Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-28
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE PREACHER DISCOURSES ON
CHRIST'S MISSION.
The Worlds Great Emancipators We're
All of Lowry Birth-The Offenders
Hopc-The Season of Forbearance and
ForGivcncss-GOod Will to Men.
4 Christmas Carol.

AT midnight from one of the galleries
of the sky chant broke. To an ordi-
nary observer there was no reason for
such celestial demonstration \ poor
man and wife-travelers 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 everlasting
and divine significance of motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred in
Bethlehem, yet never before had star
,. been uniiXcd or had baton Of light mar
shaded ever the hills winged orchestra.
If there had been such brilliant and
mighty recognition at an advent in tho
house of Pharaoh, or ut an advent in the
house of Caesar or the house of UapS-
burg, or the house of Stuart. we would
not so much have wondered. butts barn
seems too poor Il 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.
1t is my JOY to tell you what was born
that night in the village barn. and as |
want to make my discourse accumulatiye
and climacteric | begin in the first place
by telling yea that that night in the Beth
lehem manger was born encOura cement
for all the poorly started. He had only
two friends-they his parents 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 kneeling before the infant
Jesus, for there were no men there ut
that time to worship. From the depths
of that poverty he rose until to-day he is
honOred in all Christendom and sits on
the imperial throne in heaven.
Mightest Name in Christendom.
Wha me is mightiest to-day in Chris
tendon esus. Who has more friends
on eartl an any other being? Jesus.
Before nom do the most thousands
kneel in chul and church and cathedral
this hour: esus. From what depths Of
poverty to what height of rcnown. And
SO let all those who are poorly started re-
member that they cannot be more poorly
born or more disadvantageously 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 deliyerers had barnlke birth
places? Luther. the emancipation of re-
ligiOn, born among the mines. Shaks-
peare. the emancipation of literature. born
in an humble home ut Stratford-on-Avon
Columbus, the discoverer of Il world born
in poverty at Genoa. HoSarth, the dis
cOvercr of how to make art accumula-
tive and administrative of virtue born i'll
a humble home in WestmOreland. Kitto
and PrideauX, whose keys unlocked new
apartments in the Holy Scriptures which
had never been entered. born in want
Yes. L have to tell you that nine out Of ten
of the worlds deliverers were born in
want.
stir your holy ambitions to-day, and
want to tell you, although the whole
world may be opposed to you. and inside
and outside of your occupations or pro-
LESSONS there may be those who would
hinder your ascent. on your side and en-
listed in your behalf are the sympathetic
heart and the almighty arm of one who
one Christmas night about eighteen hun
dred and ninety-five years ago was wrap
ped in swaddling clothes and laid in
Manager. Oh. what magnificent encour-
agement for the poorly started.
Sacrifice for the World.
Again, | have to tell you thar in that
village barn that night was born good
will to men, whether YOU call it kinGuesr,
or forbearance or forgiveness, or genial
ity. or affection, or love.
1t was no sport of high heaven to send
its favorte to that humiliation. 1t was
sacrifice for rebellous world. After the
calamity in paradise. not only did the OK
begin to gore, and the adder To sting, and
the elephant to smite with his tusk end
the lion to put to bad use tooth an,, paw,
but under the very tree from which the
forbidden fruit was plucked were hatch
ed out war and revenge and malice and
envy and jealousy and the whole brood
of cockatrices.
But against that scene set the Bethle-
hem manger, which says. Bless rather
than curse. endure rather than assault"
and that Christmas night puts out vim
dictiveness. 1t says, "Sheathe yonr
sword, dismount your guns, dismantle
your batteries, turn the warship Constel-
lation, that carries shot and shell, into a
grain ship to take food TO furnishing
Ireland, hook your cavalry horses to the
pillow, use your deadly gunpowder in blast
ing rocks and in patriotic celebration.
stop your lawsuits, quit writing anony-
nous letters, extract the sting from your
sarcasm, let your wit coruscate but never
burn. drop all the harsh words out Of
your vocabulary will to men,
"Oh," you say, Il can't exercise it.
won't exercise it until they apologize.
won't forgive them until they ask me to
forgive them" You are no Christian then
Il say you are no Christian, or you are
n very inconsistent Christian. If you for
give not men their trespasses. how can
you expect your heavenly Father to for
give you? Forgive them if they ask your
forgiveness, and forgive them anyhow.
Shake hands all around. "Good will to
men,"
o my Lord Jesus, drop that spirit into
all our hearts this Christmas time. / tell
you what the world wants more than any
thing else-more helping hands. more
sympathetic hearts, more kind words that
never die more disposition to give other
people ride and to carry the heavy end
of the load and give other people the light
end, and to ascribe good motives instead
of bad, and find our happiness in max
Ing others happy.