Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-01-03
TALMAGE'S SERMON
INTERESTING THEME BY THE
WASHINGTON PREACHER.
Subject: "The ChristmastIde."

TEXT Vow when fJesus was born in
Bsthlehem. Matthew H.. l.
AT midnight from one Of the galleries OF
the sky chant broke. To an ordinary OBJ
server there was no raason for such a eeles-
tisl demonstration. A poor man and wife
travellers, Joseph and Mary by name-hHd
lodged in an clubhouse ot an unimportant
/ village. The supreme hour Of solemnity had
| passed, aud upon the palld forehead and
1 cheek Of Mary. God had set the dignity, the
I grandeur. the tenderness. the eycr'astin and
| divine significance OF motherhood.
But such scenes had often occurred in Beth
! leherl, vet never before had a star been uu-
| fixed or had a haton oi light marshaled over
I the hills winged orchestra Ifthere had been
such brilliant and mighty recognition at an
/ advent in the house OF Pharaoh. or at an adj
/ vent in the house Of Cesar, or the house Of
/ Hapshurg. 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 un1ppraciatiye auditors, the
window Of the stable too rude TO be serenaded
by other worlds
: II is my JOY to tell YOU what was born that
night in the village barn. and as | want to
make my discourse cumulative and climac-
( teric | begin in the first place by telling vou
/ that that night in the Bethlehem manger was
/ ed. He had only two frcnds-they His par
ents. No satin lined cradle. no delicate at
/ tentiOns, but straw and the cattle and the
/ coarse Joke and banter OF the camel drivers.
t 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 to-day He is honored in all
| Christendom and sits on the imperial throne
in heaven.
What name is mightiest to-day in Chris
tendon? jesus. Who has more friends on
earth than any other being? Jesus Before
whom do the most thousands kneel in
| chapel and church and cathedral at this
hour? Jesus. From what depths of poverty
| to what height of renOwn. And so let all those
/ who are poorly started remember that they
cannot 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 dcliyerers had barnlike birthpaces2
/ Luther the emancipato" Of religion. born
, among the mines. Shakespeare the eman-
cipator OF literature, born in Il humble home
at Stratfori-On-Avon. Columbus, the dis
coverer of a world, born in poycrtyat Genoa.
| HOgarth. the diScoverer of how to make art
accumulative and administrative Of virtue,
born in a humble home in WcstmOreaud.
Kitto and Prideaux, whose keys unlocked
| new apartments in the holy Scriptures which
had never been entered born in want. Yes,
| | have to tell you that nine out of ten Of the
worlds delverers 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 out
side of your occupations or professions
there may be those who would hinder your
ascent on your side and enlisted in your he
half are the sympathetic heart and the
almighty arm 1T one who one Christmas
night about 1895 years ago was wrapped in
swaddlinG clothes and laid in amanger. Oh
what magnificent encouragement for the
poorly started!
Again, | have to tell you that in that vii
lage barn that night was born good will to
men, whether you call it kindness or fore
bearance or forgiveness or genialty or affec-
ton or love. It was no sport of high heaven
TO send its fayorite to that humiliation. 1t
was sacrifice for a rebelOus 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, and the
lion to put to bad use tooth and paw, but
under the very tree from which the forbid
den fruit was plucked were Matched out war
and revenge and malice and envy and jeal-
ousy and the whole brood of cockatrices.
But against that scene | set the Bethlehem
manger, which says. BLESS rather than
curse. endure rather than assault and that
Christmas night puts ont vindictiveness. II
says, "Sheathe your sword, dismOunt your
guns, dismantle your batteries, turn the
warship Constellation that carries shot and
shell into grainship to take food TO fam
ishing Ireland, hook your cavalry horse 10
the pillow, use your deadly Gun-powder in
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, droI
all the harsh words out Of your vocabulary
Good will TO men,
ooh" you say. II cant exercise II: won
exercise it until they apologize: ! won't for
give them until they ask me to forgiv,
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 if they ask your forgiveness and
forgive them any how. Shake hands al
around. GOOD will TO men,
0 my Lord Jesus. drop that spirit into al
our hearts this Christmas time. | tell yol
what the world wants more than anythin.
else more helping hands. more sympathetic
hearts, more kind words that never die NOR,
disposition to give other people a ride. ant
to carry the heavy end OF the load and give
other people the light end, and to ascribt
good motives instead Of bad, and to find oul
happiness in making others happy.
Out of that Bethlehem crib let the bear ant
the lion eat straw like the OK. GOOD will
I to men," That principle will vet settle al
controversies. and under it the world vii
keep on improving until there will be onl,
two antagonists in all the earth, and the,
, will side by side take the uhilant sleigh rid
animated by the prophet when he said
"Hoiness shall be on the bells ofthe horses.
Again, 1 remark that born that Christina
,, night in the village barn was sympathetic
union with other worlds. From that super
! natural grouping OF the cloud banks owe
Bethlehem. and from the special trains tina
, ran down to the scene / find that our worlt
' is beautifully and gloriousy and magnifl
! Gently surrounded. The meteors are witt
! us, for one of them ran to point down t.
8 the birthplace. The heavens are with us
. because at the thought of our redemption
they roll hOsannas out of the midnight sky
Oh, yes, do not know but our world ma
be better surrounded than we have some
times imagined. and when child is born
angels bring it. and when it dies, angel
take it, and when an old man bends unde
the weight of years. angels uphold him. AM
- when a heart breaks, angels soothe it. Angel
" in the hospital to take care Of the sicE
}e Angels in the cemetery to watch our dea(
as Angels in the church ready to fly HEAVIER
ward with the news Of repentant soul!
Angels above the world. Angels under tn
world. Angels all around the world.
a Rub the dust OF human imperfectiops OF
u of your eyes, and lock into the heavens an
Y see angels OF pity, angels Of mercy, angels {
n pardon, angels OF help, angels crowne
u angels charioted. The world defended
50 angels. Sirdled by angels. cohorted by ange
ii clouds of angels. Hear David cry GU
ne 1.-The chariots of God are 10000. Eve
81 thousands of angels. But the mightie
of angel stood not that night in the clouds ov,
We Bethlehem; the mightiest angel that mig