News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-11-06


night in which Jesus came! At that
time it was a khan or cattle pen. L
visited one of these khans now stand
ing 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 2, 900 years old. 1t is two stores
high. In the center are camels, horses
and mules Caravans halt here for the
night or during long storm. The
open square is large enough to accomlno-
date whole herd of cattle, flock OF
sheep or caravan of camels. The
neighboring Bedouins here find market
for their hay. straw and meats. Off
from this center there are twelve rooms
for human habitatiOn. The only light
is from the door | went into one OF
these rooms and found a woman cook
ing the evening meal. There were SIX
COWS in the same room. On a little
elevation there was some straw where
the people sat and slept when they
wished to rest. 1t was in q room
similar to that ar Lord was born.
This was the cradle of a king, and
yet what cradltsS -er held so much2
Civilization #. ~! Redemption
Your pardon ms ntioRl- Your peace
and mipeT Your heaven and mine!
Cradle of universal Cradle of God!
The gardens of Solomon we visited this
morning were only & type of what
all the world will be when this illustri-
ious parsonage now lorn shall have
auln.srsasc - iGunuIss
of finest limb and gayest champ of
bit and sublimest arch of neck that
ever brought Solomon down to these
adjoining gardens was but poor type
of the horse upon which this conquer
or born in the barn shall ride, when,
according to apocalyptic vision, all the
"armies of heaven shall follow him on
white horses. p"
The waters that rush down these
hills into yonder three great reservoirs
of rock and thea pour in marvellous
aqueduct into Jerusalem till the brazen
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, cedar from which the i'm
perial cavalcade passed out in the early
morning and to which it 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 battles all fought, our
tears all wept, our work all done.
THE TYPE OF CHRISTIAN MOTHERHOOD.
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? 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
destinies of nations. In ten thousand
of them are this moment the hands
that will yet give benediction 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 Oh, the
cradlei 1t is more tremendous than
the grave. Where are most of the
leaders of the Twentieth century soon
to dawn upon us2 Are they on thrones
No. In chariots? No In pulpits? No.
In forums2 No. In senatorial halls
are in the cradle. The most tremen-
dous thing in the universe, and next to
God, is to be mother. Lord Shaftes-
bury said, Give me generation OF
Christian mothers and l will change
the whole phase of society in twelve
months"
Oh, the cradleI 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 boy Walter Scott did
well 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 a barn, for |
think it was a Christian cradle. That
was a great cradle in which Martin
Luther lay, for from it came forth the
reformation of the Sixteenth century.
That was a great cradle in which Daniel
O'Connell lay, for from it came forth
an eloquence 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 deliverance of a nation.
That was a 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 conquer
ing evangelizatiOn. But the greatest
cradle in which child ever slept or woke,
laughed or cried, was the cradle over
rhIoh hnn& n1I 70 al, h.
wise men brought frankincense, and
upon which the heavens dropped song.
Had there been no manager there had
been nc <.eross. Had there been no
Bethleheni there had been no Golgotha
Had there been no incarnation there
had been no ascension. Had there
been no start there had been no close.
re r-7.S- T no Eli CHRIST T r. - -
Standing in the chill khan of q Saw
tours humiliation, and seeing what he
did for us, | ask what have we done
for him2 There is nothing | can
do" says one. As Christmas was APP
preaching in the village church a good
woman said - group of girls in lowly
and straitcIu14 circumstances, ''Let us
now do sons 'ng for Christ" After
the day was over she asked the group
to tell her what they had done. One
said, Il could not do much, for we are
very poor, but had beautiful flower
| had carefully trained in our home
and thought much of it, and put
that flower on the church altar" And
another said, II could not do much,
for we are very poor, but l can sing
4 little, and so | went down to a
poor sick woman in the lane and
sang as well as / could, to cheer her