Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-12-27
CHRISTMAS SERMON.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE ON THE BIRTH OF
CHRIST.

!
Born In Want--What the World Needs
Most-The Nativity the Offenders Hope.
! Merry with the Thought OF Sins For
given.
WASHINGTON Dec. 22.-In his sermon
today DR.. Talmage chose the universal
theme Of the season-the Christmastide.
The text selected was, "Now when Je-
sus was born in Bethlehem" " Matthew
ii, 1.
At midnight from one Of the CALLER
les of the sky a chant broke. To an or
dinary observer there was no reason for
such a celestial demonstration. A poor
man and wife-trayelers, Joseph and
Mary by name-had lodged in an out
house Of an unimportant village. The
supreme hour of solemnity had passed,
and upon the pallid forehead and cheek
Of Mary, God had set the dignity, the
grandeur, the tenderness, the eyerlast-
ing and divine significance Of mother
hood.
But such scenes had often occurred in
Bethlehem, yet never before had star
been unfixed or had baton Of light
marshaled over the hills winged orches-
ira. II there had been such brilliant and
mighty recognition at AN advent in the
house of Pharaoh, or at an advent in
the house of Caesar, or the house OF
Hapsburg, or the house Of Stuart, we
would not so much have wondered; but
barn seems too poor a center for such
delicate and archangelic circumference.
The stage seems too small for so great
an act, the music too grand for such
unappreciative auditors, the window Of
the stable too rude to be serenaded by
other worlds.
A Humble Birth.
It Is my joy to tell you what was
born that night in the village barn, and
as l want to make my discourse cumu-
lative and climacteric I begin in the
first place by telling you that that night
in the Bethlehem manger was born en-
couragement for all the poorly started.
He had only two friends-they his par
ents No satin lined cradle, no delicate
attentions, but straw and the cattle and
the coarse joke and banter Of the camel
drivers. No wonder the medieval
painters represent the oxen as kneeling
before the infant Jesus, for there were
no men there at that time to worship.
From the depths Of that poverty he rose
until today he is honored in all Chris
tendon and sits on the imperial throne
IN heaven.
What name is mightiest today in
Christendom? Jesus. Who has more
friends on earth than any other being!
Jesus. Before whom do the most thou
sands lneel in chapel and church and
cathedral this hour? Jesus. From what
depths Of poverty to what height Of re-
nownl And so let all those who are
poorly started remember that they can
not be more poorly born or more disad-
vantageously than this Christ. Let them
look up to his example while they have
time and eternity to initiate it.
Do YOU know that the vast majority
Of the worlds deliverers had barnlikt
birthplaces? Luther, the emancipatol
of religion, born among the mines.
Shakespeare, the emancipatOr Of litera
ture. born in humble home at STRAIT
ford Avon. Columbus, the discover
er Of q world, born in poverty at Genoa
Hogarth, the discoverer Of how to make
ort accumulative and administrative Of
yirtue. born in a humble home II
Westmorland. Kitto and Prideaux
whose keys unlocked new apartments IL
the holy Scriptures which had never
been entered, born in want. Yes, l have
70 tell YOU that nine out Of ten Of tn
worlds deliyerers were born in want.
I stir your holy ambitions today, an'
/ want to tell you, although the who'll
world may be opposed to you, and IN
side and outside Of your occupation
or professions there may be those VIII
would hinder your ascent, on your sid
and enlisted in your behalf are the sym
pathetic heart and the almighty arm O
one who one Christmas night about | so
wears ago was wrapped in swaddlinI
clothes and laid in manger. Oh, wha
magnificent encouragement for the poor
ly started
Good VIII To Men.
Again. I have to tell you that in tha
village barn that night was born goo
will to men, whether you call it kind
ness or forbearance or forgiveness o
qeniality or affection or love. 1t wa
. no sport Of high heaven to send Its Ia
vorite to that humiliation. 1t was sacri
fee for a rebellious world. After the ca
/ jamity in paradise not only did the o
begin to gore, and the adder to sting
and the elephant to smite with his tusk
and the lion to put to bad use tooth an
G paw. but under the very tree fror
which the forbidden fruit was plucke
were Matched out war and revenge an
malice and envy and jealousy and tn
r whole brood of cockatrices.
But against that scene set the Bett
lehem manger, which says, Bless ratI
er than curse, endure rather than al
sault." and that Christmas night put
y. ont vindictiveness. 1t says, "Sheath
your sword, dismount your guns, di'
mantle yorr batteries, turn the warshl
] Constellation that carries shot an
; she'll into a grainship to take food
famishing Ireland, hook your cavair
> horses to the plow, use your deadly gur
= powder in blasting rocks and in patrio
}, ic celebration. stop your lawsuits, gu
= writing anonymous letters, extract IL
sting from your sarcasm, let your W
r ooruscate but never burn, drop all Il
1 harsh words out Of your vocabulary
!. Good will 70 men.
"Oh," you say, 81 can't exercise /
!, won't exercise it until they apologize
won't forgive them until they ask n
to forgive them. You are no Christia
! .hen-Isay you are no Christian, or yc
are a very inconsistent Christian.
u YOU forgive not men their trespasse
how can you expect your heavenly f
It ther to forgive you? Forgive them
J. they ask your forgiveness and forgi'
d tbeu ANYHOW. Shake hands all aroun'