The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-04-07
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
The Eminent Diviue's Sunday
Discourse.

Subject: "rhe Ac,dities OF Life"-The Gun
OF Vinegar Which Chriss Took i. Tyni
cal OF Life's sBitiernrss--This il the Lot
of the Distressed.
TsSr: "wien Jesus therefore had re.
eeived the vinegar. John xix, 80.
The brigands OF Jerusalem had done their
work. 1t was almost sundown, and Jesus
was dying. Persons I'm crucinxion often
fingered on from day to day. crying, beg
ging. oursing, but Christ had been eS-
hausted by years OF maltreatment. Pillow
iess, poorly fed, flog9ed-as bent over and
tied TO low post His bare back was in-
named with the scourgas intensified with
pieces o. lend aud bone-and now for whole
hours the weight of His body hung on deli
cate tensions, and, according to custom. n
violent stroke under the armpits had been
given by the executioner Dizzy, n ausea-
TED. ieyerish-a world OF agony is com
skies OF Jud@a, let drop OF rain strike on
His burning tongusl o world, with rolling
rivers and sparkling lakos and spraying
fountains, give Jesus something to drink
II there be any pity In earth or heaven or
hell let It now be demonstrated in behalf
OF this royal sufferer
Ihe wealthy women OF Jerusalem used
to have fund OF money with which they
provided wine for those people who died
In cructaxion. n powerful opiate to deaden
tho pain. but Christ would not take It. He
wanted to do sober, and 50 He refused the
wine. But afterward they go to Gun OF
vinegar and soak q sponge In 1t and put II
on stick OF hyssop and then press 1t
wine was an an@sthetic and Intended to re-.
lteve or deaden the pain. But the vinegar
was an insulr.
In some lives the saccharlne seems to
predominate. Life is sunshine on bank
OF howers. thousand hands to clap ap-
proval. In D December or In January, look
Ing across their table, thew SEQ oil their
family present. Health rubicund. Skies
hamboyant. Days resilient. But In a
snal, Srea! many cases M there are not so many
Fexations and the disappoint ments Of life
overpower the successes. There ia a
grave! In almost every shoe. An Arabian
legend says that there was worm in
away, aud there is a weak spot In every
earthly support that a man leans on. King
George OF England forgot all the grandeu rs
OF MS throne because one day, In nn inter.
view, Beau Brummel called him by his first
name and addressed him as a servant cry-
ing, "GeorSe, ring tae bell!" Miss Lang
don, honored all the world over for
her poetic genius. is so worried over the
eEil reports set ahoat regarding her that
she is found dead, with an empty bottle of
prusstc acid In her hand. Goldsmith said
that his life was wretched being and that
MI that want and contempt could bring to
1t had been brought and cries out: "What.
then. Is there formidable in Jail?" Cor
reggio's line painting Is hung up for a
tavern sign. Hogarth cannot sell his best
painting except through rafie. Andre
del Snrto makes the great fresco in the
Church OF the Aununciata at Florence and
gets for pay sack OF corn. and there are
nnnoyances and veSations in high places
ns we'll as In low places, showing that In a
great many lives are the sours greater than
the sweets. "When Jesus therefore had re-
ceived the vinegar!"
1t is absurd to suppose that man who
mas always been we'll can sympathizs with
those who are sick, or that one who has al
ways been hcnored can appreciate the sor-
row OF those who are despised, or that one
who has been born to a great fortune can
understand the distress and the straits OF
those who are destitute. The fact that
Christ Himself took tho vinegar makes Him
able to sympathize to-day and forever with
the sharp acids Of this life. He took the
vinegar.
In the hrst place, thore was the sourness
OF betrayal. The treachery OF Judas hurt
Christ's feelings moro than all the friend
ship OF His disciples did Him good You have
had many friends. but there was one friend
upon whom you. put especial stress. You
ieasted him. You loaned him money. You
befriended him In the dark passes Of life,
when he especially needed friend. After
ward he turned upon you, and he took ad-
vantage OF your former intimacies. He
wrote against you. He talked against you.
He microscopized your faults. He flung
contempt at you, whom you ought to have
received nothing but gratitude. At first,
you could not sleep at nights. Then you
went about with sense Of having been
stung. That difIlculty will never be healed.
in the matter until you shall shake hands,
the old cordiaiity will never come back.
Now commend to ali such the sympathy
OF betrayed Christ. Why. they sold Him
foz less than our $40! They all forsook Him
and fled. They cut Him TO the quick. He
drank that cup to the dre2s. He took the
vinegar.
There Is also the sourness OF pain. There
are some OF you who hnve not seen we'll
day for many years. BY keeping out OF
you continue to this time, but, oh, the
headaches, and the side aches, and the
back aches, and the heartaches which:have
Deen your accompaniment all the way
through! You have struggled under u
heavy mortgage OF physical disabilities,
and instead OF the placidty that once
characterized you 1t Is now only with
9rent effort that you keen awav from ir-
ritability and sharp retort. Difficulties Of
respiration. OF digestion, OF locomotion,
make up the great obstacle In your life,
and you tug and sweat along the pathway
and wonder when tho exhaustion will
end. My friends. the brightest crowns In
heaven will not be given to those who In
stirrups dashed to the cavalry charge,
while the General applauded and the sound
OF clashing sabers rang through the land,
but the brightest crowns in heaven, l be-
lieve, will be given to those who trudged
On amid chronic ailments which unnerved
their strength. yet all the time maintain
ing their faith In God. 1t Is comparative.
ly easy to fight In a regiment OF Il thousand
men, charging up the parapets to the
sound OF martial music, but II Is not 80
easy to endure when no one but the nurse
and the doctor are the witnesses Of the
Christian fortitude. All tho pangs OF all
the nations Of all the ages compressed in
to one sour cup. He took the vim
egar!
There Is also the sourness OF poverty.
Your income docs not meet your outgoings,
and that always gives an honest man anx-
iety. There is no sign OF destitution about