The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-08-26
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Why it Became Necessary that
Christ Should Suffer.
IL Was that an strength and PersIstenee
OF the Divine Love Might be shown
and the Price OF Our Re-
demption FIXED.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage selected the
following discourse from among those
delivered by him during his European
trip for perusal by his American readers
1t is based on the text:
It behooved Christ to suner-Luke xiv. a.
There have been scholars who have
ventured the assertion than the pains
of our Lord were unnecessary. Indeed,
IL was a shocking waste of tears and
blood and agony, unless some great
end were to be reached. If men can
prove that no good result comes of 1t,
then the character of God is i'm
peached, and the universe must stand
1bhOrrent and denunciatory at the
fact that the Father allowed the
butchery of His only begotten Son. We
all admire the brave six
hundred described by Ten
nyson as dashing into the conflict
when they knew they must die, and
knew at the same time that "some one
had blunder'd;" but we are abhorrent
of the man who made the blunder and
who caused the sacrifice of these brave
men for no use. But shall show you,
II the Lord will help me this morning,
that for good reasons Christ went
through the torture. In other words,
''it behooved Christ to suffer"
!. In the first place / remark, that
Christ's decorations were necessary, be-
cause mans rescue was an impossi-
bilitY except by the payment of some
great sacrifice. Outraged law had
Numbered against iniquity. Man must
die unless substitute can intercept
that death. Let Gabriel step forth
He refuses. Let Michael, the arch
angel, step forth. He refuses. No
Roman citizen, no Athenian, no Cor
inthian, no reformer, no angel volun-
teered- Christ then barred His heart to
the pang. He paid for our redemption
in tears and blood, and wounded feet,
and scourged shoulders, and torn
brow. ut is done" Heaven
and earth heard the snap
of the prison bar. Sinai ceased to
quake with wrath the moment that
Calvary began to rock in crucifction.
Christ had suffered. "Ohl' says some
man, 81 don't like that doctrine of sub
stitution; let every man bear his own
burdens, and weep his own tears, and
fight his own battles" Why, my
brother, there is vicarious suffering all
over the world. Did not your parents
suffer for you? Do you not suffer
sometimes for your children? Does not
the patriot suffer for his country Did
not Grace Darling suffer for the drown
ing sailors? Vicarious suffering on all
sides! But how insignificant compared
with this scene of vicarious sufferingl
Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the treef
Amazing pity, grace unknown.
And love beyond degree.
Christ must suffer TO pay the price of
our redemption.
But I remark again: The sufferings
of Christ were necessary in order that
the worlds sympathies might be
aroused. Men are won to the right
and good through their sympathies
The world must feel Alright before it
can act Alright. So the cross was al
lowed to be lifted that the worlds SYM
pathies might be aroused. Men who
have been obdurated by the cruelties
they have enacted, by the masSacres
they have inflicted, by the horrors of
which they have been guilty, have be-
come little children in the presence of
this dying Saviour. What the sword
could not do, what Juggenauts could
not subdue, the wounded hand of
Christ has accomplished. There are
this moment millions of people held
under the spell of that one sacrifice
The hammers that struck the spikes
into the cross have broken the rocky
heart of the world. Nothing but the
agonies of Saviour's death throe could
,-orree fha xxroyl1sc
l remark again: cit behooved Christ
20 su fer" that the strength and per-
sistence of the Divine love might be
demonstrated. Was it the applause of
the world that induced Christ on that
crusade from Heaven? Why, and the
universe at His feet. Could the con-
quest of this insignificant planet have
paid Him for His career of pain, if it
had been a mere matter of applause?
All the honors of Heaven surg
ing at His feet. Would your
queen give up her throne that she
might rule miserable tribe in Africa?
Would the Lord Jesus Christ, on the
throne of the universe, come down to
our planet if it were a mere matter of
applause and reclamation? Nor was
il an expedition undertaken for the
accumulation of vast wealth. What
could all the harvests and the diamonds
of our little world do for Him whose
are the glories of the infnitude and
eternity? Nor was it an experiment.
an attempt to show what He could do
with a hard-hearted race. He who
wheels the stars in their courses and
holds the pillars of the universe on the
tips of His fingers needed to
make no experiment to find what
He could do. Oh! will tell you, my
friends, what it was. 1t was undis-
guised, unlimited, all-conquering, all
consuming, infinite, eternal, omnipo-
tent love that opened the gate; that
started the star in the east, with
finger of light pointing down to
the manager; that arrrayed the Christ
mas choir above Bethlehem; that
opened the sta BILE door where Christ was
born; that lifted Him on the cross.
Love thirsty at the we'll Love at the
sick mans couch. Love at the cripple's
erutch. Love sweating in the garden.
Love dying on the cross. Love wrapped
in the grave. You can not mistake it
The blinded eyes must see It The hard
est heart heart must feel it. The deaf
est ear must hear it. Parable and mir
acle, wayside talk and seaside inter
view, all the scenes of His life, all the
sufferings of His death, proving beyond
controversy that for our migrate earth
cd no 81 xr-stI