The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-01-10
CHRIST'S BIRTH.
Rev. DR. Talmage, finds a subject for his
Christmas sermon in Barn.Like
RirthnlacnS.


the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in manager. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host. Luke ii, II, IS.
At midnight, from one of the galleries OF
the sky. a chant broke To an ordinary OBJ
server there was no reason for such a celes-
tial demonstration. A poor man and wife
travellers, Joseph and Mary by name-had
lodged in an clubhouse of an unimportant
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 things often occurred in Bethle-
hem, vet never before had n star been unfixed,
or had baton of light marshaled over the
hills winged orchestra. Ii there had been
such brilliant and mighty recognition at an
advent in the house of Pharaoh. or at an ad-
vent in the house of Cesar or the house of
Hapsburg, or the house OF Stuart, we would
not so much have wondered; but barn
seems too poor center for such delicate
and arChanGelc circumference The stage
seems too small for so great an act, the mu-
sic too grand for such unappreciative audi
tors, the window OF the stable too rude to be
serenaded by other worlds
No, sir No, madam. 1t is my JOY this
morning to tell yen what was born that
night in the village barn; and, as want to
make my discourse accumulative and eli
macteric begin, in the first place, by tell
ing you that that night in the Bethlehem
manager was born (l.) encouragement for all
the poorly started. He had only two friends
they were 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
bS Of hot mt I'D
He is hOnOTed i'll all Christendom, and sits on
the imperial throne in heaven.
What name is mightiPst today in ChrIsten-
dom? Jesus. Who has more friends on earth
than any other being? Jesus Before whom
do the most thousands kneel in chapel and
church and cathedral this hour? Jesus. For
whom could 100 100000 souls be marshaled
ready to fight or die? Jesus. From what
depth of poverty to what height of renown?
And so let ali those who are poorly started
remember that they cannot be more poorly
born, or more diSQdvantageOuSy V, 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 barn-like birth
places. Luther, the emancipation of religion,
born among the mines. Shakespeare. the
emancipation ufliteratuTe, born in an humble
home at StrdtOrd on Avon. Columbus, the
dscOveIPr Of Il world born in poverty at
Genoa. Hogarth, the disCOyerer of how to
make art accumulAtive and administrative
of virtue, born in an humble home ut West
moreland. kittO and PrideauX, whose keys
unlocked new apartments in the Holy
Scriptures which had never Leen entered,
born in want. Yes, have to tell you that
nine out OF ten Of the worlds deliveries, nine
out of ten of the worlds messiahs-the
messiahs OF science the messiahs Otlaw. the
nlessiahs OF medicine the messiahs of
poverty. the messiahs of grand beneyOleuCe
were born in want
| suppose that when Henschel. the great
astronomer. was born in the home OF poor
musician, not only one star. but all the stars
that he atterward discovered, pointed down
TO his mangar, suppose that when Haydn,
the German composer, was born in the hum
bic home Of n poor mllWright, that all the
angela OF music chonted over the manger.
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 !
want to tell you, although the whole world
NAV be opposed to you, and inside and out
side Of your occupations or professions there
may he those who would hinder your as
cent on your side and enlisted i'll your behalf
are tie sympathetic heart and the almighty
arm of One who one Christmas night, about
1855 yeara ego, was wrapped in swaddling
clothes and laid in manager. Oh, what mag
uiticent encouragement for the poorly started!
H. Again, have to tell you that in that
village barn that night was born good will
to men. whether you call it kindness, or for
bearance, or forgiveness, or geniality, or at
faction, or love. 1t was no sport of high
Heaven to send its favorite to that humia-
kion it was a sacrifice for rebelious
world Alter the calamity in Paradise, not
only did the OK begin to gore, and the adder
TO sting and t:ta elephant to smite with his
tusk. ind 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 and malice and envy
and jealousy, ard the whole brood OF cocka-
trices.
But against that scene set the Bethlehem
mano2r which says: BLESS rather than
curse, endure ratker than assault" and that
Chrigtmas night puts out vindictiveness. 1t
saws: Sheaths your sword, dismount your
gune, dismantle your batteries, turn the war
ship Constellation, that carried shot and
she'll into q grain ship to take food to fam
ishing ireland; hook your cavalry horses to
the plow use yOur deadly gunpowder in
blasting rocks and iG patriotic celebration,
stop your law suits quit writing anonymous
letters. extract the sting from your sarcasm,
let your wit coTuscate but never burn, drop
all the harsh words Out OF your vocabulary
'4God will to men.
"Ohl" you say u can't exercise it; l won t
exercise it until they apologize; l won't for
give them until they ask me to forgive them. y
You are no Christian them say you are no
Christian, or you are very inconsistent
Christian. Ifyou forgive not men their tres
s1asses how can you expect your Heavenly
Father to forgive you? Forgive them if they
ask YOUR forgiveness and forgive them any
how. Shake hands all around. Good will
co men,
..Oh. nv Lord Jesus, drop that spirit into
our hearts this Christmas hour, tell you
han h inn
eise-more helping hands. more sympathetic
hearts more kind words that never die
more disposition to give other people ride
and to carry the heavy end of the load and
give other people the light end, and to as
cribe good motives instead OF bad, and to
find our happiness in making others happy
Ont of that Bethlehem let the bear and the
lion eat straw like an OK. "Good will to
men That principle will yet settle all con
troversies and under it the world will keep on
improving rntil there will be only two anita
ponigts in all the earth, and they will side by
side take the jubilant sleighride intimated by
the prophet when he said, II oiiness shall bf
on the bells of The horses
III. Again remark that born that Christ
mas night in the village barn was symPa
thetic union with other worlds. The only
skepticism | have ever had boutCbrlstlanlty
was an astronomical skepticism which sad
'Why would God out the heavens and amid
j
chossn our little bit of O world for thu
achievsnents OF His only begotten Son wher
He might bad a vasterr scale and vastel
worIds?'' Bat my skepticism is all gone as
come to the maRgrr and watch its surroungl
ings. Now see all the worlds are sisters, ant
that when one weeps, and when one sings they
all sing.
From that supernatural grouping in the
cioudbanks over Bethlehem. and from thu
especssl trains that ran down to the scene
And that our world is beautifully and glori
ousIy and magnifcently surrounded. Thu
meteors are with rs, for one Of them ran tt
point down to the birthplace. The heavens
are with as, because at this thought of ou1
redemption they roll hosannas 94t of tn
midnight sky.
Obi yes: do not know but our world may
be better surrounded than we have some
times imagined; and when child is 6orl
angels fetch it, and when it dies angels tax
it, and when an old man bends under tn
weight of years angels uphold hiRa, and whe'
a heart breaks angels soothe it,. Angels Il
the hospital to take care of the sick. Angel
an tho eazaefery TO watch our dead. Angei