Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-08-24
LAST HOUR OF CHRIST
Lessons of Comfort in the Scenes
Found by DR.. Talmage.
heavens Brightest Crowns shall
Adorn the Brows of Those who
Bear LIES burdens with
Christian Fortituds.

Z
this sermon draws lessons of comfort
for people in trouble; text, John 10: 30:
When Jesus therefore had received the
vinegar"
The brigands of Jerusalem had done
theirwork. II was almost shutdown. and
Jesus was dying. Persons in crucifxion
often fingered on from day to day, cry
ing, begging, eursing, but Christ had
been exhausted by years Of maltreat-
ment. Pillowless, poorly fed, fogged,
as bent over and tied TO low post his
bare back was inhamed with the
scourges intensified with pieces of
lead and bone and now for whole hours
the weight Of his body hung on delicate
tendons, and, according to custom, a
violent stroke under the armpits had
been given by the executioner. Dizzy.
nauseated, feyerish, a world of agony is
compressed in the two words: Il
thirst" Oh, skies Of Judea, let a drop
Of rain strike on His burning tongue!
Oh world, with rolling rivers and
sparkling lakes and spraying fountains
give Jesus something 10 drink! If
there be any pity in earth or Heaven or
hell. let il now be demonstrated in be-
half Of this royal sufferer.
The wealthy women Of Jerusalem
used 10 have a fund Of money with
which they provided wine for those
lpeople who died in crucifXion-a pow
erful opate to deaden the pain-but
IChrist would not take it. He wanted to
die sober, and so he refused the wine.
But afterward they 60 to a cup Of vim
egar and soak a sponge and put il on
stick Of hyssop and then press il against
the hot lips of Christ. You say the wine
was an anacsthetic and intended TO re-
lieye or deaden the pain. But the vine
gar was an insult.
In some lives the saccharine seems to
predominant. Life is sunshine on
bank of flowers. A thousand hands to
lclap approval In December or in Jan
uary, looking across their table, they
see all their family present Health
rubicund skies famboyant, days re-
silent But in great many cases there
are not so Isany sugars as acids. The
lannoyances and the vexations, and the
disappoiniments Of life overpower the
successes. There is a gravel in almost
every shoe. An Arabian legend says
that there was worm in Solomon's
staff gnawing its strength away and
\ there is weak spot in every earthly
| support that man leans on. King
George Of England forgot all the
prandeurs ofhis throne because one day
IN an interview Beau Brummel called
him by his first name and addressed
him as a servant, CRYING: George, ring
the bell" Miss Langdon. honored all
the world over for her poetic genius, is
so worried over the evil reports set
ahoat regarding her that she is found
dead with an empty bottle of prussic
acid in her hand Goldsmith said that
/ his life was a wretched being, and that
an that want and contempt could bring
10 1t had been brought, and cries out:
What, then. is there formidable in
iail?' Correggio's fine painting is hung
up for a tavern sign. Hogarth cannot
sell his best painting except through
rattle Andrea del Sarto makes the
great fresco in the Church Of the An
nuneiata at Florence and gets for pay
a sack OF corn. aud there are annoy
ances and yexations in high places as
well as in low places. showing that in
great many lives are the sours greater
than the sweets. "When Jesus there
fore had received the vinegar"
II is absurd to suppose that a man
who has always been well can sympa-
thize with those who are sick, or that
one who has always been honored can
appreciate the sorrow Of those who are
despised. OF that one who has been born
10 q great fortune can understand the
distress and the straits Of those who are
destitute. The fact that Christ Himself
took the vinegar makes Him able TO
sympathize to-day and forever with all
those whose cup is filled with the sharp
acids of this life He took the vine
gar,
In the first place. there was the sour
ness OF betrayal. The treachery OF
Judas hurt Christ's feelings more than
all the friendship Of His disciples did
Him good. You have had many friends.
but there was one friend upon whom
YOU put special stress. You Toasted
him. You loaned him money. You be-
friended him in the dark passes of life.
when he especially needed a friend.
Afterward. he turned upon you, and he
took advantage Of your former intima-
cies. He wrote against you. He talked
against YOU. He microscopized your
faults. He flung contempt at you, when
Won ought to have received nothing but
gratitude At first you could not sleep
al night. Then you went about with
sense of having been stung. That difh-
entity will never be healed, for though
mutual friends may arbitrate in the
matter until you shall shake hands
the old cordiality will never come back.
Now I commend to all such the sympa-
tbv of a betrayed Christ. Why, they
soid Him Tor less than our $50! They all
forsool Him and fed. They cut Him TO
The auick. He drank that cup to the
5reqs He took the vinegar.