressed
when he said, 81 have finished the work which
Thou gavest me to do"
Alexander the Great was wounded, and the
doctors could not mcdicate his wounds, and
he seemed to be dying, and in his dream tho
sick man saw plant with e peculiar Hover
and he dreamed that that plant was put upon
his wound, and that Immediately it was cured.
And Alexander, waking from his dream, told
this 10 the physician, and the physician wan
dered out until he found just the kind of plant
which the sick man had described, brought it
to him, and the wound was healed
Well, the human race had been hurt with
the ghastliest of all wounds-that of sin. It
was the business of Christ to bring balm for
that wouud-the balm of divine restoration.
In carrying this business to a successful issue
the difficulties were stupendous.
In many of our plans we have our friends
to help US; some to draw a sketch of the plan,
others to help US in the execution. But
Christ fought every inch of His way against
bitter hostility, and amid circumstances 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 as do, that in order
TO succeed in any employment, one must give
his entire time TO it, and have to declare
that the fatigues of carpentry were unfavor-
able to the execution of a mission which re-
quiFed all mental and physical faculties.
Through high, hard, dry, husky, insensate
Judaism, to heY way for a new and glori-
Gus dispensation was q stupendous under
taking that was enough to demand all the
energies even of Christ We
have q great many romantic stories about
what meE with physical toll have accom-
plished in intellectual departments; but you
know that after man has been toiling all
day with adze and saw and hammer, plane
and AK, about all he can do is to rest, A
l,o,Ixr ad1Y1ncf fa
toiling mind. You whose upbuilding of
or the proclamation of a new code
of morals or the starting of q revolution
which should upturn all nations, could get
some idea of the incoherence of Christs
worldly occupation with His heavenly mis-
SION.
In his fathers shop no moro intercourse
was necessary than is ordinarily necessary in
with menthat have work to do;
yet Christ, with hands hard from touch of
tools of trade, was called forth to become
public speaker, to preach in the face Of mobs,
while some wept, and some shook their fists,
and some CRASHED upon him with their
teeth, and many wanted Him out of the way.
TO address orderly and respectful assem-
blages Is aot SO easy as it may seem, but it
requires more energy, and more force, and
more concentration to address an exasper-
ated mob. The village Of RasaEeth heard
The pounding of His hammer, but all the wide
reaches of eternity were to hear the stroke of |
His spiritual upbuilding.
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 |
5rinkets and adornments. None of the Caesars |
would have appeared In citizens apparel |
Yet here was n man, here was pretended |
king, who always wore tho same coat In
l., III
worn IL a long while the gamblers thought it |
worth rafting about; but still it was far from |
being an imperial robe, 1t was a coat that |
my ordinary man might haye worn on any
ordinary occasion. ->sszS
Neither was there any pretention in His |
iiet 10 cup bearer with golden chalice
brought Him wine to drink. On the seashore
lie ate fish, first having broiled it Himself.
20 one fetched Him water te drink, but bend
ny over the well in Samaria He begged
rink. He sat at only one banquet, and that
Tot at all sumptuOes. for, to relieve the
of the host, one of the guests
lad to prepare wine for the company.
Other kings ride in a chariot; He walked.
other kings, as they advance, have heralds
head, and applauding saSjacts behind;
;hrist's retinue was made up of supburped
shermen. Other kings sleep under en-
,roidered canopy; this ons on Q shelterless
ill. Riding but once, as far as l now re
nember-on colt, and that borrowed.
Again, His poverty was against Him. 1t re-
uires money to build great enterprises. Men
f means are afraid of a penniless protector,
EST loan be demanded. Il requires money
o print books, to build institutions, TO pay
instructors, No wonder the wise men of
,hrist's time laughed at this pennileSs Christ.
Why" they said, swhS Is to pay for this new
-. III |
cry the missionaries? Who is to pay the
alaries of tho teacherss Shall wealthy
Judaism be discounted by p penniless Christi
The consequence was that most of the
eople that followed Christ had nothing to
ose. Wealthy Joseph OF Arimathea buried
,hPist, but he risked no social position in
Ding that. It is always safe to bury dead
IAN. Zacchetis risl1ed no wealth or social
osition in following Christ, but took posi-
on in a tree to look down as He passed
Jicodemus, wealthy Nicodemus, risked moth
lg of social position in following Christ, for
e sl1ulked by night TO find Him,
All this was against Christ, So the fact
nat He was not regularly graduated was
gainst him If q man comes with the
iplomas of colleges and schools and theologi-
Al seaiiparies, and he has been through for
gn travel, the world is disposed to listen.
here was a man who had graduated at no
1llege, had not in any academy by ordinary
,eeqs learned the alphabet Of the language
e spoke, end yet he proposed to talk, to in
ruct in subjects which had COMPOUNDED the
lightiest intellects. John says; "The Jews
larveled, saying, how hath this man letters,
aving never learned"
We in our day have found out that man
ithout a diploma may know as much as a
AN with one. and that a college cannot
ansform sluggard into phiIoeopneF OF .
seminary teach man to preach.
N empty head after the laying on Of hands
the pFesbytery is empty still. But it