The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-06-13
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.


DIVINE.
Subject: Tho Victor's Shout-The JOY
of Overcoming Dificulties-The Salts.
fnction Expressed by Christ on the
Outcome OF His Earthly Labors.
Copyright 1sOO.l
WASHINGTON, D. C.-In this discourse
DR.. Talmage shows In an unusual way the
autagonisms that Christ overcame and
finds a batsam for all wounded hearts;
text, John xviii, 4, "I have finished the
work which Thou gavest Me to do"
There Is n profound satisfaction In the
completion OF anything We have under
taken. We lit the capstone with exulta-
tion. while, on the other hand, there is
nothing more disappointing than, after
having toiled In a certain direction, to find
thut our time Is wasted and our invest
ment proftless. Christ came to throw up
a highway on which the whole world
might, II 1t chose; mount into heaven. He
did It. The foul mouthed crew who at.
tempted to tread on Him could not ex-
tInguish the sublime satisfaction which
He expressed wher he said: I have
finished the work which Thou gayest Me
do"
Alexander the Great was wounded, and
the doctors could not medlcate his wounds,
and be seemed to be dying, and In bis
, dream the sick man saw a plant with q
peculiar flower, and he dreamed that that
plant was put upon his wound and that
Immediately 1t was cured. And Alexander,
waking from his dream, told this to the
physician, and the physician wandered our
until he found just the Kind OF plant which
the sick man had described brought 1t to
him, and the wound was healed. Well, the
human race had been hurt with the ghast-
Hest Of oil wounds-that Of sin. It was
the business OF Christ to bring balm for
that wound-the balm OF divine restora-
|, tion. In carrying this business to sue
cessful issue the difficulties were stupent-
GUS. r. 80
In many OF our plans we have our friends
to help US; some to draw q sketch OF the
plan, others to help US 10 the execution.
But Christ fought every inch OF His wny
against bitter hostility and amid cireum-
stances all calculated to depress and de-
feat.
In the first place, His worldly occupbtIon
was against Him. I find that He earned His
Esliyelihood by the carpenters trade: an oc-
scupatIon always to be highly regarded and
respected But you know as we'll as I do
that In. order to succeed In any emp ploy-
ment one must give his entire time to 1t,
5and have to declare that the fatigues Of
carpentry were unfavorab!s to the execu-
tion OF a mission which required oil men,
tai aud physical faculties. Through high,
hard, dry, husky, insensate Judaism to
hew way for q new and glorious dispen-
satlon was a stupendous Undertaking that
was enough to demand all the concen-
trated energies even Of Christ. We have a
great many romantic stories about what
r,;k b,o tni1 rI Itab aH
In intellectual departments, but you know
that after O man has been toillng all day
with udz and saw and hammer, plane and
ak, about oil he can do Is to rest. A weary
body is m unfavorabe adjunct to tolling
mind. You, whose life In purely mechani-
cal. II you were called 10 the upbpllding Of
u kingdom, or the proclamation ot new
code OF morals, or tho startlpg OF a revolu-
tion which should upturh all nations,
could get some idea OF the incoherence Of
Christ's occupation with Ills 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 hunds hard from use
of tools Of trade, was called forth to be-
come q public speaker, to preach In the
tnce OF NJ obs, while some wept, and some
shook their fists, AMI some gnashed upon
Him with their teeth, and many wanted
Him out OF the way. Tc address orderly
and respectful assemblagcs IS not so easy
us 1t may seem, but 1t requires more
energy and more force and more concen.
tration to address IN exaspernted mob.
The villagers OF Nazareth heard the pound
ing OF His hammer, but all the wide
reaches Of eternity were to hear the stroke
OF His spiritual up.building.
So alsO His habits of dreas and diet we're
against Him. The mighty men OF Cbrist's
time did not appear In apparel without
trlnkets and adornments. None OF the
Cpsars would have appeared In citizens
apparel. Yet here was man, here was q
professed king, who always wore the same
coat. Indeed it was far from shabby, for
after He had worn 1t long while the
gamblers thought 1t worth raf1lng about,
but still 1t was fnr from being an imperial
robe. It was coat that my ordinary
man might have worn on an ordinary oc-
casion.
Neither was there any pretenslon In His
diet. No cupbearor with golden challce
brought Him wine to drink. On the sea.
shore He ate fish, first having brolled 1t
Himself. No ono fetched Him water to
drink; but. bending over the well In
Samarla, He begged drink. He sat at
only one banquet. and that not at all
sumptuous, for to relieve tue awkward
ness OF the host one OF tue guests bad to
prepare wine for tho 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 a
shelterless bill riding but once, as far US
now remember, Oh colt, and that bor-
rowed.
His poverty was against Him. 1t re-
quires money to build great enterprises.
Men OF means are afraid OF penntless
protector lest q loan be demanded. It ro.
quires money to print books, to build in
stltutions, to pay Instructors. No wonder
tue wise men Of Christ's time laughed Mt
this penniless Christ. "Why." they said,
"who is to pay for this new religion? Who
Is to charter tho ships to carry the mis-
sionaries? Who Is to pay 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 bad nothing to
lose. Affluent Joseph OF Arimathea buried
Christ, but be risked no social position IN
doing that. 1t is always safs to bury 4
dead man.
LaCcleuS TISReu nO Wetlli or SOclul pOsl'
tion In following Christ. but took position
in u tree to look down as He passed.
Nicodemus, wealthy Nicodemus, risked
nothing OF social position in following
Christ, for he skulked by night to flnd Him.
All this was against Christ. SO the fact
that He was not regularly graduated was
agaiust Him. II n man come with dlplo.
mas OF colleges and schools and theological
semInarIes and he has been through for
4 l. a lIeE1.