The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-06-01
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
90. DIVINE.

Subject; Tho victor's shout-Tbo JOY
of Overcoming DinicuIties-Tbe Salts.
faction Expressed by Christ on the
Outcome Of His Earthly Labors.
Copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, ID. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage shows In an unusual way tho
antagonisms that Christ overcame and
finds balsam for all wounded hearts
text. John xviii, 4, 81 have finished the
work which Thou gavest Me to do"
There Is 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 certain direction, 90 find
that our time Is wasted and our invest
meDt profltess. Christ came TO throw up
highway on which the whole world
might, II II chose, mount into heaven. He
did II. The foul mouthed crew who at-
tempted to tread on Him could not OK
tinguish the sublime satisfaction which
He expressed wher He said: 81 have
finished the work which Thou gavest Ne
do"
Alexander the Great was wounded, md
the doctors could not medicate his wounds
and he seemed to be dying and IN his
dream the sick man saw IA plant with n
peculiar flower, and he dreamed TINT that
plant was put upon his wound and that
Immediately II was cured. And Alexander
waking from his dream, told this to the
physician, and tho physician wandered out
until he found just the kind OF plant which
the sick man had described, brought IL to
him, and the wound was healed. Well the
human race had been hurt with the ghnst-
Hest OF all wounds-that of sin. II was
the business OF Christ to bring n balm for
that wound--the balm OF divine rostorn-
tIon. In carrying this business to a sue
cessiul issue the difficulties were stipend
Gus.
In many OF our plans we have our friends
to help us; some to draw "A sketch OF tho
plan, others to help us In tho execution.
But Christ fought every inch OF His way
against bitter hostility and amid circum-
stances all calculated to depross and dc.
feat.
In the first place, His worldly occupbtlon
was against Him. flnd that He earned His
livelihood by the carpenter Il trade, an oo-
cupation always TO be highly regarded aud
respected. But you know as we'll as | do
that In order to succeed In any employ
ment one must give his entire timo to IL,
and have to declare that the fatgues OF
carpentry were unfavorable to tho exocu
tion OF q mission which required all men
tai and physical faculties. Through high,
hard, dry, husky, iDsonsate Judaism to
hew way for new and glorious dlspen-
sation was a stupendous undertaking that
was enough to demand all tho concen-
trated energies even OF Christ We have n
great many romantic stories about what
men with physical toll have accomplished
In intellectual departments, but you know
that after man has been tolllng all day
with adz and saw and hammer, plano and
AK, about all no cnn do II TO rest A weary
body is an unfavorable nd unct TO n tollug
mind. You, whose life In purely mechan-
cal, II you were called to tho upbuildlng OF
Kingdom, or the proclamation OF new
code OF morals, or tho starting OF a rovolu-
ton which should upturn all nations.
could get some idea OF the incoherence of
Christs occupation with His heavenly
mission.
In His fathers shop no moro 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 trnde, was called forth to be-
come public speaker. TO preach In tho
face OF mobs, while some wept, and somo
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
ns II may seem, but IL requires moro
energy and more force and moro concen-
tration to address IN exasperated mob,
The villagers OF Nazareth heard tho pound
ing OF His hammer but all tho wide
renches OF eternity were TO hear the stroke
SO also Hts habits OF dress and diet wero
against Him. The mighty men OF Chrlst's
lime did not appear In apparel without
trinkets and adornments. None OF tho
Caesars would have appeared In citizens
apparel. Yet here was man. here was "a
professed king, who always wore the same
GOAT. Indeed IL was far from shabby, for
after He had worn II long while tho
gamblers thought IL worth railing about,
but still 1t was far from being an imperial
robe. It was coat that any ordinary
man might have worn on an ordinary oc-
casion.
Neither was there any pretensIon I'm His
diet. No cupbearer with golden chalico
brought Him wine TO drink. On tho sea-
shore He ate fish first having broiled Il
Himself. No one fetched Him water TO
drink; but. bending over tho we'll In
Bamaria, He begged drink. He sat at
only one banquet. aud that not Mt 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
shelterless hill, riding but once, as far as
now remember, on colt, and that bor-
rowed.
His poverty was against Him. IL re-.
quires money to build great enterprises.
Men OF means are afraid OF n penniless
protector lest n loan be demanded. IL ro-
luires money 10 print books, TO build in
stitutions, TO pay instructors. No wonder
the wise men Of Christ's time laughed Mt
this penniless Christ. "Why." they said,
who In TO pay for this new religlon7 Who
fs TO charter the ships TO carry the mis-
eioDaries? Who IL to pay the salaries OF
the tencbers2 Shall wealthy, established
religion be discounted by penniless
Christi"
The consequence was that most OF the
people that followed Christ had nothing 10
lose. Afluent Joseph of Arimatbea buried
Christ, but he risked no social position IN
doing thar. IL Is always safe TO bury a
dead man.
Zaccheus riskcd no wealth or social posi-.
lion In following Christ, but took position
iD "a tree TO look down as lie passed.
Nicodemus, wealthy Nicodemus. risked
nothing OF social position In following
Christ, for he skulked by night 10 n nd Him.
All this was against Christ. SO the fact
that He was not regularly graduated vac
against Him. IL n man come with dIplo.
mas of colleges and schools ana theological
seminarles aud he has been through for.
eign travel. the world Il disposed 10 lister.