The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-08
REV. DIR. TAIMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
il. NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "The Christmastidc."

Subject: ssThe ChriStmasttde."
TEXT: Snow when sJesus was born IL
Bethlehem. Matthew IL, l.
At midnight from one of the galleries o.
> the sky a chant broke. To an ordinary OBJ
server there was no reason for such a celas
tial demonstration. A poor man and wife
travellers, Joseph and Mary by name-had
LODGED In an clubhouse OF an unimportant
village. The supreme hour of soleEnity hao
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
3 But such scenes had often occurred in Beth
tehem, yet never before had star been un-
iaxed or had a baton OF light marshaed over
the hills winged orchestra. Ifthere 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, OF. the house of Stua.t, we would
not so much have wondered; but barn
3Beems too poor center for such delicate and
archangelic circumference. The stage seems
too small for so great an act, the music too
3grand for such unappreciative auditors, the
window Of the stable too rudeto beserenaded
by other worlds
It is my Joy to tell you what was born that
Night in the village barn, and as 1 want to
make my discourse cumulative and climac-
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 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 to-day He Is honored IN all
Christendom and sits on the imperial throne
! In heaven.
What name is mlghtiest 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
IchapeI 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
vantageously than this Christ. Let them
| look up to His example while they have time
end eternity to initiate it.
Do you know that the vast majority OF the
world'c deliverers had barnlike birthplaces?
Luther the emancipation OF religion, born
/ among the mines Shakespeare, the emsn-
scipator OF literature, born in humble home
at tStratford-on-Avon. Columbus, the dis
corerer Of a world, born inpoverty at Genoa.
Hogarth, the discoverer Of how to make art
accumulative and administrative OF virtue,
born in 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.
have to tell you that nine out Of ten OF the
worlds deliverers were born in want.
stit 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 be-
half are the sympathetic heart and the
almighty arm Of 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
J iage barn that night was born good will to
msn, whether you call II kindness or fore
bearance or forgiveness or genialty or affec-
tion or love. Il was no sport Of high heaven
20 send Its favorite to that humiliation. It
was sacrifice for rebellious world. After
the calamity in Paradise not only did the OK
begin to gore. and the adder to sting, and
the elephant 70 smite with his tusk, and the
Hon 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.
ss But against that scene set the Bethlehem
manger, which says. "Bless rather than
{ curse, endure rather than assault" and that
Christmas night puts out vindictiveness. 1t
says, "sheathe your sword. dismount your
guns, dismantle your batteries, turn the
L., knnn hot cI ov,1
shell Into grainship to take food to fam
ishing Ireland, hook your cavalry horse to
the plow, use your deadly gun-powder in
Blasting rocks and In patriotic celebration,
Etop your lawsuits, quit writing anonymous
letters, extract the sting from your sarcasm.
let your wit coruscate but never burn, drop
all the harsh words out of your vocabulary
--sGood will to men, ...
ssoh," you say. "I can't exercise it; won't
exercise it until they apologize; I won't for
give them until they ask me- to forgive
them" You are no Christian then-I say
you are no Christian, or you are very in
consistent Christian. If you forgive not
men their trespassss. 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 all
around. "Good will to men,"
20 my Lord Jesus, drop that spirit into all
our hearts this Christmas time. I tell you
what the world wants more than anything
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 to find our
happiness in making others happy.
Out of that Bethlehem crib let the bear and
r<tfe Hon eat straw like the OK. "Good will
to men." That principle will yet settle all
controversies, and under it the world will
keep on improving until there will be only
two antagonists In all the earth, and they
will side by side take the jubilant sleigh ride
!, minated by the prophet when he said
y. Holiness shall be on the bells oithe horses. y
Again, 1 remark that born that Christmas
night In the village barn was sympathetic
anion with other worlds. From that super
& natural grouping OF the cloud banks over
Bethlehem, and from the special trains that
ran down to the scene I find that our world
Z Is beautifully and glorlously and magnia.
Gently surrounded. The meteors are with
Us. for one Of them ran to point down tc
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 may
/ be better surrounded than we have some
lines imagined, ami when a child is born
angels bring it, and when it dies, angels
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 thu
world. Angels all around the world.
Rub the dust of human imperfectionS ou
of your eyes, and look into the heavens ant
see angels OF pity, angels of mercy, angels o
pardon, angels of help, angels crowned
angels charioted. The world defended b,