Connecticut western news., 1893-08-17
THE RESURRECTION.
DR. TALMAGE SPEAKS OF PAUL'S
 BOLD CHALLENGE.
The Sublime Tragedy of Calvary-The Les sons of Christ's Death and Resurrection. His Intersections For Us-The Consola- tions of Christianity.

sons of Christ's Death and Resurrection.
 His Intersections For Us-The Consola-
 tions of Christianity.
 BROOKLYN, Aug. 13.-Rev. Dr. Tal- mage today chose for his subject "A Bold Challenge" the text being Romans viii, 34: "Whois 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 us"
 ''This is the last sermon I shall ever preach" said Christmas Evans on the 18th of June, 1888. Three days after ward he expired. I do not know what his text was, but I know that no man could choose better theme-+hough he knew 1t was the last time he should ever preach-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 nor hell. Diocletian slew un- counted thousands under his administra- ton, and the world has been full of per
 
 world could not alright Paul. Was it because he was physically strong? Oh, no. suppose he was very much weak ened by exposure and maltreatment. Was it because he was lacking in sensi- .tiveness? No. You find the most deli cate 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 triumph ant mood? The thought of Saviour dead, Saviour risen, a Saviour exalted, Saviour interceding.
 All the world has sung the praise of Princess Alice. One child having died of 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 perished. All the world sang the heroism and the self sacrifice of Princess Alice, but have to tell you that when our race was dying the Lord Jesus stopped down and gave
 
 perished that we might live. Ut 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 sympathetic when we see stranger die; when mur- derer steps upon the scaffold we pray for his departing spirit, and how could Paul the great hearted Paul-fnd anything to be pleased with at the funeral of God3 Besides that Christ had only re- gently died, and the sorrow was fresh in the memory of the world, and how in the fresh memory of Saviour's death could Paul be exultant?
 DELIvERANCE BY DEATH.
 1t was because Paul saw ill that death his own deliverance and the deliverance 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 torch to light men heavenward. The prosecutors saw over the cross five words written in He brew, Greek and Latin, but Paul saw OsCI tuO ClOoO O1 SIl1 OlllJ OIO '.expiationr' He heard in the dying groan of Christ his own groan of eternal torture taken by another. Paul said t. himself, Had it not been that Christ volunteered in my behalf, those would have been my mauled hands and feet, my gashed side, my crimson temples" . 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 tested. Put on more weight" But after awhile they were compelled to cry out: "Stop! 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 thousand out rages that have been heaped upon him, and on top of that burden were the sor- rows of his poor old mother, and on the top of those burdens the crimes of the ruffians who were executing him.
 ''Stopv you cry. "It is enough. Christ. can bear no more." And Christ says, Roll on more burdens; roll on me the the sins of this entire nation, an1 after that roll on me the sins of the inhabited earth, and then roll on me the sins of IlC f,oOO JC1lo pctct, oo ldI dS buOoc 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 nostril and lip seems to cry out: Enough! He can endure no more." But Christ says: "Roll on greater burden, roll 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 l1ffering purchased my deliverance. God never collects debt twice. have re- ceipt in full. If God is satisfied with me, then what do all the threats of earth and hell amount to? Bring on all your witnesses" says Paul. ''Show all your force. Do your worst against my soul. I defy you. 1 dare you l challenge you. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died" Oh, what strong argument that puts in the hand of every Christian man! Some day all the past sins of hls life come down on him in fiery troop, and they pound away at the gate of his soul, and they say: "We have come for your arrest. Any one of us could overcome you. We are 0,000 strong. Surrenderr' And you open the door, and single handed 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.
 Ut 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 it is for s wrecker to bring up anything that is lost near the shore of the sea, but suppose something be lost half way between Liverpool and New York. It cannot be found; it cannot be fetched up. ..Now, ;