The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-16

Talmage today chose for his subject, "A
Bold Challenge" the text being Romans
viii, "a: WHO is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea, rather that
IS risen again, who IS even at the right
hand of God who also maketh interces-
sion for u.s.
This is the last sermon shall ever
preach" said Christmas Evans on the
18th of June 1898. Three days afterward
he expired. do not know what his
text was, but l know that no man could
choose a better theme-though he knew
it was the last time he should ever
2reach-than the subject found in this
text.
Paul flung this challenge of the text
to the feet of all ecclesiastical and civil
authority. He feared neither swords nor
lions. earth or hell. DiOcletian slew
uncounted thousands under his admin
istration, and the world has been full
of persecution; but all the prosecutors
of the world could not alright Paul
Was it because he was physically
strong? Oh, no. I suppose he was very
much weakened by exposure and mall
treatment. Was it because he was lack
ing in constituencies? No; you find the
most delicate shades of feeling playing
in and out his letters and sermons.
Some Of his communications burst into
tears. What was it that lifted Paul into
this triumphant mood? The thought of
a Saviour dead, a Saviour risen. a
Saviour exalted. Saviour interceding.
Sublime Sacrifice.
All the world has sung the praise Of
Princess Alice. One child having died
of a contagious disease-she was in the
room where another was dying, and the
court physician said to her, You must
not breathe the breath Of this child or
you yourself will die But seeing the
child mourning because of the death of
her brother the mother stopped down
and in sympathy kissed the little one,
caught the disease and persisted. All
the world sang the heroism and the self
sacrifice Of Princess Alice but 1 have to
tell you that when our race was dying
the Lord Jesus stopped down and gave
US the kiss Of his everlasting love and
persisted that we might live. at is
Christ that died"
Can you tell me how tender-hearted
Paul could find anything to rejoice at
in the horrible death scene of Calvary?
We weep at funerals; we are sympa-
thetic when we see stranger die; when
a murderer steps upon the scaffold we
pray for his departing spirit, and how
could Paul-the great-hearted Paul
find anything to be pleased with at the
funeral Of a God? Besides that. Christ
had only recently died, and the sorrow
was fresh in the memory of the world,
and how in the fresh memory of a
SaviOur's death could Paul be exultant?
~ n
his own deliveranee, and the deIiverance
of race from still worse disaster. He
saw the gap into which the race must
plunge, and he saw the bleeding hands
of Christ close it. The glittering steel
on the TOP of the executiOner's spear in
his sight kindled into a torch to light
men heavenward. The prosecutors saw
over the cross five words written in
Hebrew, Greek and Latin; but Paul saw
over the cross Of Christ only one word
expiationp' He heard in the dying
groan Of Christ his own groan of eter-
nal torture taken by another. Paul said
to himself. Had it not been that Christ
volunteered in my behalf those would
have been by mauled hands and feet.
my gashed side. my crimson temples"
The Burden of Christ.
Men of great physical endurance have
sometimes carried very heavy burdens
300 pounds, 400 pounds-and they have
still said. MY strength is not yet test
ed. Put on more weight" But after
awhile they were compelled to cry out
Stop 1 can carry no more" But the
burden Of Christ was illimitable. First
there was His own burden of hunger
and thirst and bereavement and a thou
sand outrages that have heaped upon
Him. and on top of that burden were
the sorrows Of His poor old mother, and
on tep of those burdens the crimes of
the ruffans who were executing Him.
stop! you cry. 1T is enough; Christ
can bear no more" And Christ saws.
Roll on more burdens. Roll on Me the
SINS or TINS entire nation. and after that
roll on Me the sins Of the inhabited
earth. and then roll on Me the sins of
the 1000 years past, so far as those
sins have been forgiven" And the
angels Of God, seeing the awful pressure,
cry, stop He can bear no more" And
the blood rushing to the nostriI and
hp seems to cry out. Enough! He can
endure no more" But Christ says. Roll
on a greater burden-rou on the sins of
the next 1900 years, roll on Me the sins
OF all the succeeding ages; roll on Me
the agonies Of hell, ages on ages the
furnaces and the prison houses and the
tortures." - That is what the bible means
when it says, He bore our sins and
carried our sorrows-''
Now" says Paul, II am free That
suffering purchased my deliverance. God
never collects a debt twice. 1 have a re-
ceipt in full. II God is satisfied with
me. then what do all the threats of
earth and hell amount to? Bring on
all your Witnesses says Paul 'sShoU
all your force. Do your worst against
my soul. 1 defy you. l dare you. /
challenge you. Who is he that con-
demneth2 1t is Christ that died" on.
what strong argument that puts in
the hand of every Christian mani Some
day all the past sins of his life come
down on his in fiery troop, and they
pound away at the gate of his soul, and
they say, I'VE have come for your ar
rest. Any one Of US could overcome
you. We are 10000 strong. Surrender
And you open the door. and single-hand-
ed and alone you contend against that
troop. You fling this divine weapon into
their midst. You scatter those sins as
quick as you can think it.
1T Is Christ that died" Why then
bring up to us the sins Of our past life
What have we to do with those obsolete
things? You know how hard ii is for a
wrecker to bring up anything that is
lost near the shore Of the sea- but sup
pose some thing be lost half way be-
tween Liverpool and New York. 1t can
not be found. it cannot be fetched up
Now" says Cod. "your sins l have
cast into the depths of the sea- Mid
Atlantici All the. machinery ever fash