Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-01-03


hand under the fainting head in tbs pauper's
cabin de remembers how the wind whis-
Ted around toe carayansary in Bethlehem
that December night, and He is in sympathy
with all those who in their poverty hear the
shutters clatter on a cold night
1t was this December Christ that W .ashing-
ton and his army woFsnipei at Valley
Forge, when without blankets they lsv
down in the December snow. 1t was this
Christ that the Pilgrim Fathers appealed TO
when the Mayfiowsr wharfed at Plymouth
Rock, and in the years that went BY the
graves digged, were mora in number than
the houses built Oh / tell you. we want q
December Christ. not q Christ for fair.
weather. but Christ for dark days csouied
with sickness, and chilling with disappoint-
ment, and suffocatiug with bereaYe nent
and terrific with wide open graves. Not a
spfingtime Christ, not summer Christ, not
an autumnal Christ, hut winter Christ.
oh. this suffering and struggling world
needs TO be hushed and soothed and rocket
and lullabied in the arms of sympathetic OHI-
nsporeucei No mother ever with more ten
dsIgiess put her foot on the rocker of the
cradle OF a sick child than Christ comes
down to U.s. TO this invalid world, and He
rocks it into psacidity and quietness as He
says, Ny peace give unto Won; not as the
world giveth give unto youn
Notice also tie fact which no one seems to
notice-tnat this Christ was born among the
sheep. and the cattle, and the horses. aud the
camels in order that He might be an alleviat-
ing influence to the whole animal creation.
1t means mercy for overdriveu, underfed,
poorly sheltered, CALLED and maltreatad
animal creation. Hath the Christ WHO
| compared himself to dove no care for the
cruelties OF the pigeon shootingf Hath
tue Christ who compared Himself TO a lamb
no care for the sheep who are tied and con-
torted, ami with neck over tine sharp edge
OF the butchers cart or the cattle train
in hot weather from, Omaha to New YORK,
with no water-iiftaen hundred miles of
| agony7
HATH the Christ whose tax was paid by a
| fish, the com taken from its mouth, no care
for the tossing fms in the fish marxet. Hath
the Christ VINO strung with His own hand
the nerves OF dog and cat no Indignation for
the horrors of Visaction7 Hath the Christ
WHO said go to the anti no watchfulness
for the transfxed insects? Hath the Christ
VINO said 's3eho.d the fowls of the air.
Himself nsger beheld the outrages
I heapei upon the brute creation which
cannot articulate its griafs This Christ
came not only to lit the human race
out OF its trouble, out to lift out OF
| pang and hardship the animal creation. In
tde glorious milenhial time the Child shall
| lead the lion ami play vita the eockatrice
only because brute and reptile shall have no
more wrongs to aVenge. To alleviate the
condition o. the brute creation Christ was
| born in the catt.e pen. The first bleat Of the
Lamb OF God heard amid the tired nocls o.
| Bethlehem shepherds The white horse Of
eternal victory stabbed IN oarn.
| But notice also IN this account the thres
Christmas presents that are brought to the
manger-gold. frankincsase and myrra.
| Gold TO Christ-that means all the affin-
| ence of the world surrendere i to Him. For
| lack of money no more asylums llinplng 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 stockhcl ers, and governed by
! Christian directors, and carrying pas
! sengers and freight at Christian pr.ces.
| George Peabodys and Abbott Lawrences ard
James Lenoxes no rarity. Bank of England,
I Bourse of France, United States treasury.
all the moneyed Institutions of the world for
1 Christ. The gold for Christ. Gold moi
! merely paid the way of Joseph and Mary
and the divine fugitive into Egypt, but it
was typical OF the fact that Chris5s way
shall be paid all around the world. The gold
for Christ, the silver for Christ, the iewe.s
or Christ. Australia, Nevada and Golconia
/ for Christ. The bright, round, beautiful
| jewel OF world set ike a solitaire on the
| posom or Christ
| But notice that these wise men also shook
out from the sacks the myrrh. Ths cattle
came and they snuffed at it, They did nos
eat it because it was bitter. The pungent gu
| resin of Abyssnia called myrrli brouglE to
to the feet Of Christ. That me .ns bitter A.
Bitter BETRAYAL, bitter persecution, bitter
| days of suffering, bitter nights of woe.
Myrrh That is what they put into His Gun
wnen He was dying. Myrrh. That is what
F, they put under His head IN the wilderness.
Myrrh That is what they strewed His path
with all the way from the cattle pen in Beth
| lehen to the mauso,eum at Joseph country
seat. Myrrn. y s, says the Psaimist, ''All Thy
| garments smell Of myrrh.' That is what
/ the wise men wrapped in the swaddlins
/ clothes of tie babe That is what the
/ Marys twisted in the shroud of a crucifed
4 Christ. The myrrh. oh, the height. tbs
| depth, the length, the breadth OF tbs
/ Saviour's sorrowi W ell might the wise alef
! shake cut the myrrh.
! But I notice also from another sack they
/ shake cut the fraakineense. Clear up Il
! the fafterS of the barn the air IS filed witt
/ perfume ana the hcstlers and the came
4 drivers in the farthest part of the building
+ inhale it. aud 1t floats out upon the ali
uutii passer5by wonder who in that roual
place could have by accident dropped DO,
I of alabaster. Frankineense. That is VIVA
/ they burned in the censor i'll the ancient ten
/ pie Frankiucense. That means worship
! FrankinceEse. That is to till all the homes
and all the churches, AMI ali the capitals
and all the nations from cellar OF sGaiactite.
/ cave clear up TO tle sitvery ralter5 Of tn
{ starlit dome. Frankincans.. That is VIVA
we shake out from hearts to-day. so that
/ the uostris OF Christ Gnce crimsoned witt
| the hemorrhage of the cross shall be doodei
! with the perSuals OF world'S alteration
! Frdn<incaEsa. FranEincsAss i'll song and
sermon and oiforrory and haadShaking and
/ decoration.
| Praise Him, mountains and hills valley;
| ami seas, and skies aud earth and hea ven
| cyclone with your trumpets northern ligat.
| with your flaming ensign. morning witt
| your castles OF cloud, antevening with your
| billowing clouds of sunset. Do you know
| how they used to hold the eenser in thu
olden time, and what it was made of? Here
| is u metal pan and the handle by which
/ 1t was held. In the inside of this metal
| pan wers put living Goals, on the ton of
/ them a perforated cover. In a square
/ box the jran&iacenss was broJght to the
/ temples. Tals trankincsnse was taken GU,
/ AMI sIs'inKled over the living Goals anC
| tnen the perforated cover was Put on, anG
| wnen tley were all ready for worship, then
! the cover was lifted from bhe censor and from
all the other censers, and the perfumsd smoke
| arose until 1t hung amid all the folds and
htODped d.il4t di luS affairs, ana L{ieu Rose III
| great columns of praise outside or above tbs
/ tempe, rising clear up toward the throne Of
! God. So we have two censers to-day oil
/ Christmas trankincense. Here is the one
/ censor of earthly franSincaast.
/ On that we put our thanks for the mercies
/ OF the past year, the mercieS OF all our past
! lives, individual ntsrces. famiiy-mercies, so
Gal msrc.es, national mercies, AMI our hearts
burning with gratitude sand aloft the incans
! OF praise toward the throus OF Christ
/ Bring on more incense, an higher and high
er let tle columns of praise ascend
! Let them wreatne all these pillar
and hover amid all these arches
and then soar to the throne But here il
the other censer Of heavenly thanksgiving
| and worship. Let them bring all their
fraukincense-the CD rubin bring theirs
and the seraphim theirs, aud the one hun
bred and forty-tour thousand theirs, and
| all the eteinities theirs. ami let them
smoie with perfume on this heavenly cen
ser until the cloud canopes the threne OF
God. Then l take these two censers--the
censor of earthly frangincenss and the cense
| of heavenly fraaklncsnse-aud | swing chen
before the throne, aud taan | clash them to.
ge5hsr in one great balleujah unto Hin
whom tue wise men of the East brought Jht
gold and the niyrrh and the frankincense
Blessed be His glorious name foreveri
A Wedding in Russia.