West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-01-05

gave about 1887 years ago, and he gave it on
a Christmas night, and it was OF such value
that heaven adjourned for n recess, and came
down and broke through the clouds 10 look
at H. Yea, in all ages God has honored
childhood. He makes almost every picture
failure unless there be n child either playing
on the floor, or looking through the window,
or seated on the lap gazing into the face OF
its mother IL was a child in Naaman's
kitchen that told the great Syrian war
rior where no might go and get cured
OF the leprosy, which at his seventh
plunge in tho Jordan, was left at
the bottom of the river. IL was to the
cradle OF leaves I'm which child was laid,
rocked by the Nile, that God called the at
tention OF history. IL was sick child that
evoked Christ curative sympathies 10 was
child that Christ sat in the midst of the
squabbling disciples TO teach the lesson OF
humility. We are informed that wolf and
leopard and lion shall yet be so domesticated
that little child shall lead them. A child
decided Waterloo, showing the army OF
Bluchor how they could take n short cut
through the fields. when, IL the old road
had been followed, the Prussian gem
eral would have come up too late
to save the deStinies Of Europe It
was child that decided Gettysburg,
he having overheard two Confederate GEN
erals in a conversation, in which they de-
cided TO march for Gettysburg instead OF
Harrisburg, and Unsupported 10 Governor
Curtin, the Federal forces started TO meet
their opponents at Gettysburg. And the
child Of to-day is TO decide all the great bat
ties, make all the laws, settle all the desti-
MES and usher in the worlds salvation or
destruction. Men, women, nations, all earth
and all heaven, behold the child Is there
any velvet so soft as n chids cheekl is there
any sky so blue as n childs eyel Is there any
music 80 sweet as childs voicei Is there
any plume so wavy as a child's HART
Notice also that in this Bible night scene
God honored science. Who are the three
wise men kneeling before the divine infants
Not Doors, not ignoramuses, but Caspar, Bel
thasar and Mechior, men who knew all that
was 10 be known They were the lssac New
tons and Herschels and Faradays OF their
time Their alchemy was the forerunner of
our sublime chemistry, their astrology the
mother of our magnificent astronomy. They
had studied stars, studied metals studied
physiology, studied everything. And when i
see these scientistsbowing before the beautiful
babe, see the prophecy of the time when all
the telescopes and microscopes, and all the
Leyden jars, and all the electric batteries,
and all the observatories, and all the
universities shall bow to Jesus. IL is much
that way already. Where is the college that
does not have morning prayers, thus bowling
at the mangert Who have been the greatest
physlclansf Emitting the names OF the liv-
ing, lest we should be invidious, have we not
had among them Christian men like our own
Joseph &. Hutchinson, and Rush, and Valen-
tine Mott, and Abercrombie, and Abernethyl
Who have been our greatest scientistsl 10.
seph Henry, who lived and died in the faith
OF the Gospel, and AgassiZ, who, standing
with his students among the hills, took off
his hat and said: young gentlemen, before
we stu ly these rocks let us pray for wisdom
TO the God who made the rocks" To-
day the greatest doctors and lawyers
OF Brooklyn and New York, and OF all
this land, and of all lands revere the Chris
tian religion, and are not ashamed TO say so
before juries and legislatures and senates
All geology will yet bow before the Rock of
Ages. All botany will yet worship the Rose
OF Sharon. All astronomy will yet recognize
the Star of Bethlehem. And physiology and
anatomy will Join hands and say: We must
by the help Of God get the human race up to
the perfect nerve, and perfect muscle and
perfect brain, and perfect form of that per
feet child before whom nigh twenty hundred
years ago Caspar, and Belthasar, and Mel
chor bent their tired knees I'M worship.
Behold also in that first Christmas night
that God honored the fields Come in shep
herd boys, TO Bethlehem and see the child.
NO, they say; I'VE are not dressed good
enought to come in" ''Yes, you are, come
i'm Sure enough, the storms and the night
dew and the brambles have made rough work
with their apparel, but none have "a better
right to come IN. They were the first to hear
the music OF that Christmas night. The first
announcement OF a Saviours birth was made
90 those men in the fields. There were wise
acres that night in Bethlehem and Jerusalem
snoring in deep sleep, and there were sal
AIRED officers of government who, hearing
of it afterward, may have thought that
they ought to have had the first news OF
such great event, some one dismounting
from swift camel at their door and knock
ing till at some sentinels question. Who
comes therei" the great ones OF the palace
might have been told of the celestial arrival:
No; the shepherds heard the first two bars OF
the music, the first in the major key and the
last in the subdued minor: "GlorY to God
IN the highest, and on earth peace, good will
TO men, All, yes; the fields were honored
Inc old shepherds with plaid and crook have
for the most part vanished but we have graz
ingon our United States pasture fields and
prairie about forty-five million sheep-and all
their keepers ought TO follow the shephel d.
OF my text, and all those who toll in the fields
all wine dreSsers, all orchardsts, all hus-
bandmen. Not only that Christmas night,
but all up and down the worlds history Col
has been honoring the fields Nearly al the
meSsiahs OF reform aud literature, and elo-
quence, and law, and benevolence have
come from the fields Washington from the
fields, Jefferson from the fields The pres.-
ddntial martyrs, Garfield and Lincoln, from
the fields. Henry CLAY from the fields.
Daniel Webster from the fields. Martin
Luther from the fields. And before this
world is right the overlooking populations Of
our crowded cities will have to take to the
fields. Instead of ten merchants in
rivalry as TO who shall sell that
one apple, we want at least eight
Of them 20 90 out and raise apples.
Instead Of ten merchants desiring TO sell that
n
of them 70 go out and raise wheat. The
world wants more hard hands, more bronzed
checks more muscular arms. To the fields!
God honored them when He woke up the
shepherds by the midnight anthem, and He
viii, while the world lasts continue 70 honor
tho fields When the shepherds crook was
| that famous night stood against the wall Of
the Bethlehem kahn, 70 was a prophecy OF the
/ time when the thrcsher's fail, and farmers
\ plow, and wOodman's AK and ox's yoke, and
sheaf binders rake shall surrender TO the God
\ who made the country as man made the
\ town.
| Behold also that on that Christmas night
God hOnored motherhood. Two angels on
their wings might have brought an infant
Saviour 20 Bethlehem without Mary's being
| there ut all When the villagers, ON the
! morning Of Dec. D. awoke, by divine ar
rangemeut and I'm some unexplained way,
\ tho child Jesus might have been found In
D some comfortable cradle OF the village. But
| no, mol Motherhood for all time was 60 be-
/ c0nsocrated, ard one Of tho tonderest Tela-
I tons was 10 be the maternal relation and
\ ono o. Che sweetest words mother" u nll
I ages God has hOnored good motherhood
John Wesley had n good mother. 81 Bernard
had q good mother. Samuel Budget n good
b mother, Doddrdge a good mother, Walter
I Scott a good mother, Benjamin West good
mother. In great audience, most of
whom were Christians. ] asked that all those
who had been blessed Of Christian mothers
arise. and almost the entire assembly stood
uu IIrU'r won nneg ffuuurfnuf &C. ia that