The Penn's Grove record., 1891-01-10

u metals and gases anu llqulQS ana sollds
md in filling the worlds library with thei
wise m N who came from the East, and ira
iition says the three wtsese came-Casper.
roung man; B~althazar, a man Of midlife
md Melchior, IN o~ctogenarian. The thret
wisest men Of all the century. They came K
;he manger.
So it has always been-ths wisest mel
.ome to Christ, the brainiest men CONS to th.
nanger. Who wasthe greatest m~etaphysiciai
Ibis country ever has producedH Jonathan
Edwards, the Christian. Who was the great
,t astronomer of the wor,df Herschel, tn
Christian. Who was the greatest poet evel
,roducedp John Milton, the Caristian. Wht
was the wisest writer on lawf Blackstone
The Christian. Why is it that every colleg,
aud university in the land has q chapelf They
must havo a place for the wise men to wor
hip. Come now, let US understand in ounce.
md by inches this whole matter. In post
nortem examination the brain Of distin-
guished men has been examined, and l will
ind the largest, the heaviest, the mightiest
Drain ever produced in America, and | will
ask what that brain thought Of Christ. Here
Z is. the brain weighing sixty-three ounces
the largest brain ever produced in America
Now let me find what that brain thought o.
Christ. In the dying moment that man said
Lord, Ibelieve, help Thou mine unbelief
Whatever else I do, Almighty Col, receive
NE to Thyself for Christ's sake. This night
[ shall be in the light and joy and blessed
ness So Daniel Webster came to the mauger.
The wise men Of the East followed by tbs
wise men of tue West.
1t was in closing December that he wal
born to show that this Is a Christ Of people
in sharp blast, for people under clouded sky,
with thermometer below zero. That is the
reason He Is SO often found among the destl.
tute. You can find Him on any night
coming off the moors. You can see Him
any night coming through the dark lanes Of
the city. You can see Him putting Hi
hand under the fainting head in the pauper'i
cabin. He remembers how the wind whis
tied around the caravansary in Bethlehem
that December night, and He is in sympathy
with all those who in their poverty hear tn,
shutters clatter on a cold night.
1t was this December Christ that Washing
ton and his army worshipsd at Valley
Forge, when without blankets they lay
Christ that the Pilgrim Fathers appealed te
when the Mayaower wharfsd at Plymouth
Rock, and in the years that went by th'
graves digged, were more In number thar
the houses built. Oh, I tell you, we want Q
December Christ, not O Christ for fail
weather, but a Christ for dark days clouiet
with sickness, aud chilling with ~disappoint
ment, and suffocatins with bereavement
and terrific with wide open graves. Not
~springtime Christ, not a summer Christ, moi
an nutumnal Christ, but a winter Christ
Oh. this suffering and struggling world
needs to be hushed and soothed II rocked
and lullabiedin the arms of sympathetic ON
nipotenceI No mother ever with more ten
derness put her foot on the rocker OF the
cradle OF q sick child than Christ comes
down to us, to this invalid world, and He
fnola II INTO ,Nianidftu and HulAfnaaS aG HA
says, "My peace / give unto you; not as the
world giveth give l unto you"
Notice also the fact which no one seems to
notice-that this Christ was born among the
sheep, and the cattle, and the horses, and the
camels in order that He might be an ~alleviat-
ing influences to the whole animal creation.
1t means mercy for overdriven, underfed,
poorly sheltered, CALLED and maltreated
animal creation. Hath the Christ who
compared Himself to a dove no care for the
c~ruelties of the pigeon shootingS Hath
the Christ who compared Himself to a lamb
no care for the sheep who are tied and con-
torted, and with neck over the sharp edge
OF the butchers cart, or the cattle train
in bot weather from Omaha to New York,
with no water-hfteen hundred miles Of
sgonys
Hath the Christ whose tax was paid by a
fish, the coin taken from its mouth, no care
for the tossing fins in the fish MARKET Hath
the Christ who strung with His OWE hand
the nerves of dog and cat no Indignation for
the horrors OF vivIssctiont Hath the Christ
who said "Go to the ant" no w~atchfulns;s
for the transfixed insectst Hath the Christ
who said "Behold the fowls OF the air.
