Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-10-06
REV. DR.. TalMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
SURJFCT: Z" 4 PROPOSITION To CELE
nHAtU THE NINETEEN llUNDREpru
BIRTHDAY oF CHRIST HY An
INTERN ATiONAL JUmLEE.'

TExri "To US a child is born" Isaiah tx,
That is a tremendous hour in the history
81 any family when an immortal spirit IL IN
sarnated Out OF n very dark cloud there
iescends y very bright morning. One life
IpAred and another given. All the bells Of
Eladness ring over the cradle | know not
why any one should doubt that of old n star
pointed down to the Saviour's birthplace, for
/ star of Joy points down to every honorable
nativity. new eternity dates from that
hour, that minute.
Beautiful and appropriate is the custom Of
celebrating the anniversary of such nm event,
md clear on into the eighties and nincties
he recurrence of that day OF the year in an
| Did mans life causes recognition and moro or
| ess congratulation. So also Nations are ac-
mstOmed to celebrate the anniversary of
heir birth and the anniversary of the birth
If their great heroes or deliverers orhenetac-
ors. The 22d OF February and the 4th OF
Iuly are never allowed to pass in our land
without banquet and Grafton and bell ring
ngand cRnnonade.- 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
,hurches, with all the power OF music and
| tarland and procession and doXology, put
1 he words OF my text into National and con-
! mental and hemisphere chorus, ITO us II
! ,hild is born" On the 18th OF December
| zach wear that is the theme in st. Paul's and
It, Peters and st, Mark and st. Isaac ) and
al the dedicated cathedrals, chapcls, meet
/ nc houses and churches clear round the
world.
We shall soon reach the nineteen hum
iredth anniversary OF that happiest event Of
Ill time. This century is dying. Only seven
/ more pusations, and its heart will cease to
/ bet The fingers OF many OF you will write
/ at the head Of your letters and the foot OF
/ Vour important documents, 1890" 1t will
Do a physical and moral sensation unlike
ANYTHING else you have before experienced.
Sot one hand that wrote that "ls0l" at the
| induction OF this century will have cunning
eft to write "l90l" at tho induction OF an
Nher.
The death OF one century and tho birth OF
mother century will be sublime and sug-
Sestive and stupendOus beyond all estimate.
| 70 stand by the grave OF one century ami 10y
The cradle of another will be an opportunity
| uch as whole generations OF the worlds in-
habitants never experienced. | pray God
lhnt there may he no sickness or casualty to
hinder your arrival at that goal or to hinder
FOUR taking part in the veledictory OF the de-
parting century and the salutation OF the
new.
But as that season will be the nineteen
aundredth anniversary OF n Saviour birth,
now nominate that u great international
Jubilee or exposition be opened in this clus-
Ter OF cities by the seacoast on Christmas
lay, the 25th of December, 1900, to DO con-
inued for at least one month into the year
1901. This century closing December 3lst,
1900, and the new century beginning Janu-
AIRY lst, 1901. will it not be time for all Ma
lions to turn aside for few weeks or months
from everything else and emphasize the birth
81 the greatest being who ever touched our
planet and could there be a more approprl'
ate time for such commemOration than this
elimination OF the centuries which are dated
from His nativity? You know that all his
ory dates either from before Christ or after
Christ, from b. c. or A. d. 1t will DO thu
fear Of our Lord 1900 passing into tho year
1901.
We have had the Centennial Mt Philadel-
phia. crlebrative OF the one hundrelth an
avrrsary OF our Nations birth. We have
lad the magnificent cXpositions Mt New Or
eAns and Atlanta and Augusta and St
Louis. We have the present Worlds cXposl
lion at Chicago, cclehrative OF this CONT
ncnt's emcrgcnce, and there are at least tive
other great celebrations promised for this
country, and other countries will have theil
historic events 10 tbtuiutNlOEht', nut Tue hllf
went that has most to do with the wel'ar'
II all Nations is the arrival OF jesus
christ on this planet, and all the enthusiasm
ever witnessed at London or Vienna or Pari
Or any Of our American cities would h
ecips"d by the enthusiasm that would cele
brate the ransom Of all nations, the first stcI
toward the accomplishing OF it being takcl
by an infantile foot one winters night abou
Ave miles from Jerusalem, when the cloud
dropped the angelic cantanta, GLORY to Goo
IN the highest, and on earth peace, good viii
20 men,"
The three or four questions that would b.
asked mo concerning this nomination Ottim
and place | proceed TO answer. What prac
teal use would come OF such intcruationa
celebration? Answer-The biggest strid
The world ever took toward the evangelical
ton OF all Nations. That Is n grand ant
wonderful Convocation, the religious con
gress at Chicago. 1t will put intelligcntly be
lore the world the nature OF false r"ltGion
which have been brutaizing the Nations
.ramping womanhood into tho dust. enact
Ing the horrors Of infanttcidc kindlini
funeral pyrrs for shricking victims, IN,
rolling iuggernauts across the manglcd bod
les OF their worshipers.
But no one suppOses that any ono Will b
converted to Christ by hearing ConfucinnIsn
or Buddhism or any form OF heathenisn
eulogized That is TO be done afterwards
And how can it SO well be done rs 10y cele
bration OF many weeks OF the birth and char
acter and achievements OF the wOndrOus nm
unprecedented Christi To such an exposi
ton the kings and queens Of the Garth woult
not send their epresentatiyes-they woul,
come themselves.
The story OF a Savours advent could no
be told without telling the story of His mis-
sion. All the world say, "Why this ado
this universal demonstration What vvl
presentation 1t would be, when at such II con
vocation the physicians OF the world shout
tell what Christ has done for hospitals an
the assuagement OF human pain, and whe
Christian lawyers declare what Christ ha
done for the establishment OF good laws, an
Christian conquorors should tell what CHRIS
had done in the conquest OF Nations, an
Christian rulers OF the earth would tell wha
Christ had done in the Government OF earthl
dominions
Thirty DAYS OF such celebration would d
more to tell the world who Christ is tina
any thirty years. Not land on earth bu
would hear OF it and discuss 1t. Not an ey
60 dimmed by the superstition of ages bu
would see the illumination. The differenc
OF Christ religion from all others Is that II
one way Of dissemination Is by simpl
Ceiling" not argument, not skilful exege'
ISIS, pOlemlcS or tne Hclence VI lheoloBiC'
Gstcuifs. but "telling.' "Tell ye tn
daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh.
"Go quickly and tell His disciples that II
mas risen from the dead" go home TO tn
friends and tell them how great things tn
Lord hath done for thee. "When He
come, He will tell us all things" A religio
OF "telling."
And in what way could all Nations so we
be told that Christ haFtome as by such a
International emphasizing OF His nativity
All India would cry out about such an affaii
for you know they have their railroads an
telegraphs. "What is going on In America?
All China would cry out, What is that greo
excitement in American All the islands c
the sea would come down the gangplanks {
the arriving ships and ask, what Is thf
they are celebrating in American 1t woul
be the mightiest missionary movement tn
world has ever seen. II would be the turn
ing point in the worlds destiny. 1t woul
waken the slumbering Nations with on