Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-10-05

Why do l take it upon myself to
make such a nomination of time and
place? Answer: Because it so happens
that, in the mysterious providence of
God, born in a farm house and of no
royal or princely descent, the doors
of communication are open to me every
week by the secular and religious
printing presses, and have been open
to me every week for many years, with
all the cities and towns and neighbor-
hoods of Christendom, and indeed in
lands outside of Christendom, where
printing presses have been established,
and feel that If there is anything
worthy in this proposition, it will be
needed and adopted. On the other hand
If it be too sanglline or two hopeful.
or too impractical. am sure it will
do no harm that have expressed my
wish for such an international jubilee,
celebrative Of the birth of our 1mman-
uel. Ny friends, such d birthday cele-
bratiOn at the close of one century and
reaching into a new century would be
something in which heaven and earth
could join. 1t would not only be inter-
national, but interplanetary, interstellar,
interconstellation. If you remember
what occurred on the first Christmas
night, you know that it was not joy
confined to our world. The choir above
Bethlehem was imported from another
world. and when the star left it's usual
sphere to designate the birthplace, all
astronomy felt the thrill. If there be
anything true about our religion, it
is that other worlds are sympathetic
with this world and in communication
with it, The gloritied Of heaven would
join in such a celebration. The genera
tons that toiled to have the world
for Christ would take part in such jubi-
lation and prolonged assemblage. The
upper galleries of Gods universe would
applaud the scene, whether we heard
the clap Of thir wings and the shout
Of their voices or did not hear them.
Prophets who predicted the Messiah
and apostles who talked with him and
martyrs who died for him would take
part in the scene. though to our poor
eyesight they might be invisible. The
old missionaries who died in the malar-
ial swamps Of Africa, or were struck
down by Egyptian typhus, or were
butchered at Lucknow, or were slain by
Bomesian cannibals, would come down
from their throne to rejoice at last
Christ had been heard Of and so speed
lily in all nations At the first roll of
the first overture Of the first day of
that meeting all heaven would cry
''Hear! Hearv'
Aye! Aye! bethinl1 myself such a
vast procedure as that might hasten
our Lords coming, and that the cxpec-
tation of many millions Of Christians,
who believe in the Second Advent,
might be realized then at the coniunc-
ton of the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. l do not say it would be,
yet who knows but that our blessed
and adored Master. pleased with such
plan of worldwide observance, might
say. concerning this wandering and re-
belliOuS planet: "That world. at least,
shows Il disposition to appreciate what
I have done for it, and with one wave
of my sacred hand, will bless and re-
claim and save it." That such a cele-
bration of our Lords BIRTH kept up for
days and months, would please all the
good of earth, and nightly speed on
the gospel chariot, and please all the
heavens sanity, cherubic. seraphic,
archangelic, and divine, is beyond qucs-
ton. Oh, get ready for the worlds
greatest festivity! Tune your voices
! for the worlds greatest anthem. Lift
the arches for the worlds mightiest
procession. Let the advancing stand
ard Of the army Of years, which has in
scribed on one side Of it 1890" and on
the other side "19O1." have also in
scribed on it the most charming name
Of all the universe-the name of Jesus.
Before the crossing of time on the
midnight between Dec. 81, 1900, and
%1,o lot cf Tn, of
be gone. Some of you will hear the
clock strike II of one century and an
hour after it hear it strike 1 of another
century, but many of you will not that
midnight hear either the stroke of the
city clock, or Of the old .timepiece in the
hallway Of the homestead. Seven years
cut wide swath through churches and
communities and nations. But those
who cross from world to world before
Old Time in this world crosses that
midnight from century to century, will
talk among the thrones Of the coming
earthly jubilee, and on the river bank
and in the house of many mansions,
until all heaven will know Of the COM
ing of that celebration, that will fill
the earthly nations with JOY and help
augment the nations of heaven. But,
whether here or there, we will take
part in the music and the banqueting,
if we have made the Lord our portion.
Oh, how I would like to stand at my
front door some morning or noon or
night and see the sky part and the
blessed Lord descend in person, not as
he will come in the last Judgment, with
fire and hail and earthquake, but in
sweet tenderness, to pardon all sin,
and heal all wounds, and wipe away all
tears, and feed all hungry. and right
all wrongs, and illumine all darkness,
and break all bondage, and harmonic
all discords. Some think he will thus
come, but about that coming I make
no prophecy, for I am not enough
learned in the Scriptures as some of
my friends are to announce very POSI-
tive opinion. But this 1 do know, that
it would be well for us to have an in
ternational and an inter-world celebra-
ton of the anniversary of his birthday
about the time of the birth of the new
century. and that it will be wise be-
yond all others wisdom for us to take
him as our present and everlasting CO.
a. into hat