The Penn's Grove record., 1889-01-19
DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON:
Barn-Likc ~Birthplaces.

heavenly nOeL-Lukt : l., S
AT midnight from one of the CALLER
les of the sky a chant broke. To al
ordinary observer there was no reason
for such a celestial demonstration. A
Door mar and wife-travellers, JOSEPH
and Mary by name-had lodged In ar
clubhouse of an unimpOrtant village.
The supreme hour of solemnity had pass
ed, and upon the pallid forehead and
cheek of Mary God had set the dignity,
the grandeur, the tenderness, the divine
significance of motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred
in Bethlehem, yet never before had Q
star been unfixed, or had a baton OF
light marshaled over the hills winged
orchestra. If there had been such bril-
liant and mighty recognition at an ad.
vent in the House of Pharaoh. or at an
advent In tile House of Cesar, or the
House of Hapsburg, or the House OF
Stuart, we would not so much have
wondered; but a barn seems too pool
a centre for such delicate and archange-
lie circumference. The stage seems
too small for so great an act, the music
too grand for such unappreciative audi.
tors, the window of the stable too rude
to be serenaded by other worlds.
No, sir! No, madaml 1t is my JOY
this morning to tell You
WHAT WAS BORN THAT NIGHT
in the village barn; and as 1 want to
make my discourse accumulative and
climaeterlc, l began, in the first place,
bytelling you that that night in the Beth
lehem manger was born encouragement
for all the poorly stated. He had only
two friends-they His parents. No
satin.lined cradle, no delicate atten-
tions, 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
before the infant Jesus, for there were
no men there at that time to worship.
From the depths of what poverty He
ose until to-day He is honored in all
C~hristendom, and sits on the imperial
throne in heavenl
What name is mightiest to-day in
~Christendom? 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 hourP Jesus,
For whom could N hundred million
souls I've ~marshaled, ready to fight or
die? Jesus. From what depth of pow
erty to what height of renown! And
Sc let all those who are poorly started
remember that they cannot be more
poorly born, or more disadvantageous-
ly, than this Christ. Let them look up
to His example while they have time
and eternity To imifatp il.
Do you know that the vast majority
THE WORLDS DELIvERERs
b I'd barn-like ~birthplaces? Luther, the
emancipator of religion, born among
mines; Shakespeare. the emancipation OF
literature, born in an humble home at
Stratford-oD-Avon; Columbus, the dis
coverer of a world, born ! n poverty in
Genoa; Hogarth, the discoverer OF how
to make art accumulative and admins
tratiye of virtue, born in a humble
home in Westmoreland; Kitto and
Prideaux, whose KEYS unlocked new
apartments in the Holy Scriptures,
which had never been entered, born in
want. Yea, / have to tell you that
nine out ten of the worlds delivers,
llllC Vub u ttu VI thC WOAiu . llCcoAlAo l
the messiahs of science, the messiahs
Of law, the messiahs Of medicine, the
messiahs of poverty, the messiahs of
grand b~enevolence were born in
want. l suppose that when Herschel,
the great astronomer, was born in the
home of a poor musician, not only one
star, but all the stars he afterward dis
covered, pointed down TO lis manager.
l suppose when Haydn, the German
composer, was born In the humble
home of a poor wheelwright, that all
the angels of music chanted over the
manger. Oh what encouragement for
those who are poorly started! Ye who
think yourselves far down, aspire to go
high upl
l stir your holy ambitions to-day,
and l want TO tell you, although the
whole world may be opposed to You, |
and inside and outside of your occupa- |
tions or professions there may be those |
who 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, vas wrapped in swad-
dling-clothes and laid in a manger.
oh, what magnificent encouragement
for the poorly started!
Again, l have to tell you that in that
village barn that night was born
GOODWILL TO MEN.
whether you call it kindness, or forbear-
ance, or forgiveness, or genialIty, or
affection, or love. 1t was no sport of
high heaven to send its favorite to that
humiliation. 1t was sacrifice for a re-
bellious world. After the calamity in
Paradise, not only did the OK begin to I
gore, and the adder to sting, and the |
elephant to smite 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 wal and revenge and
malice and envy and jealousy, and the |
whole brood of cockatrices.
But against that scene set the Beth
lehem manager, which says: BLESS |
rather than curse, endure rather than |
assault" and that Christmas night puts |
out vindictiveness. Itsays: s'Sheathe /
your sword, dismount your guns, dis.
mantel your batteries, turn the war
ship Constellation, that carried shot
and shell, into a grain ship to take food
TO furnishing Ireland, hook your cavalry |
horses to the plough, use your deadly |
gunpowder in blasting rocks and in
patriotic 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 |
Goodwill to men,"
"Ohl" you say, II can't exercise it; |
l won't exercise ii until they apologize; |
/ won't forgive them until they ask me
to forgive Them" You are no Chris
tian, then-I say you are no Christian,
or you are a very inconsistent Chris
tian. If you forgive not lien their
trespasses, how can you expect your
Heavenly Father to forgive you? For
give them if they ask your forgiveness, |
and forgive them anyhow. Shake
hands all around. 't,,N, Twill to men,"
"Oh, my Lord Jesi.s, drop that spirit |
into hearts this Christmas hourl
l tell you