The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-12-31
JOYS OF CHRISTMAS
What the Holy Babes Escape Means
to Humanity.
An EleSsent Holiday Sermon By DE-.
Talnsse from n Lessons OF
Hsrod's EHsrts to Destroy
the Christ CHILD.

warrington, DEC A@Copyrfgkt l0s).
In . most unusual way 9 ken con.
nsctsd with the nativity Is emphasized
~ Dr. Talmage in this Christmas dis
seurss; ext. Matthew 3, 49, "Herod
viii seek the young child to destroy
him" The cradle Of the int:n. JeEus
bad DO rockers, for II was not TO Be
seothed By osciIlating motion, a. are
the cradles Of other princes. It had no
canopy, for 1t was not TO be hovered
over BY anything 20 exquisite. 1t had
NO embroidered pillow, FOR the young
head @ not TO have such luxurious
comfort. Though a meteor-ordlnsrily
the most srratie and seemingly ungoT-
srnAhe OF all skyey sppearanceS-hsd
been sent 20 designate the place whore
that cradle stood and q choir had been
sent from the heavenly temple to sers-
made its illuttrious occupant with an
epic. yet that cradle was the target for
all earthly and disbolical hostIiues.
Indeed give you a. my opinion that
Il was the nArrowest and most wonder
full escape Of the ages that the child
was not slain before he had taken his
Frat step or spoken his first word. Her
Cd could not afford TO have him born.
The Caesars could not afford to have
nm born The gigantic expressions
and lBomiRati0n. Of the World oouls.
not afford 10 have Nm born.
The Herod who led the attack was
tresohsry. vengeance and ssnauAlity
impersonsted. As q sort Of pastime he
alsw Hyrcanus, the grandfather Of his
wife. Then be slew Marianne, hiG wife.
Then he butchered her two sons, Alex
Andsr and Aristobulus. Then he slew
AntipAtsT. his Oldest son. Then he or
dered burned alive 40 people who had
pulled down the eagle OF his authority.
He ordered the mobiles who had attend
ed upon his dying bed 10 be alain, 50
that there might be universal mourning
after his deeease. From that same
deathbed be ordered the slaughter Of
allthe children In Bethlehem under two
yeaus Of age, feeling sure that II be
maskaered the entire infantile popua-
ton that would include the destruction
Of the child whose birthplace astron-
omy had pointed out with It's finger OF
light. What were the slaughtered babes
10 him, and a. many frenhed and be-
reft mothers? II he had been well
enough TO leave his bed, he would have
enjoyed seeing the mothers wildly
struggling TO keep their babes and
holding them 20 tightly that they could
not be separated until the sword took
both lives at n stroke, and Others,
mother and child, hurled from roofs Of
houses into the street until that village
Of horseshoe shape on the hillside be-
cam n great butcher shop. To hAve
such o mar, with associates tust Is
cruel, and an army At his command, at
tempting the Life Of the infant Jesus,
does there seem any chance for his e.
caPe9 Then that fight soythwaTd for
20 many mlet aeross DESERTS and amid
bandits and Wild beasts (my friend, the
late missionary and scisntiat DR.. Ian
sing, who took the same journey, said
it was enough to hll both the Madonna
and the Child, and poor residence in
Cairo. Egypt. You know bow difficult
It Is TO take an ordinary child success.
fully through the disorders that are
surs TO assAll II sven In comfortable
homes and with all delicate ministries,
and then think Of the exposure Of that
famous babe in villages and lands
where ell sanitary lava were put Al de-
hance, His first hours on earth spent
in a without any doors, and oft
tunes swept by chilled night winds,
then sfterwsrd riding many days IN
der hot tropical sun, and part Of many
nights, leIt the avsnger oVertake the
fugitive before he could be hidden in
another landl
The sanhednn also were aaronted n
the report Of this mysterious arrival
Of q child that might upset all conven-
toDalitieS and threaten the throne Of
the nation. SHUT the door and bolt Il
and double bar It against him." cried
an political and eeclesisstscal power.
Christ on q retreat when only = few
days Of age, with all the privAtonI and
~hardkhips and S~ufferings Of retreat
When the glad news came that Herod
wa dead, and the Madonna was pack
ing up and taking her Child home, bad
news also came, that ArchelsuE, the
son, had taken the throne-another
crowned infamy. What chance for the
babes life2 VIII not some short a
hold the wondrous infAntT'
Put him TO DEATH" was the order all
up and down Palestine, and all up and
down the desert between Bethlehem and
Cairo. The cry was: Here comes an
iconoclast Of all established orderl
Here IN an aSpirant for the crown
OF Augustus! II found on the streets
of Bethlehem, dash him to death on the
pavement II found on q hill, hurl him
down the rocksl Away with himi"
But the Babe got home in safety and
passed up from infancy 10 youth aud
from youth 10 manhood and from car
penter shop TO M~essiahAhip and from
MeSSiahship 70 enforcement, until
the mightieSt name on earth Ia Jesus,
and there Is no mightier mans in
Heaven.
What ! want to call your attention 10
i1 your narrow escape and mine and
the woflds narrow escape. Suppose
that httsmnt nm 1ha vo,,na ahuNi. "a.