The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1892-01-02

The Nativity Of Christ and Lessons Drawn
Therefrom--They Came In Haste and
Pound Mary and Joseph and the Dsbe
In Mangsr--A Night In bethlehem.


| preached this ,serring sermon appropriate 10
| the Christmas season TAkhs up the subject
OF tho Nativity he drew from u lessons which.
though perfectly legitimate. ere commonly
overlooked His text was Luke .; 10. And
they camo with haste. and found Mary and
Joseph. and the Bbbe lying in manager"
The black window shutters OF December
night were thrown open. and some Of the best
singers OF world where they all sing stood
there. and putting back the drapcry OF cloud
ehanted peace anthem, until all the echoes OF
hill and valley applauded and encorcd the
haleluiah chorus. Come. let us so into that
Christmas scene ms though we had never be-
fore worshipped az the mangcr. Hcreis o Ma
donna worth looking at wonder not that the
most 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 II differ
entity they are all namcsakes OF the one whom
We Had on n bed Of straw, with her pale face
against the soft cheek Of Christ In the night OF
tho Nativity. All OF the great painters have
tried on canvas. To present Mary and her child
and the incidents Of that most farnors night OF
the world history. Raphael In three different
masterpieces, celebrated them Tintoretto and
Ghlrlandajo surpassed themselves In
the alteration OF the Magt. Correggio
needed TO DO nothing more than
his Madonna to become immortal The
4dauOnuA OF inc illyt b1 lrohAf1o hu FlhSls
win lyindle the admiration OF all ages. But all
tho galleries OF Dresden are forgotten when l
think OF the small room OF that gallery contain.
ing tho Sistine Madonna. Yet all OF them were
copies OF St. Matthews Madonna, and Luko's
Madonna, the inspired Madonna OF the Old
Book, which we had put into our hands when
No were infants. and that We hope 10 have UNI
der our heads when We die
Behold, in the fir8t place. that on the first
night OF Christs life God honorcd the brute
creation. You cannot get into that Bethlehem
barn without going past the camcls. tho mules,
the dogs the oxen. The brutcs OF that stable
heard the first cry OF the infant Lord. Some OF
the old painters represent the oxen and camols
kncehng that night before the newborn babc.
And we'll might they kncell Have you ever
thought that Carist came among othcr things TO
alleviate the sunorngs OF the brute creation
Was IL not appropriate that he should. during
the FIRST few days and nights OF his life on earth,
he surrounded by ais dumb beasts, whose moan
and plaint and believing have for ages been a
prayer 10 God for the arresting OF their tor
lures and the rlghtlng OF their wrongs' Is did
not merely 'hapren SO" that the unintllisent
creatures Of God should have been that night
IN close ncighborhood
Not kennel In all the centuries, not birds
nest not worn-out horse tow-path. not q
herd freezing IN the poorly. built COW pen. not a
freight car IN summer time bringing the becscs
10 market without water through thousand
miles OF agony, not a surgeons room witness
ing the struggles Of fox or rabbit. or pigeon, or
dog In the horrors OF vivisoction but has an
interest in the fact that Christ was born in
stable surrounded by brutcs. Ho remembers
that night, and the prayer he heard IA
their pitiful moan. he will answer
In the punishment Of those who maltreat
the dumb brutes. They surely have as much
right In the world We have. In the first
chapter OF Genesis you may see that they were
placed on earth before man was. tho nsh and
fowl created tho nth day, and the qundrupcds
the morning OF tho six IN day, and man not
until the afternoon o. that day. Tho whole. the
eagle. the lion aud all tho lesser Creatures OF
their kind were predecessors OF Tho human
family They have the world by rirat OF pos
session. They have also paid rcat for the
places they occupisd. What On army OF de-
fcrsc all over the land are tho faithful watch.
