Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-29
A Graveyard Peace.

had in the diversion of the prosecutors
from tho place of nativity, let me say that
had that Herodic raid upon the swaddling
clothes been successful tho world would
never have known the value Of right
eous peace. Much has been made of tho
fact that the world was at peace when
Christ came. Yes. But what kind of
peace was itG 1t was peace worse than
war. 1t was the peace Of graveyard.
The Roman eagles had plucked out tho
worlds eyesight and plunged their beaks
through the heart of dead nations. 1t was
peace like that spoken Of by dying In
dian chieftain when n Christian home mis-
sionary said to him, "You have been n
warrior and suppose have been in many
feuds, but you must be at peace with all
your enemies in order to die Alright" Tho
dying chieftain replied: That's easy
enough. am ut peace with all my enc
mics, for have killed all of them."
That was the style Of peace on earth
when Christ came, but the spirit of arbi
tration, which is to garland the tomb OF
this century and coronet the brow of the
coming century, is consequent upon the
midnight anthem above Bethlehem. two
bars to that music the first of divine
| ascription, and the second of earthly paci-
| fcation. "Glory to God and peace to
men," In his manhood Christ pronounced
| the same doctrine" Blessed are tho merci-
full" Before the Bethlehem star flashed
its significance the theory was, Blessed
is wholesale cutthroatery. Blessed are
those who can kill the most antagonists.
| Blessed are those who can most skillfully
| WELD the battleax. Blessed are those W no
can stab the deepest with spear or roll n
chariot wheel over the most wounded or
put his chargers hoof on the most dead.
| The entirely new theory of our Christ was
| blessing for cursing, prayer for those who
| despitefully use you, foundries to turn
spears into pruning hooks, redhot fur
| naces to melt swords into molds shaped
like plowsharcs. If gigantic acerbities
and worldwide tigerisms had, without any
gospel opposition gone on until now and
been augmented by SOS years of fcrocity,
| by this time what would this world have
been turned intog You need not remind
me of the awful wars since the opening of
| the year of our Christian era, for If
the earth has been again and again LAGER
ated into an Aceldama through improved
weaponry of death and more rapidity Of
! fire, Prussian brcechloader. which in 1866
startled tho nations with unprecedented
! havoc, eclipsed by contrivances that can
/ sweep vaster numbers to death by one
volley, and telegraphy adding to Runnery
| new facilities for slaughter by instantly
ordering armies to where they can do the
most wholesale murdcr-I say II oil this
! woe has been wrought how much worse
would IL have been If the Chrstly revela-
ton had not been let down from heaven
| on five runged ladder OF musical scale,
and there had been no preaching Of good
will all up and down Christendom for 10
centuries! The Bethlehem manger has
given the mos. potent suggestion of peace
the world has ever received. The cavalry
horses cannot eat out of that manager
The Peace of Christ.
l take another step forward In showing
the narrow escape you and / had and the
world had in the secretion of Christ S
birthplace from the Herodic detectives and
the clubs with which they would have
dashed the babes life out when l say that
without the life that began that night in
Bethlehem the world would have had no
illumined deathbeds. Before the time Of
Christ good people closed their earthly
lives in peace while depending upon tho
Christ to come, and there were antedilu.
Wan saints. and Assyrian saints and
Egyptian saints, and Grecian saints, and
Jerusalem saints long before the clouds
above Bethlehem became "a balcony filled
with the best singers Of world where
they all sing, but cannot read that there
was anything moro than "a quieting guess
that came to those before Christ deathbcds
Job said something bordering OF the con-
fdent but it was mixed up with story
of Skin worms" that would destroy hi,
body. Abraham and Jacob had little
light on the dying pillow, but, compared
: trh Ia Hh,f- Il t,I., IL
like the dim tallow candle OF old beside
the modern cluster Of lights electric
know Elijah went up in memorable man
ncr but ii was terrible way to goa
whirlwnd of fire that must have been
splendid TO look at by those who stood on
the banks of the Jordan, but il was a style
of ascent that required more nerve than
you and i ever had, to be u placid occu-
pant OF chariot drawn by such wild
,cam. The triumphant deathbeds as far
s. l know, We're the after Christ death
beds. What procession of hosannas have
marched through the dying room of the
saints of the last 10 centuries What cav
alcade of mounted halleluiahs has gallop-
I'd through the dying visions of the last
1000 years save 100! Peaceful dcathbeds
in the years Is. c.. Triumphant death
beds for the most part, reserved for the
years A. D.. Behold the deathbeds OF
the Wesleys, of the DoddIidges, of the
Leigh Richmonds, OF the Edward Paysons.
of Nara, the converted heather chieftain,
crying in his last moments: THE canoe is
in the sea. The sails are spread. She is
ready for the gale. l have good pilot To
guide me. My outside man and my inside
man differ Let the one rot till the trum-
pet shall sound, but lot my soul wing
her way TO the throne of Jesus" OF dy-
ing John Fletcher, who entered his pulpit
10 preach, though his doctors forbade him,
and then descended TO the communion ia
BILE, saying, II am going to throw myself
under the wings of the cherubim before
the mercy seat" thousands OF people a
TOW days after following him to the grave,
singing:
With heavenly weapons he has fought
The battles of tho Lord,
Finished his course and kept the faith
And gained the great reward.
OF pastor Emile Cook, the great French
evangelist, who sat in my church in
Brooklyn one Sunday morning and in
n few days shipwrockcd and dying after
his wife had said to him, God will help
you, my dear; he will give you peace"
replying, But l have it-peace, 1 have
it," OF Prince Albert, quoting with his
last breath, "Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in theel' OF the dy-
ing soldier who had been shot through the
mouth and could not talk, and when the
chaplain approached him motioncd for