The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-11-25
A FINISHED WORK.
SERIES q. Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, D. d.


mage, D. d.
Christ's Hagthly AIission-The Stupeudous
Difficulties Which He Had to Meet and
Overcoms-His Triumph Over Nat
gro, 80 Grave and Death.
BROOKLYN, Oct M.-Rev. DR.. Talmage
preached this morning at the Tabernacle
from the text John 17:4): 81 have finished
the work which Thou gavest me to do.o
The eloquent divine said:
There is profound satisfaction in the
completion of anything we have under
taken. We lift the capstone with exulta-
ton, while, on the other hand, there is moth
ing more disappointing than, after having
toiled in a certain direction, to find that our
time is wasted and our investment profit
less. Christ came to throw up highway
on which the whole world might, if 1T chose,
mount into Heaven. He did it. The foul
mouthed crew who attempted to tread on
Him could not extinguish the sublime salts
faction 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 medicate his
wounds, and he seemed to be dying, and in
his dream the sick man saw plant with q
peculiar flower, and he dreamed that that
plant was put upon his wound, and that i'm
mediately it was cured. And Alexander,
waking from his dream, told this to the
physician, and the physician wandered 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
~l,- - d. -, To
was the business of Christ to bring balm
for that wound-the balm of Divine resto-
ration. In carrying this business to sue
cessful issue the difficulties were stupen-
dous.
In many of our plans we have our friends
to help us; some to draw sketch Of the
plan, others to help us in the execution.
But Christ fought every inch Of His way
against bitter hostility, and amid circum-
stances all calculated to depress and de-
feat. In the first place, His worldly occu-
patton was against Him. I 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 unfavorable to the exc
cution of mission which required all men,
tai and physical faculties. Through high,
hard, dry, husky, insensate Judaism, to
hew way for new and glorious dispen-
sation was stupendous undertaking that
was enough to demand all the concentrated
energies even of Christ. We have q great
many romantic stories about what men with
physical toll have accomplished in intel
lectuai departments; 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 unfavorable adjunct to toiling
mind. You whose upbuilding of king
dom, or the proclamation of new cede Of
morals, or the starting Of revolution
which should upturn all nations, could get
some idea Of the indifference Of Christ's
worldly occupation with His Heavenly mis-
sion.
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 become
Q 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
their way.
To address orderly and respectful assem-
blages is not 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 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's time did not appear in apparel with
out trinkets and adornments. None of the
Caesars would have appeared in citizens
apparel Yet here was man, here was a
pretended King, who always wore the same
coat. Indeed it was far from shabby, for
after he had worn it long while the gam
blers thought it worth rafting about, but it
still was far from being an imperial robe.
1t was coat that any ordinary man might
have worn on any ordinary occasion.
Neither was there any pretension in His
diet No cup-bearer with golden chalice
brought Him wine to drink On the sea-
shore He ate fish, first having broiled it
Himself. No one fetched Him water to
drink, but bending over the well in Samaria
He begged drink. He sat at only one
banquet, and that not at all sumptuous, for,
to relieve the awkwardness of the host. one
OF the guests had to prepare wine for the
company.
Other Kings ride in chariot; He walked.
Other Kings as they advance have heralds
ahead, and applauding subjects behind;
Christ's retinue was made up of sunburned
fishermen. Other Kings sleep under en-
broidered canopy; this one on shelterless
hill. Riding but once, as far as now re-
member-on colt, and that borrowed.
Again, His poverty was against Him. It
requires money to build great enterprises.
Men Of means are afraid of penniless
protector, lest loan be demanded. It re-
quires money to print books, build institu-
tions, to pay instructors. No wonder the
wise men Of Christ's time laughed at this
penniless Christ. "Why," they said, sswho
is to pay for this new religiona Who is to
charter the ships to carry the missionariess
Who is to pay the salaries Of the teachersa
Shall wealthy Judaism be discounted by a
penniless Christa'
The consequence was that most Of the
people that followed Christ had nothing to
lose. Wealthy Joseph, Of Arimathea, bur
led Christ, but he risked no social position
in doing that. It is always safe to bury
dead man. Zaccheus risked no wealth or
social position in following Christ, but took
position in a tree to look down as He
L.