dogs. And who can tell what the world owes
10 the horse. and camel, and OK, for
transportation And robin and lark
have, by the cantatas with which
they have filled orchard md for
est, more than paid for tho few grains they
have picked UP for their suslcnAnce. When
you abuse any creature OF Cod you strike ~
creator. and you insult the Christ who, tho g.
he might have teen welcomed into fic ~
Princes. and tatcn his INST inftntle slpmhcr
amid Tyrinn plush and canopiCd oou,hns, and
ripping waters from royal RquCdlcis ar pnlug
into basins II ivory and pearl, chose 20 be born
on tho level with a COW q horn. crn camclg
hoof, or dogs nosiril, that he might bc the
alienation OF animal suffering as well as tho
Redeomcr OF m.n.
Standing then as imng ne now do, in That
Betiishem. ni-lt with an infant Christ on The
one side ana tfa =" s5ssoif1css creature
OF God on the otncr | cry, lS2e
out how you strike the rowel into that horso's
side Take on tlat ourbcd bli from TINT bleed.
ing mouth. Remove hat raCdlc from that raw
back. Shoot not for fun that bid That rs 100
small for food Fsgel not - pit rator mo
the cage Of that tanafy Throw out rom-
crumts 10 those birds esught too lar nrffn io
the winter'a inclemency. Arrest that Yraa who
IL making that enc horse cr4w load heayy
enough for throo i.ush IA rpon that score
where boys arc tortur.ns eat. or transa;iag
butterfly and graislorpor. Drive not OF TIA
old robin, Tor her ncit IS mothers cradle. and
u1der her wing there may he three o.
four musicians OF tho Sky In training
In your families mi In yolr ssAo1l,
teach the coming generation more riercy than
tho present generation las ever shown. AMI IN
THIS marvellous tib,o picture OF the Mainly.
while you point out 10 them the angel, show
them also the camel and while they hcAr IN,
celestial chant IL them also hear tho COW =
moan. No more lid Christ SHOW interest IN IA,
botanical world, when he said Consider the
lnica' than nc showed sympathy for tho or.
Theological when 30 sad, Behold the fowls of
tho air, ana the qEnlrupedh world whom he
allowed himself 70 he oafled in once place a
Hon, and In another place a lamb. Meanwhile
may the Christ OF the Bethlehem cltilo-pcn
have mercy on the suffering stock-yards. tina
are preparing diseased and lcycrcd meat for
our American households.
Behcid. also, In THIS bible scene how. on
that Christmas night, God honorcd childhood
Christ might have made his frat visit 10 our
world In IA cloud, rs he Will descend on bis next |
visit In cloud. In what chariot OF iilum ned |
vapor he might have rolled down the sky. !
escorted by mountod cavalry. with lightning |
for drawn sword Elijah had carriage |
OF nrc - iako him UP; why not Jesus u !
carriage OF fire u fetch him down Or |
over the archcd bridge OF "a rainbow tho /
Lord might have descended. or Christ might |
have har his mortality built up on earth out OF |
the dust OF garden, as was Adam. In full man.
hood al the start, without the Introductory |
fecbleness OF infancy No, MOI Childhood was
TO be honored by that advent He must have q
rhilds light limbs. and ohili's dimplsd hand.
md child's bcamins eye, and n ohild's haxen
hair; and babyhood Was TO be honorcd for all
lime 10 come, and cradle 10 mean moro
han grave Mighty Godl May the reflection
n that one ehild's face be scen In all infantilo
Isces
Enough have all those fathers aud mothers
On hand II they have child In the house. A
throne. crown. n sccptrc, kingdom under
'hargc. DO careful how you strike him soross
ne head. jsrring the brain. What yeu say 10
him will be centennial and miilsnnial, and "A
hundred years and n thousand years will not
top the echo and rc-echo. DO not say, 1T 1,
'nly child" Rather say. 1T IL only an i'm.
Mortal" rs only masterpiece Of Jehovah
= In only being that shall outliyo
'un and moon and star, and ages