South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1893-09-28
REV. DR. TALMAGE,
The Eminent Brooklyn Divins'S Sun.
day Sermon.
Subjects: "a Proposition to C-lrb ratr IN.
Nineteen II ondredth Birthday or Chrf,t
by nm International Jubilee.
TEXT ITO us chRd is bo,w,' Isaiah tx.

That IL n tremendous hour in tho history
OF any fnmily when M immortal spirit is in
carnated. Out OF n very dark cloud there
descends very bright morning. One life
spared and another given. All tho bells of
Sladness ring over tho cradle. l know not
why any ono should doubt that OF old Il stnr
pointed down to the Saviour's birthplace. for
n star OF JOY points down to every honorable
nativity. A new eternity duties from that
hour. that minute.
Beautiful and appropriate is the custom OF;
celebrating the anniversary OF such an event.
and clear on into tho eighties md nip,.i,;
tho recurrence of thnt day of tho year in an
old mans life causes recognition and more or
less congratulntion. So also Nations arc ac-
customed to celebrate the anniversary of
their birth and tho anniversary OF the birth
OF their great heroes or dcivercrs or benefac-
tors. The 22d OF February and tho 4th of
July nrc never allowed to pass in our land
without banquet and Grafton and bell ring
ing and canDonade. But I'LL other birthday
anniversaries arc tame compared with tho
Christmas festivity. which celebrates tho
birthday described in my text.
Protestant and Catholic and Greek
churches. with all the power of music and
garland and procession and doxology. put
tho words OF my text into National and con-
finental and hemisphere chorus. ITO us q
child is born" On the 25th OF December
ench year that is the theme in st. Paui's and
81: Peters and st. Marks and st. Isaac s and
nll the dedicated cathcdrals ch:iDels meet
Ing houses and churches clear round tho
world.
We shall soon reach tho nineteen hun
dredth anniversary OF TINT happicst event OF
all time. This century is dying Only seven
more pusations, and its heart will cease to.
beat. The fingers Of many OF you will write
1t mt the head of your letters and the foot of
your important documents, 1890" 1t will
DO physical and moral sensation unlike
anything olse you have before experienced.
Not one hand that wrote that '.IS0I' at the
induction OF this century will have cunning
lett to write 1901 ut the induction Of an
other.
Tho death OF ono century and the birth OF
another century will be sublime and sug-
gestive and stupendous beyond all estimate
70 stand by the grave Of one century and by
the cradle Of another will be an opportunity
such us whole generations OF the worlds in-
habitants never experienced. I pray God
that there may be no sickness or casualty to.
hinder your arrival ut that goal or to hinder
your taking part in the veledictory OF the de-
parting century and tho salutation OF the
new.
hundr edith anniversary OF T. Saviour's birth,
l now nominate that n great international
luoii0e or exposition be opeEsd III this clds-
Ter OF cities by the SeacoaNt on Christmas
day. ;he 25th Of December. 1000, to no con-
tinued Tor at least one month into the year
1901. This century closing December 31st,
1900 and the new century beginning Janu-
AIRY 1st. 1901. will 1t 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 tho 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. It will be the
year Of our Lord 1900 passing into the year
1901.
We have had the Centennial Mt Philadel-
ntversary OF our Nations birth. We have
had the magnificent expositions ut New Or
leans and Atlanta and Augusta and st.
Louis. We have the present Worlds cxposi-
ton Mt Chicago, celebrative OF this CONT
nent's emergence. and there are ut least two
other great celebrations promised for this
country, and other countries will have their
historic events to commemorate, but the ono
event that has most to do with the welfare
OF all Nations is the arrival of Jesus
Christ on this planet. and oil the enthusiasm
ever witnessed mt London or Vienna or Paris
or any OF our American cities would be
eclipscd by the enthusiasm that would cele-
brate the ransom Of all nations, the first step
toward the accomplishing OF it being taken
by an infantflo foot ono winters night about
five miles from Jerusalem, when the clouds
dropped the angelic cantanta. .'Gloryto God
in tho highest, and on earth peace. good will
10 men,"
The three or four questions that would DO
asked me concerning this nomination oftime
and place proceed TO answer. What prnc-
teal use would come Of such international
celebration Answer-The biggest stride
the world ever took toward the evangelism
ton OF all Nations. That is n grand and
wonderful convocation, the religious con-
gress nj Chicago. 1t will put intelligentIy be-
fore the world the nature of false religions
which have been brutalizing the Nations,
tramping womanhood into the dust. enact
ing the horrors OF infanticide, kindlinS
funeral pyrcs for shrieking Victims and
rolling juggernauts across tho mangled bod
les OF their worShipers.
But no ono supposeS that any ono will DO
converted to Christ by hearing Confucianfsm
or Buddhism or any form Of heathenism
eulogized. That Is TO be done afterwards.
And how can 1t so well be done as by a celc-
bration OF many weeks OF the birth and char
acter and achievements OF the wondrous and
unprecedented Christ? To such an eSposi-
tion the kings and queens of the earth would
not send their rcpreSentativcS-thcy would
come themselves.
The story Of q SaviourS advent could not
be told without telling tho story Of His mis-
sion. All the world say. 'Why this ado,
this universal demonstrations What vivid
presentation 1t would be, when mt such n con-
vocation tho physicians OF the world should
tell what Christ has done for hospitals and
the assuagenent OF human pain, and when
Christian lawyers DECLARE what Christ has
done for the establishment OF good laws. and
Christian conqucrors should tell what Christ
had dono in the conquest OF Nations, and
Christian rulers OF tho earth would tell what
Christ had done the Government OF earthly
dominions.
Thirty days OF such celebration would do
more to tell tho world who Christ is than
any thirty years. Not land on earth but
would hear OF II and discuss it. Not an eye
so dimmsd by the superstition Of ages but
would sec tho illumination. The difference
Of Christ's religion from all others Is that its
one way OF dissemination is by simple
telling not argument. not skilful exeget-
lists. polemics or tho science Of theological
fstcufTs. hut telling Tell We the
daughter Of Zion, Behold. thy King comcth. -
GO quickly and tell His disciples that He
has risen from the dead" 'Go homo TO thy
friends and tell thom how great things tho
Lord hath done for thee "when He IS
come. He will tell us all things" A religion
Of Ceiling
And in what way could all Nations 80 we'll
be told that Christ had come rs 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
telegraphs. "What IS going on in American
|. All China would cry out. what is that great
excitement in American All the islands OF
the sen would como down the gangplanks OF
the arriving ships and ask, What is that