The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1890-11-12

cording to apocalyptic vision all the
armies OF heaven shall follow him on
white horses" The waters that rush
down these hills into yonder three
great reservoirs of rock, and then pour
in marvellous acQueduct into Jerusa-
lem till the hraZen sea is full, and the
baths are full, and Sloan is full, are
only an imperfect type Of the rivers Of
delight which, as the result OF this
great ones coming, shall roll on for the
shaking of the thirst of all nations. The
palace of Lebanon ceder from which
the imperial cavalcade passed out in
the early morning, and to which 1t
returned with glowing cheek and
jingling harness and lathered sides, is
feeble of architecture compared with
the house of many mansions into which
this one born this winter month on
these bleak heights shall conduct us
when our sins are all pardoned, our bat
ties all fought, our tears all Wept, our
work all done.
THE CRADLE OF OUR FAITH.
Standing here at Bethlehem do you
not see that the most honored thing in
all the earth is the cradle? To what
else did loosened star ever point? 10
what else did heaven lower balconies
oflightilled with chanting immortals ?
! Tue way the cradle rocks the world
rocks. God bless the mothers all the
world over! The cradles decide the
! deStinies of nations. In ten thousand
of them are this moment the hands
that will yet give benedictlon of mercy
or hnrl bolts of doom. the feet that
will mount the sleeps toward God or
descend the blasted way, the lips that
will pray or blaspheme. Oh, the cradle.
| It is more tremendous than the grave.
! Where are most of the leaders Of the
Twentieth century soon to dawn upon
US? Are they on thrones No. In
chariots? No. In pulpits? No. In
| forums? No. In Senatorial halls? No.
In counting houses? No. They are in
the cradle. The most tremendous
thing in the universe and next to God
is to be mother. Lord Shattesbury
said, "Give me a generation Of Chris
tian mothers, and l will change the
whole phase Of society in Twelve
months" Oh, the cradle! Forget not
the one in which you We're rocked.
Though old and worn out that cradle
may be standing in attic or barn, for
get not the foot that swayed it. the lips
that sang overit, the tears that dropped
upon it, the faith in God that made
way for it. The boy Walter Scott did
well when he spent the first five guinea
piece he ever earned as a present to his
mother.
| Dishonor not the cradle, though it
may, like the one my sermon celebrates,
have been cradle III q barn, for think
1t was Christian cradle. That was q
great cradle in which Martin Luther
lay, for from it came forth the reforma-
tion of the Sixteenth century. That
was great cradle in which Daniel
O'Connell lay, for from it came forth
an eloouence that will be inspiring
while men have eyes to read or ears to
hear. That was great cradle in which
Washington lay, for from it came forth
the happy dellverance OF a 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 and light and
fresh air. Great cradles in which the
John WesleyS and the John knoXes
and the John Masons lay, for from
them came forth an all conquering
eyangelization. But the greatest cradle
in which child ever slept, or woke,
laughed or cried was the cradle over
which Mary bent and to which the
wise men brought frankincense and
upon which the heavens dropped song.
Had there been no manger, there had
been no cross. Had there been no
Bethlehem, there had been no Golgotha.
Had there been no incarnation, there
had been no ascension. Had there been
ne start. there had been no close.
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR CHRIST?
Standing in the chill khan OF a
Saviour's humiliation, and seeing what
he did for US: ask, What have we
done for him? There is nothing l
approaching in the village church a
good woman said to a group of girls in
Iowly and straiteued 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, II could not do much, for we
are very poor, but | had beautiful
flower I had carefully trained in our
home, and | thought much OF 1t, and |
tput that flower on the church altar"
And another said, Il could not do
much, for we are very poor, but | can
sing a little, and so | went down to a
poor sick woman in the lane, and sang
as well as l could. to cheer her up, Il
| Christmas song" "Well, Helen, what
did you do?" She replied, Il could not
| do much, but wanted to do something
for Christ, and could think of nothing
else to d., and so l went into the church
after the people who had been adorning
the alter had left, and l scrubbed down
the back altar stairs" Beautiful! l
warrant that the Christ OF that Christ
mas 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
reSounding service. Something for
Christ!
A plain man passing fortress saw a
Russian soldier on guard in terribly
cold night, and took off his coat and
gave it to the soldier, 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" "1 eS,
said Christ, this is the one you lent me
on that cold night by the fortress. l
was naked, and ye clothed me-" Some
thing for Christ! BY the memories OF
Rathlahem T admire yOui