The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-20
TALMAGES SERMON.
a GOLDEN HAIRED VILLAGE
LAD
The Early Days OF Christ. when lie
Worked In His Fathers shop.

StIoVN W NIllflfs IttlfU tGlfN ttlsrOIH, ana me
grace Of God trds upon Him."-Luke g., 40.
About Christ as village lad | speak
There is for the most part silence more than
eighteen centuries long about Christ between
infancy and manhood. What kind Of a boy
was He' Was He genuine boy az all. ordid
there settle upon Him from the start all the
intensities OF mnrtydomY We have on this
subject only q little guessing. few surinises
and here and there an unimpOrtant "pcr-
haps.' Concerning what bounded that boy
hood on both sides we have whole libraries Of
books and whole galleries Of canvas and
sculpture.
But pen and pencil and chisel have with
few exceptions passed 10y Christ the village
- Yet 10y threc con joined evidences |
think we can come 10 as accurate an idea of
what Christ wns as boy as we can Of what
Christ was as a man.
First, we have the brief Bible account.
Then we have the prolonged account Of what
Christ was at thirty years Of age. Now you
have only % minify that account somewhat
and YOU find what He was nt ten years of
age. Tomperaments never change. \ san
gune temperament never becomes phleg-
matte temperament. 4 nervous tcmpera-
Ineut never becomes n lymphgtic tempera-
ment Religion changes ones affections and
ambitions but IL 10 the same old tempera.
mont acting IN a different direction. As
Christ had no religious change He was rs
lad what lie was as a man, only on not sc
largta scale When all tradition and all art
and all history represent Hin as "a blonde
with golden hair ! know lie was in boyhood
"a blonde.
Wa have beside an unnspired book that
wa, for the first three or four centuries after
ChristS appearance received by many
as Inspired aud which gives pro
loucci account Of Chri,ts boy
hood. Some VI 10 may b'truc. most Of IL may
h' true. none of It may be true. II may ba
partly buIt on facts, or by the passage ut the
ages, some real facts may have been distorted.
But because a book is not diyinely inspired
We are not therefore To conclude that There
are not true things in II. Prescutt's
conquest of Mexico" was not inspired but
v" brliryc it although 1t may contain mis-
takes Nacaulny's History of England" was
not inspired, but We believe IL although IL
may have been marrei with many errors.
The Socnlled apocryphal Gospel IN which tho
boyhuod Of Christ j. dwclt upon do not be-
love tn b. diyln'ly inspired. ard vet it may
present facts worthy Reconsideration Because
II represents the boy Christ rs performing
miracles some have overthrown that wnUls
apocryphal book. But what right have YOU
30 say that Christ did not pcform miracles az
ten years ot age as well rs at thirty He was
In boyhood rs certainly divine as in man
hood. Then while "A lad He must have
had the power TO work miracles. whether
He did or not work them. When, hav-
ing reached manhood Christ turned
water into wine that was said 20 ba
illt btklIllllllk bL lllINtHN lhnt tlUt may
mean that IL was the beginning of that
series Of manhood miracles In a word |
think that the New Testament i only
a small transcript Of what Jesus did and said
Indeed, the Bib declares positively that If all
Christ did and said were written the world
would not contain the books. So We arc at
liberty ta believe or reject those parts of tho
HpOCryphhl Gospel which say that when tho
boy Christ with His mother passed a band Of
thieves lie told His mother that two OF them,
Dumachus and Titus 10y name would ha the
two thieves who atterward would expire on
crosse, beside Him Was that more wonder
tul than some Of Chirsts manhood pro-
phese,, Or the unnspircd story
that the boy Christ made fountain
spring from the roots of n sycamore tree So
that His mother washed His coat in the stream
was that more unbelievable than the man
hood miracle that changed common water
into "a marriage BEVERAGE Or the uninspired
story that two sick children were recovered
by bathing in the water where Christ had
washedy Was that more wonderful than the
manhood miracle by which the woman twelve
""g"s complete invalid should have been
made .traight by touching the fringe OF
Christ's Cnaty
In other words while do not believe that
any of the so-calied apocryphll New Test1-
ment is inspired, | believe much Of IL is true;
just as | believe thousand books, none of
which are diyiucly inspired. Much of It was
Just like Christ. just a. certain aS the man
Christ was the most of the time getting men
out of trouble, think that the boy Christ
was the most of the tine getting boys our If
trouble ! have declared to you th, day u
boys Christ And tho world wants such
one lie did not sit around mopins
over what was q be, or what was. From
tho way lu which natural object, uuWT. .gfhnd
themselves into hI, sermons after He had hp-
come a man / conclude there wa, NOT rock
or "a hill or cavern or "a trr" for miles
around that lie Wa, not familiar with IN
childhood. lie had cautiously fnlt His way
down into the cave, aud had with 1.-THE and
agile limb gained p1.sc ON many high
tree top. Ills bNyhOui was passed among
grand scenery as most an the great
natures have passed early life among
the mountains. They may live now on
the flats, but they passed the receptive
days Of lalhOpd among tn, Mills.
Among the mountains ot New Hampshire,
or the mountains of virginia, or the noun
tains OF kentucky, or the mountains Of swift
aerlani, o. Italy, or Austria, or scotland, or
mountains as high and rugged a. they, many
Of the worlds thrilling geographic, began
Our Lord boyhood was passed in neigh.
boThoOd twelve hundred feet above the level
Of the sea and surrounded 10y mountains five
ar six hundred feet still higher. Before it
could shine on the village where this boy
slept the sun had To- climb far enough up 10
look over hills that held their heads far aloft
From yondcr height His eye at one sweep took
IN III" mighty scoop OF inc valleys ana win
another sweep took in the Mediterranean Sea
aud you hear the grandeur of the cliffs aud
the surg" Of the great waters IN His mgtch-
less sermonology. One day | see that divine
boy, the wind flurryiug Ills lulr over His sun
hrowned forehead standing on a hill top
looking of upon Lake liberias, on which At
one time according TO prufaEc history are,
not four hundred, four thousand ships. Au-
thOrs have taken pains 70 say that Christ was
not affected by these surroundings and that
lie from within lived outward and iulcpeud-
ent of circumstances. SO TAR from that he
ing true He was the most sensitive
being that ever walked the earth,
and II pale invGlid's weak
finger could not touch Ills robe without
strength going out from Him, these mountains
and seas could not have touched Hise eye with
out irradiatiug His entire nature with their
maguiiiceuce Warrant that He had mounted
and explored all the fifteen hilsaround Nn2a-
rcth among them llermon with its crystal
coronet of perpetual snow, and Carmel and
Tabor aud Gilboa, and they all had their
sublime echo IN after time from the Oliyetic
pulpit
And thcult was not uncultivated grandeur.
These hills carried in their arms or on their
backs gardens groves, orchards, terraces,
vineyards, cactus sycamOres. These out
branching foliageS did not have 90 wait for
"A D. q Il. -. 4 4 4