The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-01-10

and the chrysais before | showed you the
Kohinoor-the crown jewel of the ages.
Oh! that jewel had a very poor setting.
The cub of bear is born amid the grand old
pillars of the forest, the whelp of the lion
takes it's first step from the jungle of luxuri-
ant leaf and wild flower, the kid of goat is
born in cavern chandelered with stalactite
and pillared with stalagmite. Christ was
born in n bare barn. Yet that nativity was
the Offenders hope. Over the door of heaven
are written these words None but the sim
less may enter here"
ooh, horror" you say, that shuts us all
out" No. Christ came to the world III one
door, and He departed through another
door. He came through the door of the
manager, and He departed through the door
of the sepulchre, and His one business was
so to wash away our sin that one second
after we are dead there will be no more sin
about us than about the eternal God.
know that is putting it strongly, but
that is what l understand by full remission.
All erased, all washed away, all secured out,
all gone. That undergirding and ovcrarch-
ing and irradiating and imparadis;ng posi-
bility for you, and for me, and for the whole
race was given on that Christmas night.
Do you wonder We bring flowers to day to
celebrate such an event? Do you wonder
that We take organ and cornet, and youthful
voice, and Queenly solOist to celebrate it?
Do you wonder that Raphael, and Rubens.
all the old Italian aud German painters gave
the mightiest stroke OF the pencil to sketch
the Madonna, Mary and her boy?
Oh! now ! see what the manager was
Not so high the gilded and ieweled and en-
broidered cradle of the Henrys of England,
or the Louises OF France. or the Fredericks
OF Prussia. Now find out of that Bethlehem
crib fed not so much the oxen OF the stall as
the white horses of Apocalyptic vision. Now
| find the swaddhng clothes charging and
emblaZOniug into an imperial robe for con-
Queror. Now find that the star of that
Christmas night was only the diamond san
DIAL of Him who hath the moon under His
feet. Now | come to understand that the
music oil that night was not complete song,
but only the singing of the instruments for a
great chorus of two worlds, the bass to be
carried by earthly nations saved, and the
soprano by kingdoms of glory won.
Oh heaven, heaven heaven. | shall meet
you there. After all our imperfections are
gOnel shall meet you there. look out to-
day through the mist of years, through the
fog that rises from the cold JordOn, through
the wide open door OF solid pearl, to that re-
union. | expect to see you there as certainly
as | see you here. What a time we shall have
in high converse, talking over sins pard
| and sorrows comtorted, and battles triumph
anti
/ am going in. l am going to take all my
family with me. l am going to take all my
church with me. | am going to take all my
friends and neighbors with me- | have so
much faith in manager and cross / feel sure of
it. | am going to coax you i'll. l am going
to push you in Byholy stratagem am 60
ing to surprise you in. Yea, with all the
concentrated energy of my nature-physical,
mental, spiritual and immortal-l am going
to compel you to go in. | like you so well |
| want to spend eternity with you
Some of your children have already gone.
Some time ago | buried one ofthem. and
though people passing along the street and
seeing white crepe on the door bell may have
said ut is only child, yet when the bro
ken hearted father came to solicit my service
he said, Come around and comfort US, Tor
! though she was only Is months ola we loved
her so much" All. it does not take long for
a child to get its arms around the parent S
| whole nature.
What a Christmas morning it will make
when those with whom we used to keep the
| holidays are all around you in heaven. Sill
! yer. haired old father young again, and
mother, who had so many aches and pains
and decrepitudes, well again, and all your
! brothers and sisters and thelittle ones. How
| glad they will be to see you!
| They have been waiting The last time
| they saw your face it was covered with tears
and distress, and pallid from long watching,
| and one of them can imagine today, with
: one hand holding fast the shining gate,
and the other hand swung out toward you,
saying:
, ''Steer this way, father, steer straight for
me;
Here safe in heaven l am waiting for thee.
Oh! those Bethlehem angels, when they
| went back after the concert that night over
! the hills forgot to shut the door. All the
secret is out. No more use of trying to hide
| from US the glories to come. 1t is toolate to
| shut the gate, 1t is blocked wide open with
! hOsannas marching this way, ndhallelujahs
marching that way.
| What almost humans me is the thought
that it is provided for such sinners as you
! and | have been. If it had been provided
| only for those who had always thought
| right, and spoken right and acted right. you
| and would have had to interests IN it, had
| no share in it; YOU and | would have stuck
| to the raft in mid-ocean, and let the ship sail
| by, carrying perfect passengers from per-
| feet life on earth to perfect life in heaven.
Oh! have heard the commander CT that
| ship is the same great glorious and sym
| pathetic One who hushed the tempest around
the boat on Galilee, and ! have heard that
all passengers on the ship are sinners saved
by grace. And so we hail the ship, and il
bears down this way, and we come by the
| side of it and ask the captain two cues.
| tons. "Who art Thou? and Wbence?" and
He says: Il am captain of salvation, and
am rom the Manager" OH bright Christ
mas morning of my souls delight. Chime
all the bells. Wreathe all the garlands
| Rouse all the anthems. Shake hands in all
| the congratulations.
Merry Christmas Merry with the thought
of sins forgiven merry with the idea OF sor-
rows comforted, merry with the raptures to
come. Oh! lift that Christ from the manger
and lay Him down in all our hearts. We
may not bring to Him as costly a present
as the magi brought, but we bring TO His
feet and to the mapger today the franklin
cense of our joy, the pearls of our tears, the
kiss of our love, the prostration of our wor
ship
Down OF his feet, all churches, oil ages, al
earth, all heaven. Down at his feet the four
and-tweRty elders on their faces. Down the
great multitude that no man can mum
Der" Down Michael the archangel Dowr
all worlds at His feet and worship. GLORY
to God in the highest, and on earth peace
good will toward men y