The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-12-13

| started, told 50 III jtgypJ; the books toll
me 20. ali travellers that conslitei about
IL told me 50. But | was determined to
see Bethlehem the same month i'll which
Jesus arrived. and nothing could diSSuade
me. Vas not riSht III wanting tt know
how tne Holy Land looked wnen Jesus came
TO itg He dill not land amid Towers and
,On~ Wien the angels cnantei on the
famous birthniyht all the fields OF PAie-f ne
we're silent. The glowing SKIES we're an
swered by gray rocks. As betni9hem s.ooi
against bleak wintry sky | climbed up to
i, as through a bleak wintry sky Jesus de
scended upon it. His way down was Irom
warmth to chill, from bloom to barrenness,
from everlasting June to sterile December.
If were going to Palestine as botaniss anf
to study the fora of the land l would 20 IN
March: but went as minister OF Christ To
study Jesus and so l went in December.
wanted to see how the worlds front door
looked when the heavenly Stranger entered
it.
The town of Bethlehem, to my surprise, Is
in the shape of 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, hard,
cold gate, ami the gate through which He de-
parted was swing gate of sharpened spears.
We entera gloomy church built by Constan-
tine over tie place in which Jesus was born.
Fifteen lamps burning day and night and
from century 10 century fight our way to the
spot which all authorities, Chrisiiar and J5I
and Mohammedan, agree Gpon as beng ~
place Of our Sayiours birth, and covered -
II marble slao, marked by silver star sen,
from Vienna, and the words: Here JesI;
Christ was born of the Virgin Mary"
But standing there thought. though this
Is lie place OF inc nativity, row different the
surroundings OF the wiItry night il which
Jesus came! At that time il was z Khan, o.
q cattle pen. visited one of these kh9ps.
now standing and looking just as in ChriSt's
time. We rode III urier the arche1 entrance
and dismountei. 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: i'll
the center are caIre!s. horses and mules.
Caravans halt here for the night or during
long storm. The omen square is large
enough TO accommodate a whole herd OF cat
tie. 4 tiOc!l OF Sheep or caravan OF oalels.
The reighbo:inS BeioI ms here find market
for their hay; straw and meats. OF from
CHS center there are twelve rooms for hui
man hab.tation. The only light is from the
door. | went into one OF these rooms and
found woman cooking the evening meal
There were six COWS III the same room. On
a little elevation there was some straw where
the people sat and slept when they wished to
rest. IL was in room similar TO that our
Lord was born
This was :he cradle of a King, AMI vet
what cradle ever held so much. Civiliza-
ton! Liberty, Redemption! Your pA,
don and mine. Your peace AMI mine. Nour
heaven AMI mine, Cradle of universe
Cradle OF a God! The gardens of Solomon
we VISITED this morning were only type of
hot oil 4lo Ia n, .-,
trious persorage now born snail have COM
plete1 His mission. The horses Of finest limb,
and gayest champ of lit. and Subimest arch
o. neck. that ever brought Solomon down 20
these adjoining gardens was but poor type
of the horse upon which this conqueror. born
in the barn, shall ride when according &c
apocalyptic vision all the armies o. 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 aoueduct into Jerusa-
lem till the braZen sea il full, AMI the baths
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 OH for the shaking of the thirst of all ma
tions The palace of Lebanon cedar. from
which the imperial cavalcade passed out ID
the early morning. and to which IL returned
with glowing cheea and ginglinS harness and
iathered 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 par!oned, our iattles all
fought, our tears ali wept, our work all
done.
Standing here a. Bethlehem ,io YOU not
see that the most honored thing in al! the
eartn IS the cra1le' To what else did
loosened star ever point? To what elsa did
heaven lower balconies of light filed 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 thou.
sanu Oh them are this moment the hands that
Will yet give henedicsion OF mercy or hurl
boitsof doom, the feet tina. will mount tn.
steeps toward God or descend the blasted
On, the cradle! It is more tremendous than
the grave. Where are most OF the
leaders OF the twentieth century soon
10 dawn upon US. Are they on
thrones? No. In chariots. No In pul.
pits? No. In forums! No. In senatorial
nals. NO. In counting houses. 10. They
are III the cradle. The most tremendous
thing in the universe and next to God is r.
De mother. Lord Shaftesbury said, Give
me generation Of Christian mothers AND
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 maybe
Standing In attic OF barn, forget not the foot
that swayed it, the lips that sang over it
the tears that dropped upon it, the faith in
Sod that made way for it. The bow Walter
Scott did well when he spent the first FIVE
guinea piece he ever earned as presentto
his mother.
-, Dishonor not the cradle, though it NAV.
ilAe the one my sermon celebrates, have
ne ss, a cradle If, barn, for I think it vas
in which Martin Luther Law. for from il
came forth the reformation OF the six.
taenth century. That was a great cradle in
which Daniel O'Connell lay, for from II
cane forth an eloquence that will be in.