The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-30
AN ANTHEM INTHE SKY.
TALMAaRA AT BEYRor ON CHRIST.
MAS EV

ifestations Come VIE We ere at
Our Occupations.
BEYRoUT, Dec. 24.--Thasv. T. Dewitt
Talmage, D. D., of Brook, who is here
with his party, preached day to a group
Of friends on ''The Sky Anem.n His text
was Luke il, IA: "Gioryo God in the
highest. and on earth peace9od will toward
men," on which he deiivei the following
discourse:
At last have what / lond for, a Christ
mas eve In the Holy Id. This is the
time Of year that Christ iaed. He was a
December Christ. This the chill air
through which he desceed- look up
through these Christmas ses and see 10
loosened star fastening sthward to halt
above Bethlehem, but all . stars suggest
the star Of Bethlehem. Moore need that
any OF them run along . sky to point
down ward. In quie .ude tly lcneel at the
feet OF him who, thigh once an
Fresh up from Bethlem, am
full of the scenes .slgested by a
visit to that village. You low that whole
region OF Bethlehem is nous in Bible
story. There were the wang ha vests Of
Boaz, in which Ruth g'eanfor herself and
weeping Naomi There Did the warrior
was thirsty, and three meof unheard of
selt-denial broke througathe Philistine
army to get him a dIi k. It was to that
region that Joseph and Ma; came to have
their names enrolled in tlcensus. That
is what 70 scripture NEAR when 1t SAYS
they came 'to be taxed" !" f1peoole did not
in those davs rush after thessessors of tax
any more than they now d
The village inn was crvded with the
strangers who had come up y tue command
OF government to have the names in the
census, so that Joseph ID Mary were
obliged to lodge In the staes. You have
seen some of those large sue buildings, in
the center OF which tue caels were kept,
while running out from % center In all
directions there were roomln one of which
Jesus was born. Had his penis been more
showily appareled, l havoc doubt they
would have found more coIlortable enter
tainment. That night iuthe fields the
sheperds, with crook an kindlsd fires,
were watching their hoci, when bark
to the sound of wees strangely
sweet. Can it be ths the maidens
OF Bethlehem have come it to serenade
the weary shepherds2 Lit now light
stoops upon them like the Drning, so that
the fl ocks arise, shaking thr snowy fleece
and bleating to their drovY young. The
heavens are filled with arms Of light, and
the earth quakes under tk harmony as
echoed back from cloud tocloud, it rings
over the midnight hills: ''tory to God il
the highest, and on earth eace, go ID viii
to menp 1t seems that thcrown Of roy
atty and dominion aud poul which Chris
left behind him was hungon the sky il
sight of Bethlehem. Wh1knows but thai
that crown may have beeIfnistaken by tht
wise men for the star runlng aud pointing
downwards
My subject. in the frs place, impresse
me with the fact that indigence is no
always significant Of degradation. Wher
princes are born, heral6f announce it, ant
cannon thunder it, and dags wave it, ant
illuminations set citesI on fire with tn
the tidings. Some 4 us in England O
America remember he time of rejoicing
when tho Prince of Wales was born. Yo
can remember the gladness throughou
christendom at the ntivity in the palace a
Madrid. But when orglorious Prince wa
born, there was M Rejoicing on earth
Poor and growing porer, yet the heavenl.
recognition that ChTtmas night shows tn
truth of tue proposition that indulgence
not always significaH of degradation.
In all ages there hve been great heart
throbbing under rgs, tender sympathie
under rough exteric. gold in the quar-
Parian marble in th quarry, and in ever
stable of privation TOnders of excellenc
that have been the j0 Of the heavenly hos
All the great delivers of literature and @
nations were born inhomes without affiI
ence, and from their ,wn privation learne
TO speak and fight fol the oppressed. Man
a man has held up hi pine light fror
the wilderness until sl8nations and genera
tions have seen it, nd off his hard crus
Of penury has roke the bread Of knowl
edge and religion for the starving million
Of the race. Poety, aud science, an
literature, and commerce., and laws, an
constitutions, and liberty, like Chris
were born in % manger. A
the great thoughts which hav
decided the destiny M nations started IL
obscure corners, aDt had Herods VIII
wanted to slay them, and Iscariots who b.
them, and sepulcherssbat confine them unit
they burst forth in glorious resurrection
Strong character, lie the rhododendron,
aneAlpine plant thasgrows fastest in th
storm. Men are LID wheat, worth all th
more for being faisd. Some Of the mos
useful people would never have come
positions OF usefulnsss had they not bee
ground and poundei and hammered in th
foundry of disaster. When | see Mos
coming up from the ark of bulrushes
be the greatest laggiver of the ages. an
Amos from tending the herds to mah
Israel tremble with his prophecies, an
David from the shsspcote to sway the poet
pen and the kings lscepter, and Peter froI
the fishing net b be the great preacn'
at the Pentecost, 4 find proof Of the trut
of my proposition that indigence Is NJ
always significant Of degradation.
My subject also impresses me with Il
thought tDat it is while at our useful cccl
pations that we have the divine manifest
tions. Had those shepherds gone that nigl
into Bethlehem and risked their q bel
among the wolves, they would not hay
heard the song of the angels In 9TH
words, that man sees most of God al
heaven who minds his own business. "
all have our posts Of duty, and standiG
there God appears TO US. We are all she
herds or shepherdesses, and we have OF
focks Of cares, and annoyanceS. and anxl
ties, and we must tend them.
We sometimes hear very good people say
"If had month or year or two to do not
ing but attend to religious things, wou
be great deal better than am now" "
are mistaken Generally the best peop
are the busy people. Elisha was plowir
In the field when the prophetic mantle Il
on him. Matthew was attending to
custom house duties when Christ cor
manded him to follow. James al
John were mending their nets VIII
Christ called them to be fishers
men. Had they bsen snoring in the 81
Christ would not have called their indolen
into the apostleship. Gideon was at wol
with the fail on the threshing floor when
saw the angel. Saul was with great fatig
hunting up the lost asses when he found 6
crown Of Israel The prodigal son wou