The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-12-29
For THE RECORD.

The keynote of this whole season is, of
course, the Nativity. It is Christmas tide,
Christmas week, the Christmas holidays. The
gifts, the green's, the candies, the shopping,
pies and visits are all qualified by the same
epithet, Christians.
But the old Square Almanac does not fail
to record, on the three days next following
Christmas, the very ancient appointment of
the Christian Church, that has dedi cated these
to the memory of three classes of martyrs,
whose witness-fres thus lend additional lustre
to the religious brightness of the Savionr's
birthday. "The Christmas cluster of saints, :"
have they been called. We win notice them
each, in turn.
December 20. 81. Stephen, one Of the seven
Deacons of Jerusalem, chosen by the people,
and ordained by the Apostles, to minister to
the widows and other needy disciples, in the
first days of the Gospel. He is styled the
Proto- Martyr and leads in that noble
army" martyrs both in will and deed, who
gave up their lives ia the Masters service.
Thus Bishop Heber, in his we'll known hymn,
celebrates the courage and charity OF Stephen :
- The Son of God goes forth to war,
kingly crown to gain
His blood-red banner streams afar.
Who follows in his train
The Martyr first, whose eagle eye
Could pierce beyond the grave,
Who saw his Master in the sky,
And cald on Him to
Like Him. with pardon on his tongue,
In midst of mortal pain
He pray'd for them that did the wrong:
Who fellows in his train? F"
December 81. 50. John the EgangeIist. We
know him by the beautiful names of "The
Beloved Disciple and the " Disciple whom
Jesus loved" We think, customarily of him,
as the youngest of the Twelve, gentle, fair, of
almost feminine beauty, leaning on the Lord S
bosom at the Passover table, lingering with
the Holy Women about the Cross, outrunning
St. Peter, on their way together to the Tomb,
on Easter morning. And yet, his gentle, low
ing nature was not wanting in daring courage
and burning zeal for the truth, that de-
nounced with fiery invective all the makers
and lovers of lie." His house at Jerusalem
was the home of the Lords Mother until her
death. Then be departed to his missionary
ground, in the province of Asia, and became
the Patriarch, or in modern phrase, the Pre-
siding Bishop, of the Churches in the seven
| famous cities of Asia. To these, under divine
inspiration, he sent the seven letters recorded
in his Revelation" His authorship includes
the Gospel, Revelation, and three Epistles.
His wonderful insight into heavenly things,
and the fact that he, more than any other OF
the Evangelists, recorded the profoundest doc
trinal discourses of Christ, gained him the
title of g The Divine, . or Theologian.
He is the type of the second class of Mar
| tyrs--in will, but not in deed. He, alone OF
the Apostles, died a natural death. But be
was not one to shrink from the death of mar.
tyrdom, had his Master willed it and thrice,
indeed, was the hand of violence lifted against
him. The Emperor Domitian condemned
him to be cast into vessel Of boiling or burn.
ing oil, from which he came forth unframed
4 Then, he banished him to the rocky isle OF
Patmos, 10 the Egean sea, where he saw the
visions of the Revelation. At another time
poison was put into the chalice, when he was
about to celebrate the Lords Supper but
Christ's parting promise was made good to
His faithful Apostle eff they drink any
deadly thing it shall not hurt them" When
too aged and infirm for any other service St
John was carried daily to the Church al
! Ephesus, where, in failing accents, but nnfail