National Republican., 1886-10-25
Woodward & Lothrop,
mo; 1913 L Street Northwest.
SUBLIME SATISFACTION.
II HAVE FINISHED THE WORK WHICH
THOU GAyEST NE TO Do"
The Rev. DIR. Taiinago Tolls How Aw-
fully Earnest Christ Was-The Inco-
horenoo of ChrIsrs Worldly ocoupa-
tion with Hts Heavenly Mission.

BROOKLYN, n. ", oct. 2.-The throngs in
and around the Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sab
bath mornings and evenings are larger than
at any time during the seventeen years Of DR..
Talmnges pastomte. This morning the OPEN
ing hymn was that beginning:
Oh, could speak the matchless worth,
Oh, could sound the gloriCs forth
That in my Saviour SINNER
The text was John xviii, A: ~ have finished
the work which Thou gavest Inc TO do" The
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. D., said:
There is profound satisfaction in the COM
pletion OF anything we have undertaken. We
lit the capstono with exultation, WHILE on the
other hand, there Is nothing more disappoint'
ing than, after having toiled In Il certain dlrec.
tion, TO find that our time is wasted and our
investment proftless Christ came to throw
up a highway on which the whole world
might ii II chose, mount into heaven. He did
it. The fonl-mouthed crew who attempted
10 tread on Him could not eXtinglish the sub
lime satisfaction which He expressed when lie
said II have finished the work which Thou
gayest me to do.'
doctors could not medicate his wounds, and he
seemed TO be dying, and in his dream the sick
man saw plant with peculiar flower and
he dreamed that that plant was put upon his
And Alexander, waking from his dream, told
this to TIE physician, and the physician wan
dered out until he found just the kind of plant
which the sick man had described, brought IL
TO hhn and the wound was healed
Well, the human race had been hurt with
the ghastliest of all wounds-that of sin. 1t
was the business of Christ to bring u balm for
that wound-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 u 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 calcu-
lated TO depTess and defeat.
In the first place, HIS worldly occupation
was against Him, find that He earned His
livelihood by the carpenters trade--an loc1
Cupation 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 II, and have to
declare that the fatigues of carpentry were un-
favorable TO the execution OF mission which
required all mental and physical faculties.
Through high, hard, dry husky, insensate Juda'
ism to hew way ;Or a new ana glorious dispen-
sation was a stupendous undertaking that was
enough TO demand all the concentrated ener'
gies 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 a mau has
been toiling all day with adze anu saw, and
hammer, plane, aud axe, about all he can do
is forest. weary body Is an uniavorable ad-
junct to a toiling mind. You whose upbulld-
code OF morals. or the starting OF revolution
which should upturn all nations, could get
some idea of the ino0herence OF Chrlsps
worldly occupation with His heavenly mis-
Eion,
In his fathers shop no more intercourse was
necessary than Is ordinarily necessary in bar
gaining with men that have work TO dol yet
Christ, with hands hard from touch OF tools OF
trade, was caled forth to become a 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, aud
many wanted Him out of the way,
TO address orderly and respectable assem-
blages Is not so easy as II may seem, but II re-
qnlres more energy, and more force, and more
concentration to addr ess an eXasperated 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
upbuilding.
SO also HIS habits OF dress and of diet were
against Him, The mighty men of Christ time
did not appear in apparel without trinkets and
adOfnments, None OF the Ciusars would have
appeared In citizens apparel. Yet here was a
man. here was pretended king. who always
wore the same coat. Indeed, II was far from
shabby, for AFTER he had worn II a loug while
the gamblers thought II worth rafllng about;
but still II was far from bengan imperial robe
IL was coat that any ordinary man might
have worn on an ordinary occasion.
Neither was there any prelension TO His diet.
No cup bearer with golden Challce brought
Him wine to drink On the seashOre lie ate
fish first having brollod II Himself No one
fetched HIM water to drink, but bending oyer
the well in SamaTia, lie begged drink, lie
sat at only one banquet, aud that not at all