The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-12-31

the fact shat III, wise men OF tin, East came
to Christ. They were not fools: tn " were
net inbecilcs. The record distinctly says
that the wise men clm. to Christ. We say
they Were the magi, or they were tn, al
chemists. or they were tn, PSYCHOLOGISTS,
and We say il with depreciat:ng aecentua-
ton Why. they were the, most splead
and magnificent men of the century: they
were the naturalists and the scientists: they
knee all that was known. YOU must re-
member that astroloyy was the mother CT
astronomy. and that alchemy was the
mother Of ch ,mis.ry. aud because childr n
are brighter than the mother, you do not
6espiSe the mother.
II was the lifelong business of these as
trologists to study tbs stars. Twenty-Five
hundred and fifty years before Christ was
born the wise men knew the procession OF
the equinozes. and they had calculated the
orbit and return Of the comets. Prof.
Smith declares that he thinks they knew
the distance of the earth from the sun. We
find in the book of JOB that the men of
oldcn time did not suppose the world was
tat. as some have sad, but he knew. and
the men of his time knew. the world was
globular. The Pyramids were built for
astrological and astronomical study.
Then the s.lchemIsts spent their lives in
the study Of metals, and glscs and liquids,
and solids, aad liz filing the worlds libra
ries with their discoveries. They were
vastly wise men who came to the East.
They understood Gmbalmcnt as our most
scientific men can not understand il After
the world has gone on studying HIM
dredS Of years it may come w IL that point
where the aucients began TO forget. l be-
lieye the lost arts are as mighty as the liv-
ing arts
They were wise men that came from tn,
East. aai tradition SAYS the three wisest
came-Casper. a young man: Ba.thazar. Il
man in mii-life. and Malchior. an octo-
genari&n: the three wiseSt men of all the
century. They came to the manager. Who
Was the greatest metaphysician this couu-
try has ever Produced: Jonathan Ed
wards. the Christian. WAC WIS tho
greatest astronomer of the world. Her
schel. the Chris ian Who was the greatest
poet ever produced. John Milton, the
Christian. Who was the wisest writer on
law: Blackstone. the Christian. Wig il
it that every college and university in tho
for the wise men TO worship.
Gene. now. let US understand ii ounces
aad by inches this whole matter. In post
norton examination the brains of distin-
guished men have been examined. and
Will find the largest. the heaviest. the
mightiest brain ever produced in An erica.
ana | will ask what that brain thought of
Christ. There it Is, the brain weighing
S Xty-threc ounces. the largest brain ever
pro .uced in America. Now. let me find
what that brain thought of Christ. In the
dying moment. that man said: Lord,
believe: help Thou mine unbeiief. What
ever else do, Aim ghty God. receive me
10 Thyself for Ch-ist's sake. This night
snail be in life, and Joy. and blcssedrc- ="
So Diniel Webster came to the manger.
The wise men of the East followed By tho
wise men of the West.
Know also IL this scene that il was
winter month that God chose for His sons
nativity. Had it been the month of MAY
that is the season of blossoms. Had it been
the month of JGnc-tha: is the month of
roses Had IL been IN the month of July
that is month of great harvests. Had it
been in the month OF Septemoer-that Is the
season of ripe orchards. Had it been in the
i.i2nth of Octo5e--that is the season of up
Aolstered forests. But He was born ii the
month Of December. when there are no
flowers blooming out of doors. and when
all the harvests that have not bcrn gath
cred uD have pcriShni. and when tncra are
no fruits ripaniag on the hill. and when tao
leaves are drir:cd over the bare earth.
lit was IN closing December that He was
born. to show this is Il Chs. for people III
sharp blast. for pcor,e under ciouiei sky.
foc people with frosted hopes, for people
with thermometer below zero. for people
showed under. \ DecemNcr Chris. That
= the reason He IS SO often found among
the destitute. You can fini Il II on any
night coming of tho n >ors-you can sec
HIM any night coming through the dari.
lanes of the clty-ycC can see HIN putting
HIS hand under the fainting head in the
paupcr'S cabin. He remembers how the
wind wEistled around the caravansarr i'll
Bethlehem that December night. and lie IS
IN sympathy with al those who i'll their
poverty hCac the shutters chatter On 4 cod
night
Il was this December Christ thu. Wash
iu-ton AMI his army worshiped at Valley
Forge. when. without blankets. they lay
down in The December snow. 1. was this
Christ that the Pilgrim Fathers appealed
to wheI. the Mayllow wharfei 1T Ply
mouth Rex. and in the years thSt went uy
the graves diggcd We're more III Iumocr
than the houses built. Oh. l tell you. We
want = December Christ, not Christ fox
fair weather. but a Christ for dark days
clouded WITH SICKNESS, and chilling with
and sutocating with be-
and terrific with wide open
graves. Not a spring-time Christ. not a
60. OF h,,t
D winter Christ.
Oh, this suffering and struggling world
needs to be hushed and soothed and rocked,
!uilabied in the arms of sympathetic Onl-
lIpotcnce, No mother ever with more
tenderness put her foe. or the rocker Of a
sex child. than Christ comes down tc US,
to this invalid world, and He rocks i: into
placidi:y and quietness as He says: MY
peace give unto you; n ct as the world Civ |
eth, give l unto you" Oh, you broken
you prosecuted and tried
&c uls oh. you burden bearers this day |
leclare unto you December Christ,
Notice. also. a fact which no one seems to |
lotice. that this Christ was born among !
he sheep. and the cattle. and the horses, |
md the cImelS. in order that He might be |
IN aileviating influence to the whole animal |
,reation- 1t means mercy for overdriven, |
poorly-sheltcred, CALLED and NAL |
reatet animal creation. Hath the Christ |
Who compared Himself to a dove no care |
or the cruelties Of the pigeon shooting! /
Hath the Christ who compared Himself to /
! iamo no care for the sheep tina: |
re tied and contorted. and with neck over |
ne sharp edge of the butchers cart; or the |
attic train in hot weather from Omaha to |
>ew York, with 10 water-ifteen hundred /
niles of agony. Hath the Christ whose /