The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-01-08


salem 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 imperial caValcade passed out in
the early morning and to which it re-
turned 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.
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
flight tilled 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 yet 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 more tremen-
dous than the grave. Where are most
of the leaders of the twentieth century
soon to dawn upon us? Are they on
thrones? No. In chariots? 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 the uni
verse, and next to God, is to be a moth
er. 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 may be standing in attic
or barn; forget not the foot that swayed
1T, the lips that sang over it, 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
tive-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 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-
ton of the sixteenth century That
was great cradle in which Daniel
OConnell lay, for from it came forth
an eloquence that will be inspiring
while men have eyes to read,
or ears to hear. That was a
great cradle in which Washing
ton lay, for from it came forth the happy
deliverance of nation. That was
great cradle in which John Howard lay,
for from it came forth mercy that will
not cease until the last dungeon gets
the Bible, and light, and fresh air.
Great cradles in which the John Wes-
leys, and the John Knoxes, and the John
Masons lay, for from them came forth an
l.conquering eVangelization. But the
greatest cradle in which child ever slept,
or 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
dropped 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, there had been no ascen-
sion. Had there been no start, there
had been no close.
Standing in the chill kahn of a Sa-
viour's humiliation, and seeing what He
did for us, ask, what have you done
for Him. '"There is nothing l can do
says one. AS Christmas was approach
ing the village church, good woman
said to group of girls in lowly and
Strengthened circumstances: LET all
now do something for Christ" After the
day was over, she asked the group to
tell her what they had done. One said:
81 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 an.
other said: II could not do much, for
we are very poor, but l can sing a
little, and so l went down to
poor, sick woman in the lane, and
sang as well as could, to cheer her up,
a Christmas song" well, Helen, what
did you do?" She replied: II could not
do much, but l wanted to do something
for Christ, and I could think of nothing
else to do, and SO | went into the
church after the people who had been
adjoining the altar had left, and I scrub
bed down the back altar stairs Beau
tifulQ al warrant that the Christ of that
Christmas day gave her as much credit
for that earnest act as He may have
given to the robed official who on that
day read for the people the prayers of
resounding service.
A pla in man passing fortress saw
Russian soldier on guard in terribly
cold night, and took off his coat and
gave it to the soldier, saying: II will
soon be home and warm and YOU
will be out here all night" So
the soldier wrapped himself in the
borrowed coat The plain man who
loaund tho coat IN tho rOldia, sx,o,, = fto.