Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-11-14

/ started told so IN Egypt; the BOOKS tod
me 50: ali travellers that consulted about
it told me so. But l was determined TO
see Bethlehem the same month In which
Jesus arrived. and nothing could dlssuade
me. Was | not right in wanting 70 know
how the Holy Land looked when Jesus came
to it? He did not land amid flowers and
song. When the angels chanted on the
famous birthnight all the fields OF Palestine
were silent. The glowing skies were an
swered by gray rocks. As Bethlehem stood
against a bleak wintry sky climbed up a.
it, as through a bleak wintry sky Jesus de-
scended upon it. His way down was from
warmth to chill from bloom to barreDness,
from everlasting June to sterile December
If [ were going to Palestine a botanlst and
to study tie fora OF the land would go IN
March: but | went as minister of Christ To
study Jesus and so l went in December. |
wanted to see how the worl1's front door
looked when the heavenly Stranger entered
it.
The town Of Bethlehem, to my surprise. is
in the shape 0s a horseshoe. the houses ex-
tending clear onto the prongs OF the horse
shoe, the whole scene more rough and rude
than can be imagined. Verify, Christ did
not choose a soft. genial place IN which to be
born. The gate through which our Lord en-
tered this world was gate of rock, a hard,
cold gate, ana the gate through which He de-
parted was swing gate of sharpened spears.
We enter gloomy church built by Constan-
tine over Cno place IN WHICH CoSuS WAS DOIu
Fifteen lamps burning day and night and
from century to century light our way to the
spot which all authorities, Christian and Jew
and Mohammedan, agree upon as being the
place Of our Saviour's birth, and covered bv
a marble slab, marked by silver star sent
from Vienna, and the words: Here Jesus
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary"
But standing there [ thought though this
is the place of the nativity. how different toe
surroundings of the wintry night in which
Jesus came! At that time it was a khan, or
a cattle pen. visited one of these khans.
now standing and looking just as in Christ's
time. We rode in under the arched entrance
and dismounted. We found the building OF
stone. and around an open square, without
roof. The building is more than two thou
sand years old. 1t is two stories high; in
the center are camels, horses and mules.
long storm. The open square is large
enough to accommodate whole herd of cat
tie, flock of sheep or caravan of camels.
The neighboring Bedou ms here find market
for their hay: straw and meats. Of from
rnls center there are twelve rooms for hu-
man habitation. The only light is from the
door. went into one Of these rooms and
found a woman cooking the evening meal.
There were six COWS in the same room. On
a little elevation there was some ST. aw where
the people sat and slept when they wished to
rest It was in room similar to that our
Lord was born
This was the cradle of a King and yet
what cradle ever held so much? Civiliza-
ton! Liberty! Redemption Your par
don and mine! Your peace and mine! Your
heaven and mine! Cradle of universe
Cradle of God! The gardens Of Solomon
we visited this morning were only type Of
what all the world will be when this illus
trious parsonage now born shall have COM
pleted His mission The horses of finest limb,
and gayest champ Of bit. and sublimest arch
IF hot Colo u
these adjoining gardens was but poor type
Of the horse upon which this conquerOr born
in the barn, shall ride when according to
apocalyptic vision all the ''armies OF heaven
shall follow Him on white horses" The
waters that rush down these hills into yon-
der three great reservoirs of rock, and then
pour in marvellous aqueduct into Jerusa-
lem till the brazen sea is full, and the batls
are full, and Sloan is full, are only an i'm
perfect 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 ma.
tons. The palace OF Lebanon cedar, from
which the imperial cavalcade passed out in
the early morning, and to which it returned
with glowing cheek and gingling 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 battles all
fought, our tears all wept, our work all
done.
Standing here ct 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? To what else did
heaven lower balconies of light filled with
chanting immortals? The way the cradle
rocks the world rocks. God bless the
mothers all the world over! The cradles
decide the destlnies of nations. In ten thou
ri no l. HI IA h.
Will yet give benediccion of mercy or hurl
bolts OF doom, the feet that will mount the
sleeps toward God or descend the blasted
way, the lips that will pray or blaspheme.
On, the cradle! It is more tremendous than
the grave. Where are most of the
LEI OF the twentieth century soon
thrones? No. In chariots? No In pull
pits? No. In forums2 No. In senatorial
halls9 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 Shaftesbury said, Give
me generation of Christian mothers, and
will change the whole phase of society in
twelve months" Oh, the cradlel 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 it, the lips that sang over it,
the tears that dropped upon it, the faith in
God that made way for it. The bov Walter
Scott did we'll when he spent the first five
guinea piece he ever earned as present to
his mother.
Dishonor not the cradle, though it may,
like the one my sermon celebrates, have
been a cradle in barn, for l think it was
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 O'Conrell lay for from it
came forth an elOauence that will be in