The Brookhaven leader., 1890-11-13

NAA-O ~ ""o - hhoh VI a ChIbtt pen. Il
visited one Of these khans now stand
ing and looking just as in Christs 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 thousand years old. 1t is two
stories high. In the center are camels,
horses and mules. Caravans halt here
for the night or during a long storm.
The open square Is large enough to ac.
commodate o whole herd Of cattle, q
flock of sheep, or caravan OF camels. The
neighboring Bedouins here. find a market
for their hay, straw and meats. Of
from this center there are twelve rooms
for human habitation. The only light
is from the door. j went into one OF
these rooms and found a woman cooking
the evening meal. There were six
cows in the same room. On little ele-
vation there was some straw where the
people sat and slept when they wished
to rest 1t was in room similar to that
our Lord was born.
This was the cradle Of King and
yet what cradle ever held so much7
Civilization! Liberty! Redemption!
Your pardon and mine! Your peace
and mine! You Heaven and minel
Cradle of universe! Cradle of a GodI
The gardens of Solomon we visited
this morning were only a type OF
what all the world will be when
this illustrious parsonage now
born shall have completed Hi.
mission. The Ihorse 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 thi,
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 yondei
three great reservoirs Of rock, and then
pour in marvellous aqueduct into Jeru'
salem till the brazen sea is full, ard the
baths are full, and Sloan is full, are
only an imperfect type Of the rivors 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 imperial cavalcade passed out in
the early morning and to which it re-
turned with glowing check, and jingling
harness, and lathered sides, is feeble OF
architecture compared with tho House
of Many Mansions into which this One
heights shall conduct US when our sins
are all pardoned, our battles all fought,
our tears all wept, our work all done.
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 every point? To
what else did Heaven lower balconies OF
fight filled with chanting immortals?
The way the cradle rocks the world
rocks God bless the mother all the
world over. The cradles decide the des-
TIMES of nations. In ten thousand OF
them are, this moment, the hands that
will vet give benediction of mercy or
hurl bolts of doom, the feet that will
mount the steps toward God or descend
the blasted way, the lips that will pray
or blaspheme.
Oh the cradle! 1t is mere tremen.
dous than the grave. Where are most
of the leaders of the twentieth century
soon to dawn upon us? Arc they on
thrones? No. In chariotsP 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 tho uni
verse, and next to God, is to be moth
er. Lord Shaftesbury said: Give me
a generation of Christian mothers
and l will change the whole phase OF
society in twelve months" Oh, the
cradle! 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 1T, the tears
that dropped over it, the faith in God
that made way for it. The boy 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 1t
may, like the one my sermon celebrates,
have been a cradle in barn, for think
it was a Christian cradle. That was a
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 eloquence that will be inspiring
while men have eyes to read,
or ears to hear. That was
great cradle in which Washing
= lor for from IL came forth the happy
deliverauce of 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 get1
tho Bible, and light, and fresh air.
Great cradles in which the John Nes'
leys, and the John Knoxes, and the John
Masons lay, for from them came forth ar
all conuuering evangelization. But the
greatest cradle in which child ever slept,
OF woke, laughed, or cried. was the
cradle over which Mary bent and to
which the wise men brought franklin
cense, and upon which the Heavens
drooped 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, thcro had been no ascen'
sion. Hal there been no start there
had been no close.
A pla.n man Passing fortress saw
Russian sold er on guard in terribly
cold night and took of his coat and
gave it to the soldier, saying: Il Will
soon be homo and warm and you
,,;1l ba ont hare all night 90