The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-04
WONDERS OF CHRIST'S LIFE
PALM SUNDAY SERMON BY REV. DIR.
TWITCR ELL.

ing In His Triumphal Entry Into Jerusa-
lem on the Eve of His Crucifixion.
At Dwight Place church yesterday
morning the pastor, Rev. DR.. Twitchell,
preached a sermon in keeping with the
day, it being Palm Sunday. His text
was from Matthew, 21st chapter and
9th verse, which reads: "And the
multitudes that went before him and
they that followed him cried, saying,
Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord"
He spoke as follows:
1t is natural, if not inevitable, that
on coming again to what is known as
Palm Sunday, the hearts of Christians
should turn lovingly and ad9ringly to
Christ, who at the very last heard the
hosannas of the people and in triumph
entered the Holy City.
His life-the most eventful ever lived
on earth-was drawing to close.
What should the end be? Mystery
had been about him from his birth.
Foregleams of grace and glory, here
and there, had attracted and bewil
dered ALL But still the questions were,
Who is he? Whence? Whittier? Why?
His words and works had been mis-
understood, strangely and sharply di-
viding the people as to his nature and
mission.
Many must have been more or less
familiar with the fact of his birth as
heralded by the night song of angels,
which caught the ear Of shepherds
watching their f1ocks on the Ju-
dean hills; more or less familiar also
with the fact that his cradle was a
manger, cattle his companions, a
strange star sparkling in the sky,
guide for the eastern Magi to his lowly
home.
1t surely must have been noised
abroad that for many a weary month,
over deserts and mountains, through
fords and forests, that star had point
ed to Jerusalem, the ''altar of Hebrew
faith and thence to Bethlehem, con-
frming for these Magi their astrology
and their theology, though Christ's
real kingship had wrong Interpretation
both by the Sanhedrin and by these
searching mystics.
The babe at last was found, whom
the shepherds had already worshipped,
and whom the Magi now worship, pre-
senting to the "star-child,' as he has
been called, glittering gold and pun
gent perfumes; then departing; are
soon lost in the desert, as they make
their way back to Persia to tell their
story of this newborn king.
Here is the first wonder attaching to
Christ, a wonder in the angel songs
and in these searching mystics- eclips-
ing all wonders attending the birth of
child since time began. Jerusalem
then had for rule a monster whose
"pastime was cruelty and whose pas
sion murder" Those whom he loved
or hated and especially those whom he
feared, were sure to be stoned or tor
tured, if not sacrificed to his lust and
power.
1t is written of this Hercd that "his
name rang like an alarm bell through
wretched land"
Now comes the dream of Joseph,
in obedience of which the mother and
child are hurried away to Egypt,
while the envious and jealous king fills
all Bethlehem with mourning because
of the tragedy enacted there in the
slaughter of the innocents'' these
| first Christian martyrs! Whence that
dream or vison-that unmistakable
warning of God. Find your answer in
it's issue The flight is sudden but
safe; and this mystery of divinity and
humanity in the peril Of that hour be-
| comes another wonder while yet a
! babe!
History thenceforward makes no
mention of the "star-child'' for twelve
/ long years, and it were vain for us to
attempt the filling of the gap.
| OF course we can picture the early
j home of Christ. Knowing the place
! and time, could write of the village,
the companions, the scenes; should not
/ indeed go far astray were we to outline
those years in which the babe became
4 a bow; learned of Moses and the
prophets; of synagogues and sacrifices;
/ OF 1edSLS anu ldSIS duC NotIlouo JEWISH
/ ceremonials. He certainly had sub
| stantially the same environments as
/ other children though there must have
| been something strange in the atmos-
| phere about him; for his parents, es-
/ pecially his mother, surely had begun
| to regard him as destined to have an
exceptional career.
These twelve years come and go:
writing no record of the Christ child
leaving us to outline his developing life
| The Passover month is once more al
! hand; every household must now
again repair to Jerusalem and there
keep the Jewish feast.
! Multitudes from all quarters throne
| the roads, making the air vibrant with
''songs of the ascent written by their
! poet king.
Among the crowd is this "star.
| child" now enthusiastically of age, be-
ing taken by his parents to the feast;
| to have part in the solemn services
t commemorative that black night
/ when down in Egypt trembling slaves
/ marked their door-posts with sacrifi-
/ cial blood" that the destroying angel
/ might know wherein We're dwelling
! Gods covenant people and so pass
, them by.
The molly crowd moves on, winds
/ down the mountain side and through
the valley towards the city which