Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-01-08
REV, OR. IALAsG:.
TIE BROOKI.NN DININr'S S'.N-
DAY SERMON.
SUBJECT: "IuF NArNtrY."


found Mary and Joseph. and the Bdb.
tytng IN mdngsr. Luke H., Ii.
The black window shutters Of a December
night were thrown open, and some OF the
best singers OF a world where they all sing
stood there. and putting back the drapery of
cloud, chanted peace anthem, until all the
echoes OF bill and valley applaudeI and en-
cored the Hallelujah chorus. Come. let us
go into that Christmas scene as though we
had never before worsbiped at the mauger
Here is Madonna worth looking at. | |
wonder not that the frequent name
in all lands and in all Christian
centuries is Mary. And there are
Marys in palaces and Marys in cabins, |
and though German and French and Italian |
and Spanish and English pronounce it diff |
ferently, they are all namesakeS of the one |
whom we find on bed OF straw with her |
pale face against the soft cheek OF Christ in |
the night of the NATIVITY. All the great |
painters have tried on canvas to present !
Mary aud her chill and the incident OF
that most famous night OF the worlds his
tory Yet all Of them were copies of ST.
Matthews Madonna ami Luke's Madonna,
the inspired Madonna OF the Old Book, which
we had put into our hands when We were
infants. and that we hope - have under our
heads when We die.
Behold in the first place, that on the first
night Of Chrsts life Col honore the brute
creation. You cannot get into that Bethle-
hem barn without going past the CamelS,
the mules the dogs the oxen. The brute,
of that stable heard tle first cry OF the IN
fant Lord. Some Of the oil painters repre-
sent the oxen aud camels kneeling that night
before the newborn babe. And well might
/ they knee! Have you ever thou yht that
/ Christ came among other things to alleviate
the ,uiferings Of the brute creation Was
! it not appropriate that He should. during the
first few days and nights of His life on earth,
/ be surrounded by the dumb beasts;
Not kennel in all the centuries, not a
birds nest, not wOrnout horse on tow
path, nor herd freezing III the poorly built
COW pen, not a freight car in summer tune
bringing the beeveS 70 market without water
through thousand miles of agony, not a
surgeons room witnessing the struggles OF
fox and rabbit or pigeon or dog in ths hOr-
rors OF vlvisecton but has an interest IN the
fact that Christ was born in a stable sur
rounded by brutos. They surely have as
much right i'll this world rs we have. In
the first chapter Of Genesis you may see
that they were placed on the earth before
man was, the FISH and fowl created the fifth
day, and the quadrupeds the morning OF the
sixth day, and man not until the afternoon
Of that day. The whale, the eagle, ttro lion,
and all the lesser creatures OF their kind were
predecessors OF the human family. Tney
have the world by right of possession. They
pied. What an army of defense all over the
land are the faithful Watchdog. AMI who
can tell what the world owes 10 the hors and
camel and OK for transportation And robin
and lark have, by the cantatas with which
they have filled orchard and forest, more
than paid for the few grsNs they have
picked up for their sustenanC-
Standing. then as [ imagine now do IN
that Bethlehem night, with an infant Christ
on the one side ana the SpeeChless creatures
Of God on the other, cry look out how you
strike the r1wel into that horses side. Take
off that clrbel bit from that bleeding
mouth. Remove that saddle from that raw
back. Shoot not for fun that biri tnat II
too small Tor food Forget not to put water
in the cage OF that canary. Throw out
some crumbs to those birds caught too Tar
north in the winters incemenCy. Arrest
that man who is making tlat one horse draw
q load heavy enough for three. Rush IN upoa
that scene where boys aro tOrturlng cat
of transiixing butterfly and grasshopper.
Drive not Off that old robin, for her nest is a
mothers cradle. and under her wing there
NAV be three or four musiclans OF the SKY III
training No more did Christ show interest
in the botanical world when He said Ton
yder the lilies, than He showed sympathy
, for the archaeological world when tie SAD
''Behold the fowls of the air, and the quad
rupeda world when He allowed himself TO o'
called in one place q lion and i'll another
place lamb Meanwhile may the CHRIS
! OF the Bethlehem cattle pen have mercy OF
the suffering stockyarls that are preparlh;
meat for our American households.
Behold. also, in this Bible scene, how ol
, that Christmas night God honorei chila
j hood Christ might have made His hrs
visit 20 our world in a cloud. as lie VIII de
scend on His next visit in a cloud. In wha
i a chariot of illumined vapor He might nav
rolled down the sky, escorted by mouhte
cavalry, with lightning for drawn SWORD
!. Elijah had carriage OF fire 10 taRe nun up
why not Jesus a carriage OF nre % le'c
:. Him DOWN o.. over the archel bridge q
n r,inhow the Lord might have descended
Or Christ rnight have had His mortalit
), huilt nm on aartl out of the dust of sardeT
, as swos Adam. in full manhood at tho star
without the Introductory feebleness Oh IL
81 fancy No, no Childhood was to be noi
ored hy that event. He must have child
light limbs, and child's dlmpled hano, au
A child's beaming eye, and chhd make
- hair and babyhood was TO be honored Tor a
! time to come. and a cradle was to mean mo
u than n crave, Mighty God May the +
}. Election of that one child's face be seen III
infantile faces
NJ on hand il they have child in the house
W throne n crown, a scepter, kingdom u
I'd der charge Be careful how you strike hl
l., ocros; the head, jarring the brain. WIN
!" YOU say to him will be centennial and IN
III IeninI. and hundred years and thousal
wears will not stop the echo AMI re-ech" l
ur not say. "It is only chilli" Rather say, "
re is only an immortal IL Is ohIy ihaS'N
piece of jehovah
at 1t was chill in Naaman's Kitchen III
Of told the great Syrian warrior where
w might go AMI get curei or ths leprosv, whi'
na Mt his seventh plunge in tho Jordan was le
~ at the bottom Of the river. III was 10 I
,t.N.t obi
tn rocked bv the Nile, that Col called tho q
tention Of history. 1t was sick child tn
lly evoked Christs curative sympathes- 1t "
IA, n child that Christ set in the midst OF l
sauabbliug disciples TO teach the lesson
We huninty. Wcars informed thit woit a
an leopard and lion shall be yet 50 domeshca'
81 ttat little child shall lead them. A CHI
a decided Waterloo showing the arr
of Bucher how they could "a
lly short cut through the fiel
r. when il the old road had been followed,
~ prussian general would have come up
a late TO save the destnies OF Europe. A
to.dav the child is - decide all the grt
ny battles, make all the laws, settle all the d
il TIMES and usher in the worlds salvation
obstruction Men, women, nations, all ca
Icd and all heaven, behold the childl Is tn
nv nnv velvet so soft rs a child's cheek Is tn
nny sSy so blue as a child's eye? Isthere a
Ign Music so sweet as the childs voicel Is tn
,lic any plume so waVy as a chlds haIrf
Notice also that in this Bible night Sc
nc Go honored science Who are the TN
,e a wiae men kneeliny before the DIVINE
fantY Not Doors, not ignoramuses.
Caspar. Belthasar aud Melchior, ,, men "
l. knew all that was TO be known. They "
- the Isaac Newtons auI Herschels and
J OF radays of their time. Their aichemy
ior the forerunner of our sublime chemist
'ou their astroiogy the mother OF our mag
laH
Of cent astronomy. They Lao ssuu'ea a.,,I su'
lese everything. And when l see these Sc
,at. ti,ts bowing before tho beautiful ba6'
s,e the prophecy OF the time when all