The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-07-12
SOUR THINGS INLIFE
How Pain, Poverty, Bereavement,
and Betrayal Bring Unhap-
pineSS to MOrtalS.
But Christ Suffered all of Them Be-
fore His Death on Calvary.
How He Received Vinegar on Stick
of Hyssop-Dr. Talmage's
Sermon.

ne tleV. L. D6 w lGD lhlLnaSo suUJoCt
Sunday evening was "Sour Experiences"
and his text, "When Jesus therefore had
received the vinegar. John xix. 80.
The sermon was as follows;
The brigands of jerusalem had done
their work. 1t was almost sundown, and
Jesus was dying. Persons in crucifxion
often fingered on from day to day-cry-
ing, begging, cursing; but Christ had
been exhausted by years of maltreat
ment. Pi lowless, poorly fed, fogged =
as bent over and tied to low post, his
bare back was inflamed with the scourges
intensified with pieces of lead and bone
and now for whole hours, the weight
OF his body hung on delicate tendons,
and, according 10 custom, violent stroke
under the armpits had been given by
the executioner. Dizzy, swooning, nau-
seated, feverish-a world OF agony is
compressed in the two words: 81 thirst"
O, skies OF Judea, let drop OF rain strike
on his burning tongue. 0 world, with
rolling rivers and sparkling lakes, and
spraying fountains, give Jesus something
to drink. II there be any pity in earth,
or heaven, or hell, let it be now demon
strAted in behalf OF this royal sufferer.
The wealthy women of Jerusalem used
to have a fund OF money with which
they provided wine for those ptope who
died in crucifxion--a powerful opiate to
deaden the pain but Christ would not
take it. He wanted to die sober, and so
he refused the wine But afterward they
go to cup OF vinegar and put on stick
of hyssop, and then press it against the
hot lips of Christ You say the wine
was an inasthetic, and intended to re-
lieve or deaden the pain. But the vim
egar was an insult. am disposed to
adopt the theory OF the old English COM
mentators, who believed that instead Of
its being an opiate to soothe, it was vim
egar to insult. Malaga and Burgundy
for grand dukes and duchesses, and cost
" wines from royal watts for bloated i'm
perials, but stinging acids for dying
Christ. He took the vinegar.
In some lives the saccharine seems to
predominant. Lie is sunshine on bank
OF flowers. A Thousand hands to clap
approval In December or in January
looking across their table, they see all
their family present. Health rubicund.
Skies flamboyant. Days resilient. But
in a great many cases there are not 50
many sugars as acids. The annoyances,
and the vexatons, and the disippoint-
ments of life overpower the successes.
There hs gravel in almost every shoe.
An Arabian legend says that there was
a worm in Soomon's stall, gnawlng its
strength away and there is weak spot
in every earthly support that man
leans on. King George, OF ingland, for.
got all the grandeurs of his throne be-
cause, one day in an interview, Beau
Brummell called him by his first name,
and addressed him as 4 servant crying
"George, ring the bellw Miss Langdon,
honored all tire world over for her poetic
genius is so worried over the evil reports
set afo 1t regarding her, that she is found
Dead with an empty bottle OF prussic
acid in her hand. Colds NTH said&hat
his lie was wretched being, and that
all that want and contempt could bring
to it had been brought, and cries out /:
"What then, is there formidable in a
Jail ?" Correggio's fine painting is hung
up for tavern sign. Hogarth cannot
sell his best paintings except through a
rattle. Andrrw Delsart makes the great
fresco in the Church of the Annunciata,
at Florence, and gets for pay a sack oi
corn, and there are annoyances and vex-
atiors in high places as well as in low
II hat IN MI TNy
lives the sours are greater than the
sweets. "When Jesus therefore had re-
ceived the vinegar"
1t is absurd to suppose that a man who
has always been we'll can sympathize
with those who are sick or that one who
has always been honored can appreciate
the sorrow OF those who are despised OF
that one who has been born to great
fortune can understand the distress and
the straits OF those Who are destitute
The fact that Christ himself took the
vinegar makes him able to sympathize
TODAY and forever with all those whose
cup is filled with sharp acids OF this life
He took the vinegar!
In the first placevthere is the sournesc
of betrayal. The treachery OF Judas hurt
Christ's feeling more than all the friend
ship of bis disciples did him good. Yor
have had many friends: but there wal
one friend upon whom you put especia
stress. You feastvd him. You loaned
him money. You befriended him in the
dark passes OF life, when he especially
needed friend. Aftcrward he turned
upon you, and he took advantage o
your former intmacies. He wrote agains
YOU. He talked aga nst you, lie mi
croscopized your faults. He flung con
tempt at you when you ought 30 have re
ceived nothing but gratitude. AT first
you could rot sleep at nights. Then yol
went about with sense OF having beei
stung. That difficulty will never bt
healed for though mutual friends ma,
arbitrate in the matter until you shal
shake hands the old cordiality will neve
\ come back. Now | commend to all sucl
y the sympathy OF betrayed Christ. Why
they sold him for less than $40 The
all forsook him and fed. They cut hin
TO the quick. He drank that cup OF be
travail to the dregs. He took the vinegar
There is also the sourness OF pair
There are some OF you who have not see
a we'll day for many years. BY keepin
ont OF draughts, and by carefully study
ING dietetics, you continue to this time
Int o. the headaches, aud the sideachei
and the Fpackaches, and the heartache
which fkve been your accompanimer
all tip way through You hav
struaeled under heavy mortgage {
nhUsical disabilities aud instead OF th