St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-28
4 Sermon Telling Of the saviOrs Birth
by the Rev. B. O. Mabie at the
First Baptist.
1.-THE King Of Terrors' as Pictured by the
Rev. Bird Wilkin in the Pilgrim
Church.
A Winnipeg Husband Whose Wife
Ran Away With u uandsomer
Man Than Himself.
Christmas Sermons in Two Churches
st. Paul's Trade--General
Social n OteS.
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST.
Interesting Sermon on That Eve
BY Rev. III. G. Mabie.

BY Rev. III. G. Mabie.
Rev. H. C. Mabie of the First Baptist
church preached an eloquent and interesting
sermon last evening on the birth of Christ,
and the historical facts and traditions of
that memorable event. The church was
filled with an audience that gave close at
tention. The text was from the second
chapter of the Gospel of st. Luke, the
fifteenth verse:
land it came to pass, as the angels were
gone away from them into heaven. the Shep-
herds said one to another, let us now go even
unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has
come to pass which the Lord hath made
known unto Us.
This language Of the shepherds first broke
the stiffness that had followed the song the
angels had waited upon the world. The
birth of the Savior was an event to be seen
rather than considered or dreamed about
and the sheperds at once set out upon their
Journey to Bethlehem to witness the birth
of Christ among the lowly surroundings of
the stable in which that event occurred,
and from them there has been handed down
to the present day an accurate description
of the event. Christianity is fact. There
are many men living in the present day that
demand facts and figures upon which to eS-
tablish their belief The story of Chris
tianity is as much of fact as was that of
the Roman empire the printing press, or
any of the great modern inventions. Trav-
eIers who have visited Palestine and been
in the chapel that has been erected there on
the site of ancient Bethlehem tell
us that we can now see the
exact spot where the angels appeared
to the shepherds. There is located now on
that spot chapel. Bethlehem was an Or
binary Judean village, a place OF vineyards.
located on the slope Of hill, and it was to
his place that the shepherds were directed.
We can readily perceive their eagerneSs as
they approached the place 1t is hard to at
tempt a description of the scene that met
their eyes. Painters have made brilliant a
scene that was i'll all of its surroundings
commonplace. They have depicted upon
canvas an exaggerated view of the circum-
nances and embellished it with brillianey
Of effect that did not exist. There was no
corona of brightness surrounding the infant
brow, no kneeIng of oxen. or devotion OF
doves, but il was similar to other scenes of
birth, and was in its appearance common
everyday occurrence.
IT WAS IN THE STABLE
If crowded village inn, the cattle and
lOrses off in one corner, and on the other
side a raised or elevated floor about foot,
probably, above the general level for the
people who were compelled to take refuge
within it. Joseph and Mary had journeyed
from their northern home at time of year
when hundreds of others were on the same
Journey to register themselves and pay their
axes, or titheS, to the Roman emperor.
Thrust by the crowded condition of the
place into mere howell to sleep, there, on
hat Christmas night, nearly 1900 years
ago, was born into the world, amid such
owly surroundings, the Savior. What a
sight it was that met the eyes of the shep-
nerds!
There is one scene that travellers in Pales-
line describe, and that is the grOtto or cave
IN which was located the stable in which
Christ was born. A marble slab marks the
supposed spot of the nativity, and in its eX-
act center is silver star encircled by six
teen ever-burning candles. This grotto has
Oeen accepted as the place of Christ's birth.
In all the accounts of local traditions
there is DO certainty, it is all rea-
soning, but in all events, if we are to
entertain ideas in regard to the
BIRTH let us entertain ideas that are reason
able, representing the birth as it would
probably be, not in all the tawdry shallow
ness and supersttious ceremony that is pic
that event. Christianity submits to its fol-
lowers system of truth and matters of
fact that can stand against all attacks. The
question is: Did God come into the world
by the birth of Jesus of Nazareth? If he
did, Christianity is established; il not it
falls to the ground and there is nothing in
the shattered fabric. 1t only asks investi-
CATION in an honest way, and that the evil
dence shall be credited. So clearly has the
historical facts and descriptions of these
times been established that Christianity adj
mits of all the evidence in its favor, just
the same as does science.
The life work of Christ while on earth
and the evangelists' description of the life
He lived settles this fact, and you cannot
be mlsled. But because some cannot accept
Old Testament statements like the whale
swallowing Jonah they cast aside the whole
of religion. You must begin at the begin
ming and give it your careful attention.
SkepticS who in their efforts to tear down
the cause of religion had gone to the ground
and there seen the evidences of what the
evangelists describe about Christ and his
life and acknowledge that the historical
facts are right. If you take the whole life
of Christ and His work as described by the
evangelists you must acknowledge its truth.
1t is no myth. Speaking of translation,
no one can ever bring out
THE RICH MEANING
of the words of the inspired evangelists, no
matter what version. That is a reason
why Christian ministers should be so thor
oughly educated in the Greek and Hebrew
tongues as to be able to correctly under
stand the roots of those languages so as to
be able to comprehend the correct meaning
of those disciples. In the propagation of
religion we should accept nothing except
what the word of God allows.
In speaking of Christ's work, the reyer-
and gentleman said that when it was
finished and he had gone, the disciples
were able to say, I'VE know the Son OF
God has come" They have handed down
to US record OF facts which unite to estab-
ish the truth of religion. Christianity, in
all the attacks ever made upon it, has never
enjoyed the prestige that it does at present,
and it has never been in better position to
pay no attention to the attacks made upon
it. The more the world investigates, the
more it comes to accept facts, the more il
will be driven to calvary to the open tomb
of Jesus, and compelled to acknowledge
the truthfulness of the descriptions Of
Christ handed down by the disciples.
TFE KING nE TRRRnRS