The Penn's Grove record., 1895-12-27
NUMBER %


fore 1 show you the honInour-the crown
Jewel OF the ages. oh. that jewel had a very
poor settingl The cub of bear is born amid.
the grand old pillars Of the forest, the wheip
OF lion takes lis first step from the jungle Of
~luxuriant leaf and wild flower. the kid Of
goat is born In cavern ~chandeliered with sta
lactite and pillared with stalagmite. Chris
vas born In a bare barn.
Yet that nativity was the offenders hopA
Over the door Of heaven are written thess
words; None but the sinles may entei
here" ooh, horror" you say, "that shut
us all chtI" No. Christ came to the world
In one door, and He departed through an
other door. He cime through the door Of
the mauger, and He departed through the
door OF the seDulcher, and His one business
was 80 to wash away our sin that after We
are dead there will be no more sin about Us
than about the eternal God. know that 10
putting 1t strongly, but that Is what I un-
derstand by full remission. All erased. all
washed away, all secured OUT, all gone.
That undergirdling and overarching and IL.
radiating and imparadising possibility fos
You, and for ne, and for the whole race,
that was given that Christmas night.
Do you wonder we bring flowers to-dayto
celebrate such an event? Do you wondet
that we take organ and youthful voice and
queenly soloist to celebrate it2 Do you
WOuutT tHdt DtDldei anu huDbUS anu llElAQ
and Giotto and Ghirlandajo and all the old
Italian and German painters gave tbs
mightiest stroke OF their genius to sketch
the Madonna, Mary, and her boy?
Oil now / see what the manger was. Not
30 high the gilded aud jeweled and embroid.
cred cradle of the Henrys OF England. or the
Louis of France, or the Frederieks OF Prus-
STA. Now l find out that that bethlehem
crib fed not so much the oxen of the stall q
the white horses OF Apocalyptic vision. Now
l find the swaddlIng clothes enlarging and
emblaSoning into an imperial robe for q
c%onqueror. Now I find that the star Of thai
Christmas night was only the diamonded
sandal of Him who hath the moon un Ter His
feet. Now l CONF TO understand that ths
music of that night was not a completed
song, but only the strInging of the instru'
mems for n great chorus of two worlds, ths
bass to be carried by earthly Nations saved
and the soprano by kingdoms Of glory won.
oh, heaven, heaven, heaven! / shall meet
YOU there. After all our imperfections ars
gone / shall meet you there. l look out to,
day, through the mists Of years, through the
fog that rises from the cold Jordan, through
the wide open door of solid pearl to that re.
union. IeXpect to see you there rs certain.
ly as | see you here. What a time we shall
have in high converse. talking over sins
pardoned and sorrows comforted n battla
triumphant!
boult Vi NOht lACudI koA0A
aud though people passing along the street
and seeing white Grape on the doorbell mag
have said, at Is only a child" yet when the
broker hearted father CANT to solicit my
service, he said, "Come around and comfon
US. for we loved her so much"
What q Christmas morning 1t will MAKE
when those with whom you used to keep thd
holidays are all around you In heavenl
Silver haired old father young again, and
mother who had so many aches and pains
and decrepitudes well again. and all youi
brothers and sisters and the little ones.
How glad they will be to see you! They
have been waiting. The last time they saw
your face 1t was coyered with tears and dis.
tress. and pallid from long watching, and
one of them 1 can imagine to-day, with
one hand holding fast the shining gate, and
he other hand swung out toward you, say
ing:
steer this way, father. steer straight To-
me;
Here safe in heaven I am waiting for theaa
Oh, those Bethlehem angels, when ths3
went back after the concert hat night ovei
the hills, forgot to shut the door! All the
secret is out. No more use of trying to hide
from us the glories to come. 1t Is too late
to shut the gate. 1t Is blocked wide opeR
with h%osannas marching this way, and halle
luiahs marching that way. In the spleldoz
of the anticipation 1 feel as II / was dying
not physically, for I never was more wei
but in the transport of the Christmas trans
aguration.
What almost unmans me Is the though
that it is provided for sucn sinners as you
and / a been. II 1t had been provided
only for those who had always thought right
and spoken right and acted right, you and !
would have had NO interest in it, had No
share in It; you and / would have stuck to
the raft midocean, and let the ship sail BY
carrying perfect passengers from a perfect
life on earth to a perfect life In heaven. Butt
have heard the commander of that ship is tha
same great and glorious and sympathetic one
who hushed the tempest around the boat on
Galilee, and l have heard that all the pass
engers oil the ship are sinners saved BY
grace. And so we hail the ship, and It bears
down this way, and we come by the side Of
It and ask the Captain two questions, who
are Thou2" and ''whence2'' And He says,
~ am Captain of Salvation, and I am from
the manger." Oh, bright Christmas morn.
ing of my souls delight! Chime all thu
BELLS. Merry Christmasi
Merry with the thought Of sins forgiven,
merry with the idea OF sorrows comforted,
merry.with the raptures to come. Oh, lift thai
Christ from the manger and lay Him down
In all our hearts! We may not bring to Rim
as costly a present as the magl brought. but
we bring to His feet aud to the mangsr to.
day the f~rankineenss Of our Joy, the prostra
lion of our worship.
Down at His feet all churches, allsages, all
earth, allheaven. Down at His feet the foui
and twenty elders on their faces. Down the
''great multitude that no man can number"
Down Michael, the archangeli Down all
worlds at His feet and worshfp. "Glory to
God in the highest, MI on earth peace, good
will to men,