Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-01-12
bright starry morning, when the Grmamont
was Ginning with the fullest splondurs, the

bright starry morning, when the firmamont
was Ginning with the fullest splondurs, tho
shepherds hear sweet, delighted, angelic
voices in tho pure air above them and lis
tening, tho heavenly words become articu.
late aud audible to mortal ears, and tho
angels said unto them, "Fear not; for be-
hold bring you good tidings of great JOY,
which shall be to all people; for uuto you
is born this day in the city Of David, q
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be,a sign unto you: 20 shall fnd
the babo wrapped in swaddling clothes,
laYiug in manger. And suddenly there
was with the angel multitude of tho
heavenly host praisng God aud saying
Glory To TO God in tho highest aud on
earth, peace, good will toward men,"
Oh! my brethren, this is "tho fulness
madc of woman, made under tho law,
to redeem them that were under the law,
that we might receive tho adoption of sons.
lcdec1 that was "thc fulncss of the tune"
1t docs seem that oil things in history, in
providence aud grace, had been converg-
ing from tho beginning TO the maneer in
bethlehem, to the mother and Child King.
This was tho biggest hour that the dial
plato of time has ever marked, for it was
struck in tho worlds centuries by the hand
of Almighty God.
For four thousand years of sin and suf-
fering and death; for four thousand years
of effort, struggle and progress; for four
thousand years marked by tho delugc, the
confusion of tongues, the call IF Abraham,
the rise and fall of tic Hebrew civilization,
God had been breaking down the mountains
and filling up tho valleys for one over
shadowing, absorbing, impcrishablo event
and that event is tho birth Of "The
Child"
There have been times ripo for tho ap-
pearing of great geuiuscs, men and women,
endowed with superb wealth of mind and
who have exercised a potentialinf W. on
human destiny; there may have been times
ripe for the birth Of great nations, creating
new and higher forms of civilization and
lifting mankind to higher plane of aspir-
ation and cndeavor, but this was the
full grown, matured, grandy ripencd time
for the appearing Of tho Christ, of the
"increase of whose government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David and upon his kingdom to order it
and to establish it with Judgment, and
| with justice from hencoforth evcu for ever"
When tho child grew to be q mao and
was about entering upon his public minis
try, arc we surprised to find the last of the
prophets in all the country about Jordan
preaching tho baptism Of repentance for
the remission Of sins; as it is written in the
book of Esaias, the prophet, saying, "Tho
voice of one crying in the wilderness, pre-
pare yc the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight. Every valley shall be
filled and every mountain and bill shall be
brought low, and tho crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough ways shall be
made smooth and ull flesh shall soc the sal.
walton Of God. indeed baptizc you with
water, but one mighticr than | comcth, the
latchet Of whose shoe am not worthy to
unloose; he shall baptizo you with the
Holy Ghost and with fire."
Oh! my brethren, new light breaks in
upon one Of the inimitablo parallels of our
blessed Saviour, uttered as no was aps
preaching the close of that brief, marvel
Gus ministry of doctrine, sign and miracle:
"a certain man made great supper and
bade many; and sent his servant at supper
time to say to them that were bddsn,
como, for all things are now ready" Tho
world waited for four thousand years for
this feast "For verify soy unto you,
that many prophets aud righteous mon
have desired to SEQ those things which ye
SEQ and to hear those things which ye hear
and have not heard them"
God forbid that with all tho light pour
ing in upon III from Tho Child in the
mangcr all through these past centuries,
any of us, in this Christian community
should duplicate the conduct Of those who
all with one consent began to mako excuse:
~ have bought piece Of ground and
must needs go and SEQ to it; pray
thee have me excused. have bought five
yoke of oxen and 60 to prove them; L
pray thee have me excused. | have mar.
ricd wife and therefore cannot come"
My dear young friends, try this day to
make an inventory of tho great blessings
which you arc enjoying, flowing in upon
you from the Child King. The blessings
of freedom, the blessings Of constitutional
law, the blessings of religious liberty, tho
blessings growing out Of tho enjoyment of
tho means and opportunities of mental
and moral Improvement, the blessings Of
pure domestic life, the blessings of our
elevated social life, the blessings of tho
Sabbath day and Of the sanctuary, in a
word, all tho great, unspoakable blessings
dispensed to US through our holy Christian.
ity-all these have beon flowing in
upon US and around us through tho Child
King.
Thero is not ono who hears mo to-day,
no matter how embarrassed he may be, no
matter how disappointed ho may be. who