New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-27
DIR. pARKHURsrS CHRISTMAS SERMON
THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST IN THE HEARTS OF
MEN

At the Madison Square Presbyterian Church yes
to-day informing tho Rev Or. Charles IT, Parkhurst
preached from the text: Jesus answered My King
dom Is no, OF this world" DR.. Parkhurst said in
part:
A, a season when tho thoughts Of men are so
Lord at Bethlehem It wrild be a blunder-I SHOULD
almost say crime--to let this particular morning
pass without making II A means of gaining some
the intention Of His ministry. There Is no heart.
an ge e 1 have s'P been oba bv Se
tender kindness which In these days just passed
There is great deaf OF love in the world AMI It's
amount has been increased by the tokens which
beds are dcepcned by the very currents which slip
over them and plough their way through ;hem. But
just AS it is a fact that In the middle OF the day
sheds Ms the air so fu OF brightness as 10 chase
from our minds thoughts or the sun itself that the
DAYS been so crowded With tho intercnanre Of love
tokens that 1t has been surprisingly easy to forget
Him whose presence In the world for eighteen
hearts and render those hearts DESTROYS OF making
10 others some expression OF ne love which His
And so. now that these festive Chris, observ-
arc all by. and the affcc,iona,e t;ie surprises
slider with me one rather earnest side Of tie mean
R Sf ss 9 MnT is "o o0s sy % at
taches 10 the emphasis, we lay upon the Lords
mdoScdy h e' infancy OF s ss iSF and Of al on5
physical and mental helpessness that goes with
cHn and OSi the soy of h INK n In sr
NIL always va form no, not only very pleasant and
snry chapter In the volume OF our Lords mys-
But at the same time I, does seem a little un-
oT!gnaecdGGs it O2-hat The h,s, impression
poor that He had to be sheltered by a stble and
so weak that He had 70 be tended and Graded. It
costs no effort 10 gee bow just that feeblencss and
poverty OF His binds Him In knot OF close sym
vcrywhere. and VIC know II Jesus had been a
millionaire or had entered into history with a
stricken would have felt little Interest in Him and
no love for him: for while 1t is easy I'm way to
look up to ard admire that which is far greater
than We. II Is not easy to love that which Is great
cr than
II is remarkable however. that, while the Script.
give to us distinct recital OF the Infancy OF
Jesus, ard make no attempt to disguise the fact
that He an infant with the vcritablo debility
lttloness Of the babe that arrests the Scripture
attention. nor the meaningless frailty OF the babe
nor John has anything To say OF an infant Jesus.
and the other evangelistg treat His infancy only
rs an incident and portray it In a way in'endcd
O draw the whole consciousness OF the reader on
from the mere babyish features Of the situation
and to centre that CONSEQUENCES upon the wonder
fumes the kinglncss and divlneness OF the Being
who passed through the gateway Of infancy' hue
only because that was the sole means OF becoming
have no interest certainly in running counter
to the drift OF christmas sentiment. but have
to what was the mastering thought in the heart Of
the narrators. They were not Interested In Him |
because lie was httle nor drawn toward Him in
dealt with Him revercntly because Vie was king
and worshipped Him because lie was Christ the |
Lord.
No strnged instrument was constructed in !
such perfection that II would rot nat by use and
cal instrument VIC call the human conscience. that
too flats BY 1t Is forever sagging below the |
do wrong without feeling the wrong OF It, and that
means that our deeds are likely to determine our |