Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-01-03

will the Iact that the wise men OF the
east caInc to Christ. They were not
fools, they were not imbecilcs. The
record distinctly says that the wise
men came to Christ. We say they were
the lnngi, or they were the alchclnists,
or they wero the estrologists, and we
say it with depreciating accentuation.
Why, they were the ,uost splendid and
magnificent men of the century. They
were tho laturalists and the scientists.
They knew I'LL that vas known You
must remember that astr2!o:2;y; was the
mother ofastronolny. ana that alchemy
WAS the mother Of chemistry, and be.
cause children arc brighter than the
mother youl do not.,!c*pisc the mother.
1t was the lifelong business of these
astrologeri to study tie stars Twenty
two hundred AMI fifty years before
Christ was born the wise men knew
the procession Of the eqninoxcs, and
they had calculated Tile orbit and the
return Of tile comets Professor Smith
declares q ttllsia lys,Eliey dcrstood
4 the earth
esbs b HE;
mon OF oilen time dill not suppose tile
world was flat. az some have said. but
that he knew, and the l3en of his time
knew, the world was cl.:l:nlar. The
pyramids were built for astrological
and astronomical study. Then the al
chemists spent t!lcir lives in the study
OF metals and gases and liquids and
solids, and in filling III, worlds library
with their wonderful discoveries They
were vastly Wise l!cl who came from
the east. and tradition says the three
wisesr calne-Caspar, young man;
Balttr,zar. ii inaa in midlifc. and Mel
chior, an octoGcnarian - the three
wisest lnc! OF ell The century. They
came to the manager.
So it las always bccn-tle wisest
men come to Christ. tile brainicst men
come to tho manscr Who was the
greatest metaphysician this country
ever has produccd2 Jonathan Edwards,
the Christian. WHO WAS tlIe greatest
astronomer of the world? Hcrschcl the
Christian. WHO was the greatest poet
ever produce,? John Milton. the Chris
tian Who Was the wisest writer on
law2 blackstone the Christian Why
is it tlElt every college and university
in the land las :. chapel? They must
have place for the wise men to wor-
ship. Come low, let us understand in
ounces all By inches this whole matter.
In post-lnorte!n examination the
brain Of distinguished Ecn has been
examined, and will find tie largest.
the Heaviest. tic lniyllticst brain ever
produced in America, and | will ask
what that brain thought of Christ
Here it is, the brain Weighing sixty
three ouAces, the largest brain ever
produced in America Now let me
find What tat brain thought of Christ
In the dyiii.; lnoncnt that man slid:
Lord, | believe, help thou mine IN
belief T!la,evcr Csc Go. Almighty
God, receive lie 10 t!lyself for Ciirist's
sake TIis night shall be in light
and Joy and blcs.clliicss. So Daniel
Webster came to the nanger. The
wise mon Of t!c east followed by the
wise men of i!c west.
pI,Ec.:H:' HELP II TROUBLE
Know also in this scene that ii WIS
q winter month that Got! chose for his
sons nativity. Had it Lcen the month
OF May-tllat is the season of blossoms
Had he been born in Tie month Of
June-tt,lat is the reason OF roses. Had
he been born in the month Of July
that is the season Of great llarvcsts
Had lie been born il the month of Sep
telnbcr-tliat is the season of ripe or
chards. Had he been born in the
month of Octotcr-tllat is the season
of upholstered forests. But he was
born in a winter month.
1t was in closing December that he
was born to show that this is Il Christ
for people in sharp blast, for people
under cloudcd sky, for people with
frosted hopes, for people with ther
mometer below zero. That is the rea
son he is 50 often found among the des
titute. You can find him on any night
coming OF the ,noors. You can see
him any night coming through the dark
lanes OF the city. You can SEQ him
quitting his hand under the faintng
head in the paupcr's cabin. lie re-
members how the wind whistlctl around
the caravansary in Bethlehem that De-
ceinbcr night. and he is in sympathy
with all those who in their poverty
hear the shutters clattel Oh q cold night
1t was this December Christ that
Washington and Ills army worshiped
ut Valley Forge when without blankets
they lay down il the December SHOW.
1t was this Christ that the Pilgrim
Fathers appealed to when the May
flower wharfcd at Plymouth Rock, and
IN the years that went by the graves
digSed were more in number than the
houses built. Oh, l tell you we want
a December Christ, not q Christ for
fni. weather, but a Christ for dark
days clotldrd with sickness, and chill
ing with disappointment, and suffoca-
ing with bereavement. and terrific with
wide open graves. Not a springtime
Christ, not summer Christ, not an
autumnal Christ, but winter Christ.
Oh, this suffering and struggling world
needs to be hushcd and soothed and
rocked and Mllabied i.l the arms of
sympathetic Omnipotcnce! No mother
ever with more tenderness put her foot
on +l,a ro,l-or of tho cradle, Of n sick