Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-12-25

who, in the battles to come, will want
all his troops. In all our churches
there are so many half and half disci-
pies, so many one-third espousers.
They rather think the Bible is true, at
any rate parts of it, and they hope that
somehow Christianity will disenthrall
the nations. They stay away from
church on communion days and hope
when they have lived as long as they
can in this world they can somehow
sneak into heaven. Oh, give in your
names! Be registered on the church
record down here and in the Lambs
Book of Life up there. Let all the
world know where you stand, if you
have to go as far as Joseph and Mary
walked, if you have to go 80 miles be-
fore you find just the right form Of
worship and just the right creed.
Divine Protection.
Another CLEAN Of sunshine striking
through the shadows above that Christ
ic cradle was the fact of a special di-
vine protection. Herod was determin-
ed upon the child's destruction. The
monster put all his wits together in
stratagem for the stopping of that
young life just started. He dramatized
piety; he suddenly got religious; he
would leave his palace and take char
lot and have steeds whipped up, so
that he could kneel at that cradle. We
have to smile at what the imperial vii
lain said when he ordered, go and
search diligently for the young child,
and when We have found him bring me
word, that 1 may go and worship him
also" Dore's picture of the Massacre
of the Innocents'' at Herod's command
"a picture full of children hurled over
walls and dashed against streets and
writhing under assassin's foot-gives
us little impression of the manner in
which Herod would have treated the
real child if he could once have got his
hand on it. But Herod could not find
that cradle. All the detectives he sent
out failed in the search. Yet it had
been pointed out by f1ashlight from the
midnight heavens. All the neighbor-
hood knew about it. The angelic cho-
rus in the cloud had called musical at
tention to it. No sentinel guarded it
with drawn sword, passing up and
down by the pillow of that Bethlehem
caravansary. Why, then, was it that
the cradle was not despoiled of it's
treasure? Because it was divinely pro-
tected There were wings lowering
that mortal eye could not see; there
were armed immortals whose bran
dished sword mortal eye could not fol-
low; there were chariots of the Omnip-
Otent the rumble of whose wheels only
supernaturals could hear. God had
started through the cradle to save our
world, and nothing could stop him.
You cannot reasonably account for
that unhurt cradle except on the the
DRY of a special, divine protection. And
most cradles are likewise defended.
Can you understand why so many chill
dren, with all the epidemics that as
sault them, and all their climbing to
dangerous heights, and all their peril
Gus experiments with explosives and
their running against c5rses' hoofs,
and daring of trolleys and carts fast
driven, yet somehow get through, espe-
cially boys of high spirit and that are
going to amount to much3 l account
for their coming through all right, with
only q few wounds and bruises, by the
fact that they are divinely protected.
All your charges of Don't do this and
Don't do that and Don't go there
seem to amount to nothing. They are
the same reckless creatures about
whom you are constantly anxious and
wondering what is the matter now.
Divinely protected!
Cleans of Light.
Another CLEAN of light, scattering
~ of hot .ic,fi nil
low in Bethlehem, was the fact that it
was the starting place of the most won
derful of all careers. Looking at
Christ's life from mere worldly stand
points it was amazing beyond all ca
pacity of pen or tongue or canvas to
express. Without taking a years cur
riculum in any college or even a day at
any school, yet saying things that the
mightiest intellects of subsequent days
have quoted and tried to eXpound!
Great literary works have for the most
part been the result of much elabOra-
ton. Edmund Burke rewrote the con-
clusion of his speech against Warren
Hastings 16 times. Lord Brougham
rewrote his speech in behalf Of Queen
Caroline 20 times, but the sermon on
the mount seemed extemporaneous.
Christ was eloquent without ever hav-
ing studied one of the laws of oratory.
He was the greatest orator that ever
lived. 1t was not an eloquence Demos
thenic or Caceronic or like that of Jean
Baptiste Massillon or like that which
William Writ, himself a great orator,
was overcome with in log cabin meet
ing house of Virginia, when the blind
preacher cried out in his sermon, "Soc-
rates died like philosopher, but Jesus
Christ died like a God"
Christ's oratory was unlike anything