Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-01-09
BARN-LIKE BIRTHPLACES.
WHAT NAME IS MIGHTIEST TO-DAY
IN CHRISTENDOMp
MAJORITY OF FHE WORLDS GREAT
DELIVERERs HAD BARN-LIKE
REHTHPLACES.
DR.. rA1MAeE's SERMON. SUNDAY, DEC. so.

DROOKLYN, December 30.-In addition
ID to congregational singing at the TabeI-
nacle to- day, Mrs. Florence Rics Knox
sang two appropriate solos. The Rev. T.
Dewitt Talmage, DID,, preached. taking
for his subject: sBarn-like Birthplsces.'
His text was: "Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in ?
manger. And suddenly there was with the
angel multitude of the heavenly host. "
Luke ii, u, 13.
At midnight from one of the galleries OF
the sky a chant broke. To an ordinary OBJ
server there was Lo reason for such a celeE-
tial demonstration. A poor man and wife
travellers, Joseph and Mary BY name
bad lodged in the outhouse of an unimpcr-
tant village. The supreme hour of solem
nifty had passed, and upon the pallid fore
head and cheek of Mary, GOD had set the
dignity, the grandeur, the tenderness. the
everlasting and divine sgnifics nee Of moth
ct hoodd.
But such scenes had often occurred 10
Bethlehem, yet never before had star been
upfixed, or had a baton Of light marshalIed
over the hills winged orchestra. If there
had been such brilliant and mighty recog-
nition at sn advent in the House of Pharaoh,
or at an advent in the House Of Cesar, cI
tle aOus6 tl t1hpsouiS, III Lbo AiousO VI
Stuart, we would rot so much have won
deFed; but barn seems too poor a centre
for such delicate and zerchaDgelic circum-
ference. The stage seems too small for Sc
great an act, the music too grand for such
upappreciative auditors, the window Of the
stable loo rudo to be serenaded by other
worlds.
No, Sir. No, madam. 1t is my joy this
morning to tell yon what was born that
night in the village barn; and ss | want to
make my discourse acGumulatiye ard eli
macteric, l begin, in the inst place, By tell
ing you that that night in the Beihlehem
mange1 was born e. encouragement for all
.he poorly started. He had only two friends
they His parents. No satin-lned cradle
90 delicate attentions but straw, and the
coarse joke and banter Of the camel drivers
No wonder the medieval painters represent
the oxen ss kneeling before tho infant Jesus,
fer 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
ssrth than any other being? jesus. Be.
fore whom do the most thousands kneel IL
chapel and church and cathedral this hour?
Jesus. For whom could ono hundred mil
lion souls be marshalled, ready to fight or
die? Jesus. From what depths Of poverty
70 what height of renown! And 30 let ali
those who are poorly started remember that
they cannot be more poorly born, or more
disadvantagcously, than this Christ. Let
rhem look up to His example while they
have time and eteraity to initiate it.
Do you know that the vast majority OF
the worlds deIiveiers had barnlike birth
places2 Luther, the emancipator of reli.
glon, born among the mines. ShakEpere,
the emancipator Of literature, born in an
humble shome at Stratford-on- Avon. Co.
iumbus, the discoverer of world, born in
poverty at Genoa. Hogartb, the discover
er of how to make art sccumulative and ad
ministrative of virtue, born in an humble
home at Westmoreland. Kitto and Pride
aux, whose keys unlocked new apartments
in the Holy Scriptures which had never
been entered, born in want Yea, have
10 tell you that nine out of ten of the worlds
deliverers, nine out of ten of the worlds
messiahs-the messiahs of science, t he mes
siahs of law, the messiahs of medicine, the
messiahs of poverty, the messiahs of grand
bepevolence-were born in want.
| suppose that when Hershel, the great
astronomer, was born in the home of poor
musician, not only one star, but all the stars
ne afterward discovered, pointed down to
his manger. I suppose when Haydn, the
German composer, was born in the humble
home Of poor wheelwright, THAT all the
angels of music chanted over the mapger.
Oh, what encouragement for those who are
poorly started Ye who think yourselves
far down, aspire to go high up
stir your holy ambitions to-day, and l
want to tell you, altogether the whole world
may be opposed to you, and inside and out
side of your occupations or professions
there may be those vino would hinder your
ascent, on your side and enlisted in your
behalf 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 sxsddiing
clothes and laid in a manger. Oh, what
magnificent encouragement for the poorly
started!
II. Again, | have to tell you that in that
village barn that night was born good will
to meD, whether you call it kindness, or
forbearsnce, or forgiveness, or geniality, OF
affection, or love. 1t was no sport of high
heaven to send its faEori;s to thai hunliia-
tion. 1t was sacrifices for rebellious
world. After the calamity in Paradise, not
only did the OK begin to gore, and the adder
10 sting, and tho elephant to smte 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
Matched out war and revenge aud malice
and envy and Jealousy, and the whole brood
Of cockstrices.
But against that scene I set the Bethle-
hem mauger, which says: ''B!ess rather
than curse, endure rather than assault, -
and that Christmas night puts out yindic-
tiyeness. 1t says: 'Sheatne your sword,
dismopnt your guns, dismautle your bat
teries, turn the war ship Constellation, that
carried shot and shell, into grain ship tc
take food to famishing Ireland, hook your
cavalry horses to the pillow, use your dead
ly gunpowder in blasting rocks and in pa
triotic celebration: stop your lawsuits, quit
writing anonymous letters, extract the sting
from your sarcasm, let your wit coruscate,
but never burn, drop all the harsh words
out of your vocabulary Good will to