Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-10-06
DIR. TALMAGB.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divias'S Sua.
day Sermon,
subjrct; "a Proposition TO Celebrate iii:
Nineteen Hundredth Birthday of Christ
by an International Jubilee
TEXT ITO US child is born, Isaiah *,

nat il tremendous lOur IN the history
OF any family when an immortal spirit is in
earnated. Out of a very dark cloud there
descends a very bright morning. One life
spared and another given. All the bells oil
gladness ring over the cradle. l know not
why any one should doubt that of old star
pointed down to the Saviour's birthplace for
star of Joy points down to every honorable
nativity. A new eternity dates from that
hour, that minute.
Beautiful and appropriate is the custom OF
celebrating the anniversary of such an event,
and clear on into the eighties and nineties
the recurrence of that day of the year in an
old mans life causes recognition and more or
less congratulation. SO also Nations are ac-
customed to celebrate the anniversary of
their birth and the anniversary of the birth
of their great heroes or deliverers or benetac-
tors. The 22d OF February and the 4th of
July are never allowed to pass in our land
without banquet and Grafton and bell ring
ing and cannonade But all other birthday
anniversaries are tame compared with the
Christmas festivity, which celebrates the
birthday described in my text.
Protestant and Catholic and Greek
churches, with all the power Of music and
garland and procession and doxology, put
the words of my text into National and con-
tinental and hemisphere chorus. "To us
child is born" On the 25th OF December
each year that is the theme in st. Paurs and
st. Peters and st, Marks and st. Isaac's and
all the dedicated cathedrals, chapels, meet
ing houses and churches clear round the
world.
We shall soon reach the nineteen hun
dredth anniversary OF that happiest event OF
all time. This century is dying. Only seven
more pulsations, and its heart will cease to
beat. The fingers of many OF you will write
it at the head of your letters and the foot of
your important documents. $780," 1t will
be physical and moral sensation unlike
anything else you have before experienced.
Not one hand that wrote that "1S01' at the
induction of this century will have cunning
left to write 1901 at the induction of an
other
The death of one century and the birth OF
another century will be sublime and sug-
gestive and stupendous beyond all estimate.
To stand by the grave of one century and by
the cradle OF another will be an opportunity
such as whole generations Of the worlds in
habitants never experienced. | pray God
that there may be no sickness or casualty to
hinder your arrival at that goal or TO hinder
your taking part in the veledictory OF the de-
parting century and the salutation OF the
new.
But as that season will ba the nineteen
hundredth anniversary of a Saviours birth,
] now nominate that great international
jubilee or exposition be opened in this clus-
Ter of cities by the seacoast on Christmas
day the 25th of December. 1900, to be con-
tinued for at least one month into the year
1901. This century closing December 31st,
1900, and the new century beginning Jand-
airy 1st, 1901. will it not be time for all Ma
tions to turn aside for few weeks or months
from everything else and emphasize the birth
of the greatest being who ever touched our
planet, and could there be a more appropri-
ate time for such commemoration than this
elimination of the centuries which are dated
from His nativity? You know that all his
tory dates either from before Christ or after
Christ from b. G. or A. d. 1t will be the
year Of our Lord 1900 passing into the year
1901.
We have had the Centennial at Philadel-
phia, celebrative Of the one hundredth an
niyersary of our Nations birth. We have
had the magnificent expositions at New Or
leans and Atlanta and Augusta and ST.
Louis. We have the present Worlds EXPOSE
ton at Chicago, celebrative OF this CONT
nent's emergence, and there are at least two
other great celebrations promised for this
country, and other countries will have their
historic events TO commemorate, but the one
event that has most to DO with the welfare
OF all Nations is the arrival OF Jesus
Christ on this planet. and all the enthusiasm
ever witnessed at London or Vienna or Paris
or any of our American cities would be
eclipsed by the enthusiasm that would cele-
brate the ransom OF all nations, the first step
toward the accomplishing of it being taken
by an infantile foot one winters night about
five miles from Jerusalem, when the clouds
dropped the angelic cantanta, "Gloryto God
jn the highest, and on earth peace, good will
10 men,"
The three or four questions that would be
in, y tc ofiOn Of TINA
and place proceed to answer. What prac-
teal use would come of such international
celebration? Answer-The biggest stride
the world ever took toward the evangelical
ton of all Nations. That is a grand and
wonderful convocation, the religious con-
gress at Chicago. 1t will put intelligently be-
fore the world the nature OF false religions
which have been brutaizjng the Nations,
tramping womanhood into the dust. enact
ing the horrors of infanticide, kindling
funeral pyres for shrieking victims, and
rolling iuggernauts across the mangled bod
les of their worshipers.
But no one SunpOSes that any one will be
converted to Christ by hearing Confucianism
or Buddhism or any form OF heathenlsm
euogized. That is 10 be done afterwards.
And how can it so well be done as by a cele-
bration of many weeks OF the birth and char
acter and achievements Of the wondrous and
Christ? To such an exposi-
ton the kings and queens OF the earth would
not send their representatives-they would
come themselves.
The story of Saviour's advent could not
be told without telling the story OF His mis-
sion. All the world say, "Why this ado,
this universal demonstration" What vivid
presentation it would be, when at such con-
vocation the physicians of the world should
tell what Christ has done for hospitals and
the assuagement OF human pain, and when
Christian lawyers declare what Christ has
done for the establishment OF cool laws, and
Christian conquerors should tell what Christ
had done in the conquest OF Nations, and
Christian rulers of the earth would tell what
Christ had done in the Government of earthly
dominions
Thirty days of such celebration would do
more to tell the world who Christ is than
any thirty wears. Not land on earth but
would hear of it and discuss it. Net an eye |
80 dimmed by the superstition of ages but |
would see the illumination. The difference |
of Christ religion from all others is that its |
one way of dissemination is by simple |
"telling,' not argument, not skilful exeget- |
jsts, polemics or the science of theological |
fstcuffs, but 'telling." TELL we the |
daughter OF Zion, Behold, thy King cometh.'
go quickly and tell His disciples that He |
has risen from the dead" go home 10 thy |
friends and tell them how great things the
Lord hath done for thee" when He is
come, He will tell us all things" A religion
of "telling."
And in what way could all Nations 80 we'll
be told that Christ had come as by such an
international emphasizing OF His nativity?
All India would cry out about such an affair.
for you know they have their railroads and
lelegraphs. "What is going on in American"
All China would cry out What is that great /