Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-06-06

S6NMON
Rev. Dr.. Ca!l,la1
SubJecss Tho vIctor's shout-The Joy
of Overcoming Dimculties-The satis-
faction Expressed by Christ on the
Outcome Of His Earthly Labors.
copyright 1901
WASHINGTON, D. Gin this discours,
Dr.. Taimage shows in an unusual way the
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, to find
that our time Is wasted and our invest
ment protltless. Christ came to throw up
q highway on which the whole world
might, II 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: 'T have
Anished 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
cream the sick man saw plant with a
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 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 Chast-
Hest of all wounds-that OF sin. 1t was
the business Of Christ to bring a balm fol
that wound--the balm of divine restora-
don. In carrying this business to a sue
cessful issue the difficulties were stipend.
ous.
In many OF our plans We have our friend,
to help US; some to draw a 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. find that He earned His
livelihood by the carpenters trade, an oc-
cupation always to be highly regarded and
respected. But you know as well rs dc
that In order TO succeed IN any employ.
ment one must give his entire time to it,
and l have to declare that the fatigues OF
carpentry were unfavorab!e to the execu.
tion Of a mission which required all men.
tai and physical faculties. Through high
hard, dry, husky, insensate Judaism to
hew way for new and glorious dispen-
sation was stupendous undertaking 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 a man has been toiling all day
with ndz and saw and hammer, plane and
Ak, about all he can do is to rest A weary
body is an unfavorable adjunct to a toiling
mind. You, whose life In purely mechani-
sal. II you were called,to the upbullding OF
q kingdom, or the proclamation of a new
code Of morals, or the starting of n revolu-
tion which should upturn all nations
could get some idea of the incoherence 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-
some 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. To address orderly
and respectful assemblages is not SO easy
as 1t may seem, but it requires more
energy and more force and more concen.
sration to address an exasperated 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 dress and diet were
against Him. The mighty men of Christ's
lime did not appear in apparel without
bpHn bat nd oI4 &c -
Caesars would have appeared in citizens
apparel. Yet here was man, here was n
professed king, who always wore the same
.oat. Indeed 1t was far from shabby, for
after He had worn 1t n long while the
gamblers thought it worth raffiing about
but still 1t was far from being an imperial
:obe. 1t was coat that any ordinary
nan might have worn on an ordinary oc-
.asion.
Neither was there any pretension in His
itet. No cupbearer with golden chalce
brought Him wine to drink. On the sea-
Ihore He ate fish, first having broiled it
Himself. No one fetched Him water to
rink; but. bending over the well in
Samaria, He begged a drink. He sat at
only one banquet. and that not at all
.umptuous, for to relieve the awkward
ness 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 applauding subjects behind;
Christ's retinue was made up OF sun
burned fishermen. Other kings sleep
lnder embroidered canopy; this one on
'helterless hill, riding but once, as far as
low remember, on IA colt, and that bor-
lowed.
His poverty was against Him. 1t re-
luires money to build great enterprises
Men Of means are afraid of penniless
protector lest loan be demanded. 1t re-
luires money to print books, to build in
'titutions, to pay instructors. No wonder
The wise men Of Christ's time laughed at
his penniless Christ. "Why," they said,
'who Is to paw for this new religion? Who
ls to charter the ships to carry the mis-.
sfonaries? Who is to paw the salaries OF
The teachersP Shall wealthy, established
religion be discounted by a 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
lead man.
Zaccheus risked no wealth or social posi-.
ION In following Christ, but took position
in a tree to look down as He passed.
Nicodemus, wealthy Nicodemus, riske6
nothing OF social position In following
Christ, for he skulked by night to flnd Him
All this was against Christ. SO the fact
shat He was not regularly graduated was
against Him. II Il man come with diplo
mas OF colleges and schools and theological
Ieminaries and he has been through for.
.ign travel, the world is disposed to listen
But here was man who had graduated at
40 college, had not in any academy by or.
binary means learned the alphabet of ttt,
language He spoke, and yet He proposed Il
talk, to instruct in subjects which ha1 c-:.
founded tho mightiest intellects. John
said, 'The Jews marveled, saying, How
hath this man letters, having never
learned?" We, In our day, have found ont
that n man without n diploma may know
as much rs n man with one and that col.
iege cannot transform sluggard into
philosopher or a Theological seminary teach
4 fool to preach. An empty head, after the
laying on OF hands OF the presbytery
Ii empty still. But il shocked all existing
prejudIces in those olden times for a mar
with no scholastic pretensions and no
graduation from a learned institution &c
set HimseIfup for teacher. 1t was against
Him.
SO there have been men OF wonderful