Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-11-20
DR. TALMAGB'S SERMON.
AGAINST ALL ODDS.


the oapstone with exhileratlon, while on
the other hand there is nothing more dis
heartenlng than to toll on in some direction
and find it is a ia lure or TO make profit
less investment. Christ came to build a
highway on which the whole human race
might, If they chose, mount into heaven. He
did it All the toul mouthed crew who trod
on Him could not hinder him from the
sublime satisfaction expressed in the text:
II have finished the work which thou gavest
me to do.n
Alexander the Great was wounded, and il
was supposed that he was dying, and the
physic ans were powerless. But in his dream
Alexander thought he law certain plant
with very peculiar flower, and that the
flower was brought and put upon his wound
and it entirely cured him. AwaSing from
his sick dream he told his doctor, and the
.,Sysician sent out to find the flower that
Alexander had described and he found the
peculiar plant and the peculiar blossom, and
he brought them home and he put them upon
the wound, and Alexander recovered. Well,
the human race was suffering with the
worst of all wounds, the ghastliest of all
W unds, The wound of sin. Christ comes to
bring balSaIn for divine restoration. He
brous BIT it, but in the application of it, oh,
how many obstacles He found; how much
resistance; what bitter bpstilities; what ire
mendous opposition. Now, when we have
great enterprise, we call our friends around
perhaps they help US IN the execution Christ
all alone started out on His mission with all
the forces OF this world against Him, and !
propose this morning, if the Lord will help
me, to tell you some of the Obstacles that
Christ had to overcome before He could in
triumph utter the words Of the text: II have
finished the work which thou gavest me to
do"
First OF all, there was His worldly occupa-
ton. He had to earn his living by carpentry,
trade always respected and always honored
for its usefulness. But you know very we'll
that in order to succeed in any trade, occu-
patton, or profession, there must be entire
concentration upon tbat one thing. and these
fatigues of car entry were hindrance must
have been a hindrance TO this WORK OF Christ.
! know we read a great deal about what men
have achieved in intellectual directions and
in moral reform, who at the same time were
compelled to carry on some worldly occupa-
tion. But you know as well as
do that a fatigued body is poor
adjunct to toiliug mind Here came Christ
forth to do, what! To upbuild kingdom,
70 introduce new code OF morals, to start
religion which was to revolutionize all ma.
uons. You know as well as | know that il
we are going to accomplish anything in the
world we must conceutra te upon one OBJ ect
Yet here Christ had all the tatigues Of car
pentry, while at the same time He had this
tremendous mission, and the ia that he had
30 much worldly work to do must have been
D. ndran e. In His fathers carpenter shop
He had only to talk with men who brought
things to mend, or who wanted some
al tIcle for agriculture manufactured,
and it was a worldly conversation:
and right out from this carpenters shop
Christ is called to be a pubic speaker, to
stand in the face of the mobs while some
blasphemed and some shook their fists at
Him. To address an orderly and respectful
asseinblage is not as easy as sJme might sup
pose, but to speak to an exas Grated mob,
what courage, what concentration We're de-
manded OF Christ. While the villagers of
Na1areth heard The humping of His ham
mer, all nations were 10 bear the stroke of
His spiritual upbuilding. Mighty men
In those times always hal some
thing in their apparel to indi ate
that they were distinguished some
epanlet, something in their robe some
adoTnment OF apparel, SO those people see
ing such an one coming would say: MAKE
way for him; here comes a dignitary, or an
officer OF the government None of the
Cesars would have dared to appear in ordi-
nary citizen dress. But here comes Christ
IN plain coat IL was far rom shabby be-
cause tnd that after He had worn it a great
while even then the gamblers Thought it
worth rating about, the question being
whose shall 1T be. But still it was plain
coat, just as you and ! might wear, aud He
vent out like an ordinary man, Outlines,
on what seemed an ordinary mission.
Then His diet was against Him No
cupb' arer brought, in a golden chalice, the
wine for Him to drink. He bl eakfasted on
the seashore, first having broiled the fish.
He went out not entertained. | now think
Of only one case where He was a. banquet,
and that was far from sumptuous because, to
relieve the awkwarkaess Of the host, one of
the guests had to provide some wine for the
company. Other kings rode; He walked.
Others had herald ahead and applauding
subjects behind: He went among those who
were not influential Other kings slept IN
der an embroidered canopy; He on a shelter
hess hill. He rode but once-on colt, and
that borrowed Aye, His poverty was
against him. It takes money to es-
tablish institutions; it takes money to
forward revolutions, whether for good OF
for bad. Here is a pennies Christ. When
His tax was due He had to perform miracle
IN order t. pay the tax. The piece of money
found in the fish. Men Of means are afraid
Of peDniless protector lest a loan he de-
manded OF them Here comes Christ with
out a dollar in the world, Christ who was
born in another mans barn, and to be buried
IN another mans sepulehre. And | suppose
people said: who is to pay for this re-
hgion. Who is to charter the ships
Who is 10 pay the salaries Of the
teachers. " hat pull down an established
religIonl Can it be done by penniless pro-
JectorF More than that. l want you to
notice the fact that the consideration that
He had never graduated from any school
was aga INST Him. II man has come With
a diploma from college,or a certificate froIc
a seminary or has Travelled through foreign
lands. we sav to ourselves: He ought to
know great deal, anyhow: he ought to have
some information" But here was Christ
who had no diploma. He had not attended
any q ademy where be could have learned
the alphabet Of the language He spoke. The
Jews were sensible when they cried out:
How bath this man letters, having never
learnedl And yet, here, with no philosophy
backing at all, He just comes out and He
expects these white haired these gray
bearded men who had studied theology all
their lives long to bow before him We have
earned in our lay that man may be as ig.
norant with a diploma as without it, and
that a college cannot turn sluggard into a
philosopher, and that seminary cannot
teach fool to prea h. An empty head after
the laying on OF the hands of the Presbytery
is empty still. Eut it choke1 all the pr eju-
dices of those people in oldsn times that
man without any scholastic opportun ties
should come forth to teach a new theology
and a new religion, and by it revolItionize all
nations Beside that my friends, we want
20 notice that the brevty of His life waa
against Him. You must remember that Hd
did not live TO zen what we call mid life
At Nthirty-three years Of age he expired
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