The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-31

The 0OrSeS.
s. Again, remark that born that Christ
mas night in the village barn was sympa-
thetic union with other worlds. The only
skepticism have ever had about Christian
ity was an astronomical skepticism 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 be-
gotten son when, he might have had
vaster scale and vaster worldsW But my
skepticism is all gone as / come to the
manger and watch its Surroundings. Now
/ see al 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, l
find that our world is beautifully and glo-
riously and magniicently surrounded. The
meteors are 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; / do not know but our world
may be better surrounded than we have
SO netimes Imagined, and when child is
born angels fetch it, and when it dies angels
take it, and when an old man bends under
the weight of years angels uphold him, and
when heart breaks angels soothe it.
Angels in the hospital to take care of the
sick Angels in the cemetery to watch our
dead. Angels in church ready to fly heaven
ward with the news of repentant souls.
Angels above the world. Angels under the
world. Angels all around the world.
Rub the dust of human imperfection 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 charioted. The world defended by
angels, girdled by angels, cohorted by
angels-clouds of angels. Hear David cry
out: "The chariots of God are twenty thou
sand, even thousands Of angelsn But the
mightiest angel stood not that night in the
clouds over bethlehem; the mi ghtiest angel
that night lay among the cattie-the angel
of the new covenant.
AS the clean white linen sent in by some
motherly vllager was beng wrapped
around the little form Of that child EN-
peror not cherub, not seraph, not an
angel, not world but wept and thrilled
and shouted. OH yes, our world has plenty
of sympatnizers. Our world is only a silver
rung of great ladder at the top Of which
is our fathers house. No more steller sell
tariness for our world, not a friendless
planet spun out into space to freeze, but
world in the bosom of divine maternity. 4
star harnessed to manger.
4. Again, remark that that night born
in that village barn was the offenders hope.
Some sermonizers may say ought TO have
projected this thought at the beginning of
the sermon. Obi no. wanted you to rise
toward it. wanted yon to examine the
comedians and the jaspers and the emeralds
and the chrysalis before | showed you the
Kohinoor---the crown jewel of the ages.
Ohi 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
fol ne Hrcf tha cf Inv
uriant leaf aud wild flower, the kid of goat
is born in cavern chandeliered with stalac-
tite and pillared with stalagmite. Christ
was born in bare barn. Yet that nativ-
ity was the offenders hope. Over the door
of heaven are written these words: "None
but the sinless may enter here"
''Oh, horror yon say, 'that shuts us all
out.'' No. Christ came to the world in
one door, and he departed through another
door. He came through the door of the
manger. ard he departed through the door
of the sepulcher, and his one business was
so to wash away our sin that one second
after we are dead there will be no more sin
about us than about the eternal God.
know that is putting it strongly, but
that is what understand by full remission.
All erased all washed away, all secured
out, all gone. That undertaking and over
afching and irradiatins and inparadising
possibility for you, and for me, and for the
whole race was given on that Christmas
night.
Do you wonder we bring flowers to-day
to celebrate such an event! Do you won
der that we take organ and oornet and
youthful voice and queenly soloist to cele-
brate it? Do you wonder that Raphael and
Rubens and Titan and Giotto and Ghirlan-
dajo, and all the old Italian and German
painters gave the mightiest stroke of the
pencil to sketch the Madonna, Mary and
her boy.
Ohl now l SEQ what the manger was.
Not so high the gilded and jeweled and en-
broidered cradle of the Henrys of England,
or the Louises of France, or the Fredericks
of Prussia Now find out of that Bethle-
hem crib fed not SO much the oxen of the
stall as the white horses of Apocalyptic
vision. Now l find She swaddhng clothes
enlarging and emblazoning into an i'm
periai robe for a conqueror. Now | find
that the star of that Christmas night was
only the diamond sandal Of him who hath
the moon under his feet. Now | come to
understand that the music of that night
stringing of the instruments for a great
chorus of two worlds, the bass to be carried
by earthly nations saved, and the soprano
by kingdoms of glory won.
Oil heaven. heaven, heavep / shall
meet you there. After all our imperfec-
tions are gone shall meet you there. /
look out to-day, through the mist Of years,
through the fog thai rises from the cold
Jordan, through the wide-open door of solid
pearl, to that reunion. expect 10 see you
there as certainly as l see you here What
a time we shall have in high converse, talk
ing over sins pardoned and sorrows com
forted and battles triumphant
am going in. / am going 10 take all
my family with me. am going TO take
all my church with me. am going to
take all my friends and neighbors with me-
have so much faith in manger and cross
feel sure Of it. am going TO coax you in.
am going to push you in. BY holy STRAIT
agem ] am going to surprise you In. Yea,
with all the concentrated energy OF my ma
ture-physical, mental, spiritual and i'm
mortal-I am going TO compel you TO 20 in.
like you SO well | want to spend eternity
with you.
Some Of your children have already gone.
Some time ago | buried one of them, and
though people passing along the street and
seeing white Grape on the doorbell may
have said, sit is only child" yet when the
broken-hearted father came 10 solicit my
service he said Come around aud com
fort us, for though she was only Is
months old we loved her 30 much" Ahl
it does not take long for a child 10 get It's
arms around the parents whole nature.
What Christmas morning IL will make
when those with whom you used TO keep
the holidays are all around you heaven
Silvor-haired old father young again, and