Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-02-01
CHRISTMAS.
TALMAeE's SUNDAY snnmoN.
The Significance of tho Lowly Birth,
place at Bethlehem.

place at bethlehem.
o. TEXT; 70 shai, gnd tho baec ,crapped
W sedd Sing clothes, Tying in a mai.1er.
Ana .uddeRiv there teas trith the anoci a
l2-1S 's "ose' -1-uue H.
~. AT midnight from ono OF tho galleries of
s sao SKY ,S Chant broke To an ordinary OBJ.
demonstration. A poor man and wife
jewelers., Joseph and Mary by namo-hnd
iiooged In an clubhouse OF an uniinportant vii.
n sss Tho supreme hour Of solemnity had
cheek OF Mary God had set thu dignity the
grandeur the tenderness, the everlasting and
oiyne significance Of motherhood.
p bus such scenes had often occurred In
unfixed, or had n baton of light maTshnled
over the hills winged orchestra. II there
nhu been such brilliant and mighty recovni.
uon ut an advent in tho house of Pharaoh,
Snu ~ an ADVENT IN the house OF CUsar, or the
mouse OF Hap'burg. or tho house of Stuart.
t We would not SO much have wondered; but a
paTh seems too poor q center for such doll
s ea.e ana archangelic circumference Tho
music St tn TOO small FOR SO great an act the
music TOO grand for such uuappreciariye
auditors, tho window of this stable too rudo
10 % serenaded by other worlds
NO, sir. No, madam. 1t is my Joy this
morning to tell you what WIS born that
night in the village barn; and, as / wnui, to
make my discourse accumulatiye and climao.
teric' begin, in the first place, by telling
you that, that night, In tho Bethlehem
mianger, was born g.; encouragement for all
'ne PooTiy started. lie had only two friends
lucy his parents. No satin lined cradle, no
deIcate attentions, but straw, and tho cattle.
ana the conrse Joke and banter of the camel
drivers NO wonder the medieval painters
IieEresant tho oxen as knceing before the
that time to worship From the depths of
what poverty Ho rose, until TO. ,iny He IL hon
orea IN oil Christendon, and sits ON the I'm
peTInl throne in Heaven
ao what name is mightiest to-day in Christen-
domt Jesus Who has moro friends on
e ., t,an my other bcingi Jesus Before
whom do tho most thousands kneel In chnpei
anu church and cathedral this hourf Jesus.
TOT whom could ono hundred million souls
DC DC marshaled, rendy to fight or diei Jesus.
FROM what depths OF poverty to what beirht
Oh rehownl And so letall those who areDoorly
started remember TINT thoy cannot be moro
poorly norm, or more disadvantagcously
example while thoy have time and eternity
to initiate it.
Do you know TINT tho vast majority OF the
worlds deliverers Ind barnlilSe birthplaccsi
Luther. tho emancipation OF religion. born
among tho mines. Shakespeare, the enamel
pntor OF literature, born In n humble home
at Stratiord-on- Avon. Columbus, tho dis.
GGaverer OF world, born in poverty Mt Genoa.
Hogarth, tho discoverer OF how to mnI,e nrt
accumuntive and administrative of virtue
porn III humble home ut Westmoreland.
hitto anu Prideaux. whose keys unlocked now
apartments in the Holy Scriptures which lad
never peen entered, born in want. Yea,
nave 10 tell you TINT nine out of ton OF tho
worlds deliverers, nine out of ten OF the
worlds messahs-the messlahs OF science.
the messiahs OF law, tho messalis OF mcdi-
cine, the messiahs of poverty, the mcssiahs
oi grand ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS born in want
l suppose that when Herschol, the rrcnt
astronomer was horn in tho home of II moor
musician not only one star, but all tho stars
nc attcrward discovered, pointed down TO his
manager. l suppose when Haydn, tho Ger
man composer, was born in the humble home
oil poor wheelwright that all tho angels of
music chantcd over the manger Oh, what
encouragenent for those who nre poorly
starteu, Ye who think yourselves far down
aspire to go high up!
stir your holy ambitions to-day, and
want to tell you, although tho whole world
may DC opposed to You, and inside and out
SIDE OF your occupations or professions there
may lie those who would hinder Your ascent.
on your side and enlisted in your behalf nro
the sympathetic heart and the almighty arm
OF Ono who, one Christmas night about
eighteen hundred and eighty-cight years ago,
was wrapped in swaddng clothes and laid
In manager. oh, whit magnificent en-.
enlargement for tho poorly sturied
IL. Again, have to tell you that in that
village barn that night WINS born good will
to men, whether you 'call it kindness, or for
bearance. or forgiveness, or geniality, or af-
Iccton, or love 1t was no sport OF high
haven to send its favorito to TINT humilin-
ton. IL was sacrifice for q rebellous world.
After tho calamity in Paradise, not only did
the OK begin to gore and the adder to sting,
and tho elephant to smite with his tiisk. md
the lion to put to bad use tooth and paw but
under the very tree from which the forbidden
iruit was plucked were Matched out war and
revenge, and malice and envy and jealousy,
and the whole brood of cockntrices.
But against that scene set the Bethlehem
manager, which snys: 'Bless rather thnn
curse, endure rather than assault, and TINT
Christmas night puts out vindictiveness 1t
says: 'Shcathe your sword, disinount your
guns, dislnantie your batteries, turn tho war
ship Constellation, that carried shot and shell,
into a grim ship to take food to famished
ireland. hook your, cavalry horses 10 the
pillow, use your deadly gunpowder in blasting
rocks and in patriotic celebration, stop your
lawsuits, quit writing anonymous letters, ex-
tract the sting from your sarcasm, let your
Wit coruscnte but never hurn, drop all tho
harsh words from your vocabulary-'Gooi
will to menu
"Oh" yon shy, ~ can't exercise It; 1 won't
exercise it until they Apologies; won't for
give them until they asE mo to forgive
them" You are no Christian then-I say
consistent Christian. IL You forgive not mon
their trespasses, how can you expect your
Heavenly Father to forgive you2 Forgive
them If they ask your forgiveness, and for
give them anyhow Shake hands all around
GOOD will to men,"
Oh. my Lord Jesus. drop that spirit into
our hearts this Christmas hour 1 tell Won
what the world wants more than ANYTHING
elsc-more helping hands, more sympathetic
hearts, moro kind words TINT never die, more
disposition to give other people ride, and to
carry tho heavy end OF the load and give
other people tho light end. and to nscribe
good motives instead of bad, and to find our
happiness in making others happy.
Ont of that Bethlehem crib let tho bearnnd
the lion eat straw like IN OK. Good will to
men," That principle will yet settle all con.
troversies, and under it the world will keep
on improving until there will DO only two
antagonists in all the earth, and they will
side by side take the jubilant sleigh ride int
ness shall he OH the bells OF the horses
Ill. Again, / romark that born that Christ.
mao night in the village barn was sym.
pathetic union with other wor.ds The only