The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-11-13

holtsot doom, the feet that will mount tbs
sleeps toward God or descend the blasted
way, the lips that will pray or blaspheme.
oh, the eradlel II is more tremendous than
the grave. Where are most OF tho
leaders OF the twentieth century soon
to dawn upon uss Are they ON
thrones, No, In ohariots? No. Ia pull
pitsp No. In forums? No. In senatorial
hallsf No. In counting housesp No. They
are In the cradle, The most tremendous
thing III the universe and next TO God Is TO
be n mother. Lord Shaftcsbury said, 'Give
me generation OF Christian mothers, and
will change the whole phase Of society in
twelve months" Oh, the cradle Forget
not the one in which you Were rocked.
Though old and worn out that cradle may be
standing in attic or barn, forget not the foot
that swayed II, the lips that sang over 1t,
the tears that dropped upon il, the faith in
God that made way fer it, The bow Walter
Scott did well when he spent the first FIVE
guinea piece he ever earned as a present TO
his mother.
Dlshonor not the cradle, though it may.
like the one my sermon celebrates, have
been cradle in a barn, for think IL was
a Christian cradle. That was a great cradle
in which Martin Luther lay, for from it
came forth the reformation of the Six
teenth century. That was great cradle in
which Daniel OConnell lay, for from it
came forth an eloquence that will be in
spring while men have eyes to read or ears
10 hear That was great cradle in which
Washington lay, for from it came forth
the happy deliverance Of nation. That
was great cradle in which John
Howard lay, for from it came forth a
mercy that will not cease until the last
dungeon gets the Bible ani ligas and fres,
air. Great cradles in which the joan Wes-
leys and the John Knoxas AMI the Joan
Masons lay, for from them cane torth an
all conquering evangeiiZation. But the
greatest cradle in whicn cniid ever slept. or
woke, laughed or cried was the cradle over
whicn Mary bent and TO which the wise men
brought frtnkincenss and upol which the
heavens dropped song. Had there been no
manger, there mad been no cross. Had there
been no Bethlehem, there had been no Col
gotha. Had there been no incarnation, there
mad been no ascension. Had there been no
st ut there had been no c;osa
Staudin, in the chill khan of a Saviour's
humiliation, and eeing what He dill for us
ask, What haze we dons for Him? There
is nothing can dc" says one. As Christmas
was approaching in the village church a
good woman said to group Of girls in lowly
and sbraitenel circumstances, Let all now
do something for Christ" After the day
was over she asked the group to tell her what
they had done. One said: ~ could not do
much, for we are very poor, but I had q
beautiful flower | had carefully trained in
our home, and thought much Of it, and
put that flower on the church ALTAR And
another said, Il could not do much, for we
are very poor, but l can sing little, and so
l went do IN to poor SICK woman in the lane,
| and sang as well as could, to cheer her up. a
Christmas song" "Well, Helen, what did
! you dog' She replied, II could not do much
but wanted to do something for Christ, and
l could think Of nothing else to do, and so |
went into the church after the people who
| had been adjoining the altar had left, and
scrubbed down the altar back stairs" Beau
| tiful! l warrant that the Christ of that
| Christmas Day gave her as much credit for
that earnest act as He may have given to the
robed official who on that day read for the
| people the prayers of a resoundng service.
/ Something for Christ! Something for
| Christi
| A plain man passing fortress saw Rus
sian soldier on guard in a terribly cold night
and took off his coat and gave it to the sol
dier saying II will soon be home and warm
and you will be out here all night" So the
| soldier wrapped himself in the borrowed
| coat. The plain man who loaned the coat to
the soldier soon after was dying. and in his
dream saw Christ and said to Him, ''You
| have got my coat ON Yes" said Christ.
'this is the one you lent Me on that cold
night by the fortress | was naked, and We
clothed Me-" Something for Christ! By the
memories of Bethlehem adiure you.
In the light of that star
| lie the ages empearled.
That song from afar
| Has swept over the word.