The Opelousas courier., 1890-02-22

Luke H.. IA.
At last I have what 1 longed for. a Christ
mas eve in the Holy Land. This is the time
of year that Christ landed. He was a Deem
Der Christ. This is the chill air through
which He descended. Hook up through these
Fastening southwark to halt above Bethle-
hem. but all the stars suggest the Star Of
Bethlehem. No more need that any of them
run along the sky to point downward. In
quietude they kneel at the feet of Him who,
though once an exile, is now enthroned for
ever. Fresh up from Bethlehem, l
am full of tho scenes suggested by a
visit to that village. You know that
whole region of Bethlehem is famous in Bible
story. There were the waving harvests of
Boaz, in which Ruth CLEANED for herself and
weeping Naomi. There David the warrior
was thirsty, and three men Of uhheard Of
self denial broke through the Philistine army
that Joseph and Mary came to have their
names enrolled in the census. That is what
the Scripture means when it says they came
ito be taxed" for people did not in those
days rush after the assessors Of tax any more
than they now do.
The village inn was crowded with the
strangers who had come up by the command
OF Government to have their names in the
census, so that Joseph and Mary were obliged
to lodge in the stables. You have seen soine
OF those large stone buildings, In the center
of which the camels were kept, while run
ming out from this center in all directions
there We're roon:s, In one Of which Jesus was
born, Had his parents been more showily
appareled | have no doubt they would have
found more comfortable Entertainment.
That night in the fields the shepherds, with
crook and kindled fires were watch
ing their llocks, when harki to
Can it be that the maidens of Bethlehem have
come out to serenade the weary shepherds?
But now a light stoops upon them like the
morning, so that the 1ocks arise, shaking
their snowy fleece and b~leating to their
drowsy young. The heavens are filled with
armies of light, and the earth quakes under
the harmony as, echoed back from cloud to
cloud, it rings over the midnight hills:
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will to men, It seems that the
| crown of royalty and dominion and power
which Christ left behind Him was hung on
the sky in sight of Bethlehem, Who knows
but that that crown may have been mistaken
by the wise men for the star running and
pointing downward?
My subject, in the first place, impresses me
with the fact that judgements not always
significant of degradation. When Princes
are born, heralds announce it, and cannon
thunder it, and flags wave it, and illumina-
| tions set cities on fire with the tidings. Som
of us in England or America remember the
\ time of rejoicing when the Prince Of Wales
was born. You can remember the gladness
| throughout Christendom at the nativity in
the palace at Madrid. But when our glorious
Prince as born, there was no rejoicing on
earth. 'oor and growing poorer, yet the
heavenly recognition that Christmas night
shows the truth of the proposition that in
digence is not always significant of degrada-
ton.
In all ages there nave been great hearts
~throbbing under rags, tender sympathtes un-
der rough exterior, gold In the quartz, Par
ian marble in the quarry, and in every stable
of privation wonders of excellence that have
been the joy of the heavenly host. All the
great deliverers of literature and Of nations
were born in homes without affluence, and
from their own privation learned to speak
and fight for the oppressed. Many a man,
has held up his pine knot light from the will
derness until all nations and generations
have seen it, and off of his hard crust of PEN
ury has broken the bread of knowledge and
religion for the starving millions Of the
race. Poetry, and science, and literature,
and commerce, and laws, and consti-
buttons, and liberty. like Christ, were born
in a manger All the great thoughts which
have decided the destiny Of nations started in
obscure corners, and had Herods whit wanted
to slay them, and Iscariots who betrayed
them, and rabbles that crucified them, and
sepulchres that confined them until they burst
forth in glorious resurrection. Strong char
acter, like the rhododendron, is an Alpine
!, sLant, that grows fastest in the storm. Men
r are like wheat, worth all the more for
being failed. Some of the most useful
people would never have come to posi-
lions of usefulness had they not been
ground and pounded and hammered
in the foundry of disaster. When ]
see Moses coming up from the ark OF bull
rushes to be the greatest lawgiver of thu
- IA &hn MA II
make Israel tremble with his prophecies, ane
David from the sheepcote to sway the poets
pen and the Kings scepter, and Peter from
Che fishing net to be the great preacher at the
Pentecost, / find proof of the truth OF my
proposition that indulgence is not Away:
significant of degradation.
My subject also impresses me with thu
thorvht that it is while at our USEFUL oc
cupations that we have the divine
manifestations. Had those shepherd:
gene that night into Bethlehem ant
risked their focks among the wolves, they
would not have heard the song OF the angels
In other words. that man sees most OF Goe
and heaven who minds his own business. W.
all nave u posts Of duty, and standing
there God appears to us. We are all shep
herds or sheperdesses, and we have oul
focks of cares and annoyances and anxletles
and we must tend them.
We sometimes hear very good people say
nIf I had a month or a year or two to d.
nothing but attend to religious things,
would be a great deal better than lam now.
You are mistaken. Generally the best PEG
pie are the busy people. Elisha was plowinl
in the field when the prophetic mantle fel
on him. Matthew was attending to his Gus
tom house duties when Christ commands
him to follow. James and John were mend
ing their nets when Christ called them to b
fishers of men. Had they been snoring il
the sun Christ i ould not have called thei
Incidence inte the apostleship;; Gideol
threshing floor when he saw the angel
} Saul was with great fatigue hunting up tn
lost asses when he found the crown Of Israel
The prodigal son would never nave refornet
and wanted tc have returned to his father
house If he had not first gone into business
t though it was swine feeding. Not once on
of a hundred times win a lazy man becom
a Christian. Those who have nothing to d
: are In very nnfavorable circumstances 70
the receiving of divine manifestations. 1t
, not when you are in idleness, but when 20
, are, like the Bethlehem shepherds, watchin
|, your 1ocks, that the glory descends and ther
l is Joy among the angels OF God over your sot
pendent and forgiven.
! NY subject also strikes at the delusion tia
the religion of Christ is dolorous and grie
infusing. The music that broke through tE
midnight heavens was not a dirge, but an an
them. It shook joy over the hills. &c no
only dropped upon the shepherds, but j
sprang upward among the thrones. Th
: robe Of a Saviour's Righteousness is nc
black. The Christian life is not made up c
: weeping and cross bearing and war wagine
q Through the revelation of that Chris
: mas night / find that religion is not
groan. but a song. In a world Of 81
t and sick bed and sepulchers, we must hay
\ trouble: but in the darkest night the HEAVIER
! part with angelic song. You may, Lib
= Paul. be shipwrecked, but l exhort you to /
of nnod nhaar Cor won shall all ascanA safe I