The New York herald., 1873-12-22
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TWENTY-THIRD STREET PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH

Christ's Birth and influence ON the
World-Scrmon by the Rev. II. ID.
Northrop.
The Rev. II. D. Northrop preached Christmas
sermon yesterday at the Twenty third street Pres
byteran church to very full congregation. The
subject OF the sermon was, OF course, "Tne Birth
OF Christ and Its influence Upon the World"
The reverend gentleman began by saying that in
the festivities attending the season OF Christmas
and the enjoyments in which wo INDUCED during
that time we were apt to forget the religious sig
nidcance OF the event, and to wander away from
the thought OF the immense meaning to all OF us
OF the event which we are pleased to believe
took place on that day. 1t is exceedingly ex-
ceptiona that one should not at least be
interested in this Child of God. When we consider
the number Of books that have been written about
Him; how In almost all books that are written we
find His name mentioned In some manner, we
come to faint realization Of the wonderful In
duence Christ exerts in the world. The world
seems TOO small to contain him. The metropolis
STANDS IN the street when
JESUS OF NAZARETH PASSES BY.
Princes go out to meet Him. and kings of the earth
come TO see the brightness OF His rising. Around
HIN q glory burns, before which angels veil their
faces. The army OF prophetic utterances on the
one hand and the army OF corresponding events on
the other have risen up, and BY one mastery
charge have swept the field OF the doubling philos-
ophcrs IN open conflict and have wrenched vic.
b0astful unbelief. We should have to bury
history before we cOnld call the Bible a
fable. The speaker then spoke OF the pedigree
Of Christ, and how all the prophecies were fulfilled
by the descent OF Christ from David The coming
or the wise men from the East was wonderful
prophecy also, and has mysterious but deep sig-
nihcance. 1t sometimes happens along these
rivers OF ours, said the preacher, which, from
shore to shore, are the
HIGHWAYS OF HUMANITY,
that the heavy mist comes down, blinds the eye
and hides the landmark Then, through the OBJ
scure og you may hear the signal bell saying to the
treightcd boat, with unmistaken tones, This s the
way, this the landing, this the destinatiOn.n The
song OF angels that night ringing out over Judean
hills told whittier the dspensation W hch went be-
tore had been drifting-tOld what was the destina-
ton OF all the former ages Prophecy was murKy
and mysterious. Yet through the shadowed gloom
it found Its way to Bethlehem and to the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.
The preacher then argued that the little Child
in the manger, weak and poor, had shown more
power in this world than all the heroes. the con-
qucrorS, the poets and those who seem to be mi
racuouS He overtops them all; and yet some are
found who deny Him. And so In sense profound
is lie the Holy Child Jesus, the Prince OF Peace Ii
was the infancy OF q superhuman man according
to the testimony Of the apostles, by prophecy. by
His own sublime life and by the homage OF the
world. The preacher drew contrast between the
life OF those who believed In this feeble Child and
the horrors OF the lives OF those Who did not. Purity
happiness peace in one; drunkenness Jury, vi0-
ence IN the other.