The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-31

SoOu Will w iucl.
"Oh!" you say, ~ can't exercise It;
won't exercise it until they apologize;
won't forgive them until they ask me 10
forgive them" Your are no Christian
then-l say you are no Christian, or you
are a very inconsistent Christian. II you
forgive not men their trespasses, how can
you expect your Heavenly Father to for
give you? Forgive them il they ask your
forgiveness, and forgive them anyhow.
Shake hands all around. Good will 10
men,
Oh, my Lord Jesus, drop that spirit
into our hearts this Christmas hour. | tell
you Whit the world wants more than any
thing else-more helping hands, more
sympathetic hearts, more kind words that
never die, more disposition to give other
people u ride, and to carry the heavy end
OF the load aud give other people the
light end, and to ascribe good motives
instead Of bad, and to find our happiness
in making others happy.
Out of that Bethlehem crib let the bear
and the lion eat straw like an OK. Good
will TO men," That principle will yet set
! tie all controversies, and under IL the
world will keep on improving until there
will be only two antagonists in all the
earth, and they will side by side take the
jubilant sleigh-ride intimated by the
prophet when he said: Holmes shall be
on the bells Of the horses"
3. Again, remark that born that
Christmas night in the village barn was
sympathetic union with other worlds. The
only skeptcism l have ever had about
Christianity was an astronomical skepti-
cism which said: "Why would God out Of
the heavens and amid the Jupiters and
Saturns OF the universe have chosen our
little bit OF world for the achievements of
His only begotten Son when he might
have had vaster scale and vaster worlds?''
But my skeDticism is all gone as come TO
the manager and watch its surroundings.
Now | see all the worlds are sisters, and
that when one weeps they all weep. and
when one sings they all sing.
From that supernatural grouping In the
cloud-banks over Bethlehem, and from the
especial trains that ran down TO the scene,
| find that our world Is beautifully and
gloriously and magnifcently surrounded.
The meteors nre with us, for one Of them
ran TO point down to the birthplace. The
heavens are with us, because at the
thought OF our redemption they roll
hosannas out Of the midnight sky.
Oh! yes; i do not know but our world
may he better surrounded than we have
sometimes imagined; and when a child Is
born angels fetch II, and when II dies
angels take II, and when an old man bends
under the weight OF years angels uphold
him, and when a heart breaks angels
soothe il. Angels in the hospital to
take care OF the sick. Angels in
the cemetery 10 watch our dead. Angels
in church ready TO fly heavcnward with
the news OF rcpentant souls. Angels above
the world. Angels under the world. An
gels all around the world.
Rub the dust OF human impericciion out
OF our eyes, and look into the heavens and
see angels Of pity, angels OF mercy, angels
Of pardon, angels OF help, angels crowned,
angels chariote1. The world defended by
angels, girdled by angels, cohoricd by
Of angels. Hear David cry
out "Tho ohariots Of God aro 10000.
Even thousands OF angels" But the
mightiest angel stood not that night la the
clouds over Bethlehem; tho mghlicst
angel that night lay among the cattle-thc
angel OF the new covenant.
As the clean white linen sent In by
NAAh' AhhNAANAAN NAlNNkil NaAN NflAlE MINIIlfl
around the little form OF that Child En-
peror, not n chcrub, not scmph, not an
angel, not a world but wopt and thrilled
and shouted. Obi yes, our world has
plenty OF syinpathizers. Our world is only
a silver rung OF great ladder. at the top
OF which is our Fathers house. No more
stellar soliiarincss for our world, not a
iriondlcss planet spun out into space TO
freeze, but a world In the bosom Of divine
maternity. A star harncssed 10 a manger.
4. Again, ! remark that that night born
in that village barn was the offenders
hope. Some sermonizcrs NAV say | ought
to have projected this thought at the be.
ginning Of this sermon. OH no.
wanted you 10 rise toward H. wanted
you 10 examine the comedians and the las
pcn and the cmcralds and the chrysalis
before ! showed you the KohinOor-the
crown jewel OF tho agcs
OH that jewel had very poor setting.
The cub Of bear is born amid the grand
old pillars Of the forest, the whelp OF the
lion takes is first step from the Jungle Of
luXuriant leaf and wild flower. the kid OF
goat " born In cavern chandallcrcd with
and pillafcd with slalagmic.
Christ was born In bare barn. Yet that
nativity was the offenders hope. Over
the door Of heaven arc written these
words None but the sinlcss may enter
here"
ooh, horror" you say, "that shuts rs
all out" No. Christ came b. the world
in one door aud departed through another
door. lie came through the door Of the
mangcr, and lie departed through the
door Of the scpulchrc, and Ills one bui.
ness was 70 10 wash away our sin that one
second after wc are dead there will bc no
morc sin about us than about the eternal
God.
know that Is putting Il strongly, bu,
that IS what ] undoniand by full rcmis.
sion. All crascd, all washed away, all
secured out, all gone. That undertaking
and oycmrching aud irmdinting aud im-
possibility for you aud Tor mo
aud for the whole race was given on that
Christmas night.
DO YOU wonder we bring flowers today
10 cclcbmto such an EVENT. DO YOU won.
der that We take organ aud cornet aud
youthful voice and quccnly soloist 10 cello.
brto W. DO you wonder that Raphael
aud Rubcns and Titan AMI Giotto and
aud all the old Italian and
German painters gave the mighiicst stroke
Of the pencil q sketch the Madonna, Mary
AMI her lioy7
OH now J see Nha, the mingcr vas.
Not 10 high ~ the gilded and icwclcd anil
embroidered cradle Of the llcnrys Of
England or the l.ouiscs Of France or tho
lrdcrlcks Of Prussia Nov fnd out Of
that Bethlehem Glib tel not 10 much tho
oxen oi TIE stall ~ the white hor,os Of
Aplcllyplic vision. Now lid the
sNaddling clothes tnluSing aud ON.
1lazDning into an imperial roio for
A conqucrUr Now hnl that
Inc star Of that Chrislmas night WIS only
tho diamond sandal oi Him who hath tho