Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-29

THE VIRGIN MARY

TIE
THE VIRGIN MARY -
Dlscoursed Upon by Rev. g. G. Smith at the
First NJ. e, Church Yesterday.
After the usual opening services, Mr..
Smith announced as his text, Luke LIST chap
ter and Goth, 9th and 2sth verses, and in
substance said: have chosen to celebrate
the Lords birth by speaking Of the Lords
mother. This theme is not Protestant, but
it is Christian. In much of our thinking
we are too narrow. Suppose botanist should
start out and say: II will only gather
that grow in the valleys;'' or another: Il
will only plHok the flowers of the hill tops
and mountain side" They would be too
narrow. Why, after they have roamed over
the fields and scaled the hills, there are still
strange sweet blossoms hid in the crannies
of the rocks and in the tangled dells of the
forests which eye has not seen and science
has not named. So, after We have accepted
every truth which men have found in every
field, or have framed in any creed, there
will still remain undiscovered treasures to oc-
cupy the generations yet to come. We must
not be narrow, We must be electio in our
studies. If the devil should come to me
with the truth, hope should have courage
to take it and thank his satanic majesty. In
the development of our theme this morning,
I first call your attention to the biography of
Mary.
She is introduced ten times in the gospel
record. At the annunciation, at her visit to
her cousin Elizabeth when she pronounced
the m,agnSfeat, at Bethlehem. Iwant you
to notice the visits of the shepherds
and of the wise men. I
think they were for Mary's sake.
She had been told that she should be the
mother of the Messiah. He was born in a
stable and graded in a noanger. Her mother
heart said, land is this the outcome of the
promise2" And while she doubted, the
shepherds announced the angels song, and
the wise men brought kingly gifts. He was
Messiah though in manger. And so she
was prepared for the strange heavenly light
and the deep shade that chequered her sons
career. Again, she goes into Egypt; she
makes pilgrimage to Jerusalem, when
Jesus, q child of -, remains behind. Find
ing him, she chides him: "Thy father and
I have sought thee sorrowing." He answers:
| sWist ye not; must be about My fathers
business She meant Joseph; He meant
His divine father. For eighteen years we
have no mention of mother or son. Eighteen
years were they of home life, filed with hu-
man work and need, and joy and sorrow.
She reappeared at Cana. when the water is
made wine. He resents her interference.
During his three years of ministry He does
not recognize His human relations. When
His mother would have Him rest at Caper-
naum, year and half later, He asks, Who
IS my mother or my brethren?
But at the cross the humanity re-asserts
itself, for the human Jesus suffered, and then
tenderly he commits her to the care of his
best beloved friend: "Woman, behold thy
son. "Behold thy mother" Only once
more is she seen, and that is when the disci-
pies are met for prayer before the Pentecost.
Her history commences with vision from
heaven. It closes with prayer. The last
glimpse we have of the Virgin, is pure and
devout woman in the attitude of worship,
and so the book leaves her.
In the second place notice the character
of Mary. By the law of natural selection
running through four thousand years, she
had been chosen. Though peasant she
was of royal family and the flower of human
the race, and then was evolved the new
order of sainShood in Jesus Christ. Her
personal characteristics we're reverence, de
votion, familiarity with the scriptures,
power of mind, and habit of contempla-
ton. "She kept all these things and pom
dered them in her heart" Notice in the
last place the light this study sheds
upon the character of Jesus. In the years
ho so11 30
ure, he was subject to this mother.
We find the source of bis domestic illus
trations. The "three measures of mea.,"
"the lost pieces of silver" and all the COM
mon life of the gospels reflect his mother 8
home and training.
His gentleness Of character and his habits
of contemplation reflect the mother in them.
In His nights of watching in the mountain
and in his walks by the sea, Mary's vigils
reappear.
He satisfies the demand for motherhood in
the Deity. Theodore Parker prayed to God
as father and mother. Catholics are said to
do too much homage to the Virgin. The
truth in the gospel seems to lie between the
two. The man Christ Jesus was the son of
his mother only, upon the human side. So
He always reveals a woman's gentleness,
patience and self-sacriice. His humanity
was unique Sex eynthesis, SO that he be-
comes the perfect representative of the
whole race.
Somebody objects now to the miraculous
conception" Can explain it? No, but I
can furnish parallel mystery. Seven hun
dred years before the birth of Jesus,
Isiah wrote: ."Behold virgin shall conceive
and bear son, and shall call his name I'm
manuel" The event is no harder to under
stand than it's fortelling. The prophecy was
really given, therefore the event is history.
At the conclusion of the sermon, Mr..
Smith announced that on next Sabbath
evening, he would commence q series of leo
lures on the evidence of Christianity, the
first subject being, "Christianity, the Final
Religion of the Race
Rare Jewels
in Rings, Pins. Crosses. etc., for the New Year
gift seekers, at P. F. Egan & Co.'s, Green
leaf's,) II East Third street.
Go to the B. & s. Co.'s, 81 East Third street.
for your return New Year gifts. Their stock
is complete in every department..
Black Walnut Goods.
Splendid line of Black Walnut Goods. Of
every description, just received at the 80 Cent
store.
PERSONAL.
NJ. NJ. Fuller, of Lake City, is at the Claren-
don.
Geo. W, Clennev of La Orosse ia NJ the