West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1889-01-10
CHRISTMAS.
rALMAoE's SUNDAY SERMON.
The Significance of the LowIy Birth,
place at Bethlehem.

"
TEXT "Ye shall find the babe wrapped
IN scadt:lfng clothes. Ivfng in a mGfder'
ana Sudde1tfu there uoS tCith the dnqeI a
12-13.
I midnight from one of the galleries Of
tne SKY a chant broke TO an ordinary oh
server there was no reason for such n celestial
demonstration "A poor mau and wife
treVeiers, Joseph and Mary by name-had
LOGGED I'm an clubhouse OF an unimportant vii
mge. Inc supreme hour Of solemnity had
passed, and upon the pallid forehead and
cneek OF Mary God had set the dignity, the
grandeur, the tenderness, the everlasting and
olylne significance OF motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred in
beLhlehem, yet never before had a star been
unhxed, or had n baton of light marshaled
over the hills a winged orchestra. IL there
nad been such brilliant and mighty recogni-
uon at Am advent In the house OF Pharaoh.
or at an advent in the house of Casar, or the
mouse OF Hapsburg, or the house of Stuart,
we would not so much have wondered; but a
barn seems too poor a center for such deli
cate ana archangelic circumference Tho
stage seems too small for so great an act, the
music too grand for such unappreciative
auditors, the window OF ths stable too rude
10 pe serenaded by other worlds.
NO SIT. No, madam. It is my Joy this
morning to tell you what was born that
hlgutln the village barn; and, as i want to
make my discourse cumulative and climac.
terlc, begin, in the first place. by telling
49, sAot Ahat HlRnI, III the BeTnlclem
manger, was born H. encouragement for All
the poorly started. lie had only two friends
-they Ills parents. No satin lined cradle. no
dencate attentions, but straw, and the cattle,
ana 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
mat tlne to worship. From the depths of
WHAT poverty lie rose, until to- day He is hon.
ored in oil Christendom. and sits on the Inn
perlal throne in Heaven.
what name is mightiest to-day I'm Christen.
domf Jesus. Who has moro friends on
earth than any other beingl Jesus. Before
whom do tho most thousands kneeI i'm chapel
and church md cathedral this hourl Jesus.
FOR whom could one hundred million souls
De marshaled, ready to fight or diel Jesus.
FROM what depths OF poverty to what height
OF renownl And so Ietall those who are poorly
started remember that they cannot be more
poorly born, or more disadyantageouslv
than this Christ. Let them look up TO His
to initiate it.
Do you know that the vast majority of tho
worlds deliverers had barnlike %birthplacesl
Luther, the emancipator of religion, born
among The mines. Shakespeare, the enamel
pator OF literature, born in a humble home
at Strattord on Avon. Columbus, the dis
coverer OF a world, born in poverty at Genoa.
hogarth, the discoverer of how to make art
accumulntive and administrative of virtue.
porn IN a humble home at Westmoreland
hitto and Irideaux, whose KEYS unlocked new
apartments in the Holy Scriptures which had
never been entered, born i'm want. Yea. l
nave 70 tell you that nine out of ten OF the
worlds deliverers, nine out of ten Of the
WORLDS messiahs-the messiahs of science,
the messiahs of law, the messiahs of medi-
cine, the messiahs of poverty, the messiahs
OF grand beneYolence-were born in want.
l suppose that when Herschel, the great
astronomer, was born in the home of q poor
musician, not only one star, but all the stars
ne atterward discovered. pointed down to his
manger. i suppose when Haydn, the Ger
man composer, was born In the humble home
OF a poor wheelwright that all the angels of
music chanted over The manager Oh, whit
encouragement for those who are poorly
started. He who think yourselves far down
aspire TO go high upl
L stir your holy ambitions to-day. and I
want to tell You, although the whole world
may be opposed to you, and inside and out
side or your occupations or professions there
may lie those who would hinder your ascent.
on your side and enlisted in your behalf are
the sympathetic heart and the almighty arm
or One who, one Christmas night about
hundred and lightweight years ago,
was wrapped in swnddling clothes and laid
IN n manger. Oh, what magnificent en-
enlargement for tue poorly started
III. again, 1 have 10 tell you that in that
village barn that night was born good will
TO men, whether you call it kindnes or for
bearance, or forgiveness, or geniality. or af-
lection, or love. It was no sport of high
heaven TO send its favorite to that humilia-
ton. 10 was n sacrifice for n rebellious world.
After the calamity in Paradise, not only did
the OK begin TO gore, and the adder to sting,
and the elephant to smite with his tusk. and
the hon to put TO bad use tooth and paw. but
under the very tree from which the forb dden
fruit was plucked were Matched ont wnr and
revenge, and malice and envy and jealousy,
and the whole brood of cCckatrices.
But against that scene / set the Bethlehem
manager, which says: BLESS rather than
curse, endure rather than assault and that
llTfNtm0g hf pufa ouE fnHfr4f~on,n- "a
says: "Sheathe your sword. dismount your
guns, dismant'e your batteries, turn the war
ship Constellation that carried shot and she'll,
into a grain ship to take food to Vanished
Ireland. hook your cavalry horses 10 tho
p'ow, Use your deadly g%unpowder in blasting
rocks and IN patriotic celebration. stop your
lawsuits, Quit writing anonymous letters, OK
tract the sting from your sarcasm, let your
wit coruscRto bus never burn, drop all the
harsh words from you voeabulary-'Gool
will to men,"
ooh" you say, 'T can't exercise it; 7 won't
exercise it until they apologize; 1 won't for
eve them until they ask me TO forgive
them" You are no Christian them say
you IRE no Christian, or you are n very in
cons steut Christian. III YOU forgive not mon
Their tresp1s5es, how can you expect your
Heavenly fathert TO forgive youi Forgive
them II they ask your forgiveness. and for
give them anyhow. shake hands all around.
GOOD wills to men"
Oh, my Lord Jesus. drop that spirit into
pNi NfAlta btio CuitstIlAs nutT. i tell Won
what tho world wants more than ANYTHING
o'se-m0re helping hands, more sympathetic
hearts, more kind words that never die, more
disposition TO give other people a ride, and 70
carry the heavy end OF the load aud give
other people tho light end. aud % ascribe
gooi motives instead OF bad, and 70 find our
happiness ia making others happy.
Cut OF that Bethlehem crib let the henrand
the Hon eat straw like an OK. "GoOd will 10
men," That principe will yet settle ali con.
troversics, and under IL the world will keep
On improving until there will be only two
antagonists in all tho earth, and they will
SIDE by side take che jubilant sleigh ride int
mated by the prophet When he said. "Holi-
ness shall lo on the bells of the horses"
III. Again I remark that born that Christ
mas night in the village barn was SYM
pathetic union th other words The only
skepticism have over had about Christianity
was uu astronomical skeptiCism which said.
why would Col out 81 bhe heavens and
amid the Jupitors and Saturns Of the uni
verse have chosen our Httle bit OF "a world for
tho achievements Of His Oniv bogOttcu Son
when lie might have had n vastor scale
AMI wastes worid5f' But my skspticism is
Oh gone as i como O.. the mauger and watch
Dos surroundings Vow ] sec al The worlds
are sisters. nui chat whom one wCcp8 they al
weep and whom one sings they Oh sing.
FROM That supernatural grouping in the
cloud banks over Bofheichcu, and from tho
espsclel trains that ran down 90 the g.eno, ]
hn3 that our world is beautifully and glori-
ousiy and magniicently surrounded. The
meteors are with us, for one ~ them ran 10
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