Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-06-21
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE eY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

SubJects The victor's Shout-Thc JOY
of Overcoming Difiiculties-The satis-
faction Expressed by Christ OH the
Outcome of His Earthly Labors.
[Copyrght 1901
WASHINGTON, d. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage shows in an unusual way the
antagonisms that Christ overcame and
finds balsam for all wounded hearts;
text, John xviii, 4, II have finished the
work which Thou gavest Me to do.''
There is a profound satisfaction in the
completion OF anything We have under
taken. We lift the capstone with exulta-
tion, while, on the other hand, there is
nothing more disappointing than, after
having toiled in q certain direction, to find
that our time is wasted and our invest
meDt profltless. Christ came to throw up
highway on which the whole world
might, il 1t chose, mount into heaven. He
did 1t. The foul mouthed crew who at.
tempted to tread on Him could not ex-
tinguish the sublime satisfaction which
He expressed wheE He said: ~ have
finished the work which Thou gavest Me
do"
Alexander the Great was wounded, and
the doctors could not medicate his wounds,
and he seemed to be dying, and in his
dream the sick man saw plant with u
peculiar flower, and he dreamed that that
plant was put upon his wound and that
Immediately it was cured. And Alexander
WakluR from MS uE0auD, tOlu tulS TO the
physician, and the physician wandered OUT
until he found just the kind Of plant which
the sick man had described brought it to
him, and the wound was healed. Well, the
human race had been hurt with the ghast-
lest Of all wounds-that of sin. 1t was
the business of Christ to bring balm for
that wound-the balm of divine restoru-
tion. In carrying this business to u sue
cessful issue the difficulties were stupend-
Gus.
In many Of our plans we have our friends
to help US; some to draw q sketch OF the
plan, others to help US in the execution.
But Christ fought every inch of His way
against bitter hostility and amid circum-
stances all calculated to depress and de-
feat.
In the first place, His worldly occupbtion
was against Him. l find that He earned His
livelihood by the carpenters trade, an oc-
cupation always to be highly regarded and
respected. But you know rs we'll as do
that in order to succeed in any employ
ment one must give his entire time to 1t,
and l have to declare that the fatigues of
carpentry were unfavorab!e to the execu-
tion of mission which required all men,
tui and physical faculties. Through high,
hard, dry, husky, insensate Judaism to
hew way for II new and glorious dispen
sation was stupendous undert aking that
was enough to demand all the concen-
trated energies even of Christ. We have a
great many romantic stories about what
men with physical toll have accomplished
in intellectual departments, but you know
that after man has been toling all day
with adj and saw and hammer, plane and
AK about all he can do is to rest. A weary
body is nm unfavorable adjunct to II toiling
mind. You, whose life in purely mechani-
cal. If you were called to the upbuildins of
kingdom, or the proclamation of new
code Of morals, or the starting OF n revolu-
tion which should upturn all nations
could get some idea of the ncoherence of
Christ's occupation with His heavenly
mission.
In His fathers shop no more intercourse
was necessary than is ordinarily necessary
in bargaining with men that have work to
do, yet Christ, with hands hard from use
of tools of trade, was called forth to be-
come public speaker, to preach in the
face OF mobs, while some wept, and some
shook their fists, and some gnashed upon
Him with their teeth, and many wanted
Him out of the way. Tc address orderly
and respectful assemblages is not SO easy
as 1t may seem, but 1t requires more
energy and more force and more concen-
tration to address an exasperated mob
The villagers OF Nazareth heard the pound
ing Of His hammer, bit all the wide
reaches OF eternity were to hear the stroke
of His spiritual up-building.
So also His habits of dress and diet were
against Him. The mighty men OF Christs
time did not appear in apparel without
Caesars would have appeared in citizens
apparel. Yet here was man, here was a
professed king, who always wore the same
coat. Indeed it was far from shabby, for
after He had worn it long while the
gamblers thought it worth rufling about
but still it was far from being an imperial
robe. 1t was n coat that any ordinary
man might have worn on an ordinary oc-
! casion.
Neither was there any pretension in His
diet. No cupbearer with golden chalice
brought Him wine to drink. On the sea-
shore He ate fish, first having broiled 1t
Himself. No one fetched Him water to
drink; but. bending. over the we'll in
Samaria, He begged drink. He sat nt
only one banquet, and that not at all
sumptuous, for to relieve the awkward
ness OF the host one of the guests had to
prepare wine for the company.
Other kings ride In chariot He walked.
Other kings, as they advance, have heralds
ahead and applauding subjects behind;
Christ's retinue was made up OF sun
burned fishermen. Other kings sleep
under embroidered canopy; this one on Il
shelterless hill. riding but once, as far rs
now remember, on colt, and that bor
rowed.
His poverty was against Him. 1t re-
quires money to build great enterprises
Men OF means are afraid OF q penniless
protector lest loan be demanded. 1t re-
quires money to print books, to build in
stitutions, to pay instructors. No wonder
the wise men OF Christ's time laughed at
this penniless Christ. "Why,' they said.
"who is to pay for this new religion? Who
is to charter the ships to carry the mis-
sionaries? Who is to paw the salaries of
the teachers? Shall wealthy, established
religion be discounted by penniless
Christi"
The consequence was that most OF the
people that followed Christ had nothing to
lose. Affiuent Joseph of Arimathea buried
| Christ, but he risked no social position in
doing that. 1t is always safe to bury a
| dead man.
Zaccheus risked no wealth or social posi-
| tion In following Christ. but took position
| in a tree to look down as He passed.
Ncodemus, wealthy Nicodemus, rsked
nothing OF social position in, following
| Christ, for he skulked by night to find Him.
| All this was against Christ. So the fact
that He was not regularly graduated was
against Him. II man come with diplo.
mas Of colleges and schools and theological
seminnries and he has been through for
| eign travel. the world is disposed to listen.
| But here was n man who had graduated at
I 1VAa-