Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-29

/ NNAoC ttAf anu II ATOQ
could afford to make an especial earth
quake at the crucifxion. the aslant rocks
on Mount Calvary still showing that there
/ was CONFUSION OF nature at that par, ies-
lar spot which was felt in none of the sur
roundings, then he could afford something
unusual, something brilliant, something
positive, something tremendous at the ma
tivity.
II king at the birth of son can have
the palace illumined and couriers sent
with swift dispatch 10 announce the glad
ness at the gates and wake up an empsi,
with cannonadc, am not surprised that
at the birth of the Son of God there was
celestial agitation. and my only wonder is
that, instead of one star or one meteor
giving signal, all worlds did not make
demonstration. Why not other worlds
take interest in the event when Christ
came from another world and another
world was 10 get the souls that would lie
saved by this celestial descent? Il would
have been a stellar disgrace, an astronom.
ical scandal, il, when the Godhead Law
compressed in the form of an infant, some
thing from above had not pointed down,
as much as to say: There he isl Look,
all earth and heavenl Look, all time and
all eternityr'
cRUCIFIED sAvIoRs
You see, the birth at Bethlehem must
have been more novel and startling to tile
heavens than the crucifxion on Calvary.
1t was expected that Christ would be NAL
treated. The world always had maltreat-
ed its good and great friends. JOSEPH
hurled into the pit, Shadrach put into the
fire, Jeremiah lowered into dungeon. Da.
vid bounded from the throne, Elijah com
PEELED to starve or take his food from the
beak of filthy raven, and Socrates con.
demned to death, SO that the Calvarian
massacre was in the same old line of NAL
treatment. But the novelty of all the ages
was the conjunction of divinity and hu
manity. Invisible deity, muscled and
nerved and feshed in masculine physique
A child and yet Godl Why. il the me
teor had not pointed down that night
some angel would have rushed down and
pointed with his glittering scepter
Isaiah and David and Ezekiel. who fore
told the coming would have descended
from their thrones and stood on the roof
of the barn or in some way designated tie
honored locality. As the finger Of light
that Dec. % pointed to the straw cradle.
now all the fingers Of Christendom this
moment, fingers of childhood and old age.
fingers of sermon and song and decoration
and festivity, point TO the great straw
cradle. Am not right in saying that the
first of the three chapters of the holidays
should be devoted to the illustrious birth.
dayS BY song and prayer and solemn re
Election and charities today, and by gifts
and trees that bear fruit in an hour after
they are planted, and family gathering and
hilarities sounding from cellar to garret
tomorrow, Keep Christmas.
As far as possible gather the children
and the grandchildren, but put no estoppel
on racket, whether of laughter or swift |
feet or toys in shape of rail trains or trum |
pets or infant effigy. Let the old folks for |
one day at least say nothing about rheu. |
matism, or prospect of early demise, or the |
degeneracy of modern times, OF the poison
in confectionery. II you cannot stand the |
noise, retire from it for little while int1 |
some other room and stop your ears
Christmas for children without plenty OF |
noise Is no Christmas at all.
II children and grandchildren cannot |
have full swing during the holidays, When
will they have iti They will be still soon |
enough, and their feet will slacken their |
pace, and the burdens Of life will bear |
them down. Houses get awfully still |
when the children are gone. While they |
stay let them fill the room with such re /
sounding mirth that you can hear th
echoes twenty years after they are dead 1
BY religious celebration today and by do
nestle celebration tomorrow keep Christ
mas.
AS for our beloved church, we tomorrow
night mean to set the children Of our Sab
bath school wild with delight, and in The
Christian Herald, with which ! am con.
nected, we are celebrating the holidays by
sending out two to four thousand Bibles
day, and they will continue to go out by
express. by messengers and by mails unit.
we have distributed at least 100 600 copies
of the good old Book on which Christmas
is built, and which gives the only healthful
Interpretation of these swift flying years
LESSONS OF AN ANNIVERSARY
The second chapter of the holidays must
speak OF annual decadence. This is the
last Sabbaih of the year. The steps of the
year are getting short, for it is old now
When it waved the springtime blossoms
the year was young, and when it swung
the scythe and cradle through the summer
harvest fields the year was strong, but il is
getting out Of breath now, and after six
more throbs of the pulse will be dead We
cannot stop this annual decadence. Set all
the clocks back, set all the watches back
set all the chronometers back, but you can
not set time back.
For the old family clock you might sup
pose that time would have especial respect
and that Il you took hold of those old hands
on the face of that eentenarian of a time
piece and pushed them back you might
expect that time would stop or retreat for
at least a few minutes. No. no.! says the
old family clock. Il must 90 on. | saw
your father aud mother ON their wedding
day. | struck the hour of your nativity.
| counted the festal hours of the day in
which you brought home bride. sound
ed the knell at your fathers death. tolled
at your mothers departure. Yea, | must
sound your own going out of life. must
go ON. | must 90 on. Tick, toekl Tick.
tockr'
NO PAUSE FOR THE NEGLIGENT
But there is great city clock high up
In the tower There are so many wrongs