Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1899-12-27
A CHRISTMAS SERMON
DR.. Ialmage Tells the Story of the
Incarnation.
s"",hine and shadow on the Cradle
al the Snviour-PracticaI Use
Made Of Religious FeS-
Oval Days.
Copyright. 1899. by Louis Klopschl

PEdcIical use - made of these DAYS of
1es''ity; nest, Matthew 1914: so all
the generations from Abraham to David
are - generations, and from David un-
III the carrying away into Baby Ion are
u generations, and from the carving
away into Babylon unto Christ are Il
generations"
rom what many consider the Gullest
aLo most unimportant chapter OF the
View testament | take my text and find
II luii OF practical, startling ana eternal
interest This chapter is the front door
OF the New Testament, through which
al the spleudors OF evangelism and
apo>tohcity enter. Three times il
generations are spoken of in my text
that Us, H. generations, reaching down
10 Christ. They all had relation TO
Him. And al least - generations past
affect us. If they were good. we feel
the result of the goodness. Ifthey were
bac, we feel the result of their wicked
ness. If some were good and some were
bad, IT is an intermiugling influence
that puts its mighty hand upon us.
And as we feel the effect OF AT least 70
generations past we will in turn inIlu-
cnce al least ~ generations 10 come. if
the world shall last 1,OOC years. So
YOU see the cradle is more important
than the grave.
4 propose TO show YOU some Of the
shadows upon the Christie cradle OF
bethlehem and then the sunshine that
poured in upon the pillow of straw. No
lice among the shadows on that infants
bed that there was here and there
specimen Of absolute ancestry. Beau
tiful Ruth his ancestress? Oh yes, De
Won't Asa one of his forefathers? oh
yes! Honest Joseph his father? oh,
ycs! Holy Mary his mother? Oh. YES,
But in that genealogical table were
ido'atrous and cruel Ammou and OPP
presSive Rehoboam and some men
whose denominations may not be partic-
ularized. So YOU see bad men may have
good descendants. One of the most
consecrated men | ever knew was the
son OF man who lived and died a bias
phemer. In the line of an oppressive
Rehoooam comes a gracious and merci-
fui and glorious Christ. Great cncour-
agemeut for those who had in the -
generations that preceded them, how
ever close by or however far back. some
Instances of pcruicious and balcful and
corrupt ancestry.
TO my amaZemeut | found in those
parts Of Australia To which many years
ago felons were transported from Eng
land that the percentage of crime was
less than in those parts of Australia
originally settled by honest men and
good women. Some who are now on
judicial benches in Australia and in
high governmental position and in
odd rt,l 4
crs in social life are the grandsons and
Ora rddaughters of men and women
who were eXiled from Great Britain to
Australia for arson and theft and as
saUit and fraud and murder
-asStaeer we are all more or less affected
ny cur ancestry we ought TO Ice patient
with those who GO wrong, rcmcm brr-
ing that they may he the victims Of
unhappy antecCdcnts. How lcuient it
ought TO make us in our judgment Of
the fallen! Perhaps they had - gen
era;ions back OF them pushing them the
wrong way. Five hundred years before
they were born there may have been a
parcntaCe Of iuiquity augmented by
corrupt parcntagc 200 years ago DO
not blame man because he cannot
swim up the ra pids OF Niagara DO not
blame a ship captain because he cannot
nutride a Caribbean WhirIwiHI The
father OF this man who does wrong may
have been AL right and his mother all
right. but away back in the centuries
there may have started a bad propcn-
sitN which be now feels. One OF the Ten
Commandments given on Mount Sinai
CCcUyUizCs the fact that evil may skip
& generation. when the commandment
speaks OF visiting the iuiquiiy Of the
fathers upon the children unto the
third ara fourth generation" but says
nothing about the second generation;
mud IL evil may skip one generation why
not two and three aud four and five
gcncIations. making q mighty leap and
aiiglting very hard upon the head and
me heart OF some poor victim? Better
he little merciful toward the culprit
lest after awhile some hereditary evil
born IN the year 1000 or 700. having
skipped the centuries. alight Just as
leavy upon you.
Meanwhile keep carefully your fam
iiy records. The old place for tie fam
lily record in the Bible. between the Old
and the New Testaments. is q most an
propriate place. That record. put in
such impressive surroundings or chap
ter. bounded or one side 10y tie prophc-
cic~ of Malachi and on the other side bv
the gospel OF Matthew. viii receive
stress and sanctity from its position.
That record is appropriately bound up
with ctcrnitics. DO not simply say in
Your family record: Born az such "a
time and died at such n time" but ir
here has been among your ancestors
some man or woman especially couse-
Grated and useful make a note Of il for
the encouragement Of the following
generations. Two family records Of the
Eibic-tEc one in Matthew reaching
from Abraham TO Christ and the other