Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1874-12-22
A CHRISTMAS BOMILY.

No more appropriate and beautiful tribute
to 1.-The Day We Celebrate could be rendered
than the following which we find laid aside
from valued exchange for use and reproduc-
ton on this, our YuIe- tide of 1874 And so
We give place this once to our eloquent con-
temporary, who says: In all Christian lands
with the ringing of bells, and psalm, and
prayer. and pageant and ceremaniaI. the an
uiversary of the birth of our Savior will be
celebrated. In this, at least, all forms of
Christian belief are in accord. The sublime
simplicity of the grand old hymn
when shepherds watched their flocks by night
All seated on the ground.
The Angels of the Lord came down.
And glory shone around,''
still touches all our hearts, and we are carried.
in Imagination back, on beam of light,
through nearly nineteen dead centuries, to the
Syrian plain. and the Star that shone SO won
drously over Bethlehem and the Christ Child
in his lowly manager. We see. as it were in
vision, the alteration of the Magi we smell
strange odors of Myrrh and Fankincense. and
we hear as by an inner sense, Angelic voices
in the sky. chanting their gracious words #
praise aud promise:
GLORY to G-rd in tire highest. On earth Peace.
Good will toward men :"
How these glad tidings passed, from lip to
lip, we know-slowly at first, but sinking
deeply into the hearts of the humble filing
them with the consciousness of a Spiritual
Presence, aud clothing them with new thoughts
and nobler aspirations. How, in the fulness
of time, our lord made himself known to the
people, and taught them, by parallels and ex
ample, what it was meant they should learn
and do; how He wrought miracles, bv
virtue of the Divinity that was in Him was
traduced. and tempted, and prosecuted, and
suffered death upon the CroSs-who is there
among all the Christian people that have lived
and died who has not laid to heart. the sad
and sweet. and solemn, yet comforting tory ?
Eos nearly nineteen hundred years the dav
of his Nativity has been kept. A. first, it
was celebrated only by little scattered band-
of Christian converts, in secret, and in the
very Valley OF the Shadow OF Death Bur,
openly and joyously, and with stately rites and
ceremonies. as the Centuries rolled on, and
Christianity rose to reverence on the ruins of
the old Pagan creeds. The refined Greeks
and the hardy ROmans-the Intellect and the
Power of the ancient world dying our
The Oraeles were dumb Augurs and Sooth
ssyers ceased their divinations and the statue>
OF the Marble Gods fell from their pedestals
before the Christian Cross. and the Shep
herds Crook
Earnest and enthusiastic missionaries went
forth-into all known lands, and into the isles
"Close grrdled bv the inv iOlate sea-
and taught the new faithsto ignoran, King
and Chieitaius. whose Ps<time was the chase
and the engrossfng business of whose lives
vas 10 oireunveut and Slaughter each other,
Wonderfully persuasive must have been the
eIoqueRce of those holy and self DENYING men
for there was no pride in the church of those
da5s=Atos have wrought the changes they did.
by means. apparentlyys;so inadequate. Simple
in her gars ,aBstemiods in their mode of
living their only weapon the Gross they, bore;
their only aFgualent the #opdsrtu! story it
syr5bai they wandered from cquptrsz to
ie5a6trg eshqasrihg teari6esuP iras
;sioas b. the feoiss. snbahiias the srudesgt
tsslts r. pepitenca and better lives md u
la;aiuat bioed- iaiasd stones ef Ireathtn
laiitz5sgstfl lthe fires 81 pe'se5 s1d spprer,
-t.-lt.r fsGf'ezt