Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-02
Caln1aSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank Dc Witt Talmaae. d. D.

bOu way VI JuuSiIS Ihcli anu CuOOs-
ing them for some special task Is total
ly different from mans way Is en-
phasizcd in this sermon, the text Of
which is taken from Luke xix, 5, TO
day must abide at thy house"
1t is amazing how long the world
compcls sope of its most honored chill
dren to struggle amid the quchsands
of poverty, obscurity. msrepresenta-
ton and Islander before it allows them
to climb the mountain tops Of immor-
tally and fame. 1t Is hard to under
stand why some men have tUspend SO
much Of their lives fighting for a
mere existence when they would have
their fellow men if the world had only
been willing to encourage them in
stead of turning the cold shoulder
upon them. Every one remembers the
famous couplet by the poet Haywood;
Seven cities warred for Homer being
dead,
Who living. had no roof to shroud his
head.
Well, that is the history Of many Of
the worlds greatest heroes and hero
ines. For years and years they battlcd
with poverty. For years and years
they had to fight for mere physical ex-
istence Then came wealth, fame, po-
sition, honor. The world was bowling
at their feet to do their bidding.
The lot of the obscure peasant is
necessarily hard yet when Christ was
to come into the world it was that lot
he chose, as If he desired to know by
experience the sorrow ami hardship of
humanity. Christ for thirty years had
lived in poverty and ohscurity. When
at last he started forth on his worlds
mission he was opposed at every step.
He was maligned aud slandercd. Then
there came sudden change which
placed him on the top wave Of popu
larity. We find him no longer the I'M
known peasant. All his countrymcn
arc talking Of him, and many of them
call him a great teacher. His fame.
too, has gone abroad, and certain
Greeks have asked to see him. He IS
now on his way to Jerusalem. where
he will be acclaimed as the Son OF Da-
vid He has reached Jericho, and the
people turn out to see the young
prophet who may prove to he the long
expected Messiah.
The Pubican's Home.
IL, %
tanning him? To which home does he
go: He can practically go and lodge
in any home that he will. Does he go
to the home of the good and pure man?
Does he so to the home Of the aristo'
crat? No; he goes to the home Of
despised publican. When Christ stops
and looks up and sees the despised
publican Zaccheus perched upon the
overhanging bough Of Il sycamore tree,
he seems to say: Come, Iaccheus.
Come down. Come and let me go
home with thee. Come and let me
teach the world that my mission IS to
save souls which are lost. Come and
let me lodge with one who is universal
ly ostracized by his countrymen Come
down, Zaccheus. Come down. For
today must abide at thy house"
Now, why did Christ choose to visit
Zaccheus' home in preference ito all
the other homes of Jericho which
would gladly have opened their doors
to receive him as their honored guest?
Christ lodged in Zaccheus' house in
the first place because it was the most
despised home in all Jericho 1t rep
resented all that was bitter and cruel
and tyrannical and unjust. 1t repre-
scented extorton and dishonesty. 1t
represented the fiendish power which
grip and squeeze the last drop Of
financial blood out of q man and then
turn him out Of his home and let him
starve. Murderer, thief, destroyer,
assassin, hangman, We're names honor
ed and respected by the Jews in COM
parison with that word publican" 1t
was name the most hated OF all
names in the Hebrew language. There
was no indictment more Opprobrlous
which could be hurled against Christ
than that he was friend of publlcans
and sinners, for of all sinners the worst
sinner in Hebrew eyes was the pub
lican. In order to understand why the
house of Zacchcus was the most ex-
coriated In all Jericho we must study
for a little while the attitude of the
Roman government toward its prov
lnces.
The Roman government was like the
Turkish government. In the capital Of
Constantinople sits the "sick man Of
Europe" He opens the map of his
kingdom and says: Here Is one of my
provinces. l will sell this to the high
est bidder. Then l will make the tax
collector of this province pay me a
certain amount each year. All the
moneys he can squeeze out Of those
people above that amount he can have
for himself" SO the sultan sells his
, provinces, just as capitalist would
rent q farm Then the tax collector
goes to that province, and he puts the
financial thumbscrews upon those peo-
| pie.
Such was the province of Judaea In
the time of Christ, The Roman gov
eminent had stationed its tax collect
ors everywhere. 1t had sold these
provinces and cities to the different
buyers. That the Hebrew must bear,
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