Himself never beheld the oltrages
heapei upon the brute creation which
cannot articulate its grieti This Christ
came not only to lift tho human race
out OF its trouble, but to lift out of
pang and hardship the animal creation. In
the glorious milennial time the child shall
lead the lion and play with the cockatrice
only because brute and reptile shall have no
more wrongs to avenge. 10 alleviate the
condition OF the brute creation Christ was
born in the cattle pen. The first blest OF the
Lamb of God heard amid the tired foczs OF
Bethlehem shepherds. The white horse Of
eternal victory stabbed in q barn.
But notice also in this account the three
Christmas presents that are brought TO the
m~anger-gold, f~rankincenss and myrrh.
Gold TO Christ-that means all the atflu-
encs Of the world surrendered to Him. For
lack Of money no more asylums limping on
their way like the cripples whom they
helped, feeling their slow way like the blind
people whom they sheltered. Millions OF
dollars for Christ where there are now
thousands for Christ Railroads owne1 by
Christian stockholders and governed by
Snristian uireceorA huo carrying pas
sensers and freight at Christian prices;
George Peabodys and Abbott Lawrences and
James Lenoxes no rarity. Bank OF England,
Bourse OF France, United States treasury,
all the moneyed institutions Of the world for
Christ. The gold for Christ. Gold not
merely paid the way Of Joseph and Mary
and the divine fugitive into Egypt, but it
was typical of the fact that Christ's way
shall Be paid all around the world. The gold
for Christ, the silver for Christ the jewels
for Christ. Australia, Nevada and Golconda
for Christ. The bright, round, beautiful
jewel Of a world set like q solitaire IN the
bosom Of Christ.
But I notice that these wise men also shook
out from tbs sacks the myrrh. Ths cattle
came and they snutfed at II. They did not
eat 1t because 1t was bitter. The pungent gum
resin of Abysslnia called myrrh brought to
to the feet Of Christ. That means bitterness
days Of suffering, bitter nights Of woe.
Myrrh. That is what they put into His cup
when He was dying. Myrrh. That is what
they put under His head in the wilderness.
Myrrh. That Il what they strewsd His path
with all the way from the cattle pen in Bsth-
lehem to the mausoieum at Jossph's country
seat. MyTrh. Yea, seysthe Psalmist, IAN Thy
clothes Of the babe. That is what the
Marys twisted In the shroud Of a cruciied
Christ. The myrrh. Oh, the height, the
depth, the length, the breadth OF the
Saviour's sorrowl Well might the wise men
shake out the myrrh.
. But / notice also from another sack they
shake out the frankincenss. Clear up 70
the rafters of the barn the air 10 filed with
perfume, and the hostlers and the camel
drivers in the farthest part of the building
inhale It and IL doats u upon the sir
until passersby wonder who In that ronoh
place could havs by accident dropped a box
Of alabaster. F~rankincenss. That Is what
they burned In the censor in the ancient tenn
pie. Frankincsnsa- That means worship.
Frankincense That L. to I'LL all the homes.
and all the churches, and ell the capitals
and all the nations from cellar OF stalactited
ave clear up to the Elvery rafters OF this
rtarltt dome. Frankincenss. That Is what
we shake out from our hearts to-day. so thai
the nostriis OF Christ once crimsoned win
the henorrnage of the cross shall be flooded
with the perfume OF q worlds alteration.
Frankincenss. Frankincsnss in song and
sermon and ofersory and bandshakins and
decoration.
Praise Him, mountains and hills, valleys
and seas, and skies and earth and heaven
cyclone with your trumpets. northern hghts
with YOUR flaming ensign, morning witt
your castles OF cloud, and evening with yoIl
billOwing clouds OF sunset. Do you know
how they used to hull the ceuser in Tit