Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30

6nepnerok, Dut II Bpfang upward among tue
thrones. The robe Of Savior's righteous
ness is not black. The Christian life is not
/ made up Of weeping and cross bearing and
war waging. Through the revelation of that
Christmas night find that religion is not
groan, but q song. In a world of sin and
sick bed and sepulchers, we must have
trouble; but in the darkest night the heavens
! part with angelic song. You may. like
Paul, be shipwrecked. but exhort you to
be of good cheer, for you shall all escape
safe to the land.
NOT LIKE A CLOAK
Religion does not show itself ia the elon-
cation Of the face and the cut Of the earb.
| The Pharisee who puts his religion into his
| phylactery has none left for his heart.
Fretfulness and complaining do not belong
to the family of Christian graces which
move into the heart when the devil moves
out Christianity does not frown upon
amusements and recreations. 1t is not
cynic, it is not shrew, it chokes no laugh
ter, it quenehes no light, it defaces no art.
Among the happy, ii is the happiest. 1t is
! Just as much at home on the playground as
it is in the church. It is just as graceful in
the charade as it is in the psalm book. 1t
sings Just as we'll in Surrey gardens as it
prays in ST. Paul's Christ died that we
might live. Christ walked that we might
ride Christ wept that we might laugh.
Again, my subject impresses me with the
fact that glorious endings sometimes have
very humble beginnings. The straw pallet
was the starting point, but the shout in the
midnight sky revealed what would be the
glorious consummstion. Christ on Mary's
lap, Christ on the throne Of universal do
minion-what an humble starting What
a glorious endingl Grace begins on small
l. Al nlu
trees walking. The grace Of God IN the
heart is feeble spark, and Christ has to
keep both hands over it lest it be blown out
What an humble beginning
THE CLIMAX OF CONTRASTS.
But look at that same man when he has
entered heaven. No crown able to express
his royalty. No palace able to express his
wealth. No scepter able to express his
power and his dominion. Drinking from
the fountain that drips from the everlasting
Rock. Among the harpers harping with
their harps. On sea Of glass mingled with
fire. Before the throne Of God, to go no more
out forever. The spark of grace that Christ
had to keep both hands over lest it come
to extinction, having famed up into honor
and glory and immortality. What humble
starting What glorious contamination
The New Testament Church was on a
small scale. Fishermen watched it Against
the uprising walls crashed internal en-
ginery. The world said anathema. Ten
thousand people rejoiced at ever seeming
defeat, and said: "AhaI ahal SO we would
have it." Martyrs on fire cried: "How
long, o Lord, how long?" Very humble
starting, but see the difference at the con-
summation, when Christ with his almighty
arm has struck of the last chain of human
bondage. and Himalaya shall be Mount
Zion; and Pyrenees, Moriah; and oceans,
the walking place of Hin who trod the
wave cliffs Of stormed Tiberias, and, island
shall cali to island, sea to sea, continent to
continent, and, the song of the worlds re-
demption rising, the heavens like great
sounding board, shall strike back the shout
of salvation to the earth until it rebounds
again to the throne OF God, and all heaven.
rising on their thrones, beat time with their
scepters. Oh, what an humble beginning
What glorious endingl Throne linked to
a manger, heavenly mansions to stable.
IT WORKS BorB WAYS.
NY subject also impresses me with the
effect of Christ's mission upward and down.
ward. Glory to God, peace to man. When
God sent His son into the world, angels dis
covered something new in God, something !
they had never seen before. Not power, not
wisdom, not love. They knew all that be-
fore. But when God sent His son into this
world then the angels saw the spirit of self
denial in God, the spirit of self sacrifice in
God. 1t is easier to love an angel on his
throne than a thief on the cross, seraph in
his worship than an sdulteress in her crime.
When the angels saw God-the God who
would not allow the most insignificant angel |
in heaven to be hurt-givs up His son, His 1
son, His only. only son. they saw something |
that they had never thought of before, and I |
do not wonder that when Christ started out |
on that pilgrimage the angels in heaven |
clapped their wings in triumph and called |
on all the hosts OF heaven to help them cele- |
brate it, and sang so loud that the Bethle- |
hem shepherds heard it !: '-Glory to God in |
the highest" s'.a,s's
But it was also to be q mission OF peace
to man. Infinite holiness accumulated |
depravity. How could they ever come to-
gether? The Gospel bridges over the dis
tance. 1t brings God to us. 1t takes us to |
God. God in US, and we in God. Atone
menti Atonementl Justice satisfied, sins |
forgiven, eternal life secured, heaven built
on a manger.
But it was also to be the pacifcation of |
all individual and international animosi- |
ties What a sound this word of peace had |
in the Roman empire that boasted of the
number of people it had massacred, that
prided itself on the number of the slain,
that rejoiced at the trembling provinces.
THEY ALL swoRE ALLEGIANCE.
Sicily and Corsica and Sardinia and
Macedonia and Egypt had bowed to her
sword and crouched at the cry of her war
eagles. She gave her chief honor to Scipio
and Fabius and C@ssr-aIl men of blood.
What contempt they must have had there
for the penniless, unarmed Christ in
the garb Of Nazarene, starting out to con-
quer all nations There never was a place
on earth where that word peace sounded so
Extensively to the ears of the multitude as in
the Roman empire. They did not want
peace. The greatest music they ever heard
was the clanking chains of their captives.
If all the blood that has been shed in battle
could be gathered together it would upbear
a navy. The club that struck Abel to the
earth has Its echo in the butcheries of all
ages. Edmund Burke, who gave no wild
said that there had been spent in
slaughter $35, 900, ,0O0. 600, or what would be
equal to that; but he had not seen into our
times, when in our own day, in America,
we expended S., 900, 600, 900 in civil war.
Oh, if we could now take our position on |
some high point and see the worlds armies
march pasti What a spectacle it would bel
There go the hosts Of Israel through score
of Red seas-one Of water, the rest of blood.
There 90 Cyrus and his army, with infuriaIe
yell rejoicing over the fall Of the gates of
Babylon. There goes Alexander leading
forth his hosts and conquering all the world
but himself, the earth reeling with the bat
lie cash of Arbela and Persepolis. There
yoes Ferdinand Cortes, leaving his butch .
.red enemies on the table lands once fragrant
With vanilla and covered over with groves !
If Towering cacao.
BRIGHTER THAN ALL THESE LIGHTS.
There goes the great Frenchman, leading /
lis army down through Egypt like one Of
Is plaques, and up through Russia like one