Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-12-26

upon the narrow escape which you and
/ and tho world made let me say that
had the Herodic raid on that room of
the Bethlehem khan been a successful
raid or lad some cold taken by the child
in that fight toward Cairo been fatal,
heaven would have been to us an eternal
imposMbility. With our fallen nature
unchanged, unregenerated, unrecon-
structed through Jesus Christ, the hu-
man race would be no more fit for heaven
than a noisome weed is fit for a queens
garland no more than a shattered base
vioI is fit to sound in a Dusseldorf mu-
steal jubilee. If at one time Garibaldi
seemed to hold in his right hand tho
freedom Of Italy and Washington SEEM
ed at one time to hold in his right hand
American independence and Martin
Luther seemed to hold in his right hand
the emancipation of the church of God
for all nations, SO in grander and better
sense the infant born in that Bethlehem
stall held in one hand the ransom of
earth and in the other the rapture of
heaven. He started that night for three
places which he must reach or we never
could reach heaven, Gethsemane and
Cavalry and Olivet the first for agoniZ-
ing prayer, the second for excruciating
suffering, the third for glorious ascen-
sion, as the law of gravitation relaxed
for once to let him up out of his exile.
Had his life been only one day or one
year of Duration instead of 33 years,
had he died in Bethlehem or in Cairo
or in the desert between, not q church
would ever have been built, not a hos
pital ever opened, not a nation ever
freed, not a civilization ever inaugu-
rated, not a soul saved. Oh what a
crisis that was in the worlds history
What crisis in the eternitiesl think
that the angels who composed the choir
for the Christmas cantata above Bethle-
hem were not the only angels around
that wight. l think there were some
who, instead of holding librettos of
celestial music, stood all up and down
the sleeps of heaven with drawn swords,
keen and two edged. That cradle must
be defended. That flight into Egypt
must be lowered over by winged cohort.
That humble stopping place in Cairo
must be watched by celestial bands de-
scending amid the Egyptian pyramids
and the sphinx which had already stood
there for ages celebrating kings, none
of whom ever had such glory as will be
won by that Prince sleeping in his
mothers arms under their long shad-
ows. Hear it, all ye people-in that
babe's survival our heaven was involved.
And shall we not add to our usual
Christmas congratulation at a Saviour's
birth the joy at the babe's rescue?
The Worlds Christmas Gift.
Now let the Christmas table be
spread. Let it be an extension table
made up of the tables of your house
holds, and added to them the tables of
celestial festivity, all together making
a table long enough to reach across a
hemisphere-yes, long enough to reach
from earth to heaven. Send out the in
vitations to all the guests whom we
would like to have come and dine.
Come all the ransomed of earth and all
the crowned of heaven. AS at ancient
banquets the king, who was to preside,
came in after all the guests had taken
their place at the table. So perhaps it
may be now. Let the old folks who sat
at either end of your Christmas table 10
or 90 or 40 years ago be seated. their
aches and pains all gone. Behold, they
sit down in the exhilaration of everlast.
ing youth! Come brothers and sisters
who used to retire with us early on
Christmas eve so that the mysteries of
bestowed gifts might be kept secret,
and who rose with us early on Christ |
mas morn to see what was to be re-
vealed. Come all the old neighbors of |
our boyhood and girlhood days who /
used to happen in toward the close of |
this day to wish US merry time. Come |
all the ministers of Christ who have in |
pulpits for many year been telling the /
story of the star that pointed to the
worlds first Christmas gift and at the
same time Weakened Herod's apprehen-
sions. Come and sit down, We heralds of
"the glad tidings," whether you were
sprinkled or plunged, whether your
thanks today be offered in liturgy of
ages or prayers spontaneous whether
you be gowned in canonicals or wearing
plain coat Of backwoods meeting house.
Come in F.! Room at this Christmas table
for all those who have bowed at the
in whatever world you now
live:
Part of the host have crossed the food.
And part are crossing now.
Yea, come and sit at this Christmas
table, all heaven Archangel at that
end of the table, and all the angels I'M
der him adjoining. Come down, come
in and take your places at this Christ
mas banquet. The table is spread, and
The King who will preside is about to
enter. He comes! Him of Bethlehem,
him of Calvary, him of Olivet, him of
she throne Rise and greet him. Fill
Ill your chalices with the wine pressed
rom the heavenly Eschol, and drink at
his Christmas banquet to the memory
If the babe's rescue from Herodic pur.