The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-06-07
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
DISCOURSE BI ME EMINENT DI
VINE LAST SUNDAY
Subject: The victor's shout-The Joy
of Overcoming charlottesville Salts
faction Expressed by Christ on the
Outcome of His Earthly Labors.

Subject: The Victor's shout-The JOY
of Overcoming charlottesville Salts
faction Expressed by Christ on the
Outcome of His Earthly Labors.
Copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discourse
DR.. Talmage shows in an unusual way the
antagonisms that Christ overcume and
finds a balsam for all wounded hearts;
text. John xviii. 4, 81 have finished the
worn which Thou gavest Ne to do"
There is profound satisfaction In the
completion OF anything we have under
taken. We lift the capstone with exulta-
ton, while, on the other hand, there is
nothing more Disappointing than, after
having toiled in certain direction, TO find
that our time is wasted and our invest
ment profltless. Christ came to throw up
highway on which the whole world
might, il it 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: 81 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 Ia his
dream the sick man saw plant with a
peculiar flower and he dreamed that that
plant was put upon his wound and that
Immediately it was cured. And Alexander,
waking from his dream, told this 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-
Hest of all wounds-that of sin. 1t was
the business OF Christ to bring balm for
that wound-the balm of divine restora-
ton. In carrying this business to @ sue
cessful issue the difficulties were stipend
Gus.
In many Of our plans we have cur friends
to help US; some to draw a sketch OF the
plan, others to help US 10 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 oe-
cupation always to be highly regarded and
respected. But you know as we'll as do
that in order to succeed in any ploy-
ment one must give his entire time to it,
and have to declare that the fatigues of
carpentry were unfavorab!e to the execu-
ton of a mission which required all men
tai and physical faculties. Through high,
hard, dry, husky, insensate Judaism to
hew a way for a new and glorious dispen-
sation was a stupendous undertaking that
was enough to demand all the concen-
trated energies even OF Christ. We have
great many romantic stories about what
men with physical toll have accomplished
in intellectual departments, but you know
that after man has been toiling oil day
with ADJ and saw and hammer, plane and
ak, about all he can do is to rest. A weary
body is Al unfavorabe adjunct TO toiling
mind. You, whose life in purely mechani-
cal, il you were called to the upbuildinc of
a kingdom, or the proclamation of new
40, Of Ia tor tir1r. of
ton which should upturn all nations,
could get some idea of the ineoherence 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 CRASHED upon
Him with their teeth, and many wanted
Him out of the way. TIC address orderly
and respectful assemblages is not so easy
as it may seem, but it requires more
energy and more force and more concen-
tration to address an ezasperated 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-bulding.
90 dISO MS uG'llS u 'IEtSS anu GleL were
against Him. The mighty men of Christ's
time did not appear in apparel without
trinkets and adOrnments. None OF the
Caesars 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 a long while the
gamblers thought it worth raffiirg about
but still it was far from being an imperial
robe. 1t was Il coat that any ordinary
man might have worn or an ordinary &C.
casion.
Neither was there any pretenslon in His
diet. No cupbearer with golden chalice
brought Him wine to drink. On the sea-
: 1ore He ate fish, first having broiled it
Himself. No one fetched Hin water to
drink but, bending over the well in
Samaria, He begged q drink. He sat at
only one banquet, and that not at all
sumptuous, for to relieve the awkward
hess Of the host one of the guests had to
prepare wine for the company.
Other kings ride in a chariot; He walked.
Other kings, as they advance have heralds
ahead and applaudinS subjects behind;
Christ's retinue was made up Of sun
burned fishermen. Other kings sleep
under embroidered canopy; this one on Il
shelterless bill, riding but once. as far as
now remember, on u colt, and that Dor
rowed.
His poverty was against Him. 1t re-
quires money to build great enterprises.
Men of means are afraid of a penniless
protector lest a loan be demanded. 1t re-
quires money to print books, to build in
situations, TO pay instructors. No wonder
the wise men of Christs 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 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 had nothing to
lose. Afiuent Joseph OF Arimathea buried
Christ, but he risked no social position in
doing that. 1t is always safe to bury
dead man.
Zaccheus risked no wealth or social posi-
tion in following Christ, hut took a position
in a tree to look down as He passed.
Nicodemus, wealthy Ntcodemus, risked
nothing OF social position ini 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, III q man come with diplo'
mas of colleges and!schools archaeological
seminaries and he has been through for
4 l. 4 f-ka