Connecticut western news., 1898-04-14
CHRIST'S SACRIFICE.
REV. OR. TAlMAGE'S EASTER SUNDAY
 SERMON

SERMON.
 The Law of Self Sacrifice the Theme of
 Must Prevail In Religion In Every
 thing Else.
 Copyright. 1898. by American Press Asso-
 ciatonl
 WASHINGTON, April 10.-The radical theory of Christianity is set forth by Dr. Talmage in this discourse, and re- nIarkable instances of self sacrifice are brought out for illustration. The text is Heb. ix, 22, "Without shedding of blood is no remission.
 John c. Whittier, the last of tho grea> school of American poets that made the last quarter of this century brilliant, asked me in the White noun tains, one morning after prayers, in which had given out Cowper's famous hymn about "the fountain filled with blood, ""Do you really believe there is a literal application of the blood of Christ to the soul?" My negative reply then is my negative reply now. The Bible statement agrees with all physi- clans and all physiologists and all sci entists in saying that the blood is the life, and in the Christian religion it means simply that Christ's life was given for our life. Hence all this talk of men who say the Bible story of blood is disgusting, and that they don t want what they call a Slaughter house re- ligion," only shows their incapacity or unwillingness to look through the figure of speech toward the thing signified. The blood that on the darkest Friday the world ever saw oozed or trickled or poured from the brow, and the side, and the hands, and the feet of the illustrious sufferer back of Jerusalem in few hours coagulated and dried up and for ever disappeared, and if man had de- pended on the application of the literal blood of Christ there would not have heen a soul saved for the last IS cen turies.
 In order to understand this red word of my text we only have to exercise as much common sense in religion as we do in everything else. Pang for pang, hunger for hunger, fatigue for fatigue, tear for tear, blood for blood, life for life, we see every day illustrated. The act of substitution is no novelty, al- though hear men talk as though the idea of Christ's suffering substituted for our suffering were something abnormal, something distressingly odd, something wildly eccentric, 8 solitary episode in the worlds history, when I could take you out into this city and before sun down point you to 500 cases of substi- tuition and voluntary suffering of one in behalf of another.
 The Invisible Line.
 At o'clock tomorrow afternoon go among tEe places of business or toll. It will be no difficult thing for you to find men who, by their looks, show you that they are overworked. They are prema- turely old. They are hastening rapidly toward their decease. They have gone through crises in business that shattered their nervous system and pulled on the brain. They have shortness of breath and pain in the back of the head and at night an insomnia that alarms them. Why are they drudging at business early and late? For fun? No; it would be difficult to extract any amusement out of that exhaustion. Because they are avaricious? In many cases no. Because their own personal expenses are lavish? No; few hundred dollars would meet all their wants. The simple fact is the exasperation and wear and tear to keep his home prosperous. There is an invis- ible line reaching from that store, from that bank, from that shop, from that scaffolding, to a quiet scene few blocks, Q few miles away, and there is the secret of that business endurance. He is simply the champion of home- stead, for which he wins bread and wardrobe and education and prosperity, and in such battle 10, 900 men fall Of ten business men whom I bury, nine die of overwork for others. Some sud- den disease finds them with no power of resistance, and they are gone. Life for lifel Blood for bloodl Substitution
 At o'clock tomorrow morning, the hour when slumber is most uninterrupt- ed and profound walk amid the dwell ing houses of the city. Here and there you will find dim light, because it is the household custom to keepa subdued light burning, but most of the houses from base to top are as dark as though uninhabited. A merciful God has sent forth the archangel of sleep, and he puts his wings over the city. But yon- der is a clear light burning and outside on window easement glass or pitcher containing food for sick child. The food is set in the fresh air. This is the sixth night that mother has sat up with that sufferer. She has to the last point obeyed the physician s prescription, not giving drop too much or too little or moment too soon or too late. She is very anxious, for she has buried three children with the same disease, and she prays and weeps. each prayer and sob ending with 8 kiss of the pale cheek. By dint of kindness she gets the little one through the ordeal. After it is all over the mother is taken down. Brain or nervous fever sets in, and one day she leaves the convalescent child with mothers blessing and goes up to join the three departed ones in the kingdom of heaven. Life for lifel Substitution! The fact Is that there are an uncounted number of mothers who. after they have navigated large family of chil- dren through all the diseases of infancy and got them fairly started up the flow ering slope of boyhcod and girlhood. have only strength enough left to die They fade away. Some call it consump- tion, some call it nervous prostration, some call it intermittent or malarial in- disposition, but l call it martyrdom of the domestic circle. Life for life! Blood for blood Substitution
 Blood For Blood.
 Or perhaps a mother fingers long enough to see son get on the wrong road, and his former kindness becomes rough reply when she expresses anxiety about him. But she goes right on, look ing carefully after his apparel, remem-