Milford chronicle., 1907-05-03
CalmaQe
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmase. D. D.

coos way Of judging men and chOos.
ing them for some special task is total.
ly different from mans way is EN-.
phasized in this sermon, the text of
which is taken from Luke xix, 5, 'To-
day I must abide at thy house"
1t is amazing how long the world
compels some Of its most honored chill
dren to struggle amid the quicksands
of poverty, obscurity, misrepresenta-
tion and slander before it allows them
to climb the mountain tops of immor-
tality and fame. It is hard to under
stand why some men have to spend so
much of their lives fighting for
mere existence when they would have
been able to do so much more good for
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 battled |
with poverty. For years and years
they had to fight for mere physical ex-
istenee. Then came wealth, fame, po-
sitiOn, honor The world was bowing
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 and hardship Of
humanity. Christ for thirty years had
lived in poverty and obscurity. When
at last he started forth on his worlds
mission he was opposed at every step.
He was maligned and slandered. Then
there came a sudden change which
placed him on the top wave of popu-
larity. We find him no longer the un-
known peasant All his countrymen
are 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 l
prophet who may prove to be the long '
Messiah. 1
The PubIiean's Home. J
Who will have the honor of enter L
tanning him? To which home does he t
90? He can practically go and lodge b
IN any home that he will. Does he go t
% the home of the good and pure man?
Does he go to the home of the aristo- n
rat? No; he goes to the home of p
lespised publican. When Christ stops c.
md looks up and sees the despised II
publican Zaccheus perched upon the o.
yerhanging bough Of a sycamore tree, n
le seems to say: "COme, Zaccheus! n
Jome down! Come and let me go al
ome with thee! Come and let me NJ
each the world that my mission is to 81
ave souls which are lost! Come and bl
It me lodge With one who is universal to
2 ostracized by his cOuntrymen! Come W
own, Zaccheus! Come down! For W
1day I must abide at thy housew m
-ow, why did Christ choose to visit q
accheus' home in preference to all sa
le other homes of Jericho which tn
.ould gladly have opened their doors oh
receive him as their honored guest? W,
Christ lodged in Zaccheus' house in vo
le first place because it was the most ca
espised home in all Jericho. 1t rep
scented all that was bitter and cruel oh
Id tyrannical and unjust. 1t repre- of
nted extortion and dishonesty. 1t IL,
presented the fiendish power which ba
ould take a community in its viselike bo
ip and squeeze the last drop Of en-,
lancal blood out of man and then nv.
RI him out of his home and let him ~
arve. Murderer, thief, destroyer, an,
sassin, hangman, were names honor ov
and respected by the Jews in COM cor
rison with that word publican" 1t as
Is name the most hated OF al WI
mes in the Hebrew language. There ash
Is no Indictment more opprObrious sw,
lich could be hurled against Christ for
IN that he was a friend of publicans the
1 sinners, for of all sinners the worst an
ner in Hebrew eyes was the pub the
an. In order to understand why the wa
use Of Zaccheus was the most ex- tree
lated in all Jericho we must study abo
little while the attitude OF the car
man government toward its prov pra
es. him
he Roman government was like the are
-kish government. In the capital Of The
lstantinople sits the "sick man Of ter,
rope" He opens the map Of his
gdom and says: "Here is one of my sacl
vinces. will sell this to the high und
bidder Then 1 will make the tax me.
ector OF this province pay me NJ
tain amount each year. All the has
leys he can squeeze out Of those you
pie above that amount he can have He
himself" So the sultan sells his troll
vinces, just as a capitalist would dow
Gown, Thar, ff1a fax aOIinafOr yOul