The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-01-06

the cloud banks that nlgnC, ana Une spec
ial express trains that ran down the sky,
know our world is grandly and glori-
ously surrounded. The meteors are
with us, for one ran to point out the
birthplace. The heavens are with us,
for at our deliveranCe they roll their no
sannas out of the midnight sky. Oh,
yes; l think our poor world may be bet
ter far than we have sometimes lmsgin'
ed; and that whenever a child is born,
angels bring it, and when it dies, angels
take ii; and when an old man reels un.
der the weight of years, angels uphold
him, and when the heart breaks, angels
soothel Vt. Angels in the hos ital; angels
watching in the cemetery; angels above
the world angels beneath it; angels al
around it. Rub your eyes OF the dust OF
human infifmity, and look into the hea
vens and see angels of mercy, angels of
pardon, angels of pity, angels crowned,
angels Charioted. The earth girdled
and defended by angels. But the great
est and mightiest of them stood not that
night among the clouds, but lay among
the catte-the angel of the New Coven'
ant. AS the clean, white linen sent in
by some motherly villager was wrapped
around tie little form of that child I'M
perial, there was not a Cherub, or a SER
aph or an angel or potentate or world
but thrilled, or wept or shouted. Oh,
yes, all the worlds are bound together;
our earth, but the silver rung of lad
der, at the top of which is thr Fathers
house. No more steler solitariness for
our world. Not friendIess planet spun
out into space to freeze, but world in
the bosom Of divine maternity, star
harnessed to manger
Again, that night was born in the
manger the offenders hope. Some may
have thought [ ought to have put this
idea at the beginning of my discourse.
No; l wanted you to rise up to it; l wan
ted you to examine all the comedians,
the emeralds, the iaspers and the Chry.
soites before l showed you the Kohl,
moor, the great crown jewel of the ages.
1t had very poor setting. Cub Of bear
has advent among the grand old forest
pillars; whelp of lion takes it's first step
from Jungle of luxuriant leaf and wild
flower; kid of goat is born in cavern,
Chandeliered with stalaCtite and pillared
with stalagmite. But Christ was born
in bare barn; yet his nativity is the Of
tenders hope, Over the door of heaven
is written, in capitals of consuming glory
-'0nly the sinless NAV enter here"
Horror! that shuts us all out" you say.
No; Christ came in one door of this
world and went out of the other-Came
in the door of the manger, and went out
the door of the sepulCher- and His one
business was to 80 wash away our sins
that WI en- we are dead we will have no
more sin about us than has the infinite
God. All erased, washed away, secured
out gone; that over arching and under
girding and irradisting aud imparadis-
ing possibility for you and me and all
generations was born that Christmas
night. Do you wonder tnat we decorate
and sing our best and jubilate2 Do you
wonder that Raphael, and Rubens, and
Gloto, and Titan, and Glraldjo, and all
the great Italian and German painters
gave the mightiest stroke of ther pencil
to the sketChing of the Madonna, Mary,
Queen of all Queens, first among women,
and her Imperial boy King2 Why, now
\ begin to understand the manger Not
30 high was the gilded, jeweled, embroi
dered cradle of the HeDrys of England,
or the Louis of France, or the FrederiCks
of France. Not so much did the oxen
eat out of that Bethlehem crib, as did
the white horses of apocolyptic vision.
Those swaddling cloths of my text en-
large into the kingly robes of universal
concord. The star of the manger turns
out to be the diamonded sandal of Him
who hath the moon under His feet, or
the light of divinity showing his glory
and beauty. The music heard that night
was but the beginning that should re.
sound through tie ages, growing strong.
er as it advanced; the bass to be carried
by earthly nations saved, and the 80.
prano by kingdoms of glory won. Oh,
we shall see each other when our last
imperfection is gone. look through
the food of years, through the wide
open doors of solid pearl into that reun.
ion. IexpeCt to meet you there as much
as meet you today. What a time we
shall have in high converse, talking over
our sorrows comforted, our sins forgiven
and battles triumphant. l ana going in,
and | am going to take my family with
me, and my church, and friends and my
neighbors. l have faith enough in the
manger and Christ to make me sure of
it. | am going to coax you in, rush you
In by hoy strategen, to surprise you in.
| will seize hold of you with all the en-
ergy of my physical, mental, spiritual
and immortal nature, and compel you to
go in.
l like you so we'll | mean to spend
eternity with you You have children
there, some OF you One of them l bu-
ried yesterday. Though people passing
along may have seen white Grape on the
door, and said: 1T is only child" the
broken hearted father said: II want YOU
to come and comfort us, for, though she
was only fifteen months old, we loved
her so much" What a Christmas morn
ing when you get among those, who,
with you, used to keep the holidays.
Your old silver haired father, your aged
mother, with her aches and pains and
decrepitudes gone forever, and the sis
ters and brothers and the little ones.
How glad they will be to see you'll They
have been waiting for you so long. The
last they saw Of your face it was covered
with tears and distress and pallor from
long watching. Somehow those Christ.
mas angels over Bethlehem forgot to
shut the door as they went back, and the
secret is out. No more use in trying to
hide from US the glory to come. Too
late to shut the door now, for it is block.
ed up with hosannas marching in this
way, and hallelujahs marching in that
way, constituting one mighty and grand
and triumphant army, with the song of
redemption upon their lips: "Glory, glo
ry, to the Lamb that was slain; hence.
forth and forever"
| feel as if were dying, not physic.
ally, for | never felt better, but in the
transports Of this Christmas transfgurs.
ton. And what overwhelms me more
than anything else is, that this redemp.
tiGn is for sinners such as you and l have