Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-01-06
REV. DR.. TAlMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
uEJRCT:-"LESSoNS TAUGHT ny lIoLI-
DAYS.

change OF pronunciation, call holiday. But
by change of spelling and accentuation we
cannot change the fact that holidays have
great significance As long as the world
stan S Christmas day and New Years day
and Easter day will be charged and sur.
charged with solemn suggestiveness and
holy mirth. Whether you take the old style
of my text and call them holy days or the
modern style AMI call them holidays, they
somehow set all my nerves a-tingle and my
deeper emotions into profoundest agitation.
/ am glad that this season we have the holi-
days completely bounded. For years, Christ
mas LAY starting in the midst OF one week.
and New Years day starting in the midst Of
another week, we have been perplexed to
know when the holidays began and when
they ended, and perhaps we may have begun
them too soon or continued them too long.
But this year they are bounded by two
beaches OF gold-Sabbatb, December %,
1892, aud Sabbath, January /, 1893. The
one sabbath this year commentaries the
birth of the greatest being that ever walked
the earth; the other celebrates the birth of
that which is TO be one Of the greatest years
of all time; the one day supernatural be-
cause OF an unhinge1 star and angelic doxo-
logy, and the ether day natural, but part Of
a procession that started with the worlds
existence and will 60 on until the world Is
burned up; both the first and last days OF
these HOLIDAYS coming in with Sabbatical
splendor and solemnty, and girdling all the
days between with thoughts that have all
time and all eternity in their emphasis.
How shall we spend them? AT haphazard
and without special direction and they leav.
ing, as they 60 away from us, physical ia
tigue and mental exhaustion, the effect OF
late hours and rtckleSsness OF diet adding
another chapter TO the moral and spiritual
and eternal disasters which have resulted
from msspent holidaysi Oh, mol A stout
and resouniing no! for all the eight days.
propose that we divide this holiday sea.
sou, the two Sabbaths OF the holiday and
! the six Gays between. into three chapters
the first part a chapter OF ilustrious BIRTH
day; the second part chapter of annual de-
cadence; the third part chapter OF chron.
| olosical introduction.
First, then, a chapter OF illuStrious birth
| day. Not a day OF any year but has been
marked by the nativity OF some good o.
great soul. Among diScoverers the birthday
| OF Humboldt was Sept. "A and OF David Liv-
! in gston March 20 Among astronomers the
birthday OF Isaac Newton was Dec. y and
! OF Herschel Nov. II. \ uong orators the
birthday OF .cero was Jan. 3 and OF ChrYs-
ostom Jan. II. Among prison reform
ers the birth Jay OF John Howard WAS
Sep . and OF Elizabeth Fry May |. Among
painters the birthday OF Raphael was March
| 5S and OF Michael Angelo March 6. Among
statesmen the birthday OF Washington was
Feb. -, of Hamilton May and OF Jefferson
April .. Among consecrated souls the
birthday OF Mrs Hemans was Sep. %, of
Lucretia Mott Jan 8 AMI OF Isabella Graham
july %. But what are all thoss birthdays
complrci with Dec %, for on or about that
| day was born one who &c ipsed all the great
names of all the cenuries Jesus OF Bethle-
hem. Jesus OF Nazareth Jesus Of Golgotha,
Jesus OF Onvet, jesus OF the heavenly
| throne?
Toe greatest pictures have been made
about scenes in His lifetime. The greatest
sacrifices ou field of battle or in hospital or
/ on long march or in inartyrdon have been
inspired by His self abnegation. The finest
words OF eloquenc, ever spoken have been
| uttered in the proclamation OF His Gospel.
The grandest orutorios that have ever rolled
from orchestras were descriptive OF His life
aud death. There have been other orators,
but none like Him WAC "Spake as never
man spake" There have been other re-
formers, but none like Him who will not
have completed His mission untli the last
prison IL ventilated, and the last blind
eve opened, aud the last deaf sir un-
stonped. and the last lame foo, bounds like
a roe. and the last case OF dementia
shall come to its right mind. There have
bean other discoverers, but none like Him
able TO find how man may be just with God.
There have been other delverers but none
like Him, the rescuer OF Nations. There
have been other painters, but none ike Him
who put the image OF God on lost soul NO
wonder we celebrate His birth, Protestant
church, Catholic church. Greek church, st.
Isaac's OF st. Petersburg. st Peters at
Rome the Madeleine at Paris, 81. PauPs In
London joining all our American cathedrals
and churches ami loS csoin meeting houses
and homes in keeping this pre-em'nent birth
festival.
Elaborate and prolonged efforts have been
made to show that the star that pointed tc
the manger in which Christ was born wa
not what it appeared TO be. but conJunc'
tion of Jupiter and Saturn. Our wise men
of the west say that the wise men OF the eas
were mistaken. Astronomers you know,
can calculate backward as well al forward,
and as they can tell what will occur hun
drsd wears from now among the heavenly
bodies, 80 they can accurately cllculat
backward and tell what occurred eighteet
or nineteen hundred years ago. Aud IL y
true that seven years before Christ, II
Cbaldea. about three hours before day dawn
there was conjunction OF Jupite
and Saturn. Standing in Jerusalem
and looking over toward Bethlehem
those two stars would have seemed to han
! over that village, and it Is suggested by
learned professor that the magi may hav
had weak ewes, so that the two stars ma.
have looked like one In order to tax
everything supernatural out OF the story
have to blind the eyes OF the magi and intro
duce second star to help out the idea
the one star. But prefer sne si'npi
story OF the Bible, that light OF some kin
stellar or meteoric-pointed from the SIX
to the straw cradle, When 1t is so easy fo
Goi To make world that He puts eightes
a millions Of them within one sweep OF tn
telescope. He could certainly afford one 81
:, very or fiery signal Of some kind to polr
=, the world to the place where the soverelg
a of the universe lay incarnatei anu ln'a'
;, tile.
I, II God could afford to make an especi
" earthquake at the crucihxiou, the aslar
|! rocks on Mount Calvary stu showing tha
=, there was a convulsion of nature at th'
y narticular spot which was felt in none {
!, The surroundings, then He could afford som
~ thing unusual, something brilliant, som
- thing positive, something tremendous at u
:, nativity. IL king at the birth OF Sc
y can have the palace hlumined ana courle
:, sent with swift dispatch to announce u
n, gladness at the gates and wake u? an empi
y with canonade, | am not surprised Tn
y at the birth of the Son o. G1i there W
- celestial agitation, AMI my only wond
y In that. instead OF one star or one mete
l' giving signal, all worlds did not ma
u DEMONSTRATION Why not other worlds Ia
u interest in the event when Christ came lro
another world and another world was 10
the souls that would be saved by this Gel
tial desceptP 1t would have been stell
-. DISGRACE. an astronomical scandal, IL, VIII
y, t the Goihead lay compressed iu the form
re re an infant, something from above had ..ftI
M pointed down, as much as to say; TN
w. He isl Look, all earth and heav
ns Look, all time and all eternity
r.. You see, the birth at Bethleh en-, must ht
10, been more novel and startling to tho heav
4 than the crucihSion on Calvary. IL was
bt rected that Christ would pe ma'Grea.
~ " The world always ha 1 maltreated its g
Il and great frien H. Joseph nurled into
NJ Dit. Shadrach put into the fire. Jerem
~ lowered into a dungeon, David noun