The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-12-24
THE INFANTS 4: 'EsUA PHli
Or. TALMAeE NAMES THE DANGERS
THAT BEsET THE HOLY BABE. /

THAT BE9ET THE HOLY BABE. /
chyist's Cradle Had No Rookers-Ths
Character Of Herod-But One Irre-
proachable MaD-What Christianity
Hns Done For the World.
copyright. 1898. by american Press Asso-
l. ciation.l
WARRINGTON, Dec. 2b:-In most I'M
usual way q scene connected with the ma
tivity Is emphasized by DR.. Talmage In
this Christmas discourse; text, Matthew
II, IS, "Herod will seek the young child
to destroy him., The cradle Of the in-
FAINT Jesus had no rockers, for 1t was not
to be soothed by osoillating motion, as are
the cradles of other princes. 1t had no
canopy, for 1t was not to be lowered over
by anything so exquisite. It had no en-
broidered pillow, for the young head waa
not to have such luxurious comfort.
Though a meteor-ordinarily the most
erratic and seemingly ungovernable Of all
skyey appearances been sent to desig-
nate the place where that cradle stood and
a choir had been sent from the heavenly
temple to serenade Its illustrious occupant
with an epic, yet that cradle was the tar
get for all earthly and diabolical hostili-
ties. Indeed I give you as my opinion
that 1t was the narrowest and most won
derful escape Of the ages that the child
was not slain before he had taken his first
step or spoken his first word. Herod could
not afford to have him born. The Caesars
could not afford to have him born. The
gigantic expressions and denominations of
the world could not afford to have him
born. Was there ever planned more sys-
tematized or appalling bombardpsnt 10
all tho world than the bombardment Of
that GRADER O.. ..s H.
The Herod who led the attack was
treachery, vengeance and sensuality I'm
personated. As sort Of pastime he slew
Hyrcanus, the grandfather Of his wife.
Then he slew Marianne, his wife. Then
he butchered her two sons, Alexander and
Aristobulus. Then he slew Antipater,
his Oldest son. Then he ordered burned
alive 40 people who had pulled down the
eagle of his authority. He ordered the
mobiles who had attended upon his dying
bed to be slain, go that there might DO
universal mourning after his decease.
From that same deathbed he ordered the
slaughter Of all the children In Bethlehem
under 3 years Of ago, feeling sure that II
he massacred the entire infantile popula-
ton that would include the destruction of
the child whose birthplace astronomy had
pointed out with its finger of light. What
were the slaughtered babes to him, and as
many frenzied and bereft mothersp II he
had been we'll enough to leave his bed, he
would have enjoyed seeing the mothers
wildly struggling to keep their babes, and
holding them SO tightly that they could
not be separated until the sword took both
lives at one stroke, and Others, mother
and child, hurled from roofs OF houses into
tho street until that village OF horseshoe
shape on the hillside became ono great
butcher shop. 10 have such a man, with
associates just as cruel, and an army at
his command, attempting the life of the
infant Jesus, does there seem any chance
for his escapep Then that flight south
ward for so many miles, across deserts
and amid bandits and wild beasts fmy
friend, the late missionary and sciantisb
Dr. Lansing. who took the same journey,
said it was enough to kill both tho Ma
donna and TIE Child, and poor residence
in Cairo, Egypt. You know how difficult
1t is to tako an ordinary child successful
ly through tho disorders that arc sure to
assail it even in comfortable homes and
with all delicate ministries, and then think
of tho exposure Of that famous babe in
villages and lands where oil sanitary laws
were put ut defiance, his first hours on
earth spent in q room without any doors,
and ofttimes swept by chilled night
winds; then aftsrward riding many days
under hot tropical sun, and part Of many
nights, lest the avenger oyertake the fugi-
tive before he could be hidden in another
land ;'f.. RI t=ta5-., atle
The Baby hood of Christ.
The sanbedrin also wsro afrronted at
tho report Of this mysterious arrival Of a
child that might upset all conventionali-
ties and threaten the throne of tho nation.
"Shut the door and bolt it and double bal
1t against him." cried oil political and
ecclesiastical power. Christ OH u retreat
when only few days Of age, with all tn.
privations and hnrdships and sufferings
Of retreat When the glad news came that
Herod was doad, and tho Madonna was
packing up and taking her Child home,
bad news also came, that Archelaus, the
son, had taken the throne-another crown
ell infnmy. What chance for the babe's
life2 Will not some short grave hold the
wondrous infantF'
PUT him to death!'' was the order all up
and down Palestine, and oil up and down
the desert between Bethlehem and Cairo.
Tho cry was Hero comes an iconoclast
of all established order! Here comes an
nspiralit for the crown of Augustus! If
found on the streets of Bethlehem, dash
him to death Oh the pavemcntl II found
on I'LL, hurl him down the rocks Away
with himr' But the Babe got home In
safety and passed up from infancy to
youth and from youth to manhood and
from carpenter shop to Messiahship and
from Messahship to enthroneInent, until
the mighticst name on earth is Jesus, and
there Is no mightier name in heaven.
What want to call your attention to is
your narrow escape and mine and the
worlds narrow escape. Suppose that at
tempt on the young child's life had been
successful! Suppose that delegation of
wise mon, who were to report to Herod
immediately after they discovered the
hard bed in the Bethlehem caravansary,
had obeyed orders and reported Suppose
tho beast carrying the Madonna and the
Child In the flight had stumbled and
flung to death its riders Suppose ARCHIE
aus had got his hands on tho babe that
q father had failed to 1lnd Suppose
that among the children dashed from tho
Bethlehem house tops or separated by
sword of the cnraged constabulary Jesus
had perishedl
The Beauty of Christmas.
Then, to begin Oh the outermost rim Of
my subject Christmas festivities would
never have been observed, Christmas car
oils never sung, Christmas gifts never be-
slowed Christmas games never played,
Christmas bells never runR. What an aw-
full subtraction from the worlds bright
ness would have been the making Of
Dec. 25 like other days of the year!
Glorious day. After Frightening England
aud Holland and Germany for centuries
1t stepped across the sea and pronounced
It's benodlction on our shores Why, we
never get over our childhood Christmasesi
Father and mother joined in them. They
forgot their rheulnatisms and shortness Of
breath, and for awhile threw of the sor-
ruws OF lifetime while they struggled
with us Us to who should first in the morn
Ing shout the Merry Christmasi" Then