Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-08-19
USEFUL SUFFERING.
subject Or TALMAGE'S LATEST
SERMON.
The American DIvine's European Tour
Coming to ClOse-A Text Taken
from Luke 24:40, 1T Behooved Christ
to Suffer-"

from Luke 94:40, 1T Behooved Christ
to Suffer"
LONDON. Aug. 1.-THE Rev. DIR. Talmage's
European preaching tour is drawing TO a close.
During the week he has preached three or four
times in different cities, following out the pro-
gram already announced and everywhere meet
ing large and enthusiastic audiences. This
week he speaks at Leeds Bradford, Shefield
and Derby The subject chosen for to-day Is,
Useful Suffering" the text taken being Luke
2E46, 1T behooved Christ TO suffer-
There have been scholars who have
ventured the assertion. that the pains
of cur Lord were unnecessary. Indeed,
it was u shocking waste of tears and
blood and agony, unless some great
end were TO be reached. III men can
prove that no good result comes If it,
then the character of God is impeached,
and the universe must stand abhor-
rent and denunciatory at the fact
that the Father allowed the butchery Of
His only-begotten Son We all admire
the brave six hundred men described
by Tennyson as dashing into the con-
fiict, when they knew they must die,
and knew at the same time that ''some
one had blunder d. but we are abhor-
rent of the man who made the blunder
and who caused the sacrifice of those
brave men for no use. But shall show
you, if the Lord viii help me, this
morning, that for good reasons Christ
went through the torture. In other
words. lit behooved Christ TO suffer-
l. In the first place l remark, that
Christ's decorations were necessary,
because man 5 rescue was an impossi-
bility except by the payment of some
great sacrifice. Outraged law had
thuIdered 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
Corinthian, no reformer, no an
gel volunteered. Christ then barred his
heart to the pang. He paid for our re-
demption in tears of blood, and
wounded feet, and scourged shoulders,
and torn brow. at is done" Heaven
and earth head the snap of the. prison
bar. Sinai ceased TO quake with wrath
the moment that Calvary began TO
rock in crucifixion. Christ had suf-
fered. "O!" says some man, Il
don't like that doctrine of substi-
tuition; 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 par
ents suffer for you? Do you not suffer
sometimes for your children? Did not
Grace Darling suffer for the drowning
sailors? Vicarious suffering on all
sides! But how insignificant compared
with this scene of vicarious suffering!
Was it for crimes that had done
He groaned upon the treeg
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree.
Christ must suffer to pay the price of
our redemption.
But l 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 world S
sympathies might be aroused. Men
who have been obdurated by the cruel
ties they have enacted, by the massacres
they have inflicted, b. the horrors of
which they have been Tuilty, have be-
come little children in the presence of
l L., NNh,N ha A,.1
could not do, what Juggernauts could
not subdue, the wounded hand of Christ
has accomplished. There are at 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 Savior's death-throe could rouse
the worlds sympathieA.
IremarlI again: sit behooved Christ
to suffer-" 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, all the
universe was at his feet. Could the
conquest of this insignificant planet
have paid him for his career of pain, if
il had been mere matter of applause?
All the honors of heaven surging at his
feet. Would your Queen give up her
throne that she might rule miserable
tribe IN Africa? Would the Lord Jesus
Ch-ist, on the throT of the universe,
come down TO our planet if it were a
mere matter of applause and acclama'
ton? Nor was it an expedition under
taken for the accumulation of vast
wealth What could all the harvests
and the diamonds of our little world dc
for him whose are the glories of infini
tude and eternity? Nor was it an ex.
periment-an ate npt to show what he
could do with the hard-hearted race
He who wheels in their courses and
holds the pillars CT the universe on the
tips of his fingers needed TO make nc
experiment TO find what he could
do. Obi will tell you, my
friends, what it was. 1t was undis
guised, unlimited, all-conquering, all
consuming, infinite, eternal, omnipo
font love that opened the cate that