The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-31
BARNLIKE BIRTHPLACES.
TALMAGE breaches ON THE
BIRTH OF THE SAVIOUR.

Deliverers Had Barnlike Birthplaces.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 30.-In addition to
congregational singing at the Tabernacle
to-day, Mrs. Florence Rice-Knox sang two
appropriate solos. The Rev. I. Dewitt
Talmage, D. D., preached, taking for his
subject: "Barnlike Birthplaces." His text
was: "Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel multi
tude of the heavenly host. Luke ii. IL, Is.
AT midnight from one of the galleries OF
the sky chant broke. To au ordinary
observer there was no reason for such a
celestial demonstration. A poor man and
wife--travelers, Joseph and Mary by name
had lodged in an clubhouse Of an unim-
portant village. The supreme hour of
.solemnity had passed, and upon the pallid
forehead and cheek of Mary God had set
the dignity, the grandeur, the tenderness,
the everlasting and divine significance OF
motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred in
Bethlehem, vet never before had star
bee unfixed, or had baton of light mar
shaled over the bills winged orchestra. II
there had been such brilliant and mighty
recognition at al advent in the house OF
Pharash, or at an advent in the house of
Caesar, or the house of Hapsburg, or the
house of Stuart, we would not SO much
have wondered; but barn seems too poor
a center for such delicate and archangelic
circumference. The stage seems too small
for SO great an act, the music too grand for
such unappreciative auditors, the window
of the stable too rude to be serenaded by
other worlds.
No, sir. No, madam. It is my joy this
morning to tell you what was born that
night in the village barn; and as 1 want to
make my discourse accumulative and
climacteric, l begin, in the first place, by
telling you that that night in the Bethlehem
manger was born H. encouragement for all
the poorly started. He had only two friends
they his parents. No satin-lined cradle,
no delicate attentions, but straw, and the
cattle, and the coarse joke and banter of the
| camel drivers. No wonder the medieval
painters represent the oxen as kneeling be-
fore the infant Jesus, for there were no
men there at that time to worship. From
the depths OF what poverty he rose until
to-day he is honored in all christendom,
and sits on the imperial throne in heaven.
What name is mightiest to-day in chris
tendon? Jesus. Who has more friends on
earth than any other beings Jesus Be-
fore whom do the most thousands kneel in
| chapel ard church and cathedral this hour
Jesus. For whom could one hundred mil
| lion souls be marshaled, ready to fight or
to what height of renown! And SO let all
| those who are poorly started remember
| that they cannot be more poorly born, or
more disadvantageously than this Christ.
Let them look up to his example while they
have time and eternity to initiate it.
Do you know that the vast majority of
the worlds deliverers had barnlike birth
placess Luther, the emancipator OF re-
ligion, born among the mines. Shake
speare, the emancipator of literature, born
in al humble home at Stratford-on-Avon.
Columbus. the discoverer of a world, born
in poverty at Genoa. Hogarth, the discov-
erer of how to make art accumulative and
administrative of virtue born in humble
home at w Westmoreland. Kiuto and Prideaux,
whose keys u ullocked new apartments in the
holy scriptures which had never been en-
tered, born in want Yea, / have to tell you
that nine out of ten Of the worlds discover.
ers, nine out of ten of the worlds mes
siahs--the messiahs of science, the messiahs
of law, the messiahs of medicine. the mes
slabs of poverty, the messiahs of grand be-
nevolence-were born in want.
suppose that when Herschel, the great
astronomer, was born in the home of a
poor musician, not ouly one star, but all
the stars he afterward discovered, pointed
down to his manger. / suppose when
Haydn, the German composer, was born in
the humble home OF poor whealwright,
that all the angels of music chanted over
the manger. Oh, what encouragement for
those who are poorly startedl Ye who
think yourselves far down aspire to go high
upl
stir your holy ambitions to-day, and !
want to tell you, although the whole world
may be opposed to you, and inside and out
side of your occupations or professions
there may be those who would hinder your
ascent, on your side and enlisted in your be-
half are the sympathetic heart and the
almighty arm Of one who one Christmas
night, about eighteen hundred and eighty
eight years ago, was wrapped in swaddling
clothes and laid IN manger. Oh, what
magnificent encouragement for the poorly
startedi
2. Again, have to tell you that in that
village barn that night was born good will
to men, whether you call it kindness, OF
forbearance, or forgiveness, or geniality, or
affection, or love. 1t was no sport of high
heaven to send its favorite to that hunilia-
tion. 1t was sacrifice for a rebellious
world. After the calamity in Paradise, not
only did the OK begin TO gore, and the
adder to sting, and the elephac. TO smite
with his tusk, and the Lion to put to bad
use tooth and paw, but under the very tree
from which the forbidden fruit was plucked
were hatched out war and revenge and
malice and envy and jealousy, and the
But against that scene | set the Bethlehem
manger, which says: "Bless rather than
curse, endure rather than assault" and that
Christmas night puts out vindictiveness.
1t says: "Sheathe your sword, dismount
your guns, dismantle your batteries, turn
the war ship Constellation, tlat carried
shot ard shell, into grain ship TO take food
TO famishing Ireland, hook your cavalry
horses 10 the plow, use your deadly gun
powder in blasting rocks and in patriotic
celebration, stop your lawsuits, quit writ
ing anonymous letters, extract tho sting
from your sarcasm, lot your wit coruscate
but never burn, drop all the harsh words
out Of your vocabulary-'good will to
menu
"Ohm you say. 81 can't exercise IL;
won't exercise it until they apologize;
won't forgive them until they ask me TO for
give them" You are no christian them
say you are no christian, or you are very
inconsistent christian. IL you forgive not
men their trespasses, how can you expect
your Heavenly Father 10 forgive youi
Forgive them II they ask your forgiveness.
and forgive them anyhow. Shake hands
all around GOOD will to men,
Oh, my Lord Jesus, drop that spirit into
our hearts this Chrristmas hour. | tell you
what the world wants more than anything
else--more helping hands, more sympa-
thetic hearts, moro kind words that never
die, more disposition 10 give other people n
ride, and 10 carry the heavy end OF the load
and give other people the light end and 10
aeeribe good motives instead OF bad and 10