Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-01-09

I
world. Angels under the world. Angels ali
around the world.
/ Rub the dust Of human imperfection ont
of your eyes, and look into the heavens and
see angels OF pity. angels of mercy, angels Of
pardon, angels OF help, angels croSvnsd
angels charioted- The world defended by
angels graded by angels, cohorted by ANGELS
clouds OF angels. Hear David cry out:
"Ihe charIots of God are twenty Thousand
Even thousands OF angels" But the nights
est angel stood not that night in the clouds
over bethlehem; the mightiest angel that
nlght lay among the cattle-the Angel of the
new covenant
AS the clean, white linen sent in by some
motherly yillager was being wrapped around
the little form OF that Child EilI,eror nor a
cheruo, not serap not an angel. not a
world but wept aud thrilled aud sboute 4
Oh yes, our world is only silver RUG OF a
great ladder, at the top Of which IS our
fatherss house. No more stellar solitariness
for our world, not a friendless planet spun
out into SPACE to freeze. but a wor,d in the
Dosou OF irvine maternity. A star harileseI
TO manager.
~. 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. Oh no. wanted YOU TO rise
toward It. l wanted you TO examine the
comedians and the Jaspers and the emerald,
and the chrysalis before | showed you the
hohinoor-tne crown Jewel OF the ayes.
Oh! That Jewel had very poor settinr
The cub of bear is born amid the grand old
pillars OF the forest. the whelp OF the lion
takes its first step from he jungle of lux
uriant leaf and wild Ito Aer the Kid of goat
is born in cavern chandeliers with sta lart. lie
and pillared with stalagnite. Christ was
born IN a bare barn. Yet that nativity was
the offender hop. Over the door OF heaven
are written these words: "None but the sin
less may enter here.
''Oh, horror you say, "that shuts us all
out No. Christ came to the world in one
door and He departed through another door
he cnme through the door of thu manager
and He departed through the door of the sep
ulcher, and His one business was so to wash
away our sins that one second after we are
dead there will be no more sin about us than
about the eternal God.
know that is putting il strongly. bit that
Is what understand by full remission. All
erased, all washed away, all secured out all
gone. Tint undergrding and overreaching
and irradiating and imparadising 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 wonder
that we take organ and cornet and youthful
voice and queenly soloist to celebrate III DO
you wonder that Raphael and Rubens and
Titan and Giotto ana Ghirlanda 10, and all
the mightiest stroke OF the pencil to sketch
the Madonna, Mary and her boy.
OH now see what the manger was. Not
so high as the ri ded aud ieweled and EN-
broidered cradle of the Henrys OF England,
or the Louises of France. or the Fredericks
of Prussia. Now find out of that Beth'e-
hem crib fed not so much the oxen of the
stall as the white horses of Apocalyptic Wis
ion. Now find the swaddling clothes en-
larging and einblazonlng into an imperial
TO for 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 l come To understand
that the music OF that night not com
plete song, but only the stringing of the in
struments for great chorus OF two worlds,
the bass to be carried by earthly nations
saved, and the soprano by kingdoms OF glory
won.
"Oh, heaven. heaven, heaven shall meet
you there. Aftsr all our imperfections are
gone shall meet you there / look out to-
day, through the mist of years, through the
fog that rises from the cold Jordan, through
the wide open door of solid pearl, 10 that re-
union. | expect to see you there as certa nly
as see you here. What time we sha
have in high converse, talking over sins par
done1. and sorrows comfortsd, and battles
triumphant
am going in. am going 10 take all my
family with me. am going TO take all my
friends and neighhors with me | have 50
much faith in manager and cross feel sure
of It. | am going TO coax you IN. am going
to push you in. BY holy strategem / am GO
ing to surprise you in. ca with all the con-
centrated energy OF my nature-physical,
mental, spiritual and immortal am going
to compel you TO go in. / like you so well
want 10 spend eternity with youl
Some of your children have already gone
Some time ago | buried one of them. and
though people passing along the street ana
seeing white Grape on the doorbell may have
said: at is only a chid,n yet when the
broken hearted father came TO solicit my
service he said. Come around and comfort
us, for though she was ouly fifteen months
old we loved her so mnch.n All i does not
take long for a child to get its arms around
the parents whole nature
" hat a Christmas morning It VIII make
when those with whom you used TO keep the
holidays are all around you in heayenl Sill
yer haired old father young again, ana
mother who had 50 many aches and pains
AMI decrepitudes well again, and all your
brothers and sisters and the little ones How
glad they will lie tosee youl
They have been waiting. The last time
they saw your face IT was covered with tears
and distress, and pallid from long watching,
and one OF them | can imagine to-day, with
one hand holding fast The shining gate, and
the other hnnd swung out toward you, say
ing:
Steer this way, father. steer straight for me:
Here cafe in heaven ] am waiting Tor thee.
OH those Bethlehem angels when they
went back after the concert that night over
the hills, forgot to shut the door. All the
secret is out No more use OF trying to hide
from us the glories to come lt IS too late to
shat the gate. IL is blocked wide open with
bosannas marching this way and halleluJahs
that way.
What almost humans me is the thought
that it is provided for such sinners as you
and have been. If 10 had been provided
only for those who had always thought
right. and spoken right and acted right, you |
and I would have had no interest in it, had |
no share in it: you and | would have stuck |
to tbe raft mid ocean, and let the ship sail |
tr. CARRYING perfect passengers from per
feet life on earth 10 a perfect lie IN heaven.
OH have heard the Commander OF that |
shin is the same great and glorious and sym
One who hushed the tempest around |
he boat on Galilee- and | have heard that
ali the passengers on the ship are sinners
saved by grace And SO we hail the ship |
and it bears down this way. and we come by /
h. e;da of IL and ask the CAPTAIN two QueS- i