The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-01-09
LESSONS OF THE MANGER.
s. TALMAeE's CHRISTMAS TALK.
a Belated Celebration at the Tabernacle
Some of the Teachings of the Ma
tiyity-Appropriate Suggestions
For the Season, Etc.


Dec. go Long before they began, the
edifce was literally packed from platform
to corridors, and hundreds of people
could not secure even standing room.
There were no decorations, but the mu-
steal part OF the service was enlarged.
Mrs. Rice-Knox, the accomplished con-
traty, sang two solos and Prof. Browne, fhe
organist, and Prof. Ali, cornetist, played
little more than usual and with their
Old-time power and expression. DR.. Tai
mage baptized about a dozen growing,
bright-eyed infants, whose happy parents
held them up to the admiration of the vast
multitude OF spectators. One of the in
fants was named George Washington,
and when DIR. Talmage made the an
nouncement, there was suppressed laugh
ter. DR.. Talmage gave notice of the an
nual pew-renting, Jan. 81, and of a series
of revival services to be opened in the
church next Sunday evening, and to be
continued two weeks at least
The sermon was upon the Nativity" DR..
Talmage saying these among other things:
1t is my Joy this morning TO tell yOn what was
born that night In the Bethlehem caravansary,
and as | want TO make my sermon accumulative
and climacteric, | begin by telling you there
was born in that Bethlehem manger encourage
ment for all the poorly started. He had two
friends His parents. No satin-lined cradle, no
delicate attention, but the straw and the cattle
and the rough banter and ieers OF the camel
drivers. No wonder the medieval painters
represented the oxen as kneeling before the
infant Jesus, for there were no men there and
then to worship. But from what depths of
poverty to what nights OF renown. Christ
seated on the throne OF the worlds redemption,
seated on the imperial throne OF heaven. From
what depths to what nights. What name to-day
is mightiest in all the earth' Jesus. Who has
more friends than any being in the universe?
Jesus. Before whom do vast multitudes
this day bow in church and chapel
sud cathedral? Jesus. For whom would
two hundred million men and women
march out to fight or die? Jesus. From what
what hight of splendor. What good cheer for
all the poorly started Nearly all the worlds
deliYerers had barn-like birthplaces. Luther,
the emancipation of religion, born among the
mines. Shakespeare, the emancipation OF litera-
ture, born IN an humble home at Strattord
upon Avon. Columbus, the discoverer OF
new world, born in poverty in Genoa. HO-
garth, the discoverer of the best way TO make
art administrative 10 virtue, born In poverty
IN WeStmOreland. kittO and Prideaux, whose
keys unlocked apartments in the holy scrip
lures that had never yet been entered, born in
poverty. All / have to tell you that nine out
of ten of the worlds deliverers, nine out of
ten of the worlds educators, nine out Of ten
OF the worlds emancipators, nine out of ten
OF the worlds messiahs-the messiahs of art,
the messiahs of medicine, the InesSiahs OF
literature. the messiahs OF law, the messiahs of
benevolence had barn-like birth-places. Oh,
here Is an encouragement for the poorly-started.
Though all the world may be against you,
though inside and outside of your profession
or occupation there are those who would him
der your ascent want to tell you to-day that.
enlisted on your side are the sympathetic heart
and the almighty arm Of one who, one Christ
mas night about eighteen hundred ana eighty
eight years ago, was wrapped in swaddllng
clothes and lay in a manger But | remark
sgain that born that night in the Bethlehem
nanger was good will to men, whether you call
u kindness or forbearance or genIality or az
lection or love Ii was no sport for high
Heaven TO send its favoriIe to such humiliation.
IT was nothing but q sacrifice to a rebellious
world. After the calamity In Paradise, and the
OK began to gore and the adder began to
sting and the elephant began to smite with its
tusk, and the lion began TO put to bad use its
tooth and paw right under the tree from which
the forbidden fruit had been plucked, there
we're Matched war and malice and revenge and
envy and jealousy and whole brood of cock
strices- But against them | place the Bethle-
hem manger which saws, "Bless rather than
curse; endure rather than attack" and that
Christmas night put out all vindictiveness. Ii
Says, Sheath your swords; dismount your
guns dismantle your batteries; turn the war
ship Constellation that carried shot and shell
into a grain ship 10 take bread TO furnishing
Ireland; hook the cavalry horses to the pillow
use your deadly gunpOwder 70 blast rocks and
for patriotic celebration; stop your lawsuits;
quit your anonymous letters; extract the sting
from your sarcasm; let your wit cOrruscate, but
never burn; drop all harsh words out OF
your vocabulary. Good will to men, good
will to women" ooh" says some one 81
will adopt that theory after a while, but not
now. l will not forgive my enemies until they
lmplore nv forgiveness and then will take it
into consideration" Then you are no Chris
tian. You never have been Christian or. if
you are a Christian, you very poor speci-
men Of q Christian. Forgive your enemies.
Shake hands all around in these Christmas
tides How can expect to be forgiven il we
do not forgive our enemies? Good will to men.
Good will to women. oh, that that spirit
might drop into our souls. What the world
most wants is more kind words that never die;
more helping hands, more sympathetic hearts,
more disposition to take the heavy end of the
load and give someone else the light end, more
disposition TO ascribe right motives instead of
bad, more appreciation of the fact that we will
never be happy until we make somebody else
happy. But ! have also to remark, in
Christmas night sympathetic union
with other worlds. ] have never had
anything in the shape OF skepticism
IN my heart except an astronomical skepticism
mat sometimes cdlu 70 me- WY SuOulu 0Ou
out OF a whole heavenful of larger worlds amid
the Saturns and the Jupiters, select our little
bit of world for the incarnation. for the atone
ment, for the resurrection, when He might have
selected grander scale in a grander and a
Inightier world? But all my skepticism is
gone. When | come to the manger and see
that, and see its surroundings, find out that
our world belongs TO a sisterhood of worlds
and that when one weeps they all weep and
when one sings they all sing. Our world is
much better surrounded than We have some
times thought. When child is born angels
fetch it. and when a child dies angels take it.
and when an old man is borne down under the
weight of years angels support him, and when
a heart breaks angels sOothe 1t. Angels in the
hospitals to take care of the sick. Angels In
the cemetery TO watch our dead. Angels in
church 10 fly heayenward with the news of
repentng spirits. Angels above the world.
Angels under the world. Angels all
around the world. III we only could rub out
of our eyes all the imperfections of sight and
look into the heavens we would see angels of
help, and angels Of pity, and angels Of mercy,
and angels OF rescue. Angels crowned. An
gels charioted. The world defended by an
gels. Cirdled By angels, eohorted by angels.
Clouds OF angels. David said; ''The chariots
OF God are twenty thousand" thousands
Of angels. But the mightiest of all the angels
did not stand in the sky that night. The
miQhtiest of all the angels lay down among
the cattle. The angel Of the new covenant.
But our world is glorionsly surrounded. Our
world is the silver rung of a great ladder at
the top Of which is our Fathers house. No