Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-01-08
REE: DR.. TaLuAGE.
rhe Eminent Divine's Sunda,
Sermoo.
Subject: "The christmastide.e

IEXT: NOW Wnon Jesus was O0f0 II
Bethlehem. Matthew H., I.
At midnight from ons Of the galleries OF
the sly q chant broke. To an ordinary OBJ
server there WAS no reason for such u ceiee-
tiai demonstration. A poor man and wife
travellers. Joseph and Mary by name-had
lodged In an clubhouse OF an unlmpOrtant
village. The supreme hour OF solemntty had
chrek OF Mary, God had sst the dignity, tho
grandeur, the tenderness, the everlasting and
divine Significance of motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred In Beth
laheHv, Yet never befora had n star been IN
fixed or had n baton oi Eight marshaled over
the hills winged orchestra Hthere had been
such brilliant and mighty recognition at an
advent in the house OF Pharaoh. or at an ad-
vent in the house Of Caesar, or the house OF
Hapsburg, or the house OF Stuart, we would
not so mu n have wondered; but . barn
seems too poor a center for such delicate and
archanselic circumference. The stage seems
too small for 80 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 thai
night in the village barn, and as want to
make my discourse cumulative and cilmac-
teric begin in the first place by telling you
that that night in the bethlehem manger was
born encouragement for all the poorly start.
ed. He had only two friends-they His par
ents No satin lined cradle. no delicate at
tentions but straw AMI the cattle and the
coarse joke and banter of the camel drivers.
No wonder the medieval painters represent
the oxen as kneeing before the infant Jesus,
for there were no men there at that time to
worship. From the depths of that poverty
be rose until to-lay He Is honored In all
ChristendOm an sits on the imperial throne
n heaven.
What name is mIghtiest today in Chris
tendon? Jesus. Who has more friends on
earth than any other being? Jesus. Before
whom do the most thousands kneel In
chapel AMI church aud cathedral at this
hour? Jesus. From what depths of poverty
to WI at height of renowni And So let all those
who are poorly started remember that they
cannot be more poorly born or more disad-
p, vanta2eously than this Christ. Let them
look up to His example while they have time
and eternity to initiate 1t.
Do you know that the vast majority of the
worlds deiiverers had barnlike birthplaoes7
Luther the emancipator OF religion, born
among the mines. Shakespeare, the eman-
oipator Of literature, born In a humble home
at Stratford-on-Avon. Columbus, the dis
coverer Of a world, born in poverty at Genoa.
| HoSartb, the discoverer OF how to make art
| accumulative and administrative OF virtue,
born in a humbI. home In Wsstm orelaud.
| Kitto and Prideaux, whose keys unlocked
] new apartments In the holy Scriptures which
| had nevor been entered. bern in want. Yes
| world deiverers were born In want.
| l stir your holy ambitions to-day, and
| want to tell you, although the whole world
may be opposed to YOU. and inside and out
| side of your occupations or professions
| there NAV be those who would hinder youI
ascent. on your side and enlisted in your be
| half are the sympathetic heart and tn,
! almighty arm Of one who one Christina
| night about 1895 years ago was wrapped II
swaddling clothes and laid in manger. Oh
| what magnificent encouragement for tn
| poorly started!
Again, have to tell you that in that vii
laSe barn that night was born good will t,
| men, whether you call 1t kindness or fore
bearance or forgiveness or genialty or affec
| tion or love. II was no sport of high HEAVIER
to send its favorite to that humiliation. L
| was sacrifice for rebellious world. AfteI
| the calamity in Paradise not only did the OF
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 and paw, hui
under the very tree from which the forbid
| den fruit Was plucked were Matched out wal
| and revan9e and malice and envy and jeal
| ousy and the whole brood of cockatrices.
But against that scene l set the Bethlehem
| manger, which says. "Bless rather thar
curse, endure rather than assault" and tha
Christmas night puts out vfndictiveness. L
| says, ''Sheathe your sword dismount you
guns, dismantle your batteries, turn tn,
warship Constellation that carries shot anC
| shell into grainship to take food to fam
ishing ireland, hook your cavalry horse tt
the piow, use your deadly gun-powder II
| blasting rocks and In patriotic celebration
| stop your lawsuits, quit writing ANONYMOUS
letters, extract the sting from your sarcasm
| let your wit coruscate but never burn, droE
! all the harsh words out OF your vocabulary
'-'Good will to men,"
"Oh." you say. 81 can't exercise it; I won
exercise 1t until they apologize; won't for
l rv;y nnftl fhav aSk IN 10,
them" You are no Christian then-I sa,
| you are no Christian, or you are a very in
consistent Christian. II you forgive no
| men their trespasses, how can you expect
your heavenly Father to forgive you? For
| give them II they ask your forgiveness and
forgive them any how. Shake hands al
around. 'Good will to men,
o my Lord Jesus, drop that spirit into al
our hearts this Christmas time. 1 tell yor
what the world wants more than anything
elee-more helping hands, moro sympathetic
hearts, moro kind words that never die, NOR,
disposition to give other people q ride, ant
to carry the heavy end Of the load and Civ,
other people the light end, and to ascribt
good motives instead Of bad, and to find ou
happiness in making others happy.
| Out Of that Bethlehem orb let the bear ant
the lion eat straw like tho OK. "Good vii
to men," That principle will yet settle al
controversies, and under II the world vii
keep on improving until there will be onl,
two antagonists In all the earth, and thel
will side by side take the jubilant sleigh rid
intimated by the prophet when he said
"Holiness shall be on the bells ofthe horses.
Again, L remark that born that Christina
| night in the village barn was synipatheti,
union with other worlds. From that super
| natural grouping OF the cloud banks ove
Bethlehem, and from the special trains that
is beautifully and gloriously and magnifi
Gently surrounded. The meteors are Will
| us, for one of them ran to point down Il
the birthplace. The heavens are with US
because at the thought of our redemption
| they roll hOsannas out OF the midnight sky
Oh, yes, I do not know but our world may
be better surrounded than We have some
times imagined, and when a child is born
angels bring 1t, and when 1t dies, angel
take it, and when an old man bends unde
!, the weight Of years. angels uphold him, and
| when a heart breaks, angels soOthe it. Angel
in the hospital to take care Of The sick
Angels in the cemetery to watch our dead
Angels in the church ready to fly heaven
: ward with the news Of repentant souls
! Angels above the world. Angels under tn
world. Angels all around the world.
Rub the dust Of human imperfections ou
Of your eyes, and look into the heavens an
see angels OF pity, angels Of mercy, angels Q
angels charioted. The world defended b
| angels. girdled by angels. cohorted by angel
sl-ciouds of angels. Hear David cry out
: | 'sTbe -chariots of God are 20, 900. Eve
= thousands OF angels" But the mighttes
angel stood not that night in the clouds owe
be. hlehern; the mightiest angel that nigh
| 'ay among the catile-the angel Of the neV
| covenant.
As the clean white linen was bein
| wrapped around the little form Of that chill
: | emperor, not cberub. not a seraph, not a
angel. not "A world but wept and thrilled an
shouted. Oh. yes, our world has plenty G
| sympathizers, Our world is only silve
luny Of great ladder at the top Of which
our Fathers house. No more stellar solitar
hess ior our world, no other fnendiess plan
hs spun out into spare to freeze. but worl
the bosom OF divine maternity. sta
,arnessed to a manger.
ri Again, remark that that night born !
hat village barn was the offenders hop'
some sermonizers may say l ought to hav
. projected this thought at the beginning
{ ;he sermon. Oh, no! wanted you to ris
II .Ivrn kl~E m