The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1890-12-31
CHRIsTs BIRTH
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage breaches q
Christmas Sermon
Lessons Taught by tho Scenes Around the
Manger Nineteen Centuries Ago
uow the Wise Men Wont Down
to Bethlehem to Sec the
Divine Babc.

"
iect being the Christian Jubilee. His
text was Luke 2. xv., "Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem" The eloquent
divine spoke as follows:
Amid thousand mercies we give
each other holiday congratulations. BY
long established custom we exhort each
other to healthful merriment BY gift.
by Christmas trees which blossom and
fruit In one night by early morning
surprise, by clusters Of lighted candles,
by children's procession, by sounds OF
instruments sometimes more blatant
than musical, we wake up the night and
prolong the day. / wish you all In the
grandest noblest and best sense,
merry Christmas. The evont commem-
grated is the gladdest Of the centuries.
Christ's cradle was as wonderful as his
cross. Persuade me OF the first and l
am not surprised at the last The door
by which He entered was as tremendous
as the door by which He went out
was last winter at the house where
Jesus lived while He was in Africa. 1t
was in Cairo, in Egypt the terminus OF
that terrible journey which de TOOK
when Joseph and Mary fed with him
from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape the
massacre Of Herod. All tradition as
we'll as all history point out this house
in Cairo as the one in which these three
furitiyes lived while in Africa. The
room is nine steps down from the level
OF the street measured the room and
found 1t twenty feet long and seven and
half feet high. There are three shelv-
inRs Of rock, one OF which think was
h the cradle OF our Lord. There Is no
y window, and all the light must have
come from lantern or candle. The three
arrived here from Bethlehem, having
crossed the awful desert
On the Mediterranean steamer going
from Athens to Alexandria, l met the
eminent scholar and theologian, Doctor
Lansing, who for thirty-Rve years has
been resident OF Cairo, and he told me
that he had been all over the road that the
three fugitiyes took from Bethlehem tC
Egypt He says 1t is'a desert way, and thai
the forced Journey OF tho infant Chris
must have been terrible journey. Go
ing up from Egypt. Doctor Lansing me
teople from Bethlehem, their tongues
swollen and hanging out from the In
flammation OF their thirst, and although
his party had but one goatskin OF waite
left, and that was important for them
selves, he was so moved with the spec
tacle Of thirst in these poor pilgrim
that, though It excited the indignation
of his fellow travellers, he gave water
tho strangers. Over this dreadful rout
Joseph and Mary started for this land {
Egypt. No time to make much prepi
ration. Herod was after them, and whs
we're these peasants before an irat
King? Joseph. the husband and fathe
one night sprang up from his mattre'
in great alarm, the beads OF sweat upo
his forehead, and his whole fran
ouaking. He had dreamed OF massacre
Of his wife and babe. They must be O
that night, right away. Mary put up
few things hastily, and Joseph brougl
70 the door the beast Of burden, al
helped his wife and child to noun
Why, those loaves OF bread are n
enough, those bottles OF water will n
last for such long way. But there
no time to get any thing more. Out al
on. Goodbye to the dear home they o
pect never again to see. Their hear
break. It does not need that ours be
big house in order TO make us sorry
leave IL.
Over the hills and down through Z
deep gorge they urge their way.
Hebron, by GAIA, through hot san
under blistering sun, the babe cryin
the mother faint, the father exhauste
How slowly the days and weeks pa
VIII the weary three ever reach t
banks OF the Niie? viii they e1
sec Cairo? viii the desert ever en-
When at last they cross the line beyo
which old Herod has no right to purs'
their 10y is unbounded. Free at la
Let them dismount and rest. Now th
resume their way with less ankle
They will find find place somewht
for shelter and the earning OF tn
bread Here they are at Cairo, Egy
They wind through the crooked sire
which arc about ter feet wide, a
enter the humble house where hi
been to-day. But the terminus OF
tourney OF these three fugitives was
as humble as their starting point
Bethlehem. II that journey across
desert ended In cellar, II started fr
a barn. In and around that barn
Bethlehem we tarrv to-day.
Every thing humble around the ba
but every thing glorious overhe
Christs advent was in the hoste
called the House Of the Chin Ham;
night with the diamond finger point
down 10 the place; the door Of Hea
set wide open u hook out; from orcl
trail batons OF Lght dripping the {
torios OF the Messiah; on lowest d'
step OF Heaven the minstrols OF
discoursing OF glory and good "
Soon after the white-bearded astr
gists kneel, and from leathern 20
chink the shekels, and rom open sa
oxhale the franlSlncense and rustic
the bundles OF myrrh. The loose
star; the escaped doxology OF celcsti
the chill December night a6ush '
May morn; our world a lost star;
another star rushing down the sky
night to beckon tho wanderer h
again, shall yet make oil nations \
Christmas.
Are there no new lessons from
story not yot hacknoyed by oft repoa
o, yea Know In the first place, II
asidereal appearance that led tho
Why not black cloud in the shope