The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-01-02
CHRISTMAS JUBILEE.
DR.. .Talmage Discourses on the
Great Christian Festival
Birth OF Oar Lord-The Month Wen Chosen
Tho gavlour'a Mission For Those
Under CiOsdea Skies and
with Frosted Hopes.


Sunday of the old year Rev. T. De Witt
Talmage took for his subject ''The
Christmas Jubilee" His text was Luke
IL 10: LET us now go even unto Bethle-
hem" The noted preacher said:
Amid thousand mercies we give each
other holiday congratulations By long
established custom we exhoFt each
other to healthful merriment- By gift,
by Christmas trees which blossom and
fruit in one night, by early morning sur
prise, by clusters of lighted candles, by
children's procession, by sound of in
struments sometimes more blatant than
musical, we wake up the night and pro-
long the day. The event commemorated
is the gladdest of the centuries. Christ's
cradle was wonderful His cross
was last winter at the house where
Jesus lived while he was in Africa 1t
was in Cairo, Egypt, the terminus of
that terrible journey which He took
when Joseph and Mary fed with Him
from bethlehem to Egypt to escape the
massacre of Herod- All tradition as
well as ali history point out this house
In Cairo as the one in which these three
fuRitives lived while in Africa The
rOOm is nine steps down from the level
of the street I measured the room and
found it twenty feet long and seven
and a half feet high. There are three
shelvings of rock, one of which think
NeAo Tic u our 11OTu= LnCIC ID
no window and all the light must have
come from lantern or cradle. The three
arrived here from bethlehem, having
crossed the awful desert
On the. Mediterranean steamer going
from Athens to Alexandria 1 met the
eminent scholar and theologian, DIR.
Lansing, who for thirty-five years has
been a resident of Cairo, and he told
me that he had been all over the road
the fhress ftrOsitiUaa toni from BaShle--
. hem to Egypt. He says it is desert
way and that the forced journey of the
infant Christ must have been a terrible
journey. Going up from Egypt DIR. Lam
sing met people from Bethlehem, their
tongues swollen and hanging out from
the inflammation of thirst, and al
though his party had but one goat skin
of water left, and that was important
for themselves, he was so moved with
the spectacle of thirst in these poor pill
grims that, though it excited the indig-
nation of his felloH-travelers, he gave
water to the strangers Over this dread
full route Joseph and Mary started for
much preparation. Herod was after
them, and what were these peasants be-
fore an irate King? Joseph, the hus-
band and father, one night sprang up
from his mattress in great alarm,
the beads of sweat on his forehead and
lib WnOAO nc Altttl
dreamed of massacres of his wife and
babe. They must be off that night,
right away. Mary put up few things
hastily and Joseph brought to the door
the beast of burden and helped his wife
and child to mount. Why, those loaves
of bread are not enough, those bottles
of water will not last for such long
way. But there is no time to get any
thing more. Out and on. Goodbye to
the dear home they expect never again
to see. Their hearts break. Over the
hills and down through the deep gorge
they urge their way. BY Hebron, by
GAIA, through hot sand, under a blister
ing sun, the babe crying, the mother
faint, the father exhausted. How slow
the days and week pass.
When at last they cross the line be-
yond which old Herod has no right to
pursue their joy is unbounded. Free at
last Let them dismount and rest.
Now they resume their way with less
anxiety They will find a place
of their bread. Here they are at Cairo
Egypt. They wind through the crooked
streets, which are about ten feet wide
and enter the humble house where
have been to-day. But the terminus OF
the Journey of these three fugitives was
not as humble as their starting point at
Bethlehem. If that journey across the
desert ended in a cellar, it started from
barn. In and around that barn in
bethlehem we tarTy to-day.
Every thing humble around the barn,
but every thing glorious overhead
Christ's advent was in the hostelr5
called the house of Chin Ham; the
night with diamonded finger pointing
down to the place; the door of Heaven
set wide open to look out; from orches
trail hatons of light dripping the Orato
rios of the Messiahi on lowest Doorstep
of Heaven the minstrels of God discours
ing of glory and good will The loos
ened star; the escaped doxology of ce
lestia1s; the chill December night afiusl
with May morn; our world n lost star
and another star rushing down the sky
that night to beckon the wanderer hons
again, shall yet make all nations keel
Christmas.
Are there no new lessons from the
story not yet haciSneyed from oft re
peatai2 o, yes Know in the hrst
place that it was a sidereal appearance
that led the way. Why not a blacl
cloud in the shape of a hand or finger
cloud means trouble, and the worlC
had had trouble enough. Why not q
shaft of lightning quivering and fash
ing and striking down to the sacred
birthplace? Lightning means destruc
ton, shattering and consuming power
and the world wanted no more destruc-
ton
But IL was star, and that means Joy,
that means hope, that means good
cheer, that means ascendaney. 4 star!
That means creative power, for did not
the morning stars sing together when
the portfolio of the worlds was oPened9
A starl That means defense, for did
not the stars fight in their courses
with Sisera, and for the Lords peoples
A star! That means brilliant continu-
ance. for are not the righteous to shine
the stars for ever and ever? A star
That means the opening of eternal joy.
The day star in the heart The morning
star Of the Redeemer-
The unusual appearance that night
may have been n strange conjunction OF
worlds. AS the transit of Venus in our
times was foretold many years ago by
astronomers, and astronomers can tell
what will be the conjunction of worlds
Thousand years from now, 50 they can
calculate backward; and even infdei
astronomers have been compelled TO